The 59 Rat-pedo

[TheXmodifyer]

Im nowhere new to building bikes. Dont be a **** and call me a noob or call my bike *** or ugly. I had always heard of a completely original '59 Schwinn Torpedo sitting in a guys basement but i had never seen it. Recently, i got a call from my grandfather to come over, he had a surprise for me. Turns out this mystery schwinn, his neighbor owned. He bought it brand spankin' new in 59 for the wife. 6 years later she decided to ride it. It's got an inspection sticker from 1965. Well when i got to my paps house, sitting on his back porch were him, his neighbor (gene) and this beauty schwinn. After the shock wore off that gene was giving it to me, i took her home and put some air in the tires and rode her all over gods creation. Got made fun of, but i just smiled and kept riding. Enough of my rambling! Pics! (my computer wont let me resize images so please forgive me if their freakishly large)
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...nalschwinn.jpg
Few days ago i was riding and decided it just wasnt cool enough. Reversed and slammed the bars, dropped and tilted the seat and shes already looking better!
Decided to build me a rat.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...newschwinn.jpg

Images left as links due to size. Please remember that only images under 800px wide may be placed within image tags. Images larger than that break forum tables and are against forum rules.

Cheers,
Kyle.

[asda653]

That looks KILL.

Only bike I got right now is my first bike ever from like 05... rusty and much too tiny but it works, I guess. I'd love to grab something new.

[sciontc333]

looks sweet. hey if you are gunna do alot of customizing to it i think that if you put smaller rims and tires on it and then threw some apes on there it would be sick.

[winner]

lol wow thats cool! lol i believe my gradfather has my moms 1951 english 3 speed in his lower basement somewhere. lol i wonder if he'll let me fix it

[imnotmikal]

It's got an inspection sticker from 1965.

You have to get bikes inspected?

[FloydfanYodaman]

great score...like the slammed look...does that affect the turning radius or is it the same...do the bars hit the toptube?...always thought about getting a cruiser...looks like fun

[TheXmodifyer]

ASDA653: Thanks man. Just look around. they're out there.
ScionTC333: No, no apes. Apes only look good on some bikes. Like choppers. This, in no way, is a chopper. haha
Winner: Get that english! They are great bikes and excellent for ratting-out.
Im not Mikal: You used to have to. Shows how simple life was back then...police had enough time on their hands to inspect everyone in the town's bicycles.
Floydfan: I too, absolutely love that look. It just looks so good for some reason that i cant put my inger on. Maybe its the curved secondary-tube. And no, absloutely no effect on steering. Definitely get one! They're alot of fun and endless possibilities on customization!

Well went to a swap meet yesterday and picked up some 24' white walls. Got home and boy was i ****ed off. The tires i JUST bought didnt fit! Yes, my rims are twenty fours, but they are S7 Schwinn wheels. WORST wheel schwinn ever made, so i think this may be the problem. I have another pair of vintage wheels, maybe I'll throw them on. I have more pics to post up, just not enough time right now. Gotta go do a photo/video shoot with my street bmx gang. This...will be fun

[TheXmodifyer]

Double post, i know i know.

Thanks guys. Boy was i ****ed off today. Went to a swap meet today and bought some 24' white walls for my bike. YES, the bike IS a 24. The tires wouldnt go on if your life depended on it. I have Schwinn S7 wheels...could this be the problem? I laid the whitewall on top of the westwind tire and the west wind is clearly bigger. I almost went up a dang wall. But..there was some light at the end of the tunnel My mom saw how interested i really was in this project and asked me to come inside, that she had something for me. She brought out something in a box. i opened it and couldnt believe my eyes. It was her generator, bullet headlight and tail-light from her first bike. She wanted me to have it for my own first project. Thanks mom! Got my fender made, too. Started off with a standard schwinn Stingray rearfender, and broke out the cuttin' disk! Also got my spade laid outon the rear, going to cut out tomorrow if i get the chance. (still freakishly large pics) Pics:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w.../generator.jpg
6 volt miller generator
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...nderbefore.jpg
Before
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...enderafter.jpg
after
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...ik28/spade.jpg
spade
Later, RFC.

