Glennfordx4

Thank you,the seats are quite comfortable and I thought they were perfect for this big ol beach cruiser and I agree about the handle bars I bought them in a little closer and it wasn't to bad but I would prefer the same style bars I used in the rear but I wanted to keep it as much to original as I could and the chrome was great looking.

jklier

1943 Huffman military issued bicycle. I possibly would have considered this one a basket case until I did some research on the serial number and found that it was indeed a military issued bike plus a fairly rare one at that. Lots of parts missing, bent frame, rust pitting, one wheel rotted out just to name a few things. You can see that it was painted Air Force blue at one time, probably when the Army Air Corp became the Air Force late in the forties. There's a hint of OD peaking out on the top tubes.



Original stenciling on the OD paint reads: top tube INSPECTION bottom tube PWR. GRD. EQIP.



1 year later.




I'm still missing a few parts. Leather tool bag that goes under the seat, frame mounted tire pump, fender reflector, and the proper headlight. The headlight I have is embossed with the manufacturers name. The proper light for the military has no embossing.

A few items of interest. I also have a Huffman civilian frame from about the same period. The welds on the civilian frame are smooth and as you can see in the photos of the military frame those welds are as is. Also, the spokes for the military bike are extra heave gauge when compared to the civilian bike. Which required a different hub and wheels.

High Fist Shin

^^ Wow! Fantastic job on that bike. More pictures please.

Oscuro

Agreed! Awesome work, and we need more pics!

jklier

Here's a link to a page showing some of the damaged areas.

https://www.onr.com/user/jklier/bike/repairs/repairs.htm

These are some photos and information I sent out when trying to get a replacement wheel and spokes.

https://www.onr.com/user/jklier/bike/wheel/wheel.htm

Some photos showing it the first time the drivetrain was all hooked up.

leunkstar

brilliant!

jklier

Thank you for all the kind comments on my military Huffman.

I've been restoring old military vehicles for many years and have also been an avid cyclist. I thought this was a great way to join the two hobbies. I enjoyed this restoration so much I'm starting on something else now. I briefly mentioned above that I have a civilian version of this frame. I also have a number of parts left from the other buildup. So I think I'm going to do something fun with this one rather than a stock restoration. Don't worry, I won't cut or modify the existing frame or fork in any way. I want it to be able to be returned back to original if I or someone else would so choose.

guzziee

The $40 pink little bike, after a cleanup, tuneup and new tubes/tires. I think the seat looks dirty, will need to clean up that one.

before:



after:

leunkstar

nice cleanup!

is the saddle and bar tape dirty or is it just the lighting?

and why is your gear big/big?

Retem

my guess is half step?

Sixty Fiver

That Huffman is awesome... you might want to contact Worksman Cycles as they still use heavy duty wheels like this and could probably hook you up with a rim and spokes.

jklier

Thanks for the lead! I'll make note of that.

I actually did fine the heavy duty wheels and spokes for this restore.

CMC SanDiego

I'm curious about how you got the white aero hoods so clean. I found a Trek with the same hoods and anything I do to clean them just smears the brown goo around and makes them sticky. I would appreciate any pointers you can offer.

CMC

Retem

gojo hand cleaner also wrks good on spark plug wires

mastronaut

Here's the mystery bike as found.
BEFORE



I found out much later it's a Raleigh Super Record frame, but its quite a mutt!
AFTER

guzziee

All I had at that time was WD-40 .

Sixty Fiver

Last week's catch... a 1985 Kuwahara Siera Grande.

Before...



After...

Wordbiker

So...you washed it?

Looks pretty pristine in the Before...just sayin'.

Scooper

1973 Schwinn Super Sport with fillet brazed CrMo frame...

All original as purchased on eBay in June, complete with Ashtabula one-piece crank.



Rebuild with new paint, Campy Comp Triple group, Ergo shifters, 10-s 12-32 cassette, 700C wheels. Weight dropped from 35 pounds to 26.4 pounds. Ultra wide gear range from 24.7 gear-inches (30-32) to 116.5 gear-inches (53-12).

mastronaut

Awesome Stan, looks 100 times better....

Scooper

Thanks! It's been a fun project.

BOBSONATOR

GoofOff really does the trick well too.

mkeller234

I wish I had taken better before pictures... I never seem to anymore.

Before:



After:
I added a handle bar bottle cage mount with 2 elite cages since this pic
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/...25c3004d_o.jpg

cycleheimer

Reading the postings on B.F. got me "Jonesing" for a full-blown touring bike (B.F. can do stuff like that to you ). I saw this one on C.L. At first I thought it was a low-end bike, since it had safety levers and stem shifters. Then the cantilever brakes caught my eye. The previous owner wasn't asking much for it. He seemed to want to pass it on to someone who would appreciate riding it as much as he seemed to have. Below is a "before" picture, and current "after" pix. I still have a few more things to add to it, though. I have several sets of panniers that I can throw on, a bicycle computer, bell, frame pump, and a sharp-looking generator light set. Note: The bike did not originally come with safety levers and stem shifters.

intron

[QUOTE=Sixty Fiver;9577507]Last week's catch... a 1985 Kuwahara Siera Grande.

Before...



After...





Sixty Fiver

You happen to know who makes that front brake cable stop?

I got 3 old Stumpjumpers, w/ the same bullmoose bars that would look clean w/ those ??