# First post and new to me 1953 Schwinn Panther



## j-dub (Oct 22, 2012)

Hey there everybody! My name is Jeremy and I just got a 1953 Panther in what looks to be pretty original and complete, but it does show the wear. The only non original parts seems to be the tires. 

My goal for this bike is to clean it up and enjoy it, not restore it. 












So far I have cleaned and re-greased the crank bearings and one of the pedal bearings. I need to do the same with the front and rear hubs. I soaked the chain in some penetrating oil to free up some stuck links. The head light works after installing batteries, the horn works after I cleaned and repaired the button. I took it for a ride around the block today and it does ride very well, it is smooth and seems to ride without too much resistance. One concern I have is the bike pulls left. I have never had a bike do this before, do you think it is a function of needing to have the hubs refreshed or might there be a problem with the springer?


Lastly the seat pan is roached, the top of the pan is rusty and flaky. Any idea where to get a better one?

Thanks,
Jeremy


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## jpromo (Oct 22, 2012)

Nice bike! And your plans for it are just what the doctor ordered. The great thing is, it'll ride even better with overhauled hubs.

I believe your leftward pull may be due to the stem being out of line with the front tire. It's hard to tell in the picture but it looks like it may be a little bit off. Forgive me if this was the first thing you checked but it can be one of those little things that gets overlooked. Enjoy the bike and welcome to our humble cult!


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## Balloontyre (Oct 22, 2012)

Hey Jeremy, See the link about pull.

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?33593-Phantom-pulls-hard-to-the-left

welcome to the Cabe


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## Stingman (Oct 22, 2012)

Great find! I love those straight bars with the tanks! Have fun with it!


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## j-dub (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks for the comments and link to the other thread on pulling to the left.

Since I was satisfied with the test ride I decided it was time to pull it all apart for some cleaning. Every bearing I have seen has been dry and gritty so I am glad I am doing this. 

Sorry for the poor quality pictures:


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## Larmo63 (Oct 22, 2012)

I have a pretty decent og seat for that bike.....

For sale....


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## j-dub (Oct 22, 2012)

Larmo63 said:


> I have a pretty decent og seat for that bike.....
> 
> For sale....




Sent you a PM


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## greenephantom (Oct 23, 2012)

Nice score.

As far as it pulling left, couple of possibilities.  Simple one:  Once it's back together, make sure the front wheel is fully seated up in the forks.  There should be the same amount of space between the tire and the fork blade on either side.  If wheel isn't even between the blades then you've got to figure out if it's the fork or the wheel.  Note which side of the fork the tire is closer to.  Pull the wheel out, flip it around so it faces the other way, see if it sits the same way or if it's closer to the other side of the fork now.  If it's closer to the other side of the fork, then the wheel is out of dish, a relatively easy fix.  If the wheel is offset to the same side, then it's the fork.

Complex one: Re-aligning the fork blades on a springer fork is a pain.  With the legs off the bike run the pivot bolt through and get them side by side.  Then eyeball everything and see if you can figure out where/how much/which leg is bent.

There was a similar topic recently under "general discussion" that may or may not be helpful to your situation.

Cheers, Geoff


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## vintage2wheel (Oct 23, 2012)

*welcome*

nice OG panther


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## j-dub (Oct 23, 2012)

So tonight I took the front wheel bearings apart to clean them and found a few things:

Three cracks on the inner race on one side




One wheel bearing has 6 balls, the other has 7




other side of the bearing cage




The axle also has boogered threads where it sits on the fork. Are these parts easily sourced or am I better off trying to source another S2 hub/wheel?


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## j-dub (Oct 23, 2012)

The rear hub and coaster brake assembly cleaned up well, found no issues. Greased the bearings and reassembled.


