# 1941 Autocycle - What to do with it??



## TJW (Aug 16, 2015)

I've asked several members of thecabe about this bike and the general consensus is that it would be OK to part this one out, but decided I would throw it open to a more general discussion as to what to do with this bike.

After doing some analysis, it certainly appears to have a lot more value in parts than it does in whole.

It is a great riding old bike and the only real rust is on the seat pan.  The bike is crusty, but very solid and not at all rusty.

I have been told that this is a late 1941.  The serial number is:  H74634

After some study, these are the parts values that I come up with.  I would appreciate thoughts as to where I might be high (or low?).
seat	                        $45	Post war B1, will need to be restored.
seat post & clamps	$25	Has AS on clamp bolt
rear rack with reflector	$175	Very nice, very straight  (great candidate for chroming)
handle bars and grips	$100	Crusty, but very solid, lots of missing chrome. 27" wide (18" crossbar)
fenders and front light cover	$200	Nice, small rivets.  Front fender has 2 small holes drilled below bottom rivets
Wheels and Tires	        $125 	Lobdells, Original Paint, but crusty. Morrow brake. Good spokes. Good Schwinn Typhoon tires
Locking fork with key	$100	Fork is pretty nice, bottom bearing holder is chipped
Truss Rods	                 $60	Original paint.  Nice.  Very Straight.
frame	                $225	Frame is very nice, with "Southern Specialties" head badge
chain & sprocket	          $40	Very nice
chain guard	                $100	Very nice, very straight, no dents
Tank Covers	          $75  	New Postwar Repro tank covers, no horn
Kick Stand	                  $75	Very nice, original curved.


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## slick (Aug 17, 2015)

Have you offered it complete? Someone could faux patina the tank and have a nice rider. Thats what i would do. What do you value it at complete?


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## TJW (Aug 17, 2015)

slick said:


> Have you offered it complete? Someone could faux patina the tank and have a nice rider. Thats what i would do. What do you value it at complete?




I would much prefer to sell it complete.  HoweVer, from what I have been told, it is only worth $650 max if sold intact, but it is worth about double that amount in parts value.

I agree, with correct seat and pedals and with the tank patina painted, it would be an awesome rider.

It is a real survivor and is very solid, no rust except the seat pan.


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## rustjunkie (Aug 17, 2015)

Seems nearly every bicycle is worth "more" when sold as parts rather than whole. 
But how long does it take to package all those parts? Materials cost? Paypal and/or ebay fees? Trips to the PO? Time spent listing each part and handling questions?


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## bricycle (Aug 17, 2015)

rustjunkie said:


> Seems nearly every bicycle is worth "more" when sold as parts rather than whole.
> But how long does it take to package all those parts? Materials cost? Paypal and/or ebay fees? Trips to the PO? Time spent listing each part and handling questions?




Yea, sell for $800-grand and be done with it....


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## TJW (Aug 17, 2015)

rustjunkie said:


> Seems nearly every bicycle is worth "more" when sold as parts rather than whole.
> But how long does it take to package all those parts? Materials cost? Paypal and/or ebay fees? Trips to the PO? Time spent listing each part and handling questions?




This is a little harder to decide because the bike, if sold intact, seems to be worth so much less than the sum of its parts.  It would be a lot easier if it were worth even 65% of it parts value.

At age 79, I am retired so the packaging and shipping isn't too overwhelming.  I've been selling on EBAY for 15 years so I am used to selling stuff on EBAY, although, based on responses so far, it looks like most of the bike's parts would sell on thecabe pretty quickly.


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## mrg (Aug 17, 2015)

Is it all about money, what about saving a piece of history. I hear a 57 Porsche speedster is worth more in parts, where will it stop !


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## TJW (Aug 17, 2015)

mrg said:


> Is it all about money, what about saving a piece of history. I hear a 57 Porsche speedster is worth more in parts, where will it stop !




No, it is about common sense.  I am not a bike expert but I do think I have some common sense.

In this instance, I first privately asked several experts on thecabe and they were unanimous that this bike was a candidate to either be parted out or restored. Since the bike has no sentimental value to me, the cost to have it professionally restored would greatly exceed its finished value so restoration doesn't pass my common sense test.

I would personally like to see the bike stay intact.  However, so far, the highest value that any of the experts has assigned to it is maybe $650.

It doesn't pass my common sense test to sell the bike for less than half of the value of its parts.  That said, I would certainly listen to offers that were at least 65% of the parts value of the bike.

The reason I posted this thread was to collect a variety of thoughts so I could try to make a good decision.  Certainly another option is that I might keep the bike and just ride it for a while and maybe find the correct seat and pedals for it.

Also, I currently own several old cars and have bought and sold numerous other old cars over my 79 years.  It is my sincere belief that most old cars are worth more intact than they are for parts, especially when you consider the number of parts involved and the amount of labor that would be required to dismantle an old car versus a bicycle.


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## Lawrence Ruskin (Aug 17, 2015)

Yep, you're distroying a bit of bicycle history  just sell it to someone who will look after it and ride it..
Frankly there is more to life than bloody greed...


