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The Green Panther

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Tikibar

Finally riding a big boys bike
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Years ago, a friend of mine was helping the nuns in the local convent sell some things at their garage sale. He knew I was into old bicycles and called me up to tell me there was an antique bicycle there and I should come over. Turns out it was an early '50's blue on blue Schwinn Panther. Being the nuns' bike, it was naturally a ladies frame. Now I have been interested in bicycles since I was a kid and the ones I had been picking up were usually the Schwinns from my youth, the 1960's and '70's Stingrays, Fastbacks and my daily rider a yellow Schwinn Speedster.

This blue on blue Panther was a whole different animal. It was heavy, slow and a ladies bike' - not really what I'd pictured myself riding around on. Still, it was a neat old bike and the paint was in great shape. The nuns had done a nice job of taking care of it.

So I brought it home for my wife who fell in love with it. She and I often ride our classic bikes together, on the bike trail or down to the beach. Well, hers being this heavyweight cruiser and mine being a Speedster, they don't really ride together well. The Speedster, as its name implies wants to get up and go fast and the Panther wants to cruise s-l-o-w-l-y.

So I've been on the lookout for another Panther to pair with my wife's bike, so we could enjoy a cruise together. At first I looked for the blue Panther in a men's frame, but it seems to be pretty scarce in that color. No matter, I love the green on green and have been looking for some time for one I could make into a project.

Thanks to a fellow Caber I've got this green on green Panther to work on!


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It's missing parts, such as the straight bar tank and Delta Rocket Ray light. Some of the other parts don't look to be right such as the metallic green rack and the ladies' seat. Good news is I just got this chain guard from a second Caber and a replacement rack in the correct green is on its way from another Cabe member. It takes a village! Thanks for all your help. If you have parts suitable for an early 1950's Schwinn Panther let me know.

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I plan on restoring this for the next few months. With my busy work schedule it will take me some time, but I'll post updates here. Also, I'll review some of the cleaning and lubing products I use and will post which works best. If anything on this build isn't right for a '51, I'd like to hear from you.


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From a distance it looks nice, but up close it has the dirt of the ages on it, 50+ years of gunk and debris. I plan to find the missing parts and to completely disassemble it, clean and rebuild it so this cruiser rides like a dream.

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Hopefully by Spring, my wife and I will be cruising together! :cool:

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Thats a fun project! Panthers are one of my favorite bikes. Like you, I'd love to find a blue one. I found a nice Red 52 a while back and have been doing the same. Slowly bringing her back to life. I'd look into that crank. I'm pretty sure a dog leg is not correct. I've messed around with Old Rocket Rays and found it much easier in the long run to just get a repo for relibility. Also note that original Panther Rocket Rays have a chrome stripe on the top half. A pricy detail if you want to get it right on a repo light. I've tried silver paint and It just doesn't look good. One more thing- try using an 11 tooth rear cog. It makes a pretty big difference going up any incline as well as starting from a stop since these bikes are ridiculously heavy. You will need a longer chain. I've used double master links for ease of switching from a 10 to an 11.

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I love Schwinn panthers no matter what color they are. Nice easy pedaling bike. Of all the bikes I have , this one gets ridden the most. The saddlebags are great for drinks and a snack when I ride up to a cruise night. Always get some compliments like,"Sure don't build them like this anymore".
They sure don't!
Maybe we will run into each other in "CHICAGO LAND". !Have fun Tikibar with your build.:)

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Thats a fun project! Panthers are one of my favorite bikes. Like you, I'd love to find a blue one. I found a nice Red 52 a while back and have been doing the same. Slowly bringing her back to life. I'd look into that crank. I'm pretty sure a dog leg is not correct. I've messed around with Old Rocket Rays and found it much easier in the long run to just get a repo for relibility. Also note that original Panther Rocket Rays have a chrome stripe on the top half. A pricy detail if you want to get it right on a repo light. I've tried silver paint and It just doesn't look good. One more thing- try using an 11 tooth rear cog. It makes a pretty big difference going up any incline as well as starting from a stop since these bikes are ridiculously heavy. You will need a longer chain. I've used double master links for ease of switching from a 10 to an 11.

Thanks, I hadn't noticed those details on the light and the crank. I wonder what a Panther crank has stamped on it, maybe "AS&CO"? One of my older Schwinns has that and a date on the crank. Nice colors on yours, that red and orange combo is sweet.
 
wall hanger panther

Good luck with your project, love the Panther. Here's my 1950/51 Green Panther, all original. Another Panther detail is the bottle cap style Schwinn pedals.

Eddie

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Nice colors on yours, that red and orange combo is sweet.


The red faded to orange is because this bike must have sat on display in the sun for a really long time. Lucky it faded pretty much the entire bike and not just certain areas. Some days I like it, some days I don't. Either way I'm pretty lucky to own such a nice bike.
 
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