60's Chrome Quality

[rollfaster]

I concur, Schwinn chrome and paint was top quality, this is why I prefer them over most others.

 

[davek]

Where do you buy this polish?

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

View attachment 1111394

Please don't confuse with Preparation H!

 

[frampton]

You can buy it on Ebay, motorcycle shops and auto parts stores.

 

[Arnold Ziffel]

I have also found and sourced USED 7881 Schwinn handlebars from ebay and elsewhere to replace the handlebars on old beachcruisers and to replace the handlebars on New bikes. They work great and look great too and these are perfect for conversion of many old seventies and early eighties ten speeds from racing bars to tourist-upright riding style. You can't go wrong, if they are in good shape without significant scars and rust blistering. I then buy the old style el-cheapo Handlebar grips from cyclesource in Los angeles via ebay. The USED old Schwinn handlebars are better than anything available today and better than most others when Chrome quality was good for most everyone. I do recommend the 7881 and most everything from the Collegiate, Suburban, Speedster, Breeze, Racer, etc. The Chrome SCHWINN fenders that Schwinn used on the COLLEGIATE and the other models from about 1965 on was great. Sadly in around 1974 they hung that ugly large rectangular reflector on the rear fender, but the chrome was still just as good. My opinion is that the fenders from about 1965 through 1973 with the round reflector on its metal raised base is the most stylish even if you are missing the reflector but still have the chrome metal raised base. I have adapted the old Collegiate chrome fenders to other non Schwinn 26 x 1 3/8 bicycles and have done so with the Varsity Tourist fenders with 27 non Schwinn bikes, but the 27 Schwinn fenders can have clearance issues with certain current 27" tire choices. For example the current MICHELIN PROTEK 27 x 1 1/4 (32-630mm) tire is taller than many other currently available 27 x 1 1/4 (32-630mm) tires. You have to check clearance with certain 27" tires.
I have not found that to be the case with chrome Schwinn fenders on 26" lighweight Schwinn bikes or the same 26" Schwinn chrome fenders being adapted to other brand- model of 26 inch lightweight bike (26 x 1 3/8 non Schwinn bikes 37-590mm). You can also source USED Schwinn front crank wheels and the ashtabula chrome one piece crank to replace the one your not so perfect weathered and rusted Schwinn or you can modify another brand/make with use of the Schwinn 46T clover or Mag Style or heart crank wheel, or the entire one piece assembly from the Schwinn on to your other brand with an ashtabula one piece hanger set. Those old Schwinn 7881 handlebars which can be acquired in excellent shape typically for about $25 shipped from some ebay seller and a set of $16 reproduction Krate-bow style pedals like the Suburban had will really make one of those brand new $95 special Wal-Mart store coaster brake beach cruisers look much nicer.
There is an outfit called cyclesource out of Los Angeles on ebay that sells the retro old style handlebar grips for less than $5 per pair.

 

[Tim the Skid]

 

[morton]

I believe that one of the reasons why older Schwinns are so heavy is due to the thickness of the chrome plating!

Seriously, I think it's safe to say that most Schwinns in the 1950's thru 1970's were "overbuilt," making them prime candidates for what I call Original Part Restorations. More than once I've used Barkeepers Friend on a scratched, pitted, road rash infected Schwinn handle bar or wheel and the thing comes up shinning like new. You can still see the defects but the unblemished sections shine. And with a shot of clearcoat and some love every now and them, they will probably outlast any china made replacement. And for a lot less than the exorbitant cost of replating.

And the same goes for their paint. Often times a bit of elbow grease mixed with polishing compound can produce amazing results.

If ever nuclear war, a massive comet strike or global warming cause mass causalties and discruption thoughout the earth, I predict that many of the survivors will be making their way thru the ruins on a Varsity.

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

I've always said," two things that will survive a nuclear holocaust: cockroaches and Schwinn Varsity's!"

 

[morton]

I've always said," two things that will survive a nuclear holocaust: cockroaches and Schwinn Varsity's!"

I should have added that they will be riding on the rims without tires as so much "rubber" these days is crap from china.....and those double wall rims are definitely up to the task. Unless of course the rider comes across a stash of non-gumwall Carlisles.

 

[SirMike1983]

The prep work is very important when doing plating, and Schwinn generally did pretty good prep work, followed by the traditional heavy-metal plating process. So when you get rust, at least when the rust is getting start, you get spot rust. The rust that is lethal is the type that gets under the plating and then runs along the base metal, forming "bubbles" in the chrome. The chrome then flakes off. This can eventually happen even with good chrome if the part is neglected long enough, but it certainly takes longer and take more neglect than with cheap prep and plating. If you want good chrome, you need to have good, clean prep and then a willingness to go through the plating (triple plating) steps rather than cut corners.

I tell people that when you're looking at a plated part, you're not so much looking at just the brown on the surface to assess condition (you are to a degree, I guess, but it's not everything), what you're looking for is lines or bubbles under sections of plating, that would indicate the rust is running under the plating and is on the base metal. You see that kind of insidious (and often very destructive) rust on cheaper parts many times, but you can get it even on good stuff that is neglected enough.