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front fender removal late 40s / early 50s???

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hmm......i do have a buddy with a welder......but im not sure he is up to this. I will ask him. It all depends on if i can get that pesky stem out. Thats the next order of business. Here is a picture of this thing as i picked it up.

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I like it - Superb Patina !!! A new set of tires (and maybe a seat) and everybody will want it. Just Do It ! Finish the bike...and Ride it...----Cowboy
 
i.d. love to drop the fork but that dang stem is really in there. I have to guess that it isnt the original stem to the bike. It appears to be one of the later stems.....one of those pressed steel or rolled steel jobs from the 60s? Like shown here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Vinta...404558?hash=item3d435144ce:g:jloAAOSwz71ZWtt7

Sadly...i imagine moisture got down that front seam and probably mucked up everything. I think most stems of the bikes era were solid steel...not hollow. perhaps i can crush it out if nothing else. I dont know....it is still pretty thick steel. Heres to hoping i can get enough PB/Penetrating lube in here to help it free up.

As for the fender, once i get this off, i am hoping i can unscrew the part that goes up into the fork and then use a washer, reattach it like it was intended originally for easy removal next time.


That's the wald stem and yes, I've seen that on Schwinn's down to 1953.
 
That's the wald stem and yes, I've seen that on Schwinn's down to 1953.
To get the stem out you`re gonna have to cut the top of the stem off. It`s okay, you can find another one... Leave enough, maybe a couple of inches above the top of the bearing cup. Hacksaw Time. That way you can remove the fork from the frame. Then you can put the fork in a vise and try moving the stem with a pipe wrench. Plenty of penetrating oil- it might move. If not, then try heating it with a propane torch. If that doesn`t work- cut the fork tube below the problem (use a tube cutter so it is perfectly straight) and replace the top section as previously discussed. It is the simplest way to fix.----Cowboy
I want to see you ride this thing...
 
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Yup you're right that is from frozen pipe explosion.

If you have somebody handy, You could clean em real good, with grinder then tap the bubble back and weld or braze em closed again, and grind off excess. prob no drain hole on inside of that dropout stay bar so water traped and froze, . inside rot/rust prob not going to come back to haunt it, if sealed, for 5-10 years.


hmm.....and it looks like im done.


I was removing the rear fender/wheel and stripping the frameset to prep to get the fork out.

2 cracks somehow on the same side.. one above the brake bridge and one down by the dropout. It appears to be rust related. I am not sure how this is even possible but i dont imagine this is repairable at all. It almost looks like water in the frame at some point and ice cracked it? Most of the rust elsewhere is purely surface rust. So much for my rat bike schwinn. This thing has great patina. It would have been a great project. Perhaps time to get relegated to a "garden bike".......

I ran the tip of my screw driver through the cracked areas and sprayed them with pb to clean them a bit.

Sad :(

View attachment 659810

View attachment 659812

i poked and prodded in both cracks and they dont appear to go all the way through. I cleaned them up a bit. Very strange.

I wonder i if i dare weld / fill them. I could put a small brace in each section. This thing was never going to win any awards. I wanted it as a ratty wreck but functional in the end. Hmm.....

So frustrating to see this.
 
Fender: looks like ya got a rotted screw head in there. You're going to have to drill it out. Otherwise you'll likely bend the fender hole out too much, getting it off the fork. Carefully grind it off, Tap a hole in center of it's shaft and drill out .



I checked my old 48 dx and my newer chrome fender 60s schwinn 3 speed curved bar and both front fenders appear to have a screw that threads up into the bottom of the fork. I suspect this one is supposed to do the same and someone bodged it. Then they tried to repair it by using metal square and some kind of press fit thing mushrooming it to the fender.

Not sure on this but honestly i dont know how it could be anything else.
I may have to drill this out to remove it. It is already a bit loose around where the mushroomed bit is in the fenders hole. I can probably grind away the mushroom and get the fender out that way. I just hope i can unscrew the bit that goes up into the fender so i can replace it with a proper machine screw or bolt.


This pic is horrible but you can see the square...perhaps expoxied and the "pin" mushroomed out in the middle.

View attachment 659689

once i can get this off i can work on getting the stem out. I have been soaking it for the past 2 days in kryoil and pb but it wont budge. The crown nut is off and the stems bolt is gone meaning somone else either removed it or it is broken off down inside. The stem itself is rusted to the inside of the fork it seems.

i too a really long punch and put it down the stems hole.....it appears to go down past where the wedge would be so i dont think the wedge is preventing it from coming loose. I sure hope i can get it out. without wrecking the fork in the process. With the thickness of the fork legs and some proper leverage near the fender mount i am hoping it will come loose.
 
