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1950 Schwinn Phantom

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Jay81

Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Figured I'd post a thread on the cleanup of this 1950 Black Phantom I recently picked up. Haven't been doing a whole lot with bikes lately, but lately have been craving a semi-easy project bike, and this one spoke to me (no pun intended lol) and will fit the bill nicely. I have disassembled most of it, still have more to do, and it'll get cleaned up, greased up, and replace a couple missing parts. This will be a winter project so I'm not rushing. My only goal is to have it completed by spring, which shouldn't be a problem I will try to remember to take pics and post updates as I go.

Here are pics of the state it was in when I got it:

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Got most of it broken down yesterday. Got cold, and saved the rest for another day.

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Luckily the leak proof batteries did their job, and did not leak!

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And the cleanup begins!
I've used the liquid Evaporust and was pretty impressed. I'm not going to buy enough of it to soak these fenders, so I decided to try the gel version. The rear fender is currently marinating in it. Looking forward to seeing the results and will post "after" pictures as well.
If you haven't used this stuff before, it's a thick, goopy, sticky-slime-like substance. It says to brush it on, but I applied it with disposable gloves and used my hands to spread it. I don't think a brush would've worked very well. Not supposed to get it on your skin, says it can cause burns. Got a little on my wrist but it washed off and is fine.


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That's all I got for now. Watching the clock as the Evaporust Gel says one to two hours. It's been marinating for almost an hour. May be difficult to remove if it sits too long I guess. Please check back periodically for updates on this project!
 
Think I got the rear fender about as good as it's gonna get.

Here is after I rinsed the Evaporust Gel off with warm water, washed with dish soap and water, and dried off.
Got the majority of the rust off. This sat for about an hour. Couple areas were starting to dry and starting to become a little difficult to remove, but not too bad.

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Decided to hit it with some B.K.F and 0000 steel wool to clean it up a bit more:

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Finally, I used some Quick Glo. Didn't make a huge difference, but this stuff is supposed to leave a protective film to help prevent the rust from coming back. I've had good results using it in the past, it did seem to prevent the rust from coming back. For those of you unaware, parts can potentially flash rust overnight after cleaning them. That was my main reasoning for this step. I think it helped a little bit, to shine up what little chrome is left.

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Comparison with the front fender, which will have to wait until another day. I plan to follow the same process with the front fender.

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I'd try a test an area with some balled up aluminum foil and white vinegar or salt water on the chrome... I've had great results. I usually hit it lightly with a brass brush then foil and chrome polish after. It's a lot of work but worth it.

 
Little bit of progress today. Cleaned the BB parts in the ultrasonic cleaner. (If you don't have one, I highly recommend it for cleaning small parts like this!)
Have the chainring soaking in Evaporust. Front side wasn't too bad and I would've just shined it up, but the back of it is pretty rusty.
And I cleaned & polished the frame.

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Try colonial brassy on the fenders then wizards polish. the brassy removes the brown rust color which is iron going to the surface from the evaporust. The wizards is great for polishing. Ceramic wax after.
 
Try colonial brassy on the fenders then wizards polish. the brassy removes the brown rust color which is iron going to the surface from the evaporust. The wizards is great for polishing. Ceramic wax after.
I've only cleaned the rear fender so far, but I'm not sure it would clean up much better. Unfortunately they are both very pitted with a lot of chrome loss. I may give it a shot though. Part of me wants to just find a nicer set of fenders, but I'm trying to keep the bike as original as possible, and want to only replace a few small pieces that are missing.
 
Worked on it a little more today.

Crank & chainring clean and reassembled.

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Good thing I have a spare tub of grease.


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Small paintbrush works great for applying the grease. (NO, I did not leave it that thick. Just hard to do with my phone in my hand)
Got the BB parts all greased up......


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........And installed on the frame.



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It's fun to work. I could watch it all day!! Ha!! It is cool to see your efforts documented. I've been there/done that many times, but it's always good seeing and hearing different methods and solutions, products and ideas. Thanks for sharing your task and others chipping in! It's going really well, nice bike.
 
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