# ‘61 Radiant Green Corvette 5 speed Rehab



## schwinnlax (Dec 30, 2018)

Starting to rehab the ‘61 Corvette 5 I recently purchased.  Bike appears to be complete and original, but has lots of rust.  The chain guard was my test case.  Here is the original condition:










Here is after 48 hours in the oxalic acid bath.









Then, did some cleaning with 0000 steel wool.










Not as good as I wanted it to be.  I need to take a close look at this to see if the chrome is gone on the remaining spots.  There is definitely pitting in the chrome, so those spots are not going to come back.  It will look good from a distance.


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## GTs58 (Dec 30, 2018)

It's not minty, but it sure looks 100% better. 



 I did a Fair Lady guard years ago as a OA test on these chrome and paint guards to see what would happen. The rust was about as bad and it cleaned up better than I thought it would. Soaked it for 8 hours and I'm thinking my mix ratio was a tad bit stronger than what you used. The bigger issue with these guards is the paint falling off and fading over time. Your paint looks way nicer than most. A good chrome polish and then some wax will help too.


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## schwinnlax (Dec 31, 2018)

Thanks GT.  Took the forks in to the LBS today and had those straightened.  Stem is in the soup along with the seat crash rail.  Seat springs and hardware are very corroded, but I used a wire brush on one part, and there is chrome underneath, so now it’s a matter of getting the pan separated from the bracket that holds the springs and post mounting clamp.  Got one nut off the bolt that holds the beehive spring on, but other one is being very stubborn.


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## GTs58 (Dec 31, 2018)

Wow! Maybe shoot @bricycle a PM and see if you could borrow his Mapp torch for that nut.  lol

Did Bob give you any history on the bike? Years ago ole Bob beat me to the punch on a Black one owner Corvette 5 that was hanging up in a garage for 40+ plus years. I believe it was the Grandson selling it during the Grandfather's estate liquidation. Possibly the Son was selling, I have all that info posted on a nuther forum.


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## schwinnlax (Dec 31, 2018)

GTs58 said:


> Wow! Maybe shoot @bricycle a PM and see if you could borrow his Mapp torch for that nut.  lol
> 
> Did Bob give you any history on the bike? Years ago ole Bob beat me to the punch on a Black one owner Corvette 5 that was hanging up in a garage for 40+ plus years. I believe it was the Grandson selling it during the Grandfather's estate liquidation. Possibly the Son was selling, I have all that info posted on a nuther forum.



Bob said he picked it up at the estate sale of the original owner in Winstson-Salem, NC.  That's all he knew.

I've used some liquid wrench on the nut, letting it soak.  If that doesn't work after a few days, it will be the torch!


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## unregistered (Dec 31, 2018)

Sure was tempting to pick that up. One rare bird and radiant green is gorgeous. I felt his ask was reasonable, too.


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## schwinnlax (Jan 3, 2019)

After several days in a weak acid solution, stem came out pretty decent, seat crash rail, not so much.  I will need to look for a donor if I want to save the aesthetics of the original seat.


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## GTs58 (Jan 3, 2019)

What OA mix ratio are you using? You might get better results with a stronger mix and way less time. After doing my first couple bikes I found the OA loses it's potency over time. Depending on what I'm soaking and how bad it is, I'll go with one heaping tablespoon or two per gallon of hot tap water and soak for about 8 hours. I doubt the crash rail would look much better though, the chrome unfortunately is pretty much gone.


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## schwinnlax (Jan 4, 2019)

It's pretty weak (probably less than a tablespoon of OA/gallon).  It's the same solution I used when doing the chain guard.  I didn't want it to be too strong for fear of affecting the paint or decals on the chain guard.  I'm not in a rush, so the longer times are ok.  The OA is consumed in the de-rusting process since it is reacting with the iron oxides (rust) and converting them to iron oxalate, which is a yellow color.  So after a number of parts have passed through the bath you have to either add more OA or make a new solution.  

