Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
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Kasual Klunker (Formerly "The Ratical Rustin' Hornet")
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
- Start date
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49autocycledeluxe
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
Nice! I like both of your Schwinns, but that DX in particular really catches my eye. I first got into this hobby thanks to a 1950 DX bike I won at an auction 4 years ago. Didn't look anywhere near as nice as yours, but hey, we all got to start somewhere!
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
Spent the better part of yesterday mocking up different parts on the Hornet. While it took longer than I expected, in the end, I was able to decide on the direction I want to take this bike.
Here are some of the parts I mocked up on the Hornet yesterday. As extensive as this looks, these are just the parts I pulled out of storage Thursday night. I've got even more at home that I had to mock up on top of this!
I might rob the bottom bracket bearings and bearing cups off of this frame, in case the original Schwinn ones aren't good enough.
I didn't take photos of every mockup I did, but I did get a few highlights. First, by this point late in the day, I had decided that I liked my Murray rat trap springer fork in its stock configuration better than the other forks I had in stock. I just felt it looked cleaner than the Schwinn springer, since the whole thing sits under the frame, rather than in front of it. I figured it helped show the lines of the frame better. It's a bit of a tight squeeze to get that 2.35-inch-wide tire to fit, but it still fits. Second, I had picked out a seat that I felt looked better on the Hornet than my other options. It was missing some mounting hardware, which I solved by robbing the parts I needed off one of the rotted-out seats I brought home Thursday.
That said, I still hadn't figured out what handlebars or chainring I wanted, and I wasn't sure about using the bobbed fender like I originally planned. I tried these Schwinn handlebars and this one chainring I had, but I wasn't sold on either option. The chainring made it next to impossible to install the forward bolt on the chain guard, so I knew that wasn't going to work. As for the handlebars, they looked okay, but they just felt like they sat a little too high.
Here's an idea of what this might look like if it use the bobbed fender I've been thinking about doing.
I tried the same mockup again without the rear fender, and I decided that I liked this better, especially with the fork I've got on there.
It wasn't until about 10pm that I finally decided on both the chainring and handlebars. The chainring I chose wasn't necessarily what I wanted, but out of all the ones I had in stock, it was the best option I could pick. The handlebars on the other hand, were the hardest part to decide on. I went through just about every set of handlebars I had, flipping them right side up or upside down, angling them this way or that, it was a nightmare! In the end, it was a set of handlebars I forgot I even had that won out! Probably didn't help that I stored it in a rather odd odd spot that was easy to overlook.
Ultimately, I believe this is how I'm going to build this Schwinn. I'll want to wire brush the paint off the fork and the handlebars, and I still need to find a crank that doesn't scrape the chain guard and can shine up well enough, but other than that, I've reached a decision on how I'll build this bike for now. I don't know if you'd classify this as a "street bomber" kind of build, but I do like how the bike looks stripped down the way it is.
The whole time I was mocking up parts yesterday, I was thinking about how other bike builders would say stuff like "listen to the bike," or "what's the bike telling you to do," and those words definitely made sense for this build. I kept wanting to throw something crazy on this bike, be it some ape hangers, a funky chainring, or a flipped springer fork, but it was like the bike was telling me, "no, just keep it simple and classy. I'm an old cruiser bike with old paint. Just use what looks good with that." I'm glad I listened to the bike, because I feel it looks way better this way than what I was trying to do earlier.
I'll refrain from saying what I plan to do today, and instead just report what I got done either tonight or tomorrow. I'll at least try and get better photos of the bike mocked up today, as I ran out of good sunlight to get photos yesterday. Stay tuned!
Here are some of the parts I mocked up on the Hornet yesterday. As extensive as this looks, these are just the parts I pulled out of storage Thursday night. I've got even more at home that I had to mock up on top of this!
I might rob the bottom bracket bearings and bearing cups off of this frame, in case the original Schwinn ones aren't good enough.
I didn't take photos of every mockup I did, but I did get a few highlights. First, by this point late in the day, I had decided that I liked my Murray rat trap springer fork in its stock configuration better than the other forks I had in stock. I just felt it looked cleaner than the Schwinn springer, since the whole thing sits under the frame, rather than in front of it. I figured it helped show the lines of the frame better. It's a bit of a tight squeeze to get that 2.35-inch-wide tire to fit, but it still fits. Second, I had picked out a seat that I felt looked better on the Hornet than my other options. It was missing some mounting hardware, which I solved by robbing the parts I needed off one of the rotted-out seats I brought home Thursday.
That said, I still hadn't figured out what handlebars or chainring I wanted, and I wasn't sure about using the bobbed fender like I originally planned. I tried these Schwinn handlebars and this one chainring I had, but I wasn't sold on either option. The chainring made it next to impossible to install the forward bolt on the chain guard, so I knew that wasn't going to work. As for the handlebars, they looked okay, but they just felt like they sat a little too high.
Here's an idea of what this might look like if it use the bobbed fender I've been thinking about doing.
I tried the same mockup again without the rear fender, and I decided that I liked this better, especially with the fork I've got on there.
