# 1939 Klunker build begins!!



## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Hello all!! Wow where do I begin?? Well first of all just wanted to share my build with ya,, Its a 1939 BF Goodrich Streamline. In the process of collecting parts and doin research..
Been out of the scene for awhile and wanted to get back to my roots!!
I grew up in Marin and used to ride Tam back in the early to mid 80's! (San Marin High class of 86) A buddy of mine and I used to have a cantilever Schwinn all built up with full braze ons and everything. We shared that bike but had our own rides as well. 
I lived in Novato and we used to hang out at a hole in the wall bike shop called Cross Four Bikes. I forget the guys name but he had a Charlie Cunningham. He did all the work on our Schwinn along with some other folks I never met.... Hmmm!! Lots of work went into that frame! Sadly it got stolen in SF. 
My sister still lives in San Anselmo so when I am done with this thing (it will never be "done") I am gonna have to go for a visit and test it out!! :thumbsup: 








































Hey if Schwinn can put whatever badge they want on their bikes,, so can I !!!


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## MERK26 (Aug 31, 2009)

That`s gonna` be a beauty! :thumbsup: Love the paint...


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## Roadsters (Jul 7, 2008)

Groovy bus. How much granola will it carry?


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Not Granola but it will carry a ton of surf wax!!!


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Just a quick question,, I plan on running White Industries ENO cranks. I have an MRP bottom bracket adaptor.. What spindle width should I run?? Thanks in advance! Oh here is the saddle I am runnin!! Brook's/Van's


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## Veloculture (Dec 18, 2005)

Uh, can we get photos of your split screen type II please?


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## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

Veloculture said:


> Uh, can we get photos of your split screen type II please?


Too late Sky you missed the video of it. It is a nice one, very clean. The owner may be a future darwin award winner though.

straightbarjay, you should email Alan Bonds. He did a bike with white industries cranks and has it posted on the clunkers site so he may be able to help with the spindle length. I am running TA's on mine and I used a Phil Wood bottom bracket that just happened to be the right length but I never measured it. I wish mine had the same fork as yours.


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## rev106 (Jul 9, 2009)

looking good! With all these klunkers coming together there may be more of them now then there were back then.


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Veloculture said:


> Uh, can we get photos of your split screen type II please?



























1965 Kamper Kit !! :thumbsup:
Darwin award video!!


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## yo-Nate-y (Mar 5, 2009)

Man, that thing is awesome.


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

sandmangts said:


> Too late Sky you missed the video of it. It is a nice one, very clean. The owner may be a future darwin award winner though.
> 
> straightbarjay, you should email Alan Bonds. He did a bike with white industries cranks and has it posted on the clunkers site so he may be able to help with the spindle length. I am running TA's on mine and I used a Phil Wood bottom bracket that just happened to be the right length but I never measured it. I wish mine had the same fork as yours.


Hey thanks, yea I saw that been doin some research online and I think I have it,, Bike looks good. You can find those forks on ebay, they pop up every once in awhile!!


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

rev106 said:


> looking good! With all these klunkers coming together there may be more of them now then there were back then.


Thanks! was thinkin that to


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

Straightbarjay said:


> Thanks! was thinkin that to


Yup, I'm aiming to have mine up by summer. Yours look sweet, bike and bus. Yours too SMGTS.


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## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

God I hate hippies....
Seriously though, nice bike.


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Ride Free or Die said:


> God I hate hippies....
> Seriously though, nice bike.


Don't be a hater!!


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## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

To be honest I actually dig the van, I always wanted one of the Eurovan ones in AWD... Very practical.


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## cousineddie (Oct 23, 2008)

Ride Free or Die said:


> To be honest I actually dig the van, I always wanted one of the Eurovan ones in AWD... Very practical.


The VW Bus/Van uses the driver's legs to absorb the impact of a frontal collision. Still, very cool.


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## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

From one old, VW-driving Novato boy to another...SWEETNESS! That's going to be one nice Klunker. Speaking of VWs, when I was going to NHS I was driving a '64 Notchback. Great car. Wish I still had it. This year will be the 35th Anni of the 1st Repack race. Perhaps an old iron Klunker convention is in order?