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## Dave K (Aug 17, 2015)

TJW said:


> seat post & clamps	$25	Has AS on clamp bolt




Clamp should be part of the frame on a 41.


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## TJW (Aug 17, 2015)

Lawrence Ruskin said:


> Yep, you're distroying a bit of bicycle history  just sell it to someone who will look after it and ride it..
> Frankly there is more to life than bloody greed...




Thanks, I asked for opinions and I have got yours (to which you are eminently entitled, even though several experts on thecabe have contrary thoughts to yours).

I'm just not going to give the bike away because that would only increase the probability of it being parted out by someone else.


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## TJW (Aug 17, 2015)

Dave K said:


> Clamp should be part of the frame on a 41.




I am a novice at old bikes so you could well be correct.  Here is a close up picture:


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## TJW (Aug 17, 2015)

slick said:


> Have you offered it complete? Someone could faux patina the tank and have a nice rider. Thats what i would do. What do you value it at complete?




I am still in the process of deciding what I will do with the bike:
1.  Part it out
2.  Sell it intact
3.  Keep it and find correct seat, pedals, etc

In order to reduce the probability of someone buying it and then parting it out themselves, I am not going to sell it for less than 65% of its parts value.


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 18, 2015)

Sell the bars, saddle, and magna pedals a la carte.
Clean the rims as best you can and ask what you'd like for the rest intact.
Wait a couple of weeks and if no respectable offer, then part it out, but keep frame/ fork/ badge together, and fenders together.
If the tank wasn't in primer, my response would be different, if were in a common color, my response would be different.
A 3-4 condition bike doesn't usually get my sympathy, but this a rare color.
Chris


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## Freqman1 (Aug 18, 2015)

I'd sell the tank, saddle, and pedals a al carte since they aren't correct anyway and offer the rest whole first. Tank isn't real easy or real cheap but its not like your trying to find a hanging canti. The seat and pedals are easy and you wold have a great crusty rider. As it stands now, according to my math, it would take $875. V/r Shawn


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## TJW (Aug 18, 2015)

scrubbinrims said:


> Sell the bars, saddle, and magna pedals a la carte.
> Clean the rims as best you can and ask what you'd like for the rest intact.
> Wait a couple of weeks and if no respectable offer, then part it out, but keep frame/ fork/ badge together, and fenders together.
> If the tank wasn't in primer, my response would be different, if were in a common color, my response would be different.
> ...




Chris--

Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts.


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## TJW (Aug 18, 2015)

Freqman1 said:


> I'd sell the tank, saddle, and pedals a al carte since they aren't correct anyway and offer the rest whole first. Tank isn't real easy or real cheap but its not like your trying to find a hanging canti. The seat and pedals are easy and you wold have a great crusty rider. As it stands now, according to my math, it would take $875. V/r Shawn




Shawn--

I appreciate your thoughts.  Yesterday, I bought some Torrington 10 pedals that sort of match the bike and I am looking at some prewar B1 seats.  The bike would indeed make a wonderful crusty rider.  With correct pedals and better seat, it will be a pretty neat old survivor bike.  I will watch for a tank but the tank isn't a show stopper.


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## TJW (Aug 21, 2015)

scrubbinrims said:


> Sell the bars, saddle, and magna pedals a la carte.
> Clean the rims as best you can and ask what you'd like for the rest intact.
> Wait a couple of weeks and if no respectable offer, then part it out, but keep frame/ fork/ badge together, and fenders together.
> If the tank wasn't in primer, my response would be different, if were in a common color, my response would be different.
> ...






I've replaced the Magna pedals with Torrington 10s.

What are the Magna pedals worth?


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## bricycle (Aug 21, 2015)

TJW said:


> I would much prefer to sell it complete.  HoweVer, from what I have been told, it is only worth $650 max if sold intact, but it is worth about double that amount in parts value.
> 
> I agree, with correct seat and pedals and with the tank patina painted, it would be an awesome rider.
> 
> It is a real survivor and is very solid, no rust except the seat pan.




It's only worth $1300 if you can actually get that much for them. I don't claim to be a Schwinn guy, but it only appears to be worth $1000 in parts to me.


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## TJW (Aug 21, 2015)

bricycle said:


> It's only worth $1300 if you can actually get that much for them. I don't claim to be a Schwinn guy, but it only appears to be worth $1000 in parts to me.




I had several Schwinn experts help me determine the parts values.

But, for the time being, I am replacing the pedals, the seat and the front light cover with the correct items and will watch for a tank with the right patina.  It is a great rider and should be even more interesting with all correct parts.


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## bricycle (Aug 21, 2015)

TJW said:


> I had several Schwinn experts help me determine the parts values.
> 
> But, for the time being, I am replacing the pedals, the seat and the front light cover with the correct items and will watch for a tank with the right patina.  It is a great rider and should be even more interesting with all correct parts.




well, good to hear you are keeping it together at least for now. These experts should step up and cough up the $1300  if they value it at that amount. Talk is cheap.


