Ladies Bike Build

AaronF · Dec 15, 2009

Hey all,I found this ladies bicycle for $10 bucks unaware of the original name though.Seems like a decent build with a motor if it will fit & mount properly on the top bar..Any thoughts on this? Thanks

It is a 26" Huffy Sante Fe Cruiser the bike is in excellent shape for sitting outside in the ruff weather.The rims are covered with rust but the good thing is no rust went through the surface..What are your thoughts of flipping this one over into a MB?

silverbear · Dec 15, 2009

It can certainly be done as I have built three step through bikes with HT motors. That said, all of mine are older and the upper tube in question comes lower on my bikes, allowing for a lower engine mount. Someone recently installed a HT motor on a newer ladies bike with a frame very much like yours and the engine sat kind of high which in turn made for more difficulty in having the rear mount gas tank high enough to be above the carburetor. If you have an engine, set it in there to see and then make a decision.
SB

AaronF · Dec 15, 2009

silverbear said:
It can certainly be done as I have built three step through bikes with HT motors. That said, all of mine are older and the upper tube in question comes lower on my bikes, allowing for a lower engine mount. Someone recently installed a HT motor on a newer ladies bike with a frame very much like yours and the engine sat kind of high which in turn made for more difficulty in having the rear mount gas tank high enough to be above the carburetor. If you have an engine, set it in there to see and then make a decision.
SB

Do you have a picture? I'd rather mount the gas tank on the top or lower bar of the frame (if possible) My plan is to get the bike fully restored and transfer over a kit from another bike.The frame is in great shape not one scratch that I can see.Although the rims are completely covered with rust,I just got done sanding down the rear wheel with a dremel but looks horrible..How would I go about getting these rims sparkly clean without sandblasting?

silverbear · Dec 15, 2009

Can't help you on the rims question, but here are three step through bikes of mine. Two are 63 Schwinn Americans and the other is in process, a 39 Elgin. Notice how much lower the upper tube goes than on newer step through bikes.
SB

AaronF · Dec 15, 2009

silverbear said:
Can't help you on the rims question, but here are three step through bikes of mine. Two are 63 Schwinn Americans and the other is in process, a 39 Elgin. Notice how much lower the upper tube goes than on newer step through bikes.
SB

Wow very nice clean builds there Silver.Hopefully I can whip up something as nice,don't got the money to put into a build so it'll be all stock..Right now I'm stuck trying to get these rims removed of rust..Can't wait until I can build it up! Thanks for the pics man.

silverbear · Dec 15, 2009

Thanks, I'm glad you like them. I think step through bikes are generally overlooked as candidates for HT motors. A plus is there's no worry about the upper cross bar on a man's bike getting in the way of the motor. Also with the older bikes, girl's bikes almost always sell for much less than boy's bikes and usually have gotten beat up less. At first I was interested due to a partial paralysis in my legs which made swinging my leg over the seat difficult, but now I've learned to just like them and appreciate them for what they are. Once a motor is on there it doesn't much seem like a girl's bike anymore. Good luck with your build and be sure to share photos.
SB

spit_fire · Dec 15, 2009

Just a suggestion for your rims you might want to grab a wire wheel for your drill or air tool if you got one and just wire wheel the rim clean, ive never had to wire wheel a rim but i do it to everything else that a little old and rusty always comes out like new

AaronF · Dec 16, 2009

spit_fire said:
Just a suggestion for your rims you might want to grab a wire wheel for your drill or air tool if you got one and just wire wheel the rim clean, ive never had to wire wheel a rim but i do it to everything else that a little old and rusty always comes out like new

Thanks for the tip.I went ahead and used the dremel with a wire brush wheel got it a little cleaner but not just yet.Kinda sucks I've been working on the wheels for bout' 5 hours straight here with a dremel and still can't get it looking half nice

Looks much better than before I started on them though!

