Monark Firestone Cruiser, my next project.

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bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
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living the dream in southern california
picked this carcass up yesterday, a Firestone Cruiser, built by Monark in the 50's.

right now i'm waiting for the paint stripper to do it's job. was gonna have my landlord's son blast it, but he can't get to it for awhile, so going the messy route.

the forks are busted, but most of the other parts i have, so this should be a cheap and easy build. hardest part will be the tank.

besides the tank and paint, everything else is gonna be pretty simple and straight-forward. i just wanna build it and sell it without spending a lot of time fabricating a bunch of custom stuff.

that doesn't mean it's gonna just be another run-of-the-mill bike, though. it'll still have the usual Bairdco seal of approval...:)
 

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sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
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Looks like a nice frame to motorize. Are you going to build a Bairdco copper tank? What's up with the forks?
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
yup, copper tank, and the steertube on the forks was cracked from the stem wedge being rusted inside. there's vice marks on the forks, so my guess is someone stuck them in a vice, then used a breaker bar to twist the stem to try to loosen it. that's not exactly the preferred method.:)

the rest of the bike is in great shape. got the frame stripped and there's no rust damage at all.
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
crap, i always forget about the Long Beach Swap. i need a calender.

a fork should be easy to find, it's nothing special. even though the Firestone Super Cruiser came with the Monark Springer.

Silverbear, i haven't figured out the tank exactly, still staring at it.:)

oh, and if you look close at the frame, it's got a "fork stop" on the downtube near the head tube. that was to prevent the trussrods (or springer) from denting the tank if you turned too much. it doesn't affect steering at all.
 
MotoMagz

MotoMagz

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2010
1,817
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Michigan
My current project is the same frame Monark badge.It is a very cool frame I decided on this one over my Schwinn Straight bar and DX.I to am making a tank..Not a Bairdcopper Tank but one I hope will come out just as nice.I like the kickstand mount on this frame..great for a double legged stand.The tank area allows for s cool looking in frame tank and there is a ton of room for mt 4 stroke shift kit in this frame.Nice orange!
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
laced up a rear wheel today with 12g spokes, Shimano c/b hub, and an old drop-center rim today. front one i still need to drill for the spokes.

also found out that Topflite Lustrekote Fuel-Proof spraypaint IS NOT compatible with Rustoleum Painter's Touch spray paint.

luckily, i learned a long time ago to "test for compatibility" first. woulda really sucked to have my new orange bike be my new orange peel bike.

supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, so dunno what else i'm gonna get done. still gonna be a quick build, though, once i find the right forks.
 

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bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
got the wheels laced up. they're the original drop-center rims with a new Shimano CB-E110 rear hub, a front Worksman Drumbrake with NOS 12g spokes. still gotta pinstripe the rear. it's got new Kenda Kiniption 26x2.3's on it now, but i may get some creme coloured tires for it to cut down on the black.

the fenders and chainguard are gonna have the original paint scheme when it's done. check the last pic of a bike i found online (not mine) for the paint scheme.

it looks mighty orange right now, but when all the pinstriping and accents are on it, it's really gonna stand out.

the fenders and chainguard do have a few dings in them, but that's what happens on an almost 60 year old bike. i don't think anyone's gonna hassle over it once this thing's done.

i've got a set of NOS high rise cruiser bars, and a set of low-rise cruiser bars, so depending on the size of the guy who gets this bike, i can set it up for them.

hopefully i can pick up a fork this weekend, and then it can get assembled as a bike.

(cat not included in the raffle. he just likes huffing paint...)
 

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silverbear

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
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northeastern Minnesota
Your wheels look great Baird. I'm in the middle of doing my first lace up with 52 Schwinn rims using the spokes I got from you and a Bendix rear hub. Front hub will be an Atom moped drum, but I have to get different spokes for it as the hub is so big. Your use of vintage rims with heavy spokes and a front drum is what got me started on this venture. Pretty cool.
SB
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
thanks, sb.

i recently found a rear Atom moped drum, and it looks like i might be able to get away with 11g spokes, but the holes are definitely bigger. probably for 10g. haven't measured it out exactly.

the Worksman Drum on this build is designed for 11g spokes, but the 12's fit just fine. most hubs you can go up or down a size without affecting performance.

i love the overkill look of 11g. spokes, but if the wheel's built right and the bike's set-up right, there's really no need for them. i used to build my BMX wheels with 14g and a 5 cross pattern, and those could probably hold up a car.

it comes down to the quality of the parts, though. 14g spokes, cheap rims and hubs like dept. store bikes, and then being poorly built by a machine is a recipe for disaster.
 
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