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Prewar Western Flyer

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tripple3

Riding Miles; Collecting Smiles
A friend of mine just picked this up for me at a swap meet but he won't tell me where it is. I like this bike. I know it's Cleveland welding it has a morrow rear hub that I have not cleaned yet to see a date straight down tube very cool forks it had mudflaps as what's hanging off the front and rear fenders. Curved fender braces peaked fenders with two tone pinstriping no holes in the fenders for light. I will get the serial number soon just wanted to post some pics.
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A friend of mine just picked this up for me at a swap meet but he won't tell me where it is. I like this bike. I know it's Cleveland welding it has a morrow rear hub that I have not cleaned yet to see a date straight down tube very cool forks it had mudflaps as what's hanging off the front and rear fenders. Curved fender braces peaked fenders with two tone pinstriping no holes in the fenders for light. I will get the serial number soon just wanted to post some pics.]

Looks good, well made bike and has the conditions for pre-war fit too. Like, 36-7 or so,,..

Plus, with the right cleaners ya might salvage the paint under the 'patina' (lol), rust as well! Nice looking rims too!

Do I spy a little bend in fork? an easy fix.
 
Hmmm...I didn't think anything rusted in California....:rolleyes:

It just depends where in California it is. Along the coast stuff will rust overnight with the Salt air.
This bike still has the 43 wartime plate attached to it eclipse front and rear with 11 gauge spokes no date stamp though.
Morrow brake arm is there.
Also here is a pic of the serial number starting with the G
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I think 38 or 39 or 40 but I don't know what do you think? Does the arrow on the front hub mean take the axle out that way?

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It just depends where in California it is. Along the coast stuff will rust overnight with the Salt air.
This bike still has the 43 wartime plate attached to it eclipse front and rear with 11 gauge spokes no date stamp though.
Morrow brake arm is there.
Also here is a pic of the serial number starting with the G
I think 38 or 39 or 40 but I don't know what do you think?

I'd take that 36 on the hub as the year, and followed with 11 as November, although dating morrow hubs is supposa-ta be a letter,
"##E = 1935
##F = 1936
##G = 1937
##H = 1938
##I = 1939
##J = 1940
##K = 1941"

But it's also because and I'm no expert and will have to refer you to the, page here for dating Cleveland welding co frame. With regret because, it's complicated and not complete. whoever started it, didn't finish, was given data that didn't get listed, and passed to another early on who also didn't complete, and now others who have the just of it but fail in final posting detail. . lots of bike date codes listed as to what year they may be too but, the poster/reply did not cite or add in a quote to whom the bike's question refers. . Yet I am confident that straight frame was discontinued by 1939.

The thread at least speculates a period for that letter G,. So, If I am correct as to issue of the straight bar, adding speculation about that hub,, that G should fit in the time frame below 39.

Can not cite the exact topic currently but Search the threads for Cleveland welding date codes, all ya gotta do is find the G. .
 
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Dating a Morrow...easy CWC...experts please....

It is confusing... I looked at all those pages for awhile... Morrow dating is easy. I have a 37, 40, 41 all stamped with a letter and 1/4 of particular year... all with 36 13 as well which is 36 spokes, 13 gauge ... These hubs are stamped 36 11 Bigger gauge spokes no letter/number stamp on either....
I am thinking some kind of Paperboy Special or ???


I'd take that 36 on the hub as the year, and followed with 11 as November, although dating morrow hubs is supposa-ta be a letter,
"##E = 1935
##F = 1936
##G = 1937
##H = 1938
##I = 1939
##J = 1940
##K = 1941"

But it's also because and I'm no expert and will have to refer you to the, page here for dating Cleveland welding co frame. With regret because, it's complicated and not complete. whoever started it, didn't finish, was given data that didn't get listed, and passed to another early on who also didn't complete, and now others who have the just of it but fail in final posting detail. .. Yet I am confident that straight frame was discontinued by 1939.

The thread at least speculates a period for that letter G,. So, If I am correct as to issue of the straight bar, adding speculation about that hub,, that G should fit in the time frame below 39.

Can not cite the exact topic currently but Search the threads for Cleveland welding date codes.
 
When you open the hub check the date codes on the parts. If they're the same or the majority are, then IMO it's a safe bet that's the mfr date of the hub.
I'll bet you one Mexican Coke (cold) payable at the next Monrovia ride that the parts will have "I" stamps ;)
 
It is confusing... I looked at all those pages for awhile... Morrow dating is easy. I have a 37, 40, 41 all stamped with a letter and 1/4 of particular year... all with 36 13 as well which is 36 spokes, 13 gauge ... These hubs are stamped 36 11 Bigger gauge spokes no letter/number stamp on either....
I am thinking some kind of Paperboy Special or ???

Yeah thanks rustjunky for that link.


tripple3, I browsed to it cause I've gone over that whole tred dozens of times trying to make some sense of it, including, if I coud thought I'd outline it to clear it up, but it's to dang complex, yet figured I could hunt something down to help ya figure this out..

This might help ya:
Prewar Serial Numbers

Regarding serial numbers, the picture that has emerged to date is that most of the prewar production used a serial number system that begins with a letter and is followed by 5 numbers. It appears that these numbers are sequential and the system starts with “A” and proceeds through “K”. The K serial numbers were used in 1941 and then, instead of moving to “L” the system returned to “A”. It is my opinion that these second series “A” bikes and perhaps the end of the “K” series constitute what would be considered the 1942 model line. This line probably entered production in the fall of 1941 and the “A” serialed bikes were likely made at the tail end of 1941 and into the first few months of 1942.


I may be off base citing 39 discontinued straight bar, but the thread is to dam confusing.. Regardless, citing the op, he says K was last letter in 41, and at the end of 41 they reverted back to A which would mean A-42, B-43, C-44 etc into 1949-50 when Cleveland began stamping the Cw after the serial set. . so, if his logic is correct on prewar bikes; he's saying just go backwards from K, K-41, J-40, I-39, H-38, G-37!!..
most especially because, you have the drop stand ear on rear drop outs, An 'G' post war would be 1947-8, and drop stand ears on rear drop-outs were discontinued, 'I believe' by then:

Which makes yours: G prewar = 1937!! :)
 
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