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Questions regarding vintage Schwinn Stingray Restoration..

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Questions regarding vintage Schwinn Stingray Restoration..

Old 03-05-20, 09:01 PM
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Questions regarding vintage Schwinn Stingray Restoration..

Hello, I purchased to what I believe is Schwinn Stingray from the 70's. The bike is pretty close to being complete other then a reflector,tire and some spokes. I have thought about restoring the bike for quite some time but I need information before I start the project so that I do not harm the ending value of the bike.
  • Paint :: when repainting the bicycle, how crucial is it to have the exact shade of the original paint?
  • Seat:: The banana seat plate does appear to be salvageable. The seat cover is my concern, I do not for see being able to locate the original seat cover unless there are websites that sell rare parts.
  • Tires:: The bike does have 1 tire however, the dry rot has claimed it. So when replacing the tires what would be my best course of action for the best value in the end?
  • Spokes :: Does spokes play a part into value? I obviously have to replace them but is there a certain expectation of brand of spoke?
I'm pretty excited to restore the bicycle. I just want to gather the necessary information before beginning the process. Thanks!

I attempted to post a picture of the bike to show what I was working but it said I have to post 10 times before doing so.
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Old 03-05-20, 09:14 PM
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If it is from the 70'sit is less valuable than earlier models. Do an intensive google search and find the value before attempting to do anything with it. Many of the older bikes need the original parts to be authenticated. It may be collect-able but move forward with caution. Smiles,MH
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Old 03-05-20, 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Mad Honk
If it is from the 70'sit is less valuable than earlier models. Do an intensive google search and find the value before attempting to do anything with it. Many of the older bikes need the original parts to be authenticated. It may be collect-able but move forward with caution. Smiles,MH
I believe that it is a 1971 Fair Lady, I'll see if the vin is readable and check with my local bike shop to see if I can determine the year. I only paid 15 bucks for the bike so I guess I can't really lose much right? haha
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Old 03-05-20, 09:39 PM
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The only number I can find in on the fork tube. It reads 3361 from what I can tell.
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Old 03-05-20, 09:54 PM
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Unless the paint is shot repainting wouldn't be the way to go.

https://www.bicycleheaven.org/collec...ats-sissy-bars
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Old 03-05-20, 09:59 PM
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I agree, but the paint has rust and it would certainly cause damage cleaning it up. The paint isn't perfect by no means. I wish I could post the picture for show. I cleaned up the vin number a bit and it appears the first letters are LH and from what I found online that makes it manufactured Nov of 1972
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Old 03-05-20, 10:01 PM
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Bikes do not have VIN numbers. They have serial numbers. Serial numbers have much less information on them than a VIN number. In the case of Schwinn, the serial number will tell you year and month basically. Its kind of sad bicycles do not come with VIN numbers.

Generally, the boys style bikes have all the value, and the Krate style much more so. Girls style bikes can end up being donor bikes for boys bikes.

+100 Original paint even with defects will tend to be more desired than a repaint. And getting a repaint "right" along with the decals can be challenging. There is a Schwinn specific forum out there, where you will get more information. Not much on this forum pertaining to children's bikes.

Endless threads on how to handle rust, I've treated rust on many hundreds of bikes, along with a lot of parts. So far, I have never repainted a bike.
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Old 03-05-20, 10:07 PM
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Serial number my mistake, I'm a car guy. I would much rather leave the original paint. Even tho the bike is not a high valued bike it would still be nice to see it cleaned and in working order. Perhaps I will just clean the chrome and grease on the bearings.
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Old 03-05-20, 11:19 PM
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Originally Posted by j_Maynard
Serial number my mistake, I'm a car guy. I would much rather leave the original paint. Even tho the bike is not a high valued bike it would still be nice to see it cleaned and in working order. Perhaps I will just clean the chrome and grease on the bearings.
That's not a bad approach. You might want to take a look at this thread from last year.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...nd-rescue.html

I thought it turned out very well. Original paint and chrome was left in place. Just some clean up and polishing compound was used. The seat was reupholstered, which made the whole bike look great again.

I haven't payed attention to vintage Schwinn prices in years, so I can't help you with that. I think this forum is still going, which may be of some help: https://thecabe.com/forum/
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Old 03-06-20, 05:17 AM
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Originally Posted by wrk101
. Endless threads on how to handle rust, I've treated rust on many hundreds of bikes, along with a lot of parts. So far, I have never repainted a bike.
+1 My winter project has been an 84 Fugi. With Bill's advice and help, I did and OA bath on most of the frame and fork. All the rust was removed and the paint was still nice. I polished and waxed all the paint. I've protected all the large and wee bare spots with numerous thin coats of boiled linseed oil. The only touch up was a couple of spots where the decals were scraped. I like how it's come out. Nice clean frame, bit of life history here and there, nice shine. Heed what Bill says here and various times back thru the ages.
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Old 03-06-20, 07:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Prowler
+1 My winter project has been an 84 Fugi. With Bill's advice and help, I did and OA bath on most of the frame and fork. All the rust was removed and the paint was still nice. I polished and waxed all the paint. I've protected all the large and wee bare spots with numerous thin coats of boiled linseed oil. The only touch up was a couple of spots where the decals were scraped. I like how it's come out. Nice clean frame, bit of life history here and there, nice shine. Heed what Bill says here and various times back thru the ages.
About the boiled linseed: did you thin it before applying? How did you apply? Or is there a thread I shouldook for for more details?