I'll be working on the seat springs next, then crank and sprocket for the de-rusting bath.  Not too many chrome parts to do, really.  As a part of the deal with Bob I got a nice seat post tube, seat post clamp, and two rims.  The rims will need a bit of de-rusting, but that can probably be done with steel wool.  The original rims are shot.  The rear one has rusted through the chrome on the sides, and the front one has a lot of dents.  So, once I get the better rims cleaned up, I will transfer the wheels over.  Pretty simple process as I've done it before.  The handle bars are shot - chrome flaking off in large areas, so I'll be getting a replacement.

I've got a very nice spare Troxel seat I might use on the Corvette, so not sure how much effort I'm going to put in to the original.  Here's a picture of the seat on my '63 Tiger.  MUCH more comfortable than the original seat!


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## bikemonkey (Jan 4, 2019)

Nice job! OA baths are excellent chemical rust removers.

I also use citric acid and brass hand brushes on chrome plating to good effect. The brass is softer than steel wool or steel wire brushes and I dip the brass brush in the CA solution when I am scrubbing of the rust. Steel wool of any grade will dull chrome plating. I still use it, but try to limit it on surfaces surfaces that will not improve or appearances don't matter (rim beds, etc.).


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## schwinnlax (Jan 8, 2019)

Seat spring de-rusting did not go as well as hoped.  There is either too much corrosion or not enough chrome left.  The painted seat bracket turned out ok, that will be easily painted, but I think if I want to save the seat, I’ll need to get new springs and crash bar, or just live with it.










Sprocket and crank went a bit better.  Pedals are better, but here again, I think there is just too much chrome lost on some areas to bring them back.  Another thing I’ll have to live with or buy replacements.


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## schwinnlax (Jan 8, 2019)

Well, here is an unexpected surprise I noticed today.  Looks like this bike took a side hit:








Yikes, not sure what to do about that!  This is looking like I got a bad deal on this bike.  This was never mentioned by the seller.  No idea how to straighten that.  Will take the frame to the LBS to see if they can do anything.


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## schwinnlax (Jan 10, 2019)

Head mechanic at LBS was able to straighten the frame stay.  Just a bit of an indentation where the hit occurred remains.  Not bad.




Next up is cleaning the chain and deraileaur.

I’m going to leave working on the seat until much later.  I think that will be a separate project that will need new springs.

Really undecided about what to do with the frame paint.  There are a lot of rust spots as can be seen in the closeup picture above.  Would prefer not to repaint, and probably won’t until I get the whole thing reassembled and see what the complete bike looks like.  Anyone have opinions to share?


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## vincev (Jan 10, 2019)

Please keep those channel locks away from that bike !!!!!!!!!!!


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## GTs58 (Jan 10, 2019)

Looks like your LBS did a nice job on the cantilever bar! 



I'm not sure what I would do with the paint. These candy colors are a pain sometimes because the rust is not all the way thru to the surface of the paint but it can be seen it underneath the color coat. Can't go wrong with cleaning it up first and then decide if it needs more help. I had a black 61 that was a rusted up mess so a repaint was a definite. Rusty frame after the paint was removed with chemicals.


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## schwinnlax (Jan 11, 2019)

The Tiger I have pictured in post #9 had similar paint issues tho this radiant green Corvette.  Not quite as bad, but still did not look pretty.  I got the bike in a trade and cost was around $60.  Since that bike is not uncommon and I wanted to use it as a rider, I decided to try "touching up" the paint.  Found a standard automotive paint that was a very close match to the radiant blue of the bike, not identical, but very close.  This was a total overhaul, so I had everything off the frame.  After cleaning the frame, I started doing touchup, and it was looking good.  I decided a lite overspray of the whole frame would look really good.  So, I masked off all of the decals, and then did a lite overspray.  Bad areas got more coats.  Also did a little bit of touchup in select areas of the forks and chain guard.  The result was excellent.  You have to be withing inches of the decals to see the slight difference in the shade of blue between the over painted area and the original areas near the decals.

For the radiant green I was thinking something similar.  If I could find a paint match, my thought was to smooth out the paint surface with 0000 steel wool.  Not sure decals are worth saving on this frame, so I would probably go right over those, but mask off the head badge.  Then do light over spray coats and see how it goes.  The idea would be to just make all of those rust blotches go away.

