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1961/62 Schwinn help! Plz!

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Clues continue...after blowing this bike apart, I see red paint inside the BB and head tube. Seems brighter red than the red oxide primer. With all the written Schwinn stuff that I've read online, input from you Cabers, Sept 1961 serial, detachable kickstand, continuous twin bar frame, and red paint inside BB and head tube, I'm gonna agree with the diagnosis of GTs58 and Double straightup....RED TORNADO. Here's a few more photos of it apart. I did find what I think (?) is a period correct chainguard too. Now it's off to the shop for sandblasting and primer. Thanks once again for all the help! Oh one last question, these markings were on the 1 piece crank. Schwinn?
1612599


1612604


1612606


1612608
 
Believe it or not, no!

That crank is what it says it is, and it is from the wrong era, but otherwise about right. It is a Fu Pao forged crank, 165mm. I think Fu Pao was a Taiwan forge, but my head is cloudy about this. I also believe Schwinn used them at some point after Chicago closed, or after Ashtabula Forge folded. Both closed in the same period, early 80s. 165mm is the same as a 6-1/2 inch Schwinn crank, which was the longest one-piece crank they used after WW2 as far as I know.

So, for all practical purposes this is of the same dimensions and shape as a typical Postwar Schwinn crank. In 1961, an original Schwinn crank would have been forged at Ashtabula, Wald, or at least one more source that remains unclear. Maybe Schwinn themselves. It would have has MUCH nicer finishing than this one. It probably would have been stronger too, but that may be splitting hairs.

Fu Pao was far less highly regarded in BMX circles than Ashtabula, Takagi, etc. Fu Pao were perceived to be weaker. The downright lousy finishing implied cheap. It is still way better than the bent metal department store bike cranks of the era. Those were made of cheese.

Your Fu Pao is a similar-looking direct replacement for the bike's original crank if it has 28TPI threads. It could also have 24TPI threads, the everybody-except-Schwinn thread. 24TPI has slowly but surely become the only one-piece-crank thread standard in the years since Schwinn Chicago's demise. The Original bottom bracket stuff would have been 28TPI, and would have used 9 ball cages.
 
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Bloo, thanks very much for the crank info. I'll have to locate an original one... will the same sprocket that's on this bike fit Schwinn cranks from that era? Or do I need both?
Thanks!
 
It is basically identical. The one you have could be original, and off hand I don't know how to tell if it is or not but I imagine there's a way. Either way the sprocket you have fits both the current crank and the original.

Here is a pic of the markings on the crank on my 61 Speedster. I don't know what "SF" is. It was suggested in another thread that it might be Schwinn themselves. I believe "SA" would be Ashtabula and "SW" would be Wald. For many years after the war Schwinn did not date cranks, but as you can see by 61 they had started doing it again. These cranks are all about alike for many years. I wouldn't get too hung up on the date, but it is there in 61 if you want to.

brnjnwu-jpg.jpg
 
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Bloo you're a wealth of info on this 1-piece crank! I did a quick ebay check, and there's a few 6-1/2" 1 piece Schwinn cranks out there. I don't totally understand all the markings on them. Is the year part of the markings on the center piece?? How long did Schwinn use these cranks?
I also checked, and this bike had 10 ball bearing cages...not 9 like you mentioned. And also kind weird, this bike had the earlier "bow" pedals. They spun off and on nicely too. Threads looked good on the crank too. Hmmm....
Brother thanks for the help on this one! Much appreciated. I would really like this bike to have the correct parts!
 
10 balls probably implies a 24TPI crank, so you probably need the whole Schwinn bottom bracket set. Bow pedals weren't a year thing, and there are several kinds. I don't know the particulars, but others will. I believe they were on more expensive models than your bike or mine. I was told in another thread that my Speedster pedals were probably waffle pedals originally. I'll bet yours were too. There are a bunch of kinds of waffle pedals, and I still have not been able to nail down which version for 1961. Someone probably knows.

I wouldn't spend much on authentic pedals. If the correct version turns out to be non-rebuildable, I absolutely would not bother. I have the 1/2" version of MKS 3000R on my Speedster. Yes, not authentic, but the quality is on par with Torrington and they are rebuildable forever.

You should put out a want ad here on the CABE for the crank and any other parts you need. I strongly suspect you would get a better deal from some CABEr than Ebay. This is an extremely common crank if you aren't picky about the year. As for me I would rather have one that says "SA" on it than the correct year if it came down to that, but that is a ridiculous amount hair splitting. All of them are fine and very close in quality.
 
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One of my current projects, a 62 typhoon. This one is bent every way! Left side crank hits the chainstay, right side crank hits the chainguard and the legs are about 170* apart.
1612795

1612796
 
Bloo, thanks very much for the crank info. I'll have to locate an original one... will the same sprocket that's on this bike fit Schwinn cranks from that era? Or do I need both?
Thanks!

Before you buy from eBay look at your local Craigslist. You can usually find a lightweight bike or a breeze dirt cheap. Might even have a mint set of pedals on it.
 
One of my current projects, a 62 typhoon. This one is bent every way! Left side crank hits the chainstay, right side crank hits the chainguard and the legs are about 170* apart.

Was that Typhoon a 20" by chance? That sounds like a bad landing on a BMX conversion.....
 
No, All 3 had them but not sure if skipper and flying star had built in kick stands. A guy here has all of them. Do a search of all 3 and you’ll see his bikes
The Skipper and Buddy frames were bare bones stamped steel ends, their seat stay tubes dead end like a Fastback does and pickup again as the twin straight bar. Also bolt on kickstand.
My 1962 Typhoon 20" does have all welded joints and a welded kickstand. it also has two continuous tubes from the dropouts to the head tube, turning straight into the twin straight bar frame and join into the Head Tube
 
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