i.d. help 1958 either hornet or spitfire.... i think...

[RatRodJames]

Hey guys, i bought another bike to restore today for $75. It's in really rough shape, but i figure it's got $75 worth of parts on it either way. It's been repainted a few times so there are no decals to go by from what i can tell. Serial number is J825799. I ran it through a decoder and it said 1958, but didnt say model or anything. I'll post a few pictures in a bit because i know there isn't much you can tell by the information given.

 

[RatRodJames]

 

[GTs58]

Well, the Hornet and Spitfire share the same paint scheme, chain guard and stem so it sometimes makes it hard to figure out what model. The Hornet was somewhat equipped, then there was the Deluxe Hornet. Since your bike has no extra equipment I'd say it was a Spitfire. The seat, pedals and rear carrier didn't come with that bike.

 

[Scout Evans]

I agree with GTs58. Spitfire. If you can remove the layers of paint carefully, the name may show on the chain guard.

 

[RatRodJames]

It is a Spitfire. I was working on it last night till about 10 or so and i was able to clean the chain guard enough to barely see the silhouette of Spitfire on the chain guard. This bike fought me all the way last night. I can usually have a bike 100% disassembled in about 15 minutes, but this one..... the headset is rust welded on there like you wouldn't believe, as is one of the pedals. I hosed them both down in WD-40 last night so maybe i'll get lucky today.

 

[RatRodJames]

I'm going to be restoring this bike slowly, so I'll start a build thread.