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## TwoSchwinns (Oct 24, 2012)

greenephantom said:


> Nice score.
> Note which side of the fork the tire is closer to.  Pull the wheel out, flip it around so it faces the other way, see if it sits the same way or if it's closer to the other side of the fork now.  If it's closer to the other side of the fork, then the wheel is out of dish, a relatively easy fix.  If the wheel is offset to the same side, then it's the fork.
> Cheers, Geoff




That's something I found out after having the tires replaced. The bike really pulled to the side, I flipped the wheel and it's much better. Still isn't perfect, but is nothing I have to fight.


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## j-dub (Oct 24, 2012)

Quick question for you, does this seem to be the original seat?


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## SJ_BIKER (Oct 24, 2012)

*Yessss*

Og seat for sure....care to sell it ??


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## j-dub (Oct 24, 2012)

SJ_BIKER said:


> Og seat for sure....care to sell it ??




Hey SJ, 
Thanks for the offer but no I want to keep this bike all together and as original as possible.



I just came upon the Panther thread (http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?22930-Please-show-your-panther) and am excited to see this does seem to be original to the bike as does most everything else. 

What I would like is some direction on what to do with the seat. I have ridden it and find it comfortable enough, it is just a bit to raw even for the patina look. 
I gather these seats have two seat pans. One is the main frame that supports the springs and the other is the part that supports the upholstery. I am not sure if I could simply use the upholstered portion from another seat and swap that on to my frame or not. Anybody know either way?

Thanks in advance,
Jeremy


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## j-dub (Oct 27, 2012)

I got the front wheel bearings sorted out. I ditched the cages and added extra balls, nine on each side. It rolls really well now.

I also made progress on it pulling to the left. With the fender and strut rods off it was easier to see what was wrong. I centered the thick washer that accepts the spring bolt and then had to bend the fork legs a bit until they matched. One of them was slightly bent and working it slowly in the vice until they both matched was easy.


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## j-dub (Oct 28, 2012)

A few pictures of it now, cleaned up a bit and mechanically ready to go.


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## panther boy (Oct 28, 2012)

*53 Panther*

That is one of the nicest original old Panthers I've seen---Truly a rare find--Remember, it's only original once---It really cleaned up nice.


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## j-dub (Oct 29, 2012)

panther boy said:


> That is one of the nicest original old Panthers I've seen---Truly a rare find--Remember, it's only original once---It really cleaned up nice.




Thanks panther Boy, I think the pictures make it look cleaner than it is but it is a survivor and I am happy to have it. I hope to put some miles on it this week.


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## DonChristie (Oct 29, 2012)

Nice job! You've done the Lords work, son!


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## rhenning (Oct 30, 2012)

You should have no trouble find the parts you need.  Memory Lane Classics or Blue Moon Bikes should have them among others.  Roger


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## j-dub (Nov 6, 2012)

So since last update I have put some miles on this bike. I have ridden it out to dinner and drinks with friends a couple of times as well as a few pleasure rides. Tonight I rode it to go vote. The light output of the rocket ray headlight is actually pretty decent.

I worked on the front end a bit more straightening out the legs on the springer and it now does not pull at all. I can ride with no hands now(insert that Flobots song here). I bought another seat online and hope to be able to use the top pan to refurbish my original double crash rail seat.

I borrowed a truing stand from a friend and trued the wheels. 11 of the spoke nipples were rusted to the spoke and I ended up breaking them. Fortunately the same friend who lent me the truing stand had a pile of spokes from previous builds and I was able to replace them all with correct tapered used originals. I had not trued any wheels recently and was really surprised how well they came out. My technique was to loosen them all a turn, this helped to sort out which ones needed to be replaced. Once I got the wort of the wobbles out I worked on the hop. Before you knew it you really had to look close to find any imperfections.

Lastly I put a new set of tires on. I chose the Electra Vintage Diamonds white walls, they are 2.35 wide to help fill up the fender well. I definitely wanted to stay with a white wall tire due to the chrome fenders just look better with a white wall, as well as that is what it came with. Secondly I chose these because they were in stock at my friendly local bike shop and I like to support those that support me.

