Hi.
I picked up a 79 Spitfire this weekend off CL from a guy that had a garage full of old Schwinn bikes and parts. It's been repainted and the stickers are vinyl, but the bike rides well and is in pretty good condition. I'm planning to peel off the vinyl stickers and replace them with some water transfer stickers I ordered off eBay.
View attachment 1596444
I'd also like to pick up a different badge. The one that is on it has been sprayed silver with blue touch up paint on the letters. It's also stamped 2297, which I think makes it a 1987 badge?
Anyway, I noticed my 66 Racer does not have Chicago on the badge while my 70 Twin does:
View attachment 1596445
Going through this thread, I was trying to figure out what the correct badge would be for my 79 and based on other blue Spitfires in this thread, a white badge with black letters looks like it would be the one to get.
In 79, did all badges include "Chicago"? I'm looking on eBay and I see both. I'm more concerned with getting the correct badge than I am with getting one in perfect condition.
Also...I want to try and dull the paint a bit. The guy did a good job spraying it but it's too "new" looking if that makes sense. I was thinking of trying to knock some of the shine off with some 0000 steel wool. Is that a good idea or a bad idea?
I was a teen in the 80s and grew up in the South Bay (Redondo & Hermosa). We always referred to this bike as the "Strand Cruiser" and it's really cool seeing the South Bay photos in this thread. As a kid, my two favorite bike shops were Aviation Cyclery and Dad's Bike Barn.
Cheers,
Anthony