I picked up a $37. special @ the local thrift store.

Updated final pics:


http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...s/p1010001.jpg

http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...s/p1010002.jpg

http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...s/p1010003.jpg

http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...s/p1010004.jpg

It is an older model schwinn. It included all shimano shift hardware (removed) + Sugino 3pc Crank & Araya wheels...

Then I took a trip to the LBS and picked up 2 new inner-tubes & tires..... These are the older 27 inch ARAYA wheels so I had to get older stuff that they only had left overs-of ... + some grip tape for the bars..

I dissassembled all of the hubs and cleaned/lubed the bearings using some sythetic bearing grease I had lying around... WOOT !! Next I have to remove the BB and the fork bearing things and lube them up as well ...

So, I installed the new wally-mart chain and sized it to fit and it was almost perefect, but it would not tighten up properly, I looked closely at the drop-outs and I realized that the cog side only had 1/2 inch of spacing whereas the other side had 1 full inch.. I could not move it any further back, so I pulled out my handy Dewalt angle grinder and engaged in some cromo carnage to enlarge the slot.. so, after tweaking it a bit, I was able to properly tension the chain and all was well..

Now, I just need to get a hold of a regular track hub/sprocket & wheel and I'm set !!!

pics........ (not so good, took them with a camera phone...

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2041.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2035.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2036.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2037.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2039.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2040.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2042.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2043.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2044.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2045.jpg

http://www.nitrousworld.com/images/b...17-05_2049.jpg

that is a lot of really damn large, low-quality pictures. huffys are the jam.

nice find. now get that fixed wheel!

i have an old schwinn, too...and i'm really fond of its frame. i don't want to be sentimental about it, but it's a good one. i think you'll like that. some of those old schwinns have a way of getting you attached to them.

i wish someone could help me select a rear hub/wheel that will fit/work with this bike ...

how much of a difference is there between the 27' and the 700c wheels ?

8mm

theres a 27 inch formula/crap rim wheel for 100 here: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels1.html

there's a thread a little further down about 27 x 1 1/4" wheels. there's a link to wheels that size. like 50 bucks. i'm sure it's crap, too...but something to hold you till you get a 700c wheelset with decent rims as well as hubs.

by the way, i know i made cracks about the huffy, but i do think it'll make a fun grocery getter. i have a much, much older huffy as a grocery getter bike.

To get roughly the same outside diameter, you could run 700x32 tires (for a more comfortable ride) but from the looks of the grainy photo the brake pads may not have enough adjustment to reach a 700c (622mm) rim. There are 27" fixed wheels out there but it may be easier to buy a hub and rebuild the old rim with it.

What is that 52x12 or something? Can you even pedal that beast up a hill?

that might be true...see if your brake pads can be moved down 4mm, but i doubt it. not so important in back, but to run a front brake...

Nice work on that fordfasterr.

You've got a solid platform to build on: lugged cro-mo, good dropouts, good wheels.

Conversions are the most fun. They always feel like a steal.

Thats actually a really good find... very nice Japanese (Matsu****a/Panasonic) I believe 4130 frame.

That is one bad-ass ratio you're sporting on there. What is it, 49-14?

Actually it's a Taiwanese Giant. A good find, definitely.

I have the same frame, same color in a 62cm, but wish that I had that 58... I had the same issue with the dropout filing fiasco, but it's been on the road just fine for about 3 years now. Be sure to check out the headset and bottom bracket. One of my bottom bracket cups was pitted pretty badly and I replaced it with the non-pitted cup from a garbage find Fuji. The headset was all pitted, and I replaced it with the cheap nashbar one, but I had to file down the fork crown race to make it work with an ISO 1" threaded headset.

If you can re-use the original headset, I'd say to do it. Otherwise, I'd replace it with a JIS Tange headset.

Consider also removing one chainring and replacing your chainring bolts with BMX chainring bolts.

Good luck!

Here's a quick photo of mine.

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/3...25300ku.th.jpg

From back when it had a rack and fenders.
Both wheels are now 700c's. I ran a mixture at one point, but a car vs. bike wreck ruined my good 27" wheel.

Here's more.. that photo is too small.

[img=http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/696/im0025361dg.th.jpg]

I guess that's what I get for using a first generation digital camera...

diegofrogs just utterly OWNED this thread.

well Diego, thanks for all the info !

So far, I have re-packed the original headset bearings and they seem to work perfectly, there was no pitting on the race thingies at all ...

I chopped and flipped the track bars and then removed the rear brake, installed only the front brake on the end of the bullhorns... then I taped it up... sorry, this is my first time ever taping up some bars and it didn't come out so good...

Also, I could not manage to pull the crank off of the middle spindle shaft thing... however, I managed to unscrew one of the sides and pull it far enough out to spray a ton of gear lube into the BB .. Hopefully that'll hold it over until I get some kind of pulling tool to remove the stock cranks...

And yes, the ratio is kind of high... 56 x 14 I think ...

=)

pics:

http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...18-05_1907.jpg

http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...18-05_1904.jpg

http://nitrousworld.com/images/bicyc...18-05_1834.jpg

wait, you have a freewheel. i'd put the back brake back on till you get a fixed back wheel. it's the less important of the two brakes, but i'm sure you'll want to be able to stop your back wheel now and then. :)

just a suggestion.

also, i dunno how it is where you live as far as hills, but i used 52/14 in portland and boise for the longest time on a geared bike. i just didn't ever change the gears. the hills in portland were all right. the one on interstate was a beast with that gearing. but boise's not bad like that, though i've since used a lower gear to work on my spin. i'd suggest that to you, but different things work for everyone. on a freewheel bike, though, i'm not completely blown away by that gearing...diff'rent strokes.

You'll need a 14 mm socket to get the nuts off the BB spindle, then a crank puller to remove the cranks. Don't try to futz around with this step without the right tool. I like the standard Park tool just fine for this. then you'll need a lockring tool and whatever size wrench those flats take... I forget. your "gear lube" spray probably made things much worse than they were. I'd also replace the 1/4" balls that are in there, as long as you're there.

I agree with the poster above about the brake issue. Are you headed towards fixed gear with this? Also might want to replace the brake cables and housing. They've probably seriously degraded over the last 20 years.

i sure thought he said in either this or another thread that he wanted to go fixed.

Yes, I plan to switch to FG .

As a side note, the front brake seems to work perfectly fine by itself.

I rode it to work today... perfect and smooth.



I wonder if I'll have to change the chain and front sprocket when I get a track hub and FG cog in the back.. ??

I'm still using the multi-speed chain size that came with the bike and the new chain from wally mart...