Hawthorne questions

[Kevin LeRoy]

Hey everyone,
I just spent some time looking over my "new" Hawthorne and I just noticed some things that got me to thinking. First I was wondering if this might be a very early post war bike? The rims are not chromed but painted a dull dark gray color which seems to be the original paint, could these be "black out" rims? Both hubs are New Departure and are chromed though. Next is I don't think the crank is the original one as the stud that fits into the hole in the sprocket is much smaller in diameter. Does any one know what type was originally used on these bikes? As always any info is greatly appreciated, Thanks!

 

[Adamtinkerer]

The crank is a much newer replacement, along w/the pedals. That chain ring is usually seen on western flyers, but it is cwc along with the rest of the bike, so it mat be original. A lot of the lower end models used silver anodized rims instead of chrome, and generally turn grey over time. I'd say it's a '46 or '47.

 

[cds2323]

I agree with adamtinkerer that it's probably 46 or 47. The headbadge is the version seen on the early post war bikes. The prewar version had the screws placed horizontally and didn't have the tabs at the top and bottom. And I think the G serial numbers were from 46.