JUst got the continental frame back from the powdercoat I like it a lot what say you. It looks kinda orange in the photos but believe me its flippin RED

If a motorist can't see thatthen I think they should probably turn in the old driver's license. Looks great, and should last a good long time.

Wow, that is really nice! And really red!!!

You are truly a Schwinn nerd/enthusiast! Take that as a compliment. I can't imagine powder coating a Varsity/Continental or old american jalopy. I love the old rusty steel but damn that looks good. I'm guessing you are very sentimental about your old jalopy. It would look hilarious if you put carbon tubulars on with time trial bars.

MMMMM good idea I got the love for the old Schwinns. This bike was $50.00 bucks complete and I'm an old midwestern boy from Ohio and I can remember salivating over those Continentals and Varsities so now I have one of each. But my next project is going to be a lugged frame exotic foreign beauty maybe from the same country Sophia Loren is from MMMMMMMM. I like the way Bianchi rolls off the tongue sorta makes you sweat don't it?

ok look at the reading on the caliper its 73.76 and then look at the adapter for the sealed modern BB on the left side of the photo there is a slight gap where the adapter isn't snug against the frame. I have the bolts tightened nice an snug and I gave the adapter a few sharp raps with a hammer ( of course I had a nice thick piece of wood against the adapter) and it feels like its home but the other side seated snug against the frame. Isn't that supposed to read 68 mm? Do I need to take the adapter to the lathe and turn some material off the back to get my proper dimension or is it gonna be ok this way.

String,

First, go back and edit your post to space the pictures! DONE!

Second, the two adapters I've installed seated right up against the shell so I wonder if your's might be askew ever so slightly. Did you try to knock the one out and put it back in again? If not, take it out and see if there is a small piece of metal or weld slag blocking the way. If so, file away and remove that offender! It shouldn't hurt a thing. And did you use a little grease to help it slide into place? Was it the threaded side or the allen head side (not that I would know that it makes a difference)?

Third, and most important, boy that Continental looks great! I love the red. Can't wait to see the completed bike!

ok I bite whats a hard return? I tried to delete the message and start over with smaller pics but can't delete the post. Sorry guys

Hit the "ENTER" key before and after the links to your pictures.
This should space the one under the next instead of out to the sides.
Do this in the [edit]! Give it a whirl. I'll see if it works.

Get a large C clamp, protect each raceway with a block of wood, and tighten. Either that, or knock the raceways out, clean off the excess powdercoating inside the BB, and re-assemble.

-Kurt

Success! Good job String. Now go and solve the adapter problem!

Ok thats solved. I measured the frame where its machined for the bearing cups and its .515 in the new pieces for the BB adapter measure .587 or close to that so it looks like I'm going to have to take the adapter pieces to the lathe and face them off or at least put a lot bigger chamfer on them. I cleaned out the BB with my dremel and its clean as a whistle its the bore thas not deep enough. I learned as an apprentice Tool and Die maker :if it don't fit don't force it" A nice snug interference fit is what I'm after not a press fit cause this thing is aluminum and can be screwed up so fast it will make your head swim . I'll machine them tomorrow. Its always the little things that hold you up. Anyway it looks like a million. I put the fork on and the Schwinn headbadge. When I get the BB adapter thing figured out I'll put on the decals. I still don't have a crankset for this bike yet and haven't figured out what I want to use. I have a new old stock Schwinn FR on the way and a Shimano no name model RD so I'm thinking Shimano or Sugino oh well thats half the fun isn't it?

Hold up - this is a 3-piece adapter then? Is the spindle threaded or conventional? If threaded, the BB width shouldn't be an issue - like a standard Ashtabula crankset, the BB with may vary - the threaded adjustable bearing raceway and locknut take care of any slight width differences.