Fender: looks like ya got a rotted screw head in there. You're going to have to drill it out. Otherwise you'll likely bend the fender hole out too much, getting it off the fork. Carefully grind it off, Tap a hole in center of it's shaft and drill out .

Thats exactly what i did. I used a dremel and ground away at it carefully. Fender came off and i didnt even nick it with the grinding wheel. Piece of cake. It was harder to get the extension cord out and plug in the dremel. I need to get myself a cordless one some day. So much handier. I am going to talk to my buddy on the welding. He just got his welder and he isnt the best welder but if he cant do it i bet one of his coworkers can.

I am going to try a 2x4 between the fork blades first and a pipe wrench. I figure i can get a bit more leverage using the head of the stem because if the angled part. When that doesnt work, its cutting time.

I have taking alloy stems out buy running a hack saw blade down the hollow part (after cutting off the stem) and then carefully sawing through the alloy in 2 or 3 spots vertically. The stem crushes in on itself easy once you have done that. Sad part here is it is steel. Much much harder to do. Trust me.....even with alloy it takes forever but i just propped it in the bike stand, cracked a beer.......started a movie and started sawing away. Arm gets tired......then you switch. By the end of the movie you are good to go :)
 
That Wald stem should have a slice in front center They are a single piece of pressed steel plate. just squeeze in that split on a vise. presto you're done. actually a pipe wrench placed in the right spot could squeeze it in enough to twist it out too.

They're crap stems as, too easy to bend when tightening handle bar. A low blow for Schwinn as they're another reason huffy and Murray's were crap. Yet, I think you just discovered at least 1 good thing. crimp that seam closed, makes it easier to trash.

Thats exactly what i did. I used a dremel and ground away at it carefully. Fender came off and i didnt even nick it with the grinding wheel. Piece of cake. It was harder to get the extension cord out and plug in the dremel. I need to get myself a cordless one some day. So much handier. I am going to talk to my buddy on the welding. He just got his welder and he isnt the best welder but if he cant do it i bet one of his coworkers can.

I am going to try a 2x4 between the fork blades first and a pipe wrench. I figure i can get a bit more leverage using the head of the stem because if the angled part. When that doesnt work, its cutting time.

I have taking alloy stems out buy running a hack saw blade down the hollow part (after cutting off the stem) and then carefully sawing through the alloy in 2 or 3 spots vertically. The stem crushes in on itself easy once you have done that. Sad part here is it is steel. Much much harder to do. Trust me.....even with alloy it takes forever but i just propped it in the bike stand, cracked a beer.......started a movie and started sawing away. Arm gets tired......then you switch. By the end of the movie you are good to go :)
 
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Fender: looks like ya got a rotted screw head in there. You're going to have to drill it out. Otherwise you'll likely bend the fender hole out too much, getting it off the fork. Carefully grind it off, Tap a hole in center of it's shaft and drill out .
That Wald stem should have a slice in front center They are a single piece of pressed steel plate. just squeeze in that split on a vise. presto you're done. actually a pipe wrench placed in the right spot could squeeze it in enough to twist it out too.
Be easy with that 2X4 and wrench- you can easily bend your fork....-------Cowboy
 
That Wald stem should have a slice in front center They are a single piece of pressed steel plate. just squeeze in that split on a vise. presto you're done. actually a pipe wrench placed in the right spot could squeeze it in too.

Thats the hope. I was actually glad to see it was this type of stem for a change and not solid. I am hoping that makes it a bit easier.

The top crown race is a bit fused to the stem as well. It wont budge. I am probably going to ruin that getting it off. I am hoping i can get a pipe wrench to bite that skinny surface. I can get a replacement cheap enough at the local coop.

The top nut was a bugger to get off. I soaked it for a day and finally got it to come loose. The threads that i can see dont look too bad. I am surprised it was this stuck. I guess this is why you use grease or anti seize when putting this stuff together. It doesnt look like that was done here at all.....or perhaps moisture killed that long ago.
 
U no ya gotta pound out the inner hold/lock nut right? and from the looks of all that rust you're going to need to either waste your bolt, screwed down to about 1/8"-1/4" from bottom, and beat the crap out hitting down on it with hammer, (That stem's trash anyway) or get a hard steel shaft to pound that down.
Wald%20Stem.jpg


Thats the hope. I was actually glad to see it was this type of stem for a change and not solid. I am hoping that makes it a bit easier.

The top crown race is a bit fused to the stem as well. It wont budge. I am probably going to ruin that getting it off. I am hoping i can get a pipe wrench to bite that skinny surface. I can get a replacement cheap enough at the local coop.

The top nut was a bugger to get off. I soaked it for a day and finally got it to come loose. The threads that i can see dont look too bad. I am surprised it was this stuck. I guess this is why you use grease or anti seize when putting this stuff together. It doesnt look like that was done here at all.....or perhaps moisture killed that long ago.
 

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