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Ride Free or Die said:


> To be honest I actually dig the van, I always wanted one of the Eurovan ones in AWD... Very practical.


Thanks man but um...yea, I think your a hippy in denial...:thumbsup:


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

scooterendo said:


> From one old, VW-driving Novato boy to another...SWEETNESS! That's going to be one nice Klunker. Speaking of VWs, when I was going to NHS I was driving a '64 Notchback. Great car. Wish I still had it. This year will be the 35th Anni of the 1st Repack race. Perhaps an old iron Klunker convention is in order?


Hey Billy!!,,, I feel like I know you!! Thats awesome,,,I love Notchbacks!!.. wow Novato,, Hey did you ever go to the dirt jumps behind Alpha Beta?? Do you remember Paul Brown's shop?? I met Eddy Merckx there!!! I remember staring at the columbine frames like a deer in headlights..
I have been reading some of your stuff and its funny, my sister worked for George Lucas at ILM and Live Nation (Bill Graham presents!) I also have an OG 53 Black Phantom hanging in my folks garage!! A Klunker convention is def in order!! :thumbsup:


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

entered in error


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## rev106 (Jul 9, 2009)

looking good, can't wait to see the completed bike. We should organize a klunker run so we can roll in mass.


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## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

Alpha Beta;-). Man, I haven't thought about that spot for years. We used to hit that little BMX track in Marinwood, too. Which shop was Paul's? Cool you met Mr. Merckx there. I used to go all the way over to Oakland to Hank and Frank for parts, mostly just for the adventure. Sounds like your sister and I probably crossed paths along the way. My old Phantom is still in Fairfax, at the crazy house behind the movie theater. I gave it to the guy that lives there (Rudy) for letting me use his place as basecamp while we were shooting. The one that's got snow skis for a fence, a pickup truck cab in the front yard, and a giant Marlin hanging on the front of the house. You can't miss it. Rudy's the man. They even named the ballfield in Fairfax after him. He's got a nice collection of old bikes. I hope to be up there for the 35th. Ride on.


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

scooterendo said:


> Alpha Beta;-). Man, I haven't thought about that spot for years. We used to hit that little BMX track in Marinwood, too. Which shop was Paul's? Cool you met Mr. Merckx there. I used to go all the way over to Oakland to Hank and Frank for parts, mostly just for the adventure. Sounds like your sister and I probably crossed paths along the way. My old Phantom is still in Fairfax, at the crazy house behind the movie theater. I gave it to the guy that lives there (Rudy) for letting me use his place as basecamp while we were shooting. The one that's got snow skis for a fence, a pickup truck cab in the front yard, and a giant Marlin hanging on the front of the house. You can't miss it. Rudy's the man. They even named the ballfield in Fairfax after him. He's got a nice collection of old bikes. I hope to be up there for the 35th. Ride on.


Yea hope to make it out for the 35th that would be sweet!! Paul Brown's shop was right next to Alpha Beta... He rode a single speed fixed gear track bike everywhere!! Yea my sis says they parade that guy (Rudy) thru the streets!!


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

*Build continues*

Well I have recieved more parts but am bummed out I didn't ask more questions as to the size of the steer tube on this fork!!








If you look the steer tube is the same length as the head tube :madman: 
I am thinking I can get another fork and cut out the steer tube and replace this one with the other piece a little longer!!!
Tough to find a truss rod fork in OG paint that matches the paint on my frame!!








Getting there slowly!!!
















This is the cockpit donor bike..Not going to use that stem and bars tho, just testin out the stem adaptor! 








I am using a 21.1 mm to 1 1/8 adaptor!! Its Chrome Moly and I got it from Crank2 performance tandems. Its called the Manowar








Also got an NOS Campy Record seat binder








needs to be cut down to fit








and some 6061-T6 7/8 bar stock that will be machined down to 13/16 leaving about an inch and a half 7/8 for the seat clamp!!


