Wards Hawthorne project

[Barto]

Very cool, Service the Hubs, lube the chain and pedal bearing, wipe it down, scrub it up and give it a quick polish. Some new white walls and your uncle will be thrilled

 

[piercer_99]

sweet 41, your uncle has great taste in bicycles.

When I am 90, I plan to still be riding mine.

 

[BLK80SLT]

I worked on the front hub today and did some polishing of the front wheel. The wheel is painted the same as the bike. The spokes cleaned up well too. This was my first time working with a front fork system like this. What did people do back then when they had to remove the tire? Everything has to come off just to remove the wheel. Is there a simpler method?

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[BLK80SLT]

What model Hawthorne is this bike, and where did it fit in the lineup for 1941?

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[SKPC]

Looks like the front hub was adjusted too tight & damaged one cone. Easy fix. The fork is a conundrum and regardless is B.A. So complicated. Just be happy the linkage plates are still there. I need a pair for my Hawthorne tanker similar to your bike. As you strip it down and clean it, find some help for the fork and paint, it will be worth it. I would get a brass wire brush set and mineral spirits to clean the front and back hubs & spokes of debris and road dirt. Be careful with this solvent as the rims are painted. Just be ready with a soft cloth to clean any wayward solvent when cleaning the metal.
Treat the rims similar to the paint, however you decide to do that. Keep us posted. Will love to see it done...

 

[TieDye]

This belongs to my 90 year old uncle who reluctantly agreed to allow me to refurbish it for him. He thinks he bought it in 1941 maybe, and stuck it in the rafters in his garage around 1956 possibly. I brought it down yesterday for the first time since then. It's completely original and I think it will clean up pretty good. I'd like to find out when it was actually made. Any help would be very appreciated. Here's a few pics.
View attachment 1025896View attachment 1025897View attachment 1025898View attachment 1025899View attachment 1025900View attachment 1025901View attachment 1025902

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Here's the 41 catalog page.
Deb

 

[BLK80SLT]

The paint on the headlight was shot but I could tell it was white so I repainted it today. The holder for the green reflector didn't appear to have been painted unless it all completely wore off. Were those painted? The original lens is kind of yellowed from age.

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[rustjunkie]

very nice bike.
experience is telling me to strongly advise against repainting anything else or doing any touch-ups whatsoever

 

[CURTIS L LINDGREN]

very nice bike.
experience is telling me to strongly advise against repainting anything else or doing any touch-ups whatsoever

I Agree with rustjunkie , Non invasive and mild cleaning is where I'd start. The headlight lense may clean up with a little warm water a a small drop of dishwashing liquid. ( inside and outside ) The yellowish color will look great if ever lit up. That's such a cool bike . Be as gentle as possible. It will be a learning experience for sure. With old bikes , you get lots of challenges. Take it slow . Learn from each step. I commend you for asking questions , and providing the pictures. What a cool bike , with a cool story . Please continue with the updates .

 

[fordmike65]

Just leave it be! Bike really just needs a light cleaning, a full service, fork straightening and worn pieces replaced. The bike has such a nice mellowed patina to it that harsh chemicals, metal brushes and paint are not needed. Now that beautiful worn light that matched the rest of the bike will stick out like a sore thumb and be it's main focus rather than the beauty of the bike as a whole. In the end, the bike is yours to do as you wish...but I would step back to do research, ask questions and really think about it before doing something that cannot be easliy undone...