It wasn't until about 10pm that I finally decided on both the chainring and handlebars. The chainring I chose wasn't necessarily what I wanted, but out of all the ones I had in stock, it was the best option I could pick. The handlebars on the other hand, were the hardest part to decide on. I went through just about every set of handlebars I had, flipping them right side up or upside down, angling them this way or that, it was a nightmare! In the end, it was a set of handlebars I forgot I even had that won out! Probably didn't help that I stored it in a rather odd odd spot that was easy to overlook.
Ultimately, I believe this is how I'm going to build this Schwinn. I'll want to wire brush the paint off the fork and the handlebars, and I still need to find a crank that doesn't scrape the chain guard and can shine up well enough, but other than that, I've reached a decision on how I'll build this bike for now. I don't know if you'd classify this as a "street bomber" kind of build, but I do like how the bike looks stripped down the way it is.
The whole time I was mocking up parts yesterday, I was thinking about how other bike builders would say stuff like "listen to the bike," or "what's the bike telling you to do," and those words definitely made sense for this build. I kept wanting to throw something crazy on this bike, be it some ape hangers, a funky chainring, or a flipped springer fork, but it was like the bike was telling me, "no, just keep it simple and classy. I'm an old cruiser bike with old paint. Just use what looks good with that." I'm glad I listened to the bike, because I feel it looks way better this way than what I was trying to do earlier.
I'll refrain from saying what I plan to do today, and instead just report what I got done either tonight or tomorrow. I'll at least try and get better photos of the bike mocked up today, as I ran out of good sunlight to get photos yesterday. Stay tuned!
WillWork4Parts
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Just hand tweak the chain guard over a bit, they're often found bent into the path of the cranks.
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
I'll try that. Thanks!
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
Day 3 went a bit slower than hoped, but I still have progress to report.
First, better photos of my mockup from last night. Aside from the blue paint on the fork and the black paint on the handlebars, this is about what the final bike will look like. As mentioned previously, I'm very happy with how this is shaping up. It's not the direction I originally wanted to take this bike, as least in this first low-budget build, but I like this better than what I had initially wanted to do. It has more of that "street bomber" feel to it, and I think that's a nice change of pace compared to what I normally like to build.
I also disassembled the whole bike today. One of the first pieces I took apart was the rat trap springer fork. I want to give a shoutout to @Jaxon on ratrodbikes.com for this great tutorial of how to disassemble and reassemble these forks. Really made the process easier for me.
I had planned to strip the paint off the handlebars and fork at my dad's shop in Sapulpa today, but due to some complications, I chose to just strip the handlebars at home as best as I could using my bike stand and a brass wire wheel on a drill. Ended up being more involved than anticipated, but I got the bars down to a nice, shiny, brushed-steel sort of look. I'll clean these up tomorrow, then apply a satin clear coat to help protect it.
Some of the stuff that I didn't get photos of:
I'm going to try and get to bed earlier than normal tonight, so I can take full advantage of tomorrow's warm and mostly dry weather before it rains on Monday. I've got a lot I want to get done tomorrow, and only the next 7 days to do it!
First, better photos of my mockup from last night. Aside from the blue paint on the fork and the black paint on the handlebars, this is about what the final bike will look like. As mentioned previously, I'm very happy with how this is shaping up. It's not the direction I originally wanted to take this bike, as least in this first low-budget build, but I like this better than what I had initially wanted to do. It has more of that "street bomber" feel to it, and I think that's a nice change of pace compared to what I normally like to build.
I also disassembled the whole bike today. One of the first pieces I took apart was the rat trap springer fork. I want to give a shoutout to @Jaxon on ratrodbikes.com for this great tutorial of how to disassemble and reassemble these forks. Really made the process easier for me.
I had planned to strip the paint off the handlebars and fork at my dad's shop in Sapulpa today, but due to some complications, I chose to just strip the handlebars at home as best as I could using my bike stand and a brass wire wheel on a drill. Ended up being more involved than anticipated, but I got the bars down to a nice, shiny, brushed-steel sort of look. I'll clean these up tomorrow, then apply a satin clear coat to help protect it.
Some of the stuff that I didn't get photos of:
- Blowing out all the crud stuck inside the frame
- Washing the frame, chain guard and fork with soap and water
- Near-complete disassembly of the bike
- Putting the bearings in my ultrasonic cleaner (I'm not done cleaning them, but I did run a few heated cycles on them)
- Hand-tweaking the chain guard to clear the crank
- Picking out which pedals and crank I'll use on the final bike.
I'm going to try and get to bed earlier than normal tonight, so I can take full advantage of tomorrow's warm and mostly dry weather before it rains on Monday. I've got a lot I want to get done tomorrow, and only the next 7 days to do it!
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
Normally I would add a tank, but given the more "street bomber" vibe this bike's taking on, I think I'll do without one, at least for now. Once I can afford to build this Hornet the way I want, then yes, I'll build and install a tank. Thanks!Gotta have a tank
rollfaster
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Lots of options, and most importantly your having fun doing it. Whatever you land up with will bring you joy! Here’s a few Straightbar builds I’ve done over the years for reference. A couple of DX’s hère also.
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