Help Identify Year and Make ??

[TPT]

We found this rusty bicycle. Can anyone help us identify the year and make? It has 16-17" rim. It has old split tooth crank. The badge is oval with 2 fasteners. Know it is a bad photo, and the badge is horribly worn, but it appears to have had a large "X" shape. Are there other identifying features that would help identification? I have searched online badge photos and so far not found a similar one.

Thank you for your help....

 

[Jeff54]

Could be wrong as not sure about that frame type but the badge appears to be a Schwinn Spitfire. It's a 20" Junior which is probably making it tough to find on the net. Year? for the dropout and Schwinn Junior chain guard, one may think it's pre-war however, I don't think that type of Spitfire badge is. The chain guard was made pre-war and all the way up to, about, 1958. The rear wheel, (rim) also looks like a Schwinn S2 which came out in 1947/8 so, that time frame could put this bike and badge together around 1950 +/-.

 

[Freqman1]

A better pic of where the rear wheel attaches and underneath the crank should be a serial--good pic of that too. V/r Shawn

 

[Jeff54]

Ah, here's that frame in 41 a 'Camal back' frame and no chain guard, yet in 41. Again, I don't think topic bike is this old B/C your badge is flat and the 'Spitfire' is printed. You will need to look under the bottom bracket (The cylinder that holds your crank) Clean the bottom so you can shoot and post a good clear photo of the numbers stamped on it, to date it.

 

[GTs58]

The badge looks like the early Spitfire piece. Can't say what year it is, but I believe it was a Spitfire, possibly earlier than the one shown in this 1953 catalog image.

 

[TPT]

Thank you for everyone's inputs. I wire brushed rust at where the rear wheel attaches and underneath the crank but could not find a serial number, or it has rusted away. Consensus it is a 150 +/- Schwinn Spitfire. I am good with that.

Thank you again!

 

[gkeep]

No serial number on the bottom bracket so check the left rear axle dropout and there should be a serial number. Schwinn moved the serial # to the dropout in 1953 so that puts it in the 1953-56 range, by 1956 the skip tooth chain was pretty much history.
if you carefully clean it you might be surprised how much paint survives under the crude and rust. Best of luck.

 

[Jeff54]

Wire bush no harder than brass. Easy household rust cleaner on the frame is toilet bowl cleaner. The rust on the paint is not metal, it is a bacteria and can clean off. Use it lightly, give it a chance to break the rust off the paint after; rinse the acidic cleaner off well.