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## TJW (Aug 21, 2015)

bricycle said:


> well, good to hear you are keeping it together at least for now. These experts should step up and cough up the $1300  if they value it at that amount. Talk is cheap.





Well, maybe surprisingly, I already have offers for quite a few of the pieces at the prices listed.  I've already sold and shipped the seat.  It is a remarkably solid old bike and all the pieces are very nice.  I also found out that the pedals on the bike are magna pedals that have value and they aren't even on the list because I didn't know what they were.  The bike now looks better with some original Torrington 10 pedals.  It will soon have an original Mesinger B1 prewar seat from Bob U and a nicer original front fender light cover.  I think it is going to be a pretty nice survivor example, especially if I can find a tank with the right patina..


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## TJW (Aug 25, 2015)

*Update:*

At least for the time being, I've decided not to part out this bike.

I have replaced the seat with a nice original Mesinger prewar seat and the pedals have been replaced with correct Torrington 10s.

I have also been trying to do some cleanup.  Surprisingly, there is a lot of original paint and pinstriping on the wheels but the paint is covered with a brown scum.  As can be seen on the front wheel, I have made some progress using WD40 and 0000 steel wool.  If anyone has a better suggestion as to how to remove 50+ years of brown scum, it would be most appreciated.

I'm still hoping to find a tank with the correct patina.  But if one doesn't turn up, I may try my hand at patina painting the reproduction tank that came with the bike.  





Here are some pictures that I just took:


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## MantonSmith (Aug 25, 2015)

Maybe I am being prejudiced but I think they look good with or without a tank. Not every kid was able to get a deluxe bicycle. Here's mine.


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## sleepy (Aug 25, 2015)

Your Autocycle is a gem!

Short of dipping the rims in a storage bin of oxalic acid, the best method of removing the brown sludge is by hand (fingers) as you are doing...tedious but safe and it works.


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## fordmike65 (Aug 25, 2015)

I say she looks great as-is without that tank. Clean her a bit, lube her up & hop on I bet a soak in OA would do wonders for those rims. Gotta unlace them tho. Spokes & nipples don't like OA much.


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## TJW (Aug 25, 2015)

*Your Autocycle looks great*



MantonSmith said:


> Maybe I am being prejudiced but I think they look good with or without a tank. Not every kid was able to get a deluxe bicycle. Here's mine.View attachment 233807




Thanks for the picture of your bike.

Your bike looks great without a tank.

Your bike makes a good case for me to just not worry about a tank for my bike.


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## TJW (Aug 25, 2015)

sleepy said:


> Your Autocycle is a gem!
> 
> Short of dipping the rims in a storage bin of oxalic acid, the best method of removing the brown sludge is by hand (fingers) as you are doing...tedious but safe and it works.





The WD40 and steel wool is a slow process but it definitely seems to work.

I just work on the cleanup an hour or so at a time which makes it not seem so tedious.


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## TJW (Aug 25, 2015)

TJW said:


> Thanks for the picture of your bike.
> 
> Your bike looks great without a tank.
> 
> Your bike makes a good case for me to just not worry about a tank for my bike.





I meant to also add that my bike is very similar to yours except that mine is much more rustic.

My bike has the exact same painted truss bars, painted fender braces and painted Lobdell rims.


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## TJW (Aug 25, 2015)

fordmike65 said:


> I say she looks great as-is without that tank. Clean her a bit, lube her up & hop on I bet a soak in OA would do wonders for those rims. Gotta unlace them tho. Spokes & nipples don't like OA much.




Thanks.  I am about to decide not to worry about a tank.

I do want to get the front light to work.

Everything is there except the battery holder.  Best of all, there is no corrosion or rot underneath the light cover.

The acid wash would undoubtedly speed things up but I had best to stick with the WD40 and steel wool.

I'm not qualified to work on the spokes.  Also, the spokes look to be entirely original and they are all there and they seem tight and strong.


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## Joe Buffardi (Aug 27, 2015)

*Nice !*

Im not a tank kind of guy either. It takes away the beautiful lines of the frame.


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## TJW (Aug 31, 2015)

More progress pictures.

Picture of wheel before being cleaned:





Picture of front wheel after initial cleaning with WD40 and 0000 steel wool.  Much better, but will be working on it some more.  Pleasantly surprised by how much original white paint was still there along with the original pin striping:




Used Marvel Mystery oil on the very crusty handle bars and was surprised to find some chrome underneath all the crust.  I will keep soaking handle bars in Marvel Mystery oil to see if more chrome shows up.






Some side view pictures after today's cleanup efforts.  It is a pretty cool old bike.


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## Jarod24 (Aug 31, 2015)

Its looking good! I'm digging it, and the pacemaker too!


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## dodgerblue (Sep 1, 2015)

Nice work on the clean up . Looks nice . Michael /Dodgerblue...


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## Beeler2927 (May 23, 2019)

I think the bike is great and glad you put such consideration into not parting it out. Love that color!


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