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Update!! well I found a fork for this project!! The steer tube without the bearing is 7 1/4"s
It is slightly bent..... :madman: what do you guys think about straightening 70 year old forks?? 
And in other news, Billy if you are reading this I gave my sister a viewing of Klunkerz last night and it turns out, and i totally missed this the first time... She lived at 32 Humboldt from 1993 to 2004 and still has friends living there!!! I spent a lot of time in that house.. and it was a meeting place for going on rides!!! The little sign for the house number that is in the movie was painted by her and her friend... Trippy... oh sorry for the crappy pics I will try to take some better ones!!!


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## TheMachinist (Feb 24, 2007)

There is a way to extend a steerer tube. I did it on a Fox fork for my blur and rode it for years with no problems.


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## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

> what do you guys think about straightening 70 year old forks??


Go for it, they're mild steel and shouldn't be too hard to straighten (and bend again when you ride it ). The bike looks great, love the feather accents in the paint. If you haven't already seen it, Alan Bonds has a TON of clunker info on his web site, including many photos: Alan's Clunkers . My own clunker conversion (1936 Shelby) is temporarily stalled while I heal up from surgery, but you can see my progress so far here: http://tinyurl.com/3jovdds

One of these days we really should have a clunker-only ride, Repack or elsewhere on Tam. I know that if we planned it far enough in advance we could get at least a few of the original guys like CK, Joe Breeze, Alan, Otis, maybe even Gary to come out and ride.


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

Definitely one of my favorite prewar paint schemes!

Thanks for the update. :thumbsup:


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

*OK (almost final) UPDATE!!!*

Well I put this sucker together and took it out for some desert trials... Holy crap, I have not been on a rigid in forever.. Compound that with a brand new Brooks Professional,, UGH...
Felt like I was riding a road bike... so funny.. 
She did good and my original idea of building this thing as a hybrid might be changed!!
Very stoked on how this rig turned out.. Basically set up as a single speed cross country bike. Will be put to good use because there is alot of cross country to be had behind my house..:thumbsup:
For those that want to know the dirty details...
Rims are postwar Rhyno lites with New Departure WW2 blackout hubs
Tires are Kenda small block 8's
Stem is a postwar Merlin titanium 
Bars are postwar Race Face evolve XC
NOS Schwinn inch pitch chain and sweetheart sprocket with 1936 dogleg crank
Pedals are Schwinn deluxe knockoffs and will be changed to Suntour XC's
The other parts are in this thread.... What do ya think??


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

-Anomie- said:


> Go for it, they're mild steel and shouldn't be too hard to straighten (and bend again when you ride it ). The bike looks great, love the feather accents in the paint. If you haven't already seen it, Alan Bonds has a TON of clunker info on his web site, including many photos: Alan's Clunkers . My own clunker conversion (1936 Shelby) is temporarily stalled while I heal up from surgery, but you can see my progress so far here: http://tinyurl.com/3jovdds
> 
> One of these days we really should have a clunker-only ride, Repack or elsewhere on Tam. I know that if we planned it far enough in advance we could get at least a few of the original guys like CK, Joe Breeze, Alan, Otis, maybe even Gary to come out and ride.


Nice bike!! Thanks for the compliment!! Yea I plan on bringing this thing up to Marin... We should all meet up at 32 Humboldt in San Anselmo and go for a ride!!!!:thumbsup:


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

J_Westy said:


> Definitely one of my favorite prewar paint schemes!
> 
> Thanks for the update. :thumbsup:


Gracias!!!


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

icantdrive65 said:


> There is a way to extend a steerer tube. I did it on a Fox fork for my blur and rode it for years with no problems.


Yea I have some other truss rod forks that i was thinking of extending the steer tube on!!!


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## rev106 (Jul 9, 2009)

looks good! Great job.


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

just another one!!


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## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

I would not change a thing on that bike. I would keep it single speed if you are strong enough to handle the gearing. That thing looks great.


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## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Hey thanks Sand Man!!! I saw you got front page news over on Rat Rod bikes!!! sweet man!! Love your bike.... Congrats!!

Man I want to take mine over to Interbike and show it off!!! I wonder if there is going to be anybody with Klunkers in their booth or...?????


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