Bent frame?

[parkrndl]

ok so I was all excited about this '64 girls' American I picked up over the weekend, but I noticed riding it that the pedals seem to come really close to the ground. So I measured it next to my '68 Panther, and it seems that the pedals are indeed an inch lower. The American has about 2" ground clearance from the tip of the crank at its lowest point, and the Panther has about 3" at the same point. Cranks are the same length as the Panther at 6.5" from the pedal centerline to the BB centerline. I started looking closer at my standard white garage door pic, then comparing it to pics I found online (several of which are from the CABE, as a matter of fact). Don't know if I am imaginging it, but it seems that the top tube and down tube come closer together on mine than in many of the pics I found. Can some of the more experienced Schwinn fanatics here tell by eyeballing a pic if the frame appears to be bent? Or is there a set of standard dimensions/measurements I can compare to? Thanks in advance...

 

[Scout Evans]

Unfortunately it is bent. Here's your bike, from the 64 catalog. Notice the angle of the seat tube and the head tube, they are have the same rake. Once the frame is bent, it will be weaker when bent back to the right position. Unless it's braced up somehow, it will bend again.

 

[vincev]

Seat tube and head tube look to be the same angle on other Schwinns and your is not.I would think it is bent.

 

[Pantmaker]

Bend it back.

 

[rusty.kirkpatrick]

Maybe a fat girl jumped it at some point?

 

[bricycle]

It has a nice rake now...

 

[bricycle]

you might be able to rebend it with a sissor jack between bars, then block with wood, then keep moving jack closer to the middle of the upper bar bend so as to get a more even bend.

 

[parkrndl]

I wondered about straightening it, since I know forks will take a certain amount of that, but I'm not sure I want to mess around with that on this particular bike. I didn't pay all that much for it, especially considering it has nice chrome and a working kickback, so I'm thinking I might just look for a good middleweight frame and go from there...

Maybe a fat girl jumped it at some point?

yeah, I wondered exactly how it got bent that way :eek:

 

[TR6SC]

If it were my project, I'd disassemble down to the frame, bolt it on its side to a big table through the bottom bracket. Next, I'd make a stop out of 4x4 that runs the length of the seat tube and attach it to the table so the frame can not spin and won't get scratched. Now comes the tricky part. If you pry on the the head tube, you run the risk of elongating

it. You either need a bar that really fits the head, or throw in some trash races and balls and forks, and run your lever through the stem. A long cheater bar will dial this frame back to blueprint specs! Easy on the BMX jumps.

 

[scooter_trasher]

Coast around corners , problem solved, or put bars in the seat tube and head tube and pull it with a comealong, it should take a cold set.