WW2? Huffman - Military Surplus? Mystery!

[Tomato John]

The bike is not here now, it belongs to a customer. I'll ask him about the fork detail. All the photos I've seen of Huffman "519" bikes show it with the pre-war style truss fork. I suspect that this fork, along with the truss rods, fenders and sprocket came from a 41 bike... but, as this is a mystery bike, ya just never know!

Brazed vs. welded, that's something that Scott Seymour told me. There are pics on the intertube that show ugly un-finished welds, this one is smooth like a regular production bike.

Hi Dave. Measurement between badge holes is between 2-9/16" and 2-5/8".

 

[Dave Stromberger]

Thanks John,

That hole spacing is bigger than the standard Huffman badge hole spacing, so this adds to the mystery. The following info I learned from Scott Seymour @37fleetwood :

• Original badge for a g519 Huffman would have been the typical style Dayton winged badge, but made of steel instead of brass. Badge hole spacing should be 2 3/16"
  
• ALL real g519 frames were welded, with unfinished ugly welds, due to restrictions in metals such as brass normally used for brazing frames together.
• The serial number on this frame does not match what we expect to see from a WW2 era built frame. Instead, it would indicate 1938, and specifically Western Flyer (the W in the serial number).
• It does not have the year stamped near the serial number.
  
• The frame has dropstand ears as part of the dropouts, which you don't see on any of the genuine g519 frames that has straight down-tubes.
• The height of the seat tube where it rises above the top tube matches what we see on 1938 built frames and is exclusive to 1938.

So, with this info, it looks fairly certain that the frame was built in 1938 and intended to be built as a Western Flyer, for sale in Western Auto stores. Badge hole spacing that doesn't match a WF badge and that OD green original (?) paint are the anomaly.

I also showed Scott pics of the inside of the tank that was on this bike (not shown in the pics above), along with the original (?) paint on the inside of the front fender. BOTH are colors match pre-war WF color options. And... what g519 has ever been found with the deep prewar fenders and a 3-rib tank? None. There is no trace of OD green on the fenders or the tank. See the pic:

So a possible scenario of how this bike came to be might go like this:

Kid has this 1938 Western Flyer, turns 18 right about the time of the draft. Goes into the Army, and while there he rides a Huffman "just like mine back home". Comes back from the war. Happens to go inside an Army surplus store and sees a shelf full of surplus bicycle parts. Has the brilliant idea to buy them to make his bike that is still hanging up in the barn into one "just like I rode in the Army". This includes buying the rare g519 issue ONLY chain-guard to fit a straight down-tube frame (!). Years later, he puts the tank back on it and paints it blue. And there you have it!

Far fetched? Yeah, it is... but explain how a regular production 1938 Western Flyer frame ends up being built as a g519 with late 1944 date coded wheels, while still wearing a chrome sprocket, bars, stem, deep fenders that were forrest green, and a light green tank? And that '39 date coded fork, and the '40-'41 truss rods? Strange stuff!

OR.... it's a "leftover" frame that never made it to Western Auto as a built up bike.. instead, it got thrown into the batch of bikes being built up for military service. But between 1938 and 1944.. that's a long time!

I guess what we need to see is evidence of another genuine, confirmed, real g519 with a brazed, non-year stamped frame.

 

[Tomato John]

Thanks John,

That hole spacing is bigger than the standard Huffman badge hole spacing, so this adds to the mystery. The following info I learned from Scott Seymour @37fleetwood :

• Original badge for a g519 Huffman would have been the typical style Dayton winged badge, but made of steel instead of brass. Badge hole spacing should be 2 3/16"
  
• ALL real g519 frames were welded, with unfinished ugly welds, due to restrictions in metals such as brass normally used for brazing frames together.
• The serial number on this frame does not match what we expect to see from a WW2 era built frame. Instead, it would indicate 1938, and specifically Western Flyer (the W in the serial number).
• It does not have the year stamped near the serial number.
  
• The frame has dropstand ears as part of the dropouts, which you don't see on any of the genuine g519 frames that has straight down-tubes.
• The height of the seat tube where it rises above the top tube matches what we see on 1938 built frames and is exclusive to 1938.

So, with this info, it looks fairly certain that the frame was built in 1938 and intended to be built as a Western Flyer, for sale in Western Auto stores. Badge hole spacing that doesn't match a WF badge and that OD green original (?) paint are the anomaly.

I also showed Scott pics of the inside of the tank that was on this bike (not shown in the pics above), along with the original (?) paint on the inside of the front fender. BOTH are colors match pre-war WF color options. And... what g519 has ever been found with the deep prewar fenders and a 3-rib tank? None. There is no trace of OD green on the fenders or the tank. See the pic:


View attachment 690657

So a possible scenario of how this bike came to be might go like this:

Kid has this 1938 Western Flyer, turns 18 right about the time of the draft. Goes into the Army, and while there he rides a Huffman "just like mine back home". Comes back from the war. Happens to go inside an Army surplus store and sees a shelf full of surplus bicycle parts. Has the brilliant idea to buy them to make his bike that is still hanging up in the barn into one "just like I rode in the Army". This includes buying the rare g519 issue ONLY chain-guard to fit a straight down-tube frame (!). Years later, he puts the tank back on it and paints it blue. And there you have it!

Far fetched? Yeah, it is... but explain how a regular production 1938 Western Flyer frame ends up being built as a g519 with late 1944 date coded wheels, while still wearing a chrome sprocket, bars, stem, deep fenders that were forrest green, and a light green tank? And that '39 date coded fork, and the '40-'41 truss rods? Strange stuff!

OR.... it's a "leftover" frame that never made it to Western Auto as a built up bike.. instead, it got thrown into the batch of bikes being built up for military service. But between 1938 and 1944.. that's a long time!

I guess what we need to see is evidence of another genuine, confirmed, real g519 with a brazed, non-year stamped frame.

Thanks Dave, the mystery seems to get deeper..... I guess i will just enjoy it the way it is for awhile and see what turns up. I appreciate all the legwork you have done.