BarelyAWake · Dec 16, 2009

That poor Dremel lol, yer tryin' to kill an elephant with a toothpick

I agree w/spit fire - grab a wire brush attachment fer a drill & save the Dremel for just the detail work around the spokes... but I pulled the spokes and used the badassed Makita side handle on my rims even tho they were in a lil better shape than those (other than I had paint to get rid of too).

Still - I'm impressed at yer patience man (^)

AaronF · Dec 16, 2009

BarelyAWake said:
That poor Dremel lol, yer tryin' to kill an elephant with a toothpick

LOL I buy cheap,it works pretty good for $ 12 bucks but I learn quick enough

BarelyAWake · Dec 16, 2009

Do you have a drill? The wire wheel for it is like $3... prolly cheaper than replacin' dremel bits... There's stainless, reg steel, and brass - I get the brass ones 'cause they're cheaper than stainless but don't "transfer" rust like the steel ones do *shrug*

Jus' me thoughts

silverbear · Dec 16, 2009

I found a photo of Michelle's build from a month or so ago. I think her frame is much like yours and she has the peanut gas tank high up on the top bar.
SB

K.i.p · Dec 16, 2009

WD-40 is great for lifting rust from pits and scratches. The trick is to let it stand for several hours and penitrate the oxydation. After wire brushing or polishing it is amazing the amount of rust that will be gone when you wipe the damp grunge off.

AaronF · Dec 16, 2009

silverbear said:
I found a photo of Michelle's build from a month or so ago. I think her frame is much like yours and she has the peanut gas tank high up on the top bar.
SB

That is the very same frame,I really like the style of these 'low riders' Thanks for the picture!

BA:Yep I have a Master Mechanic Drill way to hefty for this project.The only thing I don't have is a garage or work bench as you can tell from the photo (lol) making it much harder to work..The brass wire wheel removed most of the rust besides the stained spots.

K.I.P: Thanks for the tip..Personally don't like using WD-40 on bikes.I may just soak them in some WD-40 or Vinegar.

Cabinfever1977 · Dec 16, 2009

you can also mount the tank on the rear rack.

AaronF · Dec 16, 2009

Cabinfever1977 said:
you can also mount the tank on the rear rack.

I mostly likely will mount the tank on a rear rack after this weekend,going on a camping trip and need the luggage space! Its suppose to be in the 40's tomorrow gonna get the motor on the bike then take it for a ride

flybytaco · Dec 16, 2009

silverbear said:
Can't help you on the rims question, but here are three step through bikes of mine. Two are 63 Schwinn Americans and the other is in process, a 39 Elgin. Notice how much lower the upper tube goes than on newer step through bikes.
SB

silverbear,
I found this bike in the trash and love it its has a bgf x 80 slant and is by far my favorite bike out of 8 lol it can be done but like you said theese older bikes have the bar that goes dwn low. before tank mod and after pics btw silverbear is that a bgf slant pull start centrifugal motor on that bike?

silverbear · Dec 16, 2009

Flybytaco, That's an interesting solution to where to mount the tank...
Yes, on my 39 Elgin it is a BGF pull start, centrifugal clutch with a slant head. I had it on one of my Americans since autumn and have several hundred miles on it now. I like it very much. It has been a good, solid engine so far. I plan to get another just like it.
SB

AaronF · Dec 16, 2009

flybytaco said:
silverbear,
I found this bike in the trash and love it its has a bgf x 80 slant and is by far my favorite bike out of 8 lol it can be done but like you said theese older bikes have the bar that goes dwn low. before tank mod and after pics btw silverbear is that a bgf slant pull start centrifugal motor on that bike?

Very interesting.Did you have any problems with gas leakage when your tank was mounted on the slanted top bar? Seems it might leak if filled all the way up..

daveboy76 · Dec 17, 2009

silverbear said:
Can't help you on the rims question, but here are three step through bikes of mine. Two are 63 Schwinn Americans and the other is in process, a 39 Elgin. Notice how much lower the upper tube goes than on newer step through bikes.
SB

thats so cool me and my dad wanted to make this 1968 girls schwinn hollywood into a motorbike so my mom can ride with us

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