Take care,

-Kurt

I have the adapter that Sheldon sells and this old Continental had the one piece crank with the old cone and bearing set up the inside of the BB housing on the frame is machined. .515" deep and the adapter rings are like .587 ( I converted the measurments to decimals for my ease of thinking) so what I have to do is take some of the thickness off the back side of the adapters so they will seat against the outside of the BB housing on the frame. I'm really fussy on fits and gaps and stuff like that when I know it should seat so its no problem 5 minutes on the old Leblond should have it fixed in a jiffy. Then I can get a new sealed BB and it will be skookum

looking good man! That came out really nice.

I would suggest you have all parts in hand: adapter, bottom bracket, and crankset before you do any machining.

Thanks for the nice comments. I was not too sure how this was going to turn out but when the owner of the company told me when he called telling me it was ready he said " my guy did a really sweet job on this one" and when I picked it up I was truly amazed. Its exactly the color red I had in mind its not a stock Schwinn color but I'm more than pleased. McDave you bring up a really good point but maybe Pastor bob can post a shot of how his adapter fits against the frame so everyone knows what I'm trying to say

I can see what's bugging you... the drive side adapter is not flush with the BB face. I'm just not sure machining the adapter is the answer at this point. To my thinking the BB threads need to be chased on that side, but good luck on finding a tap that large.

Is this the one you have?



If so, the measurement you're looking for is NOT the one you show in that BB picture - it is the measurement from edge-to-edge of those inner threads where the smaller BB cups thread into. As the threads are sunken in a few millemeters inwards from the BB shell lip, I dare say your BB is more then likely on the money, and that you're measuring it wrong. Let me know what you have over there.

EDIT: One other thing - did you also clean up the powdercoating on the edges (not just the inside) of the BB shell? The edges may be improperly faced (from factory), and may need re-facing.

Take care,

-Kurt

I'll check that but it really bugs me to see that gap it so unsanitary looking. Thanks for the tip. What a neat bunch of folks on this forum more knowledge and ideas than you can shake a stick at.

There ya go... and that's why String needs to have all parts in hand before doing anything drastic.

Yep cleaned em up with a dremel with a little barrel sander on it

It's hard to say from that photo but you may be correct. At the top of the BB it looks like the adapter lacks just one thread from being flush with the BB. But on the underside of the BB there appears to be as much as three threads showing on the adapter. The BB shell may need to be "faced"!

McDave I think it was just a bad angle on the photo but I Just went out to the shop and installed it again and measured to the threads. 68.00 mm right on the deadlies so I'm good to go and you Kurt are a steely eyed bicycle man. Thanks for saving me a lot of trouble. Now I can get on with the rest of it. I forgot I do have a Schwinn approved Sugino 3 piece crankset so I gotta get me a bottom bracket and see what I come up with. Its pretty heavy though and I'd like to go to alloy crankset or at least cranks if I can get a deal. I have a co worker with an old bike he bought in the late 70's with a pretty decent crankset so he says. I have no idea what brand it is but he said I could have the whole bike for nothing so I'm gonna see if I can scrounge somethin off of it and if not I'll clean it up and put it on CL

Indeed - looks to be as if the BB cups are at the right width. As to whether they're sitting properly is the question...and whether facing the BB might shave off too much material for the BB's own good (even though one can always let the adjustable cup sit outboard a tad more then usual).

You know, Sheldon may praise the type of adapter you are using (shown in post #19) as opposed to the older style of adapter (shown below)...



...but frankly, I can't agree with him on this point. Sure, the new version may accept standard spindles, and might be more accurate to adjust, but the design requires a BB shell that has been built to some pretty exact tolerances - something you, quite frankly, won't see in most bikes with Ashtabula cranksets (Schwinn being one of the exceptions, but not exempt of completely shoddy BB facing either).

The old style BB cups, as shown above, although not as exacting in fit, are much more flexible to work with when dealing with frames of dubious factory finishing work. They sit and adjust in the same way as an Ashtabula crankset would, consequently, they do not require any better tolerances in their fit then the Ashtabula crankset that was installed previously in the same frame.

Just my two cents.

Take care,

-Kurt