1966 Deluxe Stingray Build

[Rockman9]

I got interested in old bikes out of an interest in the bikes I rode as a kid in the '60s like the Stingray type bike I got for Christmas in 1967. I quickly became interested in much older bikes but I still have a soft spot for Stingrays. Last year I bought a '79 Stingray (Jr?) and my grandson immediately fell in love with it and claimed it as his and has ridden it every since. My granddaughter wanted an old bike too so I bought her a '66 Fair Lady. She loves it and rides it all of the time when she comes over. A few weeks ago I found a green '69 Stingray that reminded me of "Stingray" I rode as a kid so I bought it. (We called it a Stingray but I can't really remember the brand and I have not been able to find any pictures of it.) Anyway when my grandson saw it he rode it and fell in love. He told me it was his favorite bike ever and he wanted it so bad. Needless to say the bike is his now.

In the mean time my GF had ridden the '69 green Stingray and loved it too. It brought back memories of her childhood Stingray type bike which she said she rode everywhere. So I found a 1967 Stingray Slik ChiK and surprised her with it over the Thanksgiving holiday.

I was thinking that all 4 of us could go out riding on Stingrays but I was short one Stingray for me. I found one on eBay that I loved but I was a minute too slow and missed out. So since I hadn't found another one that I liked I decided to build my own. I don't have a lot of knowledge on Stingrays but I have been learning as fast as I can. I'm starting with a 1966 Deluxe Stingray frame and going from there....

 

[Rockman9]

I have been assembling parts and trying to stay true to what is correct for a '66 Deluxe Stingray. I'll be making mistakes I'm sure but I'm learning as I go. For items that I can't find correct parts that I want I may use some reproduction or other year parts until I can locate the correct parts. My biggest issue to start with and it may have been a mistake is that I want a coaster brake but frame appears to have been outfitted hand brakes and a stick shift. This will affect the fenders I use so time will tell whether this will be a big issue or not.

Anyway the first order of business was to clean the frame, the lower bracket, and the head tube. Next it was the crank and lower bracket bearings and then doing the same to the front forks and head tube bearings etc. Then lastly, gently clean the chain guard and mount it.

 

[unregistered]

That sounds like fun but man, buying it piece by piece is not likely to be the economical route despite what Johnny Cash says.

Cheap, rider stingrays pop up here frequently on Craigslist, I could only imagine the market DFW CL has.

Just the same, I hope you have fun with it! Just like with model kits, sometimes building it is the most fun!

 

[Rockman9]

That sounds like fun but man, buying it piece by piece is not likely to be the economical route despite what Johnny Cash says.

Cheap, rider stingrays pop up here frequently on Craigslist, I could only imagine the market DFW CL has.

Just the same, I hope you have fun with it! Just like with model kits, sometimes building it is the most fun!

Yeah it's not cheap but I have an idea of what I want so I don't really care about the money as much as I should. Sometimes I get something in my head and I only want what I am thinking of. It's mostly because I am not patient enough. It's one of my weaknesses.

 

[Kickstand3]

Yeah it's not cheap but I have an idea of what I want so I don't really care about the money as much as I should. Sometimes I get something in my head and I only want what I am thinking of. It's mostly because I am not patient enough. It's one of my weaknesses.

There is some good therapy there , what’s that worth.


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[Rockman9]

There is some good therapy there , what’s that worth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes that's how I look at it. It's better than a shrink. LOL. Plus I am getting a first hand education on Stingrays that I wouldn't get any other way.

BTW, I expected to find a date code on the inside of the forks but I haven't been able to locate it.

 

[Vintagedad]

Looks like it’s coming along nice. You just can’t put a price tag on completing it yourself! It’s enjoyable work and you’ll feel accomplished after. I love the Coppertone bikes, such a great color.

 

[frampton]

Date code should be on the inside of the fork by the axle slot. The numbers are very small.

 

[GTs58]

Date code should be on the inside of the fork by the axle slot. The numbers are very small.

I'll add, on the left leg.

So what is the serial number on your SR? I'm not up on these models but it looks like the guard is not a 66 reverse screening. It matches the 67 model though.

 

[Rockman9]

I was wondering about the chain guard not being being reverse screen because it does match the '67 I have. The serial number on the frame LB756XX. I have been looking for the number by the dropouts on the forks and and got my specs out for a closer look but don't see anything on either fork. I looked especially close on the left one frampton and GTs58 indicate it should be. Here is a photo of the left fork.

Thank you @GTs58 for the parts list. That will be useful.