The alternative is to give the bike a good cleaning and wax, and leave as is.  I think from a distance it will look just fine, but close up there are a lot of warts.  The fenders are in great shape with no dents, so that will be a bit of a contrast.


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## Eric Amlie (Jan 11, 2019)

In a thread on the Schwinn forums several years ago somebody showed pics of a bike that he had repainted with *Testors #1601 Emerald Green*. He said the paint was a very close match to Schwinn's Radiant Green, and it looked so in the pics.


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## unregistered (Jan 11, 2019)

I’m in a similar position with a campus green Fastback right now. Since the chrome didn’t clean up all that well and the paint isn’t either, at least they match.
 Putting crummy chrome parts on a repainted frame sounds like a sore thumb waiting to happen.


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## schwinnbikebobb (Jan 11, 2019)

Plus one on the Testors match.  Here is a 61 Tiger that I painted a set of fenders with Testors. (not these chrome ones)  I was quite happy with them.


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## schwinnlax (Jan 13, 2019)

Thanks for the advice on Testor's.  I found several threads that mention it.  GT also mentioned Dupli-Colors Metalcast Green in a CABE thread, though I don't think I found any threads where someone actually used that color.  I'm really in the middle on the paint condition.  A few feet away, it does not look too bad.  It's closer up that the warts become very apparent.  I think it's going to come down to how the complete bike looks once I get everything cleaned up and assembled, which likely won't be before summer.  Depends on how much night/weekend time I have and garage temperature!


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## GTs58 (Jan 13, 2019)

I know you're a SBF member so do a search over there on Radiant Green paint match. There were a few members there that used the Metalcast Green and I believe krankrate? was one of them. Twomorestrokes (spelling) was also looking for green Jag match. I haven't used Testors paint since I was a teen so I'm not sure if the Emerald Green is a very small metallic paint or not. They did have a few candy colors back in the mid 60's but I don't think any were green. I've used the Dupli-Color Intense Blue for the Radiant Blue but that paint is a metallic. The color matches the Radiant Blue *very well* but you have to paint a complete part or section and it is noticeable up close since it's not a candy sprayed over an aluminum base.


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## schwinnlax (May 7, 2019)

Weather has finally been warm enough to get out to the garage and back to this project.  Did lots of parts cleaning inside, but needed to be in the garage for a number of reasons.  Here is partial assembly at this point.






Fenders cleaned up very well.  Very few dings in the actual fenders.  Stays are another matter.  They will need further cleaning and then painting.









Rack cleaned up nice on the aluminum parts.  Metal parts are still a bit dingy.





Crank, sprocket, and pedals are similar.  Look decent from a distance, but have pitting seen up close.





Handle bars came off a donor ‘63 Co—Ed.  Will still need to re-build back wheel.  All that is salvageable from that is the hub, sprocket, derailleur, and spoke nipples (maybe).  

Cleaned the chain and is now dried out.  Should I soak the chain in something before putting it back on the bike?


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## GTs58 (May 7, 2019)

Glad to see you're making some progress!   



What I normally do with the old chains after cleaning is soak them in a small bowl of motor oil. Then I hang it up and let it drip dry for a day or more. Before I install it I wipe it down real good a few times and then call it done until I put a few miles on it. After messing with quite a few old chains off geared bikes I've decided that saving these used 58 year old chains is a waste of time. Once you start riding the bike and going thru the gears you'll start to notice the symptoms of a worn out chain. On my 62 Corvette rider I was having some issues so I took the chain off, stretched it out and measured it. Seems it was worn enough to where it gained 3/4" in the overall length but it still "looked" like a new chain. Measure the chain and see if it's stretched, then decide if you want to use it.


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## schwinnlax (May 8, 2019)

Yes, GT, that is good advice.  Chains are cheap.  Any recommendation for model/brand?


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## PCHiggin (May 8, 2019)

I had good results refinishing fender braces by media blasting,metal prepping then coating with a satin clear from a rattle can. You can skip the metal prep if you use silica in place of plastic media. You just need be careful,it can warp them. Good luck


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## Mymando (May 20, 2019)

Where did you find the oxalic acid in a liquid? New to the OA but it looks like good results on the rust? Any help appreciated! Thanks


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## bikecrazy (May 20, 2019)

My example of a re-paint using the Metalcast product. Unfortunately my IPad makes the color look lighter then it really is. Actual paint color is deeper and richer. An excellent match in my opinion.


