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Lexington Badged Schwinn...Just Bought It!

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Sara Lee's Chrome frosting?

I've seen this numerous times and I always think that someone didn't do the job right. The French were famous for their crappy chrome plating on the old Huret parts but this is not as common on older parts made in the US. Is there any manufacturers markings on the rims? All I can say is those rims had a poor plating job for some reason and the war may have affected the manufacturers chroming process. A similar issue with crappy chrome plating also happened during the Korean war. Here's a quote from from someone that does plating.

Unlike "sacrificial" coatings like zinc plating or galvanizing where porosity or a hole or bare edge may be no big deal, porosity in nickel-chrome plating is a disaster that doesn't merely fail to protect the steel, but greatly accelerates the corrosion of the steel. Chrome plating is a "barrier layer" plating; once the barrier is breached by a pinhole, very rapid rusting is unavoidable. A low quality chrome plating job with pinholes or porosity is much worse than no plating at all; the plating electrochemically forces the underlying steel to rust.

I wonder if that bike was stored or used close by the coast. Here's a 1961 Corvette 5 speed that was found in the San Fran Bay area. I chemically stripped the black paint and primer and even were the paint was not chipped or scratched there was an extreme amount of rust. The older the paint gets the more porous it gets and having no wax or care, the paint will suck up the moisture.

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@GTs58 Thanks for the explanation!! Hard to believe it was actually shiny chrome at some point! 😲

I'm not sure where the guys mother lived in her youth, but the handlebars are experiencing pretty much some of the same issue. The truss rods, however, are much better and look like chrome should look as I've been working on all three today.
 
I was going take some shots outside today, but the rain wouldn't stop, so here are a few from inside.

I'm on the fence about letting this one go...but I can't keep everything I keep buying. I know some people want the badge, some the tires. But if I sell it, it goes all in one piece. And No Shipping, pick up only. (No idea as to what I'll even ask).

BTW, I only removed the chain guard to work on it. Everything else stayed put. And from what I can see, the wheels haven't been off the bike sine it left the Schwinn factory. The paint around the rear drops is perfect. 😃

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Looks very respectable! Nice job on the clean up. 👍 I went back to the first page and viewed all the pictures and the serial number again. After looking at this picture closer I noticed the angle of the kickstand tube. It's angle is not as severe as the early post war 1946 and later models almost looking like they are on a 45 degree angle. The J serials were used during the war on the BB shells that were the first to be electro-welded and used on the one piece cranked 1942-43 and up New Worlds. The rear chain stays on those were still hand welded to the BB shell but the seat post was also Electro-welded to the shell. Notice how close your chain stay EF joints are to the shell? That detail and angle of the kickstand tube indicates to me that your J serial bike was produce in 1945.

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I can give you a Royal badge plus $200 for your badge. Whoa, it’s like getting a free bike! Happy 4th!
 
Looks very respectable! Nice job on the clean up. 👍 I went back to the first page and viewed all the pictures and the serial number again. After looking at this picture closer I noticed the angle of the kickstand tube. It's angle is not as severe as the early post war 1946 and later models almost looking like they are on a 45 degree angle. The J serials were used during the war on the BB shells that were the first to be electro-welded and used on the one piece cranked 1942-43 and up New Worlds. The rear chain stays on those were still hand welded to the BB shell but the seat post was also Electro-welded to the shell. Notice how close your chain stay EF joints are to the shell? That detail and angle of the kickstand tube indicates to me that your J serial bike was produce in 1945.

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Thanks for the Update!!!!!! Damn, you know your Stuff!! 🧐

Cooool! A year older...and one of the first bikes produced after the War. Uh...might be keeping this one now. 😎

September 2, 1945 was when the war ended. And since bike production was pretty much at a snails pacel until that time, I'll assume pretty much right after that date???
 
I can give you a Royal badge plus $200 for your badge. Whoa, it’s like getting a free bike! Happy 4th!


I wouldn't remove the badge, but I do thank you for your offer! This one will stay intact...and maybe now with me! 🙂 It will have company with my '41.

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Thanks for the Update!!!!!! Damn, you know your Stuff!! 🧐

Cooool! A year older...and one of the first bikes produced after the War. Uh...might be keeping this one now. 😎

September 2, 1945 was when the war ended. And since bike production was pretty much at a snails pacel until that time, I'll assume pretty much right after that date???

Schwinn produced over 90,000 bikes in 1945 and very few if any were sold to the government. Most were for retail. Some of these 1945 models have shown up with a few black out parts too.
 
@GTs58 BTW...the head badge...Bloomingdale Bros., LEXINGTON. It means it was made to be sold in Bloomingdale's Dept. Store in NYC...on LEXINGTON Ave. Hence the name on the bike. My wife told me the name on the head badge was for where their store was!! 😀

I wonder how many were made before the War ended, and then after in 1945?

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