So I was able to pick up what appears to be a vintage Schwinn cruiser. The current plan is to strip it, give it a good paint job and clean it up. It is complete minus original seat, chain and kick stand.
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I am thinking red and white paint with brown leather seat and handles. I am going to finish out the trike part as well.
I am not sure if there is anyway to clean up some of this corrosion. I am not shooting for show bike, but I would like it cleaner than this.
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Very cool. Use Naval Jelly on the chrome. I've done it a bunch of times and I may even do a pair of Schwinn Sting-Ray rims with the stuff today.
What are the first two letters of the serial number? That will tell you the year and month that it was made. The number is either just below the badge on the steering tube or on the left side rear frame dropout.
Thanks for the heads up on the navel jelly, I will give it a try. The plan is to have this apart and strip the paint this weekend. It appears someone shot it black and let it fade in the sun at some point.
I found the numbers on the head tube next to the Schwinn plate. Unfortunately, my photo skills let me down and I cannot read them in the picture I took. I will have to get it tonight.
Try CitriStrip to remove the paint. Water soluble. Works in 15 minutes but can stay on for 24 hours. Available in the paint aisle at Home Depot.
That looks like a Town and Country. I didn't realize that they could be so easily converted between bikes and trikes. Yours is 1970 or newer. If I had to guess, I would say 1972.
The trike piece is an aftermarket piece from a company that is no longer around. It is a little different from what I found for current kits.
The way this kit works, you use the bikes rear wheel to the left side of the trike. It stays as your drive wheel and the coaster brake remains functional. There is a drop out the same as the bike on the left for this wheel. The axle is offset from the driven axle of the trike and is connected by a small chain. I haven't checked to see if there is a tooth difference to gear it down for the trike.
The main trike section mounts in the rear wheel drop out. I will get some better pictures to show this.
Get some Mother's Chrome Polish. That will clean up the rust in the chrome. The stuff is magic.
