vintage pea picker
 

I got my old pea picker out of my mother’s basement. It doesn’t look as good as when I last rode it 30 years ago. This was a hand me down from my cousin so I’m not sure of the year. The serial # CF24623 if some one can help with that, also what is the bike worth in its current condition and do you think It’s worth trying to restore it. I'm having a hard time getting the pics on this thread. I can send them in an email if anyone would to see it.
THANKS for any help!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=388773http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=388771http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=388772http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=388768

Condition is a lot of the value.
Too bad about the problem with pictures - that would help.
I have seen the Krates run from $75-$3.500 and up.
I looked at a rust bucket Lemon Peeler a few years ago in Kentucky.
They wanted $200. There were not enough salvageable parts on the bike to warrant the $200 - so passed.

when i try to load pics it says file to big do you know what i'm doing wrong?
thanks

How or where are you loading the pictures? Are you using an image hosting service such as Flickr?

no i'm trying right off my computer. i'm not on flicker or photo bucket

Open the picture in MS Paint. Click Resize. Click Pixels. Type in "1000" for horizontal. Click OK. Save picture. Upload picture here.

thank you pat i did 2000 it seems to work

In the hierarchy of Krate bikes this one is not going to be one of the big dollar ones, but there is a market for them.
The expensive ones were the 5 speed, drum braked, rear strut shocked bikes.

Some of the parts will clean up quite well, some will not, such as the rear fender struts, and maybe the handlebars.
The ripped seat will also hurt, they can be recovered, I think even to be made to appear original, but all of this costs dollars.

I would be tempted to do what I did as a young lad for pocket change, "brillo" pad the chrome with lots of water, wash it and see what you have, keeping the water away from the saddle rip. The chain is crusty, but with an oil bath might be serviceable.

I would check ebay via a completed item search, ignore what others are offering, look at what has sold to really understand the market.

I think there is even a Schwinn forum out there on the web with folk who really are enthusiasts about these machines.

That means the frame was built in March 1970. The bike was most likely assembled a month or so later as a '70 model. You can see the original catalog pages here: Schwinn 1970 Diamond Jubilee -- Krates

In that condition it is probably worth $200 to $300 depending on your local market. A repainted/restored one recently sold for $580 on ebay, but with shipping and ebay fees the seller probably only cleared $450 or less. You should only restore it if it has sentimental value and you wish to save it. You would get the most profit selling it as-is, perhaps with a basic cleanup. If you do clean it be very careful around the decals and the silk-screening on the chainguard, they can easily be damaged.

The problem with a lot of bikes like this is that boys rode and jumped the crap out them. I know I did. The paint is pretty poor condition and there is a lot of rust. I bet once you tear into it, you would discover things like bent axles and bolts that snap due to rust and corrosion when you try to remove them. Spokes will break if you try to true the rims.

Folks that will pay a lot for these will want one in excellent condition and folks that restore them will want a deep discount for the hours of work required to bring this back to life.

If someone gives you $200 for this, I would take it pretty quick.

Thanks for all the input; I’ll try cleaning it up and see how it turns out, don’t think I’m going to try restoring it. It probable won’t end up as good as I imagine. I will post some pictures when I clean it up so you guy’s can check out the progress. If anyone is interested in the bike feel free to contact me.
Thanks again for all the help

Please, please no brillo. If you can't do the wood bleach/wading pool thing then use aluminum foil and wd 40. #0000 steel wool as last resort. You could probably sell the fenders on eBay to someone who brillo padded their krate fenders.

Do a google on "Oxalic acid bath Bike Forums" and you'll find many helpful threads on rust removal.

Some of your chrome looks like it's rusty enough to be pretty badly pitted, but you won't know until you've given it the acid bath. Start with that, because oxalic acid is cheap ("wood bleach" at your hardware store) and then decide what you're working with. If you have to replace/rechrome any significant pieces, I doubt the bike would net you anywhere worth your time an effort to really make a profit on it.