[TheXmodifyer]

Since none of you take interest in my thread, im gonna TRIPLE post. Just to jag you all
Well, i threw an ad on craigslist for vintage bike parts and with in an hour i got a phone call. It was a woman tellnig me that when she was cleaning out her mothers basement, she came across her brothers old bike rack. She told me he bought it new and never put it on his bike so it sat int he basement for 35+ years. Well i asked her how much and she said real sweet "You can just have it honey." I was pumped. I went to meet her today, and thanked the woman profoundly. I even met her brother that bought it. He said it was perfect for a rat rod and he wants to see my bike when it's done. There are still a few good-hearted people left in this world Pics:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...rackbefore.jpg
rack before
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...ackbefore2.jpg
Before again
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w.../rackafter.jpg
After a solid ten minutes with some steel wool and chrome polish & cleaner, she looks brand new!
Later, RFC

Remember..if you dont reply ill QUAD post

[KITT222]

My dad once had a bike that that. Not teh rat rod part, the Shwinn Torpedo part. It wasn't Schwinn though. They couldn't afford that. He ended up launching it off a jump, 6 feet into the air. The thing was so heavy the wheel bent and he got a piece of concrete lodged in his chin. My Grandpa was ****ed. That's why my dad couldn't have nice things.

Its a pretty good idea. Just treat the classic as it should. That rack looks awsome!

[winner]

lol wow shiny! lol cant wait to see it finished!

[TheXmodifyer]

Originally Posted by KITT222

My dad once had a bike that that. Not teh rat rod part, the Shwinn Torpedo part. It wasn't Schwinn though. They couldn't afford that. He ended up launching it off a jump, 6 feet into the air. The thing was so heavy the wheel bent and he got a piece of concrete lodged in his chin. My Grandpa was ****ed. That's why my dad couldn't have nice things.

Its a pretty good idea. Just treat the classic as it should. That rack looks awsome!

ALL my neighbors see my bike and tell me stories of them taking theirs off of jumps and bending rims to hell, or snapping pedals cuz they were too fat or busting chains. lol But I'd never do that to my baby. Thats what i have my $800 Street BMX bike for
But..I will say she does wheelies very easily

Originally Posted by winner

lol wow shiny! lol cant wait to see it finished!

Very shiny! haha, and it's all coming together very smoothly so it should be done soon!

[TheXmodifyer]

Man with this rain i cant get anything done! Yesterday was pretty nice so i got my rear rim painted but i cant do anymore as I am still waiting on my tire. I figured out what im gonna do though: Im just gonna paint up my S7 wheels and run s7 tires. When a tube or tire goes bad then to the rack in the garage they go. I will order "new" old wheels, paint them better and run my white-walls But since i dont have any pics of my wheel I'll tell you what me and my friends did to blow off some steam. I build minibikes. beep minibikes. So we broke em both out, did some wheelies and hit jumps, real dirt jumps, haha and some burnouts, Well I've been working on a new one that im gonna keep and im painting it like an old hotrod. Powder blue, scallops, pinstriping, all that jazz. This mini has a 5hp rated engine on it that me and my dad cranked out to about 9. Bored over, new coil, hi-po quick-engage clutch etc. Well i didnt have the chain on it seeing that Iw as painting it, bu i have a wicked 2-1/2 inch chrome pipe exhaust pipe. This minibike sounds like a 4-stroke 250. Sooo..we put it out in the driveway, started her up and then the fun started. This is when we realized this minibike shot flames out of the exhaust. It backfires, so i cleaned the head, valves, piston head and all. But man this thing gets loud with that pipe! But we we're shooting flames. Not crappy flames, real flames, out of this pipe. NO wd-40, NO starting fluid, no accelerators. Straight carbon. Im gonna pick me up an older briggs & stratton pipe to come straight from the engine. They have about a 2-1/2 diameter so ill tear it apart, pull the restrictor and bore open up the end to have a direct feed to the chrome pipe. Heres a pic of the unfinished minibike: Seriously. look at this picture.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...ikemock-up.jpg