Classic & Vintage - 59 Schwinn fair lady

Picked up one of these for free today. The S/N K934517 puts at October 1959 if I read the chart correctly. It was pretty dirty and the back rim is not original to the bike it was originally a three speed as I couild see on the handlebar where the shifter was and there is a cable guide wheel at the bottom of the down tube. Laying next to the bike was a three speed hub that I assumed was the original so I took the bike home and started disassembly.The fenders cleaned up really well a few scratches but if original they are really nice. Same with the chainguard its pretty good excep on the inside and the braces are really rusted. I noticed the weinmann brake assembly is marked made in Austria and the hub is stamped Schwinn approved then stamped Germany. Who would have made this and wouldn't a 59 have had a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub? Anyway I kind of wondering if the hub and rim are original to this bike or not. I guess I'll never know for sure as there are no serial number markings on the hub. Would this thing have much value if restored or should I put it together as well as I can and dump it on CL for 50 bucks? Oh yeah its RED how bout that

I think Schwinn was sourcing the S/A clones from Steyr at that point.

http://www.geocities.com/sldbdealer5/1960/60dlct21b.jpg (this is the '59 catalog)

Bob

yeah I can see it looking like that only in red, but this one has a rear rack with 4 small reflectors on it but its really rusted badly in fact someone painted it grey to cover up the rust. The top tube is cracked where it joins the seat down tube. I hope I can get it welded if not I think this ones gonna get parted out.

Uh oh, Stringbreaker.....one Schwinn leads to two, two leads to, well you know! :D

The Austrian version of the S-A hub was made after the patent expired. I had one on an old J.C. Higgins. I understand the internals are interchangeable with S-A hubs, though I have never done it myself.

I need a shifter for it since the original is nowhere to be found. Would a S/A work I wonder. I know now I have two old Schwinns but this one is going down the road if I can't get the frame welded I'm going to part our the rest on CL or have my daughter e-bay the stuff for me. I'll probably sell the rear hub by itself and try to clean the rims up and finish cleaning up the fenders and chainguard and get rid of them too. I'm not going to put all the effort in this one I did the Varsity cause I want to find a nicer lightweight that needs some work and fix it up and keep, something along the lines of a Nishiki or Panasonic or maybe the right Le Tour or Continental will come along in RED

Girl's Rusted top tube = Part it out.