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## GTs58 (May 20, 2019)

bikecrazy said:


> My example of a re-paint using the Metalcast product. Unfortunately my IPad makes the color look lighter then it really is. Actual paint color is deeper and richer. An excellent match in my opinion.
> 
> View attachment 1001408




Looks fabulous! What exactly did you use for the base coat?


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## skiptoofer22 (May 20, 2019)

I would leave it alone myself. All of the imperfections add character and show the bike's age. As they say, you can always repaint a bike, but it is only original once. -Trevor


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## bikecrazy (May 20, 2019)

I used silver


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## bikecrazy (May 20, 2019)

To be more specific, I used Duplicolor ultra silver metallic auto touch up paint.


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## schwinnlax (May 24, 2019)

Mymando said:


> Where did you find the oxalic acid in a liquid? New to the OA but it looks like good results on the rust? Any help appreciated! Thanks



You can buy oxalic acid as a solid (comes as a powder/crystals).  Amazon sells it by the pound, which is way more than you need.  Then place that in water with your parts.  How much acid to put in will depend on what you are doing and how aggressive you want to be.  You can be pretty aggressive with chrome parts that have no decals.  I was used less oxalis acid for the chain guard since there is both paint and decals on there.


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## schwinnlax (May 24, 2019)

Mechanic was able to get the freewheel off, but only by taking it apart.  There was so much corrosion in there, that it would not come off with the proper freewheel removal tool.  Was able to connect with him yesterday.  Reassembled the gear cluster and removed the hub from the wheel.  Tried to save the spokes, but only was able to save a handful.  Many were rusted, most broke even after lubricating the nipples and letting sit a couple of times.  Most of these were not worth saving anyway.  Will need to get new zinc coated spokes.  Have a donor rim that should work well.  The original had too much chrome loss.  Not dented, so I might save it for a time I am desperate for an S-7 and have it re-chromed.  Next need to clean up the hub, spoke guard and donor rim.  Donor bike was a ‘63 American women’s frame with a single speed Bendix.  Front wheel was gone, and fork headset tube was broken.  Harvested a lot of good parts from that bike that may be useful down the line.  Frame is going for recycling with the broken forks.

By the way, does that spacer ring go between the hub and the spoke guard, or the spoke guard and the freewheel?  I was not there when the mechanic took it apart, and he could not remember the order.


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## schwinnlax (May 24, 2019)

skiptoofer22 said:


> I would leave it alone myself. All of the imperfections add character and show the bike's age. As they say, you can always repaint a bike, but it is only original once. -Trevor



My plan is to clean everything up as best I can, and assemble the complete bike and assess how it looks.  From about six feet I think it will look really good.  From 1 foot all the scars will show.  One “good” thing, all the parts roughly “aged” evenly.  So, as I detailed above, frame paint has rust flaws, chrome has pitting, etc.  At this point, I don’t think it is going to look like a mis-match.  So, if I were to paint the frame, I’d have to look for replacement chrome parts as well.  That certainly speaks in favor of leaving the pain as-is.


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## Schwinn499 (May 25, 2019)

The spacer goes between the pie plate and the freewheel.


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## schwinnlax (May 31, 2019)

Got the hub cleaned up.  I was given an S-7 wheel from a 1963 American with a Bendix coaster brake hub as a donor rim.  Removed the hub and saved the spokes. The rim really cleaned up nice with just 0000 steel wool.  I laced up the rim to the 5 speed Atom hub this morning.  First time doing that on my own (following Glenn’s book).  Went pretty smooth.  With the freewheel done, that was the last piece before assembly, so I was able to put the bike together today.  I was trying to save the old chain, but I’m going to need a new one - several very stiff links.  For now I put the chain on until I can get a new one tomorrow.  Still needs rear reflector ($50 on e-bay - yikes!), and need to clean and paint the fender stays.  I put a Troxel double spring seat on for now.  Still deciding what to do with the original seat.  Everything else seems to look and function OK.


