Identification Needed

[Monark52]

I thought i read on another post somewhere that Fleetwood37 has old Firestone catalogs. I`m hoping he can shed some light on this post.

What i need is help with the year of this Firestone Cruiser and what would the correct light be for this bike. Also,is this the right sprocket for this bike?

Looking at the paint,the rear rack looks original but it looks the same as a Murray rack...is this right? Any help or original pics would be great...catalog pics would be even better!

 

[37fleetwood]

Ask and ye shall receive!
the rack is correct the sprocket is probably not. the page is from a 1948 Dayton catalog. I have the 1948 and 1949 Firestone catalogs but this bike isn't in either, but the bike is definitely from one of the two years. also a photo of mine which has been put together from parts. very cool bike! I'd ride it.
Scott

 

[37fleetwood]

 

[Monark52]

Wow! great pictures and info! This will really help me out.

I think i`ll go with 1948 because didn`t 1949 model Firestone cruisers have a different style dropout in the back?

Thanks for the quick reply!!

 

[37fleetwood]

the rear dropouts are the same on the Huffy's til the mid '50s at least.
Scott

 

[Monark52]

OK,i`m confused. My bike is a Firestone but in the 1948 catalog you posted the rack looks different than mine. The one that i have looks like the 1948 Huffman ad you just posted. Also,the sprockets and headlights are different.

Should i use the Huffman light,sprocket and rack...or go with the Firestone equipment?

 

[37fleetwood]

your bike is a Huffman use the Huffman stuff. like I said before, your bike is not in the catalogs. the one in the catalog is made by Murray. there may have been a last minute change or maybe yours is a '50 or something. no matter what yours is a Huffman and should be dressed as such.
Scott

 

[Monark52]

Hmm,should i lose the Firestone headbadge and go with a Huffman badge?
What does the Huffman badge look like...or is it a Dayton badge i`m looking for?
Sorry about all the questions,but i`m still learning all the details of the classic bike world! So far,this has been an excellent place and everyone has been cool to me.

 

[37fleetwood]

I don't have any Huffman badges but I do have a few Dayton badges like this one we might be able to work a trade for. I have several. most of them are a bit better off than your badge and I would love to get hold of the Cruiser badge for my bike. let me know if that sounds fair. I'll look through my badges and see what I can come up with. I might be busy during the week but be patient I'll try to get some photos of them posted soon.
Scott

 

[37fleetwood]

looking again at your bike the only things wrong are the seat, and sprocket. you will also need to find a chain guard. either way it amounts to the same parts whichever badge you choose. eventually I'll probably end up with a catalog with your bike in it, remember I have a very similar bike to build as well. you will probably find someone here who has the sprocket who will probably trade you for the one you have which is harder to find than the Huffy one. they were the same through the '50s and '60s on most Huffys. just make sure you get the boys size which has 48 teeth. I can identify the rest of the missing parts for you. the main thing is don't panic, let it come together as you go get it running like it is and then start gathering parts. then clean and paint and chrome as you like.
Scott