I have a '75 Raleigh Tourist with "patina" I would like to address before it turns in to just plain rust.
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Old 03-06-20, 08:40 AM
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I'd not spend big $$$ on restoring a girls Stingray, or any Stingray actually. Even on the high end Krate it's easy to end up spending more than the bike can be sold for it you're trying to make it all "correct" with the right parts. Clean it up and re-grease everything. Use reproduction parts where needed. Tires, banana seats, and grips are all available new, and will make the bike pop for not a lot of money.

Keep posting so you can post a pic of the bike here. Oh, and have fun!
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Old 03-06-20, 11:15 AM
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You should talk to the guy from Bicycle Heaven (see @DEHed's links above). He's got a passion for Stingrays and probably has any and every part you could want. His "shop" has several rooms filled with old parts. This is in one of those rooms:

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Old 03-06-20, 11:18 AM
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Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
I'd not spend big $$$ on restoring a girls Stingray, or any Stingray actually. Even on the high end Krate it's easy to end up spending more than the bike can be sold for it you're trying to make it all "correct" with the right parts.
Is this not true of any restoration? I know there are some people who manage to make money restoring bikes/cars/whatever, but I've always assumed most of us did it just for the joy of bringing new life to old stuff.
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Old 03-06-20, 11:54 AM
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Pic assist:


Drive side photo, from straight on (not looking down or up at the bike) would be better.

Is that a pattern on the seat cover, or just 45+ years of icky something? The original seat doesn't appear to be the type with the cross-ribbed cover, so a new cover should be less of a challenge.

IIRC, those wheels were their own 24" standard; fortunately, the big tire makers such as Kenda still make them in these legacy sizes.

If the 3361 is the number on the headbadge, that means it was built Dec 02, 1971, which would make it a 1972 model.
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Old 03-06-20, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
Is this not true of any restoration? I know there are some people who manage to make money restoring bikes/cars/whatever, but I've always assumed most of us did it just for the joy of bringing new life to old stuff.
Yes, good point, but it doesn't have to be that way. (a financial loss) The Stingray guys I knew especially were obsessed about using the correct parts when restoring the bikes. Original saddles were sent to experts for re-covering. Chain guards went somewhere else for silk screening, because that's what the original bikes had. Tires and other parts? had to be "correct". Add it all up and you always spend more than it's worth, which is ok if you enjoy it and that's what you want.

On the other hand refurbishing and using reproduction parts can make a nice Stingray that isn't %100 correct, but looks and rides great, at a much more reasonable return.

My 68 Orange Krate. It had several reproduction (or incorrect) parts on it. And the repo chainguard was decaled, not silk screened. Repainted with Chevy engine enamel in a can! But the end result was a bike that looked and rode great, costing me around 300 to 400 dollars, and sold last year for $1400 in a week.


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Old 03-06-20, 10:13 PM
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Originally Posted by madpogue
Pic assist:


Drive side photo, from straight on (not looking down or up at the bike) would be better.

Is that a pattern on the seat cover, or just 45+ years of icky something? The original seat doesn't appear to be the type with the cross-ribbed cover, so a new cover should be less of a challenge.

IIRC, those wheels were their own 24" standard; fortunately, the big tire makers such as Kenda still make them in these legacy sizes.

If the 3361 is the number on the headbadge, that means it was built Dec 02, 1971, which would make it a 1972 model.
many of the girls versions had 20x 1 3/4” tires
but those rims look different for some reason
that bike is in rough shape- chrome on rims looks like toast.
if I had it sitting in my garage, I would be tempted to turn it into a proto BMX like I built up in 1971. Weld in a top tube about half way up the step through - take the wheels apart, sand blast the rims and powder coat them black - orange frame, satin black fork
ditch the chain guard and kick stand- chrome bar end cap in the kick stand tube...
I think would be worth much more than a girls sting ray in any form.
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Old 03-07-20, 04:59 AM
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Originally Posted by thorstein
About the boiled linseed: .
PM sent. We'll not side track the thread.
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Old 03-07-20, 06:32 AM
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Bicycle Heaven

Nice restoring a Schwinn from the 70's.

As a kid of the early 70's I love bikes from that era. We used to drool over the Schwinn catalogs.

I have a early 70's 3-speed stick shift Schwinn Stingray to restore to a rider. Am I going to let my grandkids ride it. Maybe...............after I thouroughly beat them all in races!!!!
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