Another Spaceliner

[newgirl]

Here is a picture of the rear lens for a Spaceliner (I believe).

No kidding! Wow - all this time I thought it had two little cone shaped lights that kind of look like rocket boosters. Huh. Thanks for the info!

I saw that seat online, it was pretty much the only one that kind of met the criteria I'm looking for but I dunno, I can't explain it but I just don't really like it. However, when I googled Sunlite red seats I found this:

http://www.beachbikes.net/products/SunLite-Cruiser-Classic-Seat-w-Handle-Red-1525.html

Which is beautiful and just what I'm looking for, but alas it's $55. Maybe I'll find it on sale somewhere.

 

[jd56]

Here is a Spaceliner lens that recently sold on ebay for $68

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bic...IbYGSkK%2B03PADY5RQvM%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Here is what lens are used on some Flightliners ( a JC Higgins cousin to the Sears Spaceliner). These "rocket" tip reflectors have a stud that mounts through the rear of the Higgins similar rear rack. Not a lit up reflector I might point out. No battery tray for this set.

That seat you are considering should be a comfy one. The added chrome springs and crash rail give it the retro vintage look too. I have a black one for one of my bikes. It's a heavy seat though.

I still haven't had time to check for the fender yet. I will later this week. But, I'm thinking I used it on one of my projects already.

 

[MaxGlide]

D batteries for sure and the single lens

i have that light and it takes D batteries for sure and that lens that looks like a flame shooting out of a jet engine.

The BEST way to clean the tray is to find a product called Evaporust. You simply submerge the whole unit in it overnight and in the morning, use a toothbrush so scrub a bit them rinse off with water, let dry in the sun and VOILA!! Perfectly clean unit.

 

[newgirl]

Thanks for the tip MaxGlide.

jd56 - when I first read your post I thought it said a Spaceliner went for $68 on ebay. I was like, wow that's cheap - then I realized you were talking about just the lens and I was like, wow that's expensive! Ha ha! Well - there's a velo swap in a few weeks, maybe I'll find something there. Maybe. Thanks for checking on that reflector - of course, no worries if you don't find it.

I'm OK with the seat being heavy. I have an old bike that I got a long time ago that has been my main ride for many years and that bike is seriously heavy so I'm used to heaving it around. It's funny - when I got it I didn't think it was anything special, I just kind of liked the lines of it. Since I've been researching old bikes now I think it might be an old Schwinn. Someone stripped all the cool stuff off it and repainted it though so it isn't worth anything I don't think.

I appreciate the info, you all have been a great help. This site is so fun.

 

[MBP]

The BEST way to clean the tray is to find a product called Evaporust. You simply submerge the whole unit in it overnight and in the morning, use a toothbrush so scrub a bit them rinse off with water, let dry in the sun and VOILA!! Perfectly clean unit.

I second that! Evaporust works great. I couldn't find it anywhere around my area, so bought a few gallons on-line.

 

[newgirl]

I'll try it. Is it basically oxalic acid? I wanted to try that (in the form of wood bleach) on the Spaceliner but I have kids and dogs and no garage, so it wasn't feasible to leave a big tub of it lying around for several days. It would probably work really well on the tray though. I think everyone has their personal favorite rust removal method, don't they? I ended up using a paste of Bartender's Friend and two tubs of Chromex and a lot of elbow grease. My favorite method theoretically is the electrolysis method but I haven't been able to try that yet. It sounds fun and science project-ish.

 

[BrentP]

Welcome to The CABE, newgirl. I've been away for awhile and just noticed your thread.

Yes, the rear battery box takes D cells and uses a regular flashlight bulb.

You will need to find the lens, shown above, that came on the Deluxe models (chrome frame with springer fork). The two rocket style reflectors you referred to, that jd56 posted a pic of from his Flightliner, were available only on the standard chrome model Spaceliners (like the 46940) and not the Deluxe or Base models (see my Ultimate Spaceliner Reference for a description and pics of the various Spaceliner models).

Awhile ago I put together a guide for installing the lens and battery box. It can be downloaded and viewed as a pdf HERE. It has some good pics that I took from my own Spaceliner as I was in the process of restoring it, so you can see exactly what the pieces look like and how they fit together.

Evaporust is the best for restoring parts. It is water based and non-toxic, but it does an incredible job of cleaning up metal parts. There's nothing else as good or as safe to use. You can order it directly from their website or find it at a lot of hardware or automotive stores.

Here are a couple of pics of the chain that was on my Spaceliner, before and after soaking in Evaporust. The chain was solid rust and I was going to throw it out, but the Evaporust completely restored it. The stuff works miracles.

 

[jd56]

Newgirl...just sent you a private message. Notification is on the top right of the webpage.

JD

 

[newgirl]

Thanks so much, BrentP. I have read the USR and found it very useful. I appreciate the time you take to organize and share this information, it's especially helpful to people like me who are just learning about old bikes. I haven't started working on the case yet (that makes me sound like a detective, ha ha) but I'll post pics when I do. I put the new seat on and it's pretty comfy - it's a lot bigger than the old one, which I didn't like at first. The bike lost some of its streamlined profile. But I want to ride it and be comfy, so what can you do. And it doesn't match the red handlegrips quite as well, but I think I'm the only one who's going to notice that. (But notice it, I do.)

Thanks for the heads up, jd56.

 

[Rivnut]

I'll try it. Is it basically oxalic acid? I wanted to try that (in the form of wood bleach)

Not the same stuff. I've used both. Evaporust works better, and leaves no residue. However, it's much more expensive. I bought a five pound bag of oxalic acid on the internet, and mix it up in a laudry sink in my garage about a quarter cup for ten gallons of water. It takes a while and requires a lot of elbow grease to go with it. The Evaporust works much better and doesn't require the elbow grease, but it wold cost an arm and a leg to soak a large part in. When I'm finished with the oxalic acid, I just pull the plug in the sink - it environmentally friendly.