Hello. First post here on this great forum. I recently bought a 1959 Wasp after responding to a local ad for 75 dollars. After playing around with this bike for a couple days I am begging to LOVE this bike. I used to have a Schwinn cruiser in the early 80's but this one has class unlike any other bike I have ever owned. My questions have to do with the condition of the bike. It has ALOT of surface rust, fading paint, and even quite a bit of rust pits here and there. I really would rather not sand blast this bike and start repaint yet I want to preserve the bike and make it look as good as it can. The photos are not that great and don't show the rust as bad as it is. I had a problem uploading my pics cause they exceeded the file size. What are the best ways to clean or touch up the bike. Is it too far gone and will it require a repaint? the rear fender has dents and quite a bit of rust on the rear of it. The chaingaurd still has some lettering yet has quite a bit of surface rust. What should I do about that? leave it or?

The seat is not original nor are the ugly pedals or the rims. Does anyone have pictures or can tell me the correct seat and pedals for this bike? Also, would this bike originally have had Schwinn S2 rims and would it have came with the option for a Bendix 2 speed rear hub? The first things I will be doing are new pedals, new seat and find some original rims. After that I might just clean it up and ride and enjoy it like it is. I guess what I am asking is....What would YOU do**********??

Thanks so much for any help and advice you can give me. Chris.