Sold Ladies' 1955? Huffy Mainliner, tank ballooner

[cudak888]

Quick preface: I've done some Google-fu and near as I can figure it, this is a '55 Mainliner underneath the repaint, but I am by no means sure of it - especially since the chainguard doesn't add up to catalog photos of the time. If not, feel free to chime in.

This is a presentable 1950's Huffy ladies' ballooner that's seen at least one repaint in its life, but a decent one; definitely good enough for a rider.

This Huffy presents really well, but I'm in the habit of disclosing any flaws on what I sell, so here's an unreasonably harsh assessment of what's otherwise a mostly ready-to-go "bike for the wife:"

For the most part, this Huffy is complete except for the saddle. I'm better versed in English 3-speeds than balloon tire beasts, but it appears as if most of the fittings on the bike are original, or if not, pre-date the 1980's. Exceptions may include the pedals - to my eyes they look like 1960's/early 1970's replacements - and without a doubt, the wheels. Obviously, the painted spoke nipples have nothing to do with originality, and when I installed a replacement tire liner on the front wheel, I found that it was chromed inside.

As such, wheels are 100% not original. The rear hub is a New Departure though, so the wheels may be older than the 1990's (which was my first guess when I acquired the bike initially). Tires are those Aero-Glide whitewalls that were making the rounds about a decade ago; they have discoloration on the whitewalls from sitting around for a while but are in decent enough shape; could probably be cleaned up and used for a while with no problems.

Handlebars are rusty - might be a bit too much for bronze wool or OA to bring back. There's no saddle and I really don't want to just throw anything on it; someone had tried the invert-the-post-and-put-on-a-modern-saddle approach when I got it.

Crank looks nice as does the chainring. I'm used to seeing much richer, deeper chrome from this era; the chainring in particular looks like a 1970's part. However, based on photos these seem to be the original parts, but I'll leave it to the experts to be the judge of that.

Front fender had an anachronistic Wald headlight on it that spilled battery acid onto the fender. The fender is structurally fine, though paint around this area was attacked, as expected. The damage is not that visible with the basket mounted, but notable if the basket is removed. Rear rack is in nice shape, but the paint has marks on it from the PO putting duct tape on it.

The pictures tell most of the story, but I'd be delighted to get more (and the SN) for anyone interested. These photos are just what I had on hand in my album today when I decided to part with it.

$175 + actual shipping via the FedUps; PayPal, or cash if you pick up in Miami, Florida.

No handling charges, I do the packing myself. I have done so many times before for far more fragile lightweight lugged steel stuff. All tubes get foam padding and I take the utmost in care to make sure it's packed right. If need be, I'll remove the tank too to prevent damage and package it in its own box within the bike box.

More pictures:

















I'll add photos of the non-drive side and closeups of the front fender battery acid damage later today.

 

[bloo]

What's the serial number? And where is is located? Bottom bracket or rear fork? That would tell us the year most likely. On first glance it looks much newer than 1955. On a closer look the frame is definitely mid 50s. it has the big prewar style (but postwar introduced) extra-wide Huffy rear forks. Is your badge the one with HUFFY in big bock letters? Those started in 1953.

That is not the blue that came on 53 girls Huffys. I doubt it is right for 55 either, but I am not sure. There is at least one pic of someone else's girl's 53 in my 53 Huffy thread.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1953-huffy-24-model-250-cleanup.191917/

That is not the chainguard stamping used in 53 (or 55) either. I've seen those but can't remember where. Maybe not Huffy. There are pics in my thread of what it probably had for a guard. Most of these bikes came dressed (unlike mine) and the fender mounted headlight was probably original. Might be a customliner? That "star" chainwheel is something I associate with the 1960s. I don't think it existed in the mid 50s, but I can't swear to it. If it is from 55 I would expect a chainwheel like the one on my 53.

 

[cudak888]

What's the serial number? And where is is located? Bottom bracket or rear fork? That would tell us the year most likely. On first glance it looks much newer than 1955. On a closer look the frame is definitely mid 50s. it has the big prewar style (but postwar introduced) extra-wide Huffy rear forks. Is your badge the one with HUFFY in big bock letters? Those started in 1953.

