Schwinn Sting Ray. Not the new shit. It's OLD... Help!!!

[Travis]

OK. I picked this thing up last Saturday when I went to Concord. Slazzen (Nice to meet you man!) said it's way old. I talked to a buddy who is a Schwinn freak and he says he's never seen one like this. He said there's a serial# on it somewhere and I am like... I went over this fucking thing with a magnifying glass with no luck. Some info: I appears to be the original paint, has original tires, grips, decals, white Schwinn badge on head tube, Chicago sticker on the seat post, Sting Ray badge on the back of the banana seat and so on. The chain guard has the Schwinn script and then you can see the "Sting Ray" on it. It appears to be all original and unmolested and in pretty sad but restorable shape! It's 20" rims... and notice the straight support bars (?) under the main backbone thingy. Jimmy thinks it's 1964 or so. Any help, anybody?

Travis

[Sam F.]

i belive the serial number should be on the bottom of frame. where the crank is...

[Travis]

Yeah believe me... I looked there, the head tube... up and down and all around the frame....

Travis

[Fat Hack]

Early 60s Schwinns had the serial number on the rear dropout (by rear wheel nut).

That should help you figure out it's build date.

(I have that info somewhere...find the number and I'll look it up for ya!)

[Travis]

OK so I need to take off the rear wheel? Will I find it on the inside of the frame somewhere?

Travis

[IntrstlarOvrdrve]

It should be right over the rear axle. If not there, like said its probably on the bottom bracket...or head tube. Check out Oldroads.com for info...nice bike btw, looks familiar http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
http://a7.cpimg.com/image/CB/59/29953227-cb70-02000180-.jpg

[IntrstlarOvrdrve]

Wait, thats a stingray junior isnt it? I had one a long time ago and its serial was on the rear drop out, but I don't remember if it was on the inside or the outside. You still won't need to remove the wheel though, just look for some etchings.

[Travis]

Overdrive...

Going to check! And see they look really similar but notice the support thingies? Mine are straight...

Travis

[Travis]

I looked... took of the rear rim/tire... still nothing! I think this is a Chinese repop!!!

Travis

[Fat Hack]

The numbers may be hard to read under all that "patina", but they're either gonna be on the rear dropout or on the head tube. I think 64 and older have 'em on the dropout, and 65-up have 'em on the head tube.

Looks odd with that support bar...but Schwinn had many variations of their basic design over the years...does look "junior" sized, though.

[Tman]

Look closely, it will be under the paint. Sometimes very faint.Also, look on top of the bottom bracket shell next to the bearing races.

[Tinbender]

You sure that has 20" wheels?

[CURIOUS RASH]

<font color="green">I just found an old Schwinn frame, it looks kinda link InterStellars there but the rear dropouts continue back to a point.

Anybody have ideas on that one?

I would take pics but it's in a storage unit right now.

I have never seen one like that first one.

RASHY </font>

[Travis]

yeah I'm sure it has 20" wheels... the original Schwinn tires say so... 20" x 1 3/4....

I am still not having any luck http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Travis

[Fat Hack]

The upswept rear tubes and 20" tires indicate a Junior model of some sort. You may have to sandblast the paint off of the frame to see the numbers...especially if it's been repainted sometime in the past...those numbers are kind faint to begin with...easily filled in by paint and rust!

[CURIOUS RASH]

<font color="green">P.M. Flat-Top Bob and include the link to your post, he knows alot about the old Schwinns.

RASHY </font>

[LUKESTER]

Its not a sting ray, its older that that. the serial number should be on the underside of the bottom bracket or on the left rear dropout. it will begin with a letter and a series of numbers. after 65 they had 2 letters and then like five digits AB11111 would be Jan 1966 , B466666 would be feb 64 D031172 would be april 1960 get it????? jan 65 would be AA***** Feb 66 would be BB***** and it keeps going up to like 1985.... The first letter is the month, the second letter after 65 is the year...... Before 65 the second digit was the last number of the year...... Schwinn always skipped "I" though to avoid confusion... I am guessing it is a 59-62 schwinn 20" typhoon. stingrays started in MAY 63 and NEVER had straight tubes on the frame, that was a couple of year ONLY deal with the straight bars... you can decode these old schwinns down to the bearings much like a corvette........ That Bike is not really worth squat to the collectors but it is old........... LUKE

[LUKESTER]

The sissybar on that bike is however worth a bunch, its a "squareback "Persons axle mount" from 63-64 Stingray (RARE)!!!!! and is probably worth close to a hundred bux though..........LUKE

[Travis]

OK...

That's just what messes me up... so it looks like someone took an older frame and made a Sting Ray out of it? but boy they sure did go through all of the details on it!!!

I'll dig up more and maybe take closer pictures or something...

Travis

[Travis]

Progress!! Finally found the fuckin serial # on this stupid bike. It is J913673. That makes it October 1959, so it looks like someone turned this bike into a Sting Ray using Sting ray parts... now I just need to find out what the hell this thing really is...

Travis

[slazzen]

yipeeee thats cool travis another 59

[CURIOUS RASH]

[ QUOTE ]
Progress!! Finally found the fuckin serial # on this stupid bike. It is J913673. That makes it October 1959, so it looks like someone turned this bike into a Sting Ray using Sting ray parts... now I just need to find out what the hell this thing really is...

Travis


[/ QUOTE ] <font color="green">Like Slazzen said.

It was destined to be yours.

Travis, the Guardian of all Things '59.

RASHY </font>

[Crankshaft Sid]

Then you have an old hotrodded bike, thats cooler then a stock one in my eyes...

[CLSSY56]

If your going to do it... do it right!!!
http://www.the-rocketman.com/whatchamacallit/super_schwinn.jpg

[Travis]

Clssy56... daaaammmmmnnnnnnnn!!! I don't THINK so!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And I found out what it is, officially... a 1959 Tornado. It's the small one (20") so I am going to try to go back to that style. Someone sent me a cool picture of what it should look like and I think it's worth doing... I can sell off the Sting Ray stuff for the $$ to restore it?

Travis

[Travis]

Here it is... but it's supposed to be the smaller 20" version...

Travis

[purple]

<font color="purple"> Here is the one I am thinking of selling. A 1960 24" girls Tornado. </font>

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Before Schwinn began producing Sting Rays in 1963 kids were adding high bars and Polo seats to earlier Schwinn 20-inchers (Wasps, Fleets, Tornados, and on...) turning them into "Pig Bikes". Schwinn cashed in on the craze by offering their own customized version called "Sting Ray". Luckilly I still have my 1970 version I've had since it was new- thanks Santa! (I wish you would have got me a red one instead of green though!)

I dream of a pre-63 original paint 20-incher I can turn into a "Pig Bike"!

So for the American Graffiti nuts who think the "Sting Ray"-type bike in the window is incorrect, it could have actually been an "in-store custom" as many were long before the actual offering of the "Sting Ray".