At this point, I'm not sure the rear rim can be trued without being relaced, more of the nipples seem fused to the spokes than what turn freely though non are crumbling or stuck to the rim.
I did mount the rims for mockup and trimmed the front fender to sit bobbed so that's done and ready for clean up of about 3 layers of peeling paint on top of rust mottled chrome. I'm going to get some "quick steel" to fill in a few holes before confirming whether or not the fender is being just clear coated or painted black first.
View attachment 813590
So to update.....
All bearings are officially packed and locked in, rims finally trued, front forks recentered, and Bob fender might be a loss....I will be switching it to a set of gumwall "Schwinn Studded Balloon Tyres" because they have a lower profile than the tires that were going to be used originally.
I never mentioned the front fork being tweaked because the front rim had been previously trued....total bang up job, straight without hop but it WAS ALSO badly off center of the hub. Recentering confirmed the Ashtabula was pushed over to one side.
I remedied that by slipping a pipe down almost all the way to the bridge and leaning into it with a foot on the handlebar end. Few bumps later and although there is still a slight spread to them they draw in nice and center on the wheel lugs now.
At this point it is time to test run and check for minor adjustments to things like lug torque, bearings after the grease loosen up and works around, and brake cables. I don't like over tightening and wrecking old metal axles or their lugd So sometimes I have rearsets that have to be recentered and locked tighter.
I will add a fresh image set once the tires are swapped, if the bobbed fender will work with them it is getting done in hammered gold over black with the same gold pen striping used on the top tube and chaingaurd in the typical scalloped end style.
I am considering using a section of the pen stripe to create a color negative though.
The given look would be a gold on black pen stripe for the lenght of the fender edging, and then where the gold tipping scallop is....jump to black on gold.
One note in regard to the fender color though, I am going to strongly suggest to him a medium bright Red considering the frame is littered with the original paint and the most prominently remaining color on the chaingaurd is a combination of the original red and the first repaint red.
Any thoughts?
I am also debating having him source some Sort of decent fenders that are a touch narrower, NOT CHROME, a little rough for wear and go from there.