That is not the blue that came on 53 girls Huffys. I doubt it is right for 55 either, but I am not sure. There is at least one pic of someone else's girl's 53 in my 53 Huffy thread.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1953-huffy-24-model-250-cleanup.191917/

That is not the chainguard stamping used in 53 (or 55) either. I've seen those but can't remember where. Maybe not Huffy. There are pics in my thread of what it probably had for a guard. Most of these bikes came dressed (unlike mine) and the fender mounted headlight was probably original. Might be a customliner? That "star" chainwheel is something I associate with the 1960s. I don't think it existed in the mid 50s, but I can't swear to it. If it is from 55 I would expect a chainwheel like the one on my 53.

Sorry for taking a bit to reply; took until this Friday afternoon to go diving into the shed.

First, I'm certain it is a repaint. The paint of this era doesn't age like spray can enamel, and while a majority of the paint is surprisingly orange-peel free (and a lot harder than I would expect from a can job), it just doesn't look anything like the typical 70-year-old paint from the 1950's, whether good, rough, or somewhere in between. Regardless, the matching paint on those later rims and the painted spoke nipples (ugh) are dead giveaways. Whoever did the job got surprisingly close in regards to the accent stripes, though too thick on the rack, and the guard wouldn't have had any secondary color (more on the guard in a moment).

It has the 1953+ badge you describe. I've taken the basket off and thrown a reasonable - if not correct - middleweight-era saddle on it since the photos above were taken in late '23. Here are some more recent photos, including of the badge:

If I didn't have a bajillion projects, I'd replace those spoke nipples just because they look terrible as they are now. But at that rate, I'd swap out the rims too - and then it just goes downhill from there.

Also, the SN is on the left dropout, so definitely 1954+. The serial, as it reads at present, is H 32786, missing the leading number and first digit (assuming a six-digit numerical prefix is supposed to follow the H). Pic from today in a dark shed, so adjusted for contrast to make the numbers pop:

The gaps in the SN collaborate the idea that, indeed, there are two digits I can't see at the moment. If so, they're properly buried in the paint or there was a stamping issue. I'm not adverse to masking this off and surgically taking the Dremel to this area to get an answer.

It has the right forks for the mid-1950s. There are two - one SN verified, the other claimed to be a '55 - Mainliners here at the CABE that match the weird short guard, and a third that's undoubtedly later.

1. From https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/huffy-mainliner.193083/ - SN unconfirmed, and the guard support and bolts have been painted (and the fork has been bent slightly

2. Then there's this one (https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1955-huffy-mainliner-how-much-is-it-worth.79527/) an SN confirmed '55 with that guard and no apparent indication of substitution:

3. No year on this Mainliner, which appears to be a later middleweight from the photos (https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/old-huffy-mainliner.153862/). The bent fork also has the later triple-plate fork crown:

That guard was apparently used on the 24" models as well. I wonder if there was a shortage and some 26" models were fitted with them to move production along - or there was a rash of guard replacements with the later variant? No idea. With this many bikes with it, perhaps it's the correct guard and the catalog with them hasn't popped out of the woodwork yet.

The chainring should have four teardrop spirals, I believe - same as the Wald 5xx series. It wouldn't have rough finish '70s chrome on it either.

By the way, I greatly enjoyed the story of your '53. Reminds me of a couple of my nutty build threads involving the torch over at BikeForums C&V.

-Kurt

 

[bloo]

I knew I had seen that guard somewhere!. Unfortunately that missing leading digit is literally the year. "3H' on my 53 for instance. Catalogs seem to be thin on the ground. In 55 they were still using the guard like on my 53 on some models, or at least the #radiobike had one. The rear forks like yours disappeared sometime in the late 50s but I unfortunatley don't recall what year. I notice the front forks on that last Mainliner are different. It is getting real close to narrowing down a year even without the serial. Looks like you probably had it right with 1955 from the beginning.