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Help with ID of Schwinn

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Tankbike59

'Lil Knee Scuffer
Hello, picked this up the other day for $50. It's pretty weathered and the seat has been recovered with vinyl. Have not been able to find a serial number, seller stated it was a 1957. Any ideas on year or model? The red fork and fender support have me confused but I'm no expert. The paint is pretty shot with surface rust and flaking so I'm thinking of an amatuer paint job and a mechanical restoration. Probably not worth putting too much money into. What is the best way to strip rust and paint from frame. Would a wire wheel be a safe way to go or should I send it out for sand blasting? Thanks in advance.
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Post a picture of the serial number. Look on the left rear dropout by the rear axle. The spring fork may be a later addition. The front fender is on backwards.
 
Hello, picked this up the other day for $50. It's pretty weathered and the seat has been recovered with vinyl. Have not been able to find a serial number, seller stated it was a 1957. Any ideas on year or model? The red fork and fender support have me confused but I'm no expert. The paint is pretty shot with surface rust and flaking so I'm thinking of an amatuer paint job and a mechanical restoration. Probably not worth putting too much money into. What is the best way to strip rust and paint from frame. Would a wire wheel be a safe way to go or should I send it out for sand blasting? Thanks in advance.
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I'd bead blast it or black beauty if you just want the quickest method to stripping/frame prep. Oxalic Acid aka wood bleach will dissolve a lot of the rust if you can make a tub to soak it in. If you'd like to save the original paint ? I can't tell from the pic. I wouldn't stress what's there personally. Has a Schwinn style springer .... may be original but hard to say without more pics in detail
 
Looking at some of the parts it may have been a Phantom. Front fender isn't original. Serial would be on the left rear drop out above the axle nut or underneath the crank.
 
I did not even notice the front fender was backwards. Now I can see it clearly. It looks like the ser. # is T4857 0r maybe T4357. Hard to read. Paint is probably not worth saving, not much of it left. I realize regionally prices might vary, but how much about would media blasting a frame and fork cost?
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I am a big fan of wire wheeling these bike frames since once you have the equipment it is basically free. I used a 4" hand held grinder with a cup style wire wheel a few times in the past, but now I have a big buffer that takes an 8" wire wheel and use that. if I was not so cheap I'd pay to have them blasted which is always the best way to go the way I see it.

these bikes do have some value especially with the springer. you could spend a bunch getting a tank and proper fenders or just take the fenders off, clean what is there up and spray bomb it and have much less into it than what it would be worth when the time comes to sell it.

if you want to get all fancy you can get whatever paint you want in a can at many automotive body supply stores if you don't have the equipment.
 
Seems like I'm missing a number on the end of that ser.#. Would it most likely be a 1955 model?
There's a # under the rack support. Idk about pricing I bought a harbor freight 50 lb blaster & have a 1958 US Military compressor that will easily maintain 90 psi & 250+ lbs of air. I wouldn't think a bike should be much to blast though .... maybe $100 or less 🤔
 
a braided wire "cup brush" on an angle grinder would work great for your intent---But know what you're doing, or don't do it. some of the tight corners and edges can make the brush(and grinder) jump--if a cup brush gets ahold of clothing it will run up and down you and mess you up. That said I"ve stripped numerous frames this way and find it fast and cheap. There will be some areas, unreachable, that will have to be handled by other means--- hand sanding et.c. Again, you would want the "braided" or "knotted" cup brush.
 
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