What year is this?

[GTs58]

According to @bloo the build date of the blue bike would have been February 15, 1983.

That cannot be possible. Those numbers on the side of the bike are not build dates. Like Murray, a model # and the retailers number etc. So Wishful thinking it's the Julian dating like Schwinn. If it was, it would match the year in the stamped serial number on the head tube. Huffy has been using the same serial number format since 1946 post war. One number than the H. Then they changed to the H first and the following number was the year. Now in the 70's they added the letter C, possibly for the build location but this is still Huffy's year format HC5 =1975 for the blue bike above. Like I said, this format was used from post war into the 80's

Huffman serial number project | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965

Hi, This post is going to be for keeping track of the serial numbers of Huffman made bicycles. I will try to keep up with editing this post and updating the list. Hopefully this will help develop a basis for dating these bikes where none has existed before.The second post will have the list...

thecabe.com

 

[bloo]

The trouble with doing it that way on a headtube-stamped bike is the results you get don't usually match the bike in front of you. For instance, that blue bike has a headbadge decal consistent with 1983. Ever seen a 1975 Huffy with a decal like that?

The second yellow bike in my earlier post has "HC1xxx" That would put it at 1971 (or 1981). The first problem is it having a stamped headtube in 1971 when Huffy was still stamping the serial number in the dropout. The next problem is, if you follow the link to the original thread, it has Tokheim shifting. According to this article at Park Tool, Tokhem shifting was patented in 1972.

https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/calvins-corner/tokheim-shifting-system

I'm pretty sure Tokheim shifting was gone by 1981, and even if it wasn't, the bike seems to have a 70s headbadge. Suddenly the 1974 date from the dropout is looking really good.

I'm no Huffy expert. I would welcome some real period Huffy documentation. I have been trying to make sense of this since 2020. I got the plant-year-day-day-day-year thing from Archie Sturmer. I've been watching these "date my Huffy" threads since 2020, and it always gives you an answer that makes sense. The other methods proposed in the Huffy serial number thread give problematic results more often than believable ones. Try it and see.

 

[GTs58]

The serial number was stamped in 1975. So you’re dating the bike two years earlier or later because of a decal sticker on the head? So the decal head sticker could be changed for say the retailer they built the bike for or the model maybe? I can’t see it having anything to do with the year of the bike. Look at all the different head badges schwinn used during the pre-war years.

 

[bloo]

I was still editing heavily when you posted, so if there is no thread continuity, that is why.

I'm sticking with 1983 for the blue bike. I don't believe you can date a Huffy from the serial number after 1972. The blue bike has the headbadge sticker Huffy was using in the early 80s. I remember.

 

[GTs58]

Same badge. This has a built by decal on the seat tube, so not Huffy built. 1974 was Huffy's 50th Anniversary. HP4 serial. So 1974 or 84?

 

[bloo]

What does it say on the dropout? Should be "P" (to match the plant code in the serial) followed by 5 digits.
Neither 1974 nor 1984 seem likely. The "P" plant code is Ponca, OK. Ponca closed in July, 1983.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1983/07/19/huffy-plant-closes-down/62838151007/

According to this article when the closure was announced,, Ponca had opened in 1980.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/new...-city-bike-plant-400-losing-jobs/62849166007/
.

 

[GTs58]

What does it say on the dropout? Should be "P" (to match the plant code in the serial) followed by 5 digits.
Neither 1974 nor 1984 seem likely. The "P" plant code is Ponca, OK. Ponca closed in July, 1983.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1983/07/19/huffy-plant-closes-down/62838151007/

According to this article when the closure was announced,, Ponca had opened in 1980.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/new...-city-bike-plant-400-losing-jobs/62849166007/
.

No other numbers available.

Huffy Beach Cruiser Bicycle Black | eBay

This Huffy Beach Cruiser Bicycle in Black is the perfect addition to your cycling collection. With a 26-inch wheel size and steel material, it is both durable and comfortable. The bike type is a cruiser, making it ideal for leisurely rides on the beach or around town. The frame size is 19...

www.ebay.com

 

[AS-1]

What does it say on the dropout? Should be "P" (to match the plant code in the serial) followed by 5 digits.
Neither 1974 nor 1984 seem likely. The "P" plant code is Ponca, OK. Ponca closed in July, 1983.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1983/07/19/huffy-plant-closes-down/62838151007/

According to this article when the closure was announced,, Ponca had opened in 1980.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/new...-city-bike-plant-400-losing-jobs/62849166007/
.

If Ponca opened in 1980 and closed in July of 1983 then the "HP4" at the beginning of the serial number can not be referring to the build date.

 

[AS-1]

If Ponca opened in 1980 and closed in July of 1983 then the "HP4" at the beginning of the serial number can not be referring to the build date.

Furthermore, the letter "P", the 16th letter in the alphabet, can not represent a month of the year.

 

[bloo]

One more thing, starting in about 1982-83(?), the numbers usually found on the dropout might be found on the bottom bracket instead, with "HUFFY" stamped between them, and no plant code.

EDIT: Here is another interesting thread. Gets good on page 2:

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/huffy-good-vibration-serial-number-help.42028/page-2
.