When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Help with ID of Schwinn

#eBayPartner    Most Recent BUY IT NOW Items Listed on eBay
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
^^^ had a big sized grinder grab my T shirt and wound the shirt up in the grinder and gave myself a cool scar on my chest once. my hand was wrapped up in the trigger and it was lucky I was using a Harbor Freight grinder that belonged to the guy I was working for, my Milwaukee would not have been stopped by the t shirt. could have been seriously killed.
 
^^^ had a big sized grinder grab my T shirt and wound the shirt up in the grinder and gave myself a cool scar on my chest once. my hand was wrapped up in the trigger and it was lucky I was using a Harbor Freight grinder that belonged to the guy I was working for, my Milwaukee would not have been stopped by the t shirt. could have been seriously killed.
Yeah & as much as I ignore my own advice 🙄😒 Wear Eye Protection❗

Be prepared to be impaled by the wires coming out of the cup. I have blood polka dots from time to time 🙄
1451388

Bare metal wire wheel '51 Columbia frame, '53 Monark fenders, JC Higgins truss fork, and eventually will be a cool custom build
 
Looks like 1955, according to the serial charts here on the CABE.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think 1955 was the first year you could not get a 52 tooth chainwheel anymore, sticking you with the 46 tooth clover seen here, even on Phantoms.

The spring fork pivots changed at some point. 1956? 1957? Anyway this has the earlier style, as I think it would have in 1955.

It has a deluxe headset of the type used just after the war. I don't know when they changed to the type seen on 60s Schwinns, but it is a good bet they were still using the type seen here in 55. Anyone know for sure?
 
Last edited:
Thanks, I might try the wire cup brush and see how that goes. I always prefer to save the old paint especially because I have not found a good way to reproduce any graphics or designs on the chainguards, racks, tanks, etc, but there are no designs on this bike and the paint is shot anyway. Might be good experience to repaint this one, Will the full ser.# number be able to tell me if this started out as a phantom or something else?
 
Thanks, I might try the wire cup brush and see how that goes. I always prefer to save the old paint especially because I have not found a good way to reproduce any graphics or designs on the chainguards, racks, tanks, etc, but there are no designs on this bike and the paint is shot anyway. Might be good experience to repaint this one, Will the full ser.# number be able to tell me if this started out as a phantom or something else?

The best a serial can do is give you a good idea of when the bike was built. After looking at your frame I personally would blast it and I wouldn't waste my time going with anything else. As far as I know the only year the Phantom didn't have the 52 tooth ring was 1959 but many mid/late 50's pieces have been equipped with the clover ring and most likely it was a dealers change when ordering from the factory or swapping them out before delivery. The 1955 model Phantoms introduced the new springer with the pivot bolt going thru the fork legs and the locking forks were no longer a standard item on the Phantoms. There was the option for ordering the locking springer on these later Phantoms and those had the pivot bolts behind the fork legs. Your springer doesn't look like it has the lock. Just my thoughts, the front rim patina is much better than the rear rim and the front fender is not a Phantom fender and maybe not even a Schwinn piece. The thought of a front end crash comes to mind and those parts are replacements. Another thought. Is the serial letter actually a T or could it be an F? Looks like the spacing between the letters vertical strike is too far back for a T and would be more inline if the letter was an F.
 
Yes the front wheel appears to have been painted over the chrome as it is peeling off a bit, It does have a fork lock more on the inside than on the side, but no key, When i dissemble it maybe I can get a better read on the ser. number.
 
Back
Top