I'm going to build it!! (At least try!) continued...

[Schwinndemonium]

To answer your question, Eric, yes it is. The wires, though are not perfectly parallel to the cable housing, as the type that I'm going to try and use has a very gentle spiraling effect around the housing.Not like a spring, as in a traditional cable housing, but more like how the cable itself is spiraled. In more of a linear fashion, instead of coil spring fashion. Therefore, this type of housing is incapable of compressing, and that will give my shifter a wider range of movement of the derailleur, but with less throw of the gearshift, so it should, theoretically speaking, let me get all five speeds with as much ease as my bikes with brazed on gear cable stops.

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

SUCESS!!

 I just got my headlight, and compressionless cable housing for my gear cable. I restrung the gearcable with the new housing, and NOW, the bike gets ALL FIVE GEARS with ease! All I had to do is finish the tuneup work of the derailleur by setting the limiter set screws to keep things from scraping, and the bike now functions fully, nicely and efficiently as a 5 speed bike. The bike is now 100% complete with the 1961 Delta ball light installed. I have much nicer fenders for the thing on the way from Texas, and they will probably arrive hopefully in between this coming Friday June 25th to the following Tuesday, June 29th. That is where I'm at in the tweaking department work on this thing, right now. It is a relief to me that this setup with the continuous housing from the shifter to the derailleur does work, as I was beginning to think that would not, because of the springy cable housing. I did not know that there was even such a thing as compressionless housings, until I talked to Lisa at MLC, who is also where I got a ton of other parts for this project to make it functional. Thanks, Lisa, and Memory Lane Classics

I will take new pictures of the bike after the new fenders are installed, probably around