That is it for this update.
Jeremy


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## j-dub (Nov 15, 2012)

Seat update:

Over the last two weeks I have bought two seats off the internet. One was really nice but not the correct color (red).  I was thinking it may match the red on the bike already or I could try to dye it, regardless it would be a great upgrade from what I have now. Then another popped up on ebay, it was the right color (tan) and the seat cover had a great patina. It had no bids till the last two minutes, then the bidding got furious. Eight bids later it was mine. 

Original seat in the middle, pic makes them not all look the same size but they are all exactly the same:





Tearing down my original seat, here is a comparison of my top pan compared to the top pan from the tan seat:




Comparing the color of the tan seat cover to my what was left of my original tan upholstery:




Took the cover off so I could transfer over the carriage bolts for the crash rails as they pass through both the top pan and the seat pan:




Here is a shot comparing how well the color of this seat cover matches the original grips:




So the current plan is to use the my existing seat pan, frame, springs and crash rails with the tan cover and top pan. What I am hoping for will be a color correct seat with a matching patina.

One question: 
Should this seat have a Schwinn or Mesinger tag on the back?

Thanks in advance,
Jeremy


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## Monark52 (Nov 16, 2012)

As a fellow Panther owner let me tell you, nice bike! It looks great just the way it is. It will really benefit from fresh grease too. You did a nice job. Check out mine on the show your Panther thread.


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## j-dub (Nov 18, 2012)

Monark52 said:


> As a fellow Panther owner let me tell you, nice bike! It looks great just the way it is. It will really benefit from fresh grease too. You did a nice job. Check out mine on the show your Panther thread.




Thanks Monark, I sent you a PM


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## j-dub (Nov 18, 2012)

Another seat update:

I was able to use this tan cover and top pan with the rest of my original parts. I was really straight forward swap, move the carriage bolts over, replace cover, replace bottom pan, frame and springs, crash rails, tighten everything down. This cover even has a similar patina to the rest of the bike.

Here is how it looks now:


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## j-dub (Dec 8, 2012)

I am not completely happy with the Electra tires I had on the Panther, the tread is great but the side wall just does not do it for me. I decided to test out a pair of the brown Fat Franks. The brown has a bit of brick red in it that plays well with the tan grips, seat, pin stripes, and rust:o. 

I like the look but still miss the while wall a bit as I feel the white wall give it the 50s look.


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## Kscheel (Dec 9, 2012)

I like the red brick tires. I too am always torn though, white walls just look so good.


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## jd56 (Dec 11, 2012)

I had the issue with my Phantom. The white walls are just what you would expect.
I even decided to try the orange brick pattern but, they were just too much orange. Hopping to highlight the faded red accents as is on you Panther. So I bought a set red brick tires and the concenus from most that for a slightly different look the appearnce was approved by  the members here.
Onnce I get them mounted and I get a close to OG tank then I'll post the finished product.

Still the feeling is the brown or red brick is a way better look in my opinion.


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## Boris (Dec 11, 2012)

I was curious if you resolve the problem with your cracked hub?


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## j-dub (Dec 11, 2012)

Thanks for the opinions and compliments. Different lighting really change how well the tires go with the bike, the white walls just always seem to look good.



jd56 said:


> I had the issue with my Phantom. The white walls are just what you would expect.
> I even decided to try the orange brick pattern but, they were just too much orange. Hopping to highlight the faded red accents as is on you Panther. So I bought a set red brick tires and the concenus from most that for a slightly different look the appearnce was approved by  the members here.
> Onnce I get them mounted and I get a close to OG tank then I'll post the finished product.
> 
> Still the feeling is the brown or red brick is a way better look in my opinion.




Looking forward to see how they look on your ride, post pics when you get a chance.


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## j-dub (Dec 11, 2012)

Dave Marko said:


> I was curious if you resolve the problem with your cracked hub?




I did buy another hub thinking I was going to swap out the cups. To be honest after I replaced the bad bearing cage with 9 loose ball bearings it rolls so well I have not had much motivation to swap the cups out.


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## Ozark Flyer (Dec 11, 2012)

If you hit a bump and bust a cup things could get exciting!


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