When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Was this 55 Corvette really Opal red?

#eBayPartner    Most Recent BUY IT NOW Items Listed on eBay
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
So is there anyway to unearth the "Corvette" on the chain guard? Blood from a turnip?

Usually the Corvette decal outlasts the red pigment on these and then it to fades/wears off and leaves the name left in red. Then the red that was under the decal finally fades out. The decals for these are on ebay and the guard decal is 12 bucks last time I checked.
 
Ok, so this may be another total newbie question, but my inclination is to clean the whole bike, maybe take it apart to do so, lube this and that and put it back together. That sound like an ok plan? Is there anything to do about all of the little surface rust spots here and there?
 
Enjoy, great bike. Love the gold fade 55’s! Personally, I like the early narrow bars but they can be easily changed out if you desire to do so.
1241903
 
Thanks for the good info. Just noticed that only one gear works. When shifting the other two, just free-wheels. Is the seat original, is it leather?

Vinyl seat but it was only a first year, 1955 Corvette only seat. Impossible to find when you need one. Serials in mid-late 50s were a disaster.
 
Ok, so this may be another total newbie question, but my inclination is to clean the whole bike, maybe take it apart to do so, lube this and that and put it back together. That sound like an ok plan? Is there anything to do about all of the little surface rust spots here and there?

I use #0000 steel wool and Mother's chrome polish. The Schwinn chrome in this era wasn't far behind auto quality, so it should come back sparkling with some work. Cleaning and repacking bearings is the best thing you can do to bring a bike back to life. Once you get the hang of how tight to set the cones before cranking everything together, it'll roll like new.

The rear hub likely won't need a rebuild, but just oil inside and proper adjustment--they are quite bulletproof. There are a million guides out there for adjusting the indexing on these old sturmey archer hubs.
 
I use #0000 steel wool and Mother's chrome polish. The Schwinn chrome in this era wasn't far behind auto quality, so it should come back sparkling with some work. Cleaning and repacking bearings is the best thing you can do to bring a bike back to life. Once you get the hang of how tight to set the cones before cranking everything together, it'll roll like new.

The rear hub likely won't need a rebuild, but just oil inside and proper adjustment--they are quite bulletproof. There are a million guides out there for adjusting the indexing on these old sturmey archer hubs.

Great info - thanks. Any thoughts on why only one gear seems to work? Maybe the cable isn't tight enough?
 
Hi folks - complete newbie here, so forgive me if this has been asked a gajillion times. Was riding my bike down a country road the other day and a super nice lady flagged me down and asked if I wanted an old bike out of her garage. Not being a collector or anything, just a recreational rider of "modern" bikes, I nicely rejected. The next dayI kind of thought what am I crazy? Of course I'll take a look and hear her story. It's now in my garage with a great tale of how it was aquired by her when just 10 yrs old. I've read on the forums that Opal Red can fade to a kind of gold but for some reason this looks green to me - even the seat. Also, not quite sure if I should do anything with it other than enjoy looking at it and enjoy the occasional ride

]
Congratulations! That's the worst faded Opel red I've seen And, it makes yours actually, the Best!

I mean, IDK how it got so bad, like, getting sun baked nearly a full 360, Kid must have been Flipping it on different sides for years and years.

I've often thought about taking mine and treating it with something to fade everything else so it's only one color. I don't think I'd live long enough if waiting for the sun to do it

Anyways, on many, the transparent/translucent red, faded, candy top coat is still thick enough that, you could polish it all and potentially bring back the gloss shine. On collectibles, like yours, financially, it's better left alone verses stripping and repainting. Paint chips and all give it character, besides, you're not going to get a harder finish than the old factory paint has.

If you can buff it to shine again it would, most likely, get pretty glossy and become more pleasing just as it is.
 
Back
Top