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## GTs58 (May 31, 2019)

Looks very presentable! Went back to see if you posted a shot of the seat cover, I guess not. Is the cover damage free other than maybe the white needing to be redone?


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## schwinnlax (Jun 1, 2019)

GTs58 said:


> Looks very presentable! Went back to see if you posted a shot of the seat cover, I guess not. Is the cover damage free other than maybe the white needing to be redone?



Seat cover is not damaged.  Needs a very good cleaning.  White would need to be re-painted for a full restoration; however, with the condition of the frame paint, I would only clean the cover at this point.








The rest fo the seat is another story.  As can be seen in the pic, the underside is thoroughly rust covered.  Will need to soak this to try to clean it up, or just do some manual scrubbing with steel wool.  Not too concerned about the bracket as that was originally painted black, so needs a clean up before priming and painting.  Springs and crash bar are shot.  Too much chrome has flaked off.  For now, I will probably assemble the seat and see how it looks.  That Troxel seat is way more comfortable that these old seats.


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## schwinnlax (Jun 9, 2019)

Did some work on the rear reflector the past several days.  The reflector was left on the fender in shipping, which ended up breaking the top screw hole of the reflector.  Could not find the pieces in the box.





New repro reflectors are $50 on e-bay, so I thought it was no loss to try and save this one.  First, I was able to carefully pop the reflector out of the housing.





Assessing the situation, I was inspired by my oldest daughter, who enjoys making things out of hot glue.  My idea was to take a washer with about the same size hole as the original and glue that in place, then build up hot glue around that to re-form what was lost.  Here is the start.





Here is the finished glue process.  Took a few layers with attempts to smooth in the process.  Not too difficult, though.





Did not take intermediate pictures, but the next step was primer over the housing.  I used gray since that is what I had on hand.  Then finish coat was Rustoleum Chrome.  I had read this was a "soft" paint, so I allowed it to dry and harden for several days before touching.  Then popped the reflector back in the housing and mounted on the fender.  Light is not the best in this picture, but here is the finished product.


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## schwinnlax (Jun 10, 2019)

Here is the bike as it stands now (sorry light is not the best - lot of shade where we live).  Fender stays cleaned up and painted metallic silver.  Next to work on is the original seat.  Chrome is shot on springs and crash rail.  Will clean those up and do a chrome paint treatment.  As you can see in the picture, from this angle, the rear reflector paint is not as "chrome" shiny as one would like.  I'd say it ended up in between chrome and silver color.  There is a grayish tint to it.  Not sure one can get a finish from a spray paint to match the fenders.  Bottom pan of seat and spring/clamp bracket, and clamp parts will get glossy black (was any of this stuff chrome originally?)

Also, I seem to have lost the seat clamp bolt.  Will check at the LBS to see what they have.  Two inch long 3/8 carriage bolt would also work.  Not sure what was originally on there.


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## OptimusJay (Jun 10, 2019)

Your cleanup efforts are looking good. In the past I’ve used the duplicoor “chrome” spray can paint for the fender braces that were originally cad plated. A light coat of that is a near dead on match. But I know what you mean, the paint will not really ever look like shiny real chrome. Keep up the good work.
Jay


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## schwinnlax (Jun 10, 2019)

Thanks Jay.  Despite all of the challenges, it has been a great project to work on.


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## GTs58 (Jun 10, 2019)

Nice job schwinnlax! I have one in Red that is/was in about the same condition, it came from upper New York and it needs your help.   It was packed in snow for shipping so the frame rusted up and the rear fender got smashed in. The head badge also fell off during shipping and I'm glad it didn't fall out of the box where the fork legs punched thru.


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## schwinnlax (Jun 11, 2019)

Well, that's a new one - packed in snow???  How disappointing it ended up with all that damage.  What is its current status?


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## GTs58 (Jun 11, 2019)

schwinnlax said:


> Well, that's a new one - packed in snow???  How disappointing it ended up with all that damage.  What is its current status?




