Back in the early 60's every time I seen an old balloon bike in the trash I dragged it home. I drove my dad nuts with all the old bikes I was always bringing home. Anything you would kill for now-a-days was on the curb for free back then and nobody wanted them [except me.....] Anyway while my older brother was customizing his 49 ford coupe I was mixing and matching bike parts to different frames making today what we call "rat rods".
Taking off the head nut on a fork or changing a chain ring was always a big problem for me as I did not have a wrench big enough to fit something that big. I would always have to ride my bike about 3 blocks to my friend Bob's house to borrow his dad's big Crescent wrench. One day I was with my grandfather riding in his little Rambler American and I seen this old Monark in the trash and I ORDERED HIM TO STOP!! so I could put that big old bike into his
tiny trunk,
We got the bike in the Rambler 's trunk and old gramps gave me a lecture about how my dad would get mad for me bringing home another piece of poop bike. I explained I wanted the spring fork for a project .......
Anyway when we got back to gramp's house he produced this big ass old adjustable wrench like this one:
and I took the springer off the Monark and put the bike in his trash. As a gift.... the best gift I got that year.... He gave me that wrench to keep.
That was in 1962 and somewhere along the line that wrench disappeared ,but today all these years later those big wrenches are still my favorites...... Next flea market I go to I will hunt for one of those big old curved wrenches and buy it.
I know this was a long story, but I felt sorry for Barto........and anyone who ever talks to me at a bike swap knows, "I like to tell long stories."