That one is still in as found condition. I pulled the fender out and assembled the bike, that's all I've done to it. I've been trying to convince myself it needs a repaint. There are numerous areas all over the frame that looks like someone took a chain and beat the crap out of it. Then there are some super nice areas where the paint is beautiful. It's definitely one of those "What should I do with it" cases. I lost count, but I think I have 8 of these and not one is Radiant Green. Thought about redoing this one in Green.


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## schwinnlax (Jun 13, 2019)

Finished up the seat yesterday.  The vinyl cleaned up ok, but there is definite permanent discoloration.  Painted the seat bracket black and the springs and crash rail chrome.  Used the same chrome paint as on the rear reflector, but it turned out much better on the metal parts.  Re-routed the rear brake cable; I discovered that was routed incorrectly.  At this point this project is complete.  As I see better replacement parts (pedals, headset chrome, etc.) I will do replacements.  Thanks for all the help and encouragement here!


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## Hammerhead (Jun 14, 2019)

That came out fantastic! Awesome job and save.
Hammerhead


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## schwinnlax (Jun 14, 2019)

Thanks, here's a shot from the original for sale ad on the CABE:




After:






Issues fixed/rehabbed from bottom to top:

Rims rusted (rear one replaced with donor from '63 American)
Pedals, crank, sprocket rusted
Chain rusted (replaced with new)
Chain guard rusted
Forks bent
Headset chrome, seat post clamp, seat post rusted
Handlebars/stem rusted beyond saving (replaced with donor from '63 Co-Ed)
Derailleur rusted, freewheel rusted on (disassembled to take off)
Bend in right side cantilever bar
Rear reflector broken at top screw hole, chrome finish gone
Fender stays rusted
Seat springs, bracket rusted
Seat crash bar rusted, bent
Front rack oxidized

Last touch will be to wax the frame for protection against more rust and to brighten up the original paint.


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## vincev (Jun 15, 2019)

GTs58 said:


> What OA mix ratio are you using? You might get better results with a stronger mix and way less time. After doing my first couple bikes I found the OA loses it's potency over time. Depending on what I'm soaking and how bad it is, I'll go with one heaping tablespoon or two per gallon of hot tap water and soak for about 8 hours. I doubt the crash rail would look much better though, the chrome unfortunately is pretty much gone.



Exactly the ratio and time I use.


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## vincev (Jun 15, 2019)

Not a common color.Looks great.


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## schwinnlax (Jun 30, 2019)

What other bikes used the same derailleur?  There’s a ‘65 Varsity for sale cheap that I could harvest parts from, but wonder if the derailleur is the same?


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## GTs58 (Jun 30, 2019)

schwinnlax said:


> What other bikes used the same derailleur?  There’s a ‘65 Varsity for sale cheap that I could harvest parts from, but wonder if the derailleur is the same?




The jockey cage on the Corvette's derailleur is pretty unique to that Schwinn model but I've seen a couple 62 Schwinn lightweights with it and (1) JC Higgins. There were two versions of the Jockey cage at the beginning in 1961 and the Corvette had the 4 prong tension hooks and the Continental and others had the three prongs for the most part. Those were used thru the 1963 model year on the Schwinns. In 64 they used the Sprint badged Huret Allvit but it still had the same guts and 3 prong jockey cage as the 61 three prong. The jockey wheels were all steel until another change with the 1966 models. The two Corvette 5 speed sticky's on the SBF has all the info and hopefully the pictures of the derailleurs and both styles of jockey cages.

If that 65 Varsity has it's correct derailleur and it's not a 65 serial numbered 66 model, most all the guts are the same. The early issue Allvits had a cheap plastic swivel stop that was prone to breaking and I'm not sure what year they changed that part for the metal swivel stop. 

That actual parts are the three prong cage halves and the illustration has the four prong cages.






62 Lightweight Owners Manual


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## island schwinn (Jul 1, 2019)

This is inspiring me to get started on my 5 speed. Nice save, very impressive.


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## Sven (Jul 1, 2019)

Wow! That came out fantastic! Great job!!!


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## Schwinndemonium (Jul 12, 2019)

That is one of the nicest original paint Radiant Green 5 speed 'vettes I've seen in years!


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## vincev (Jul 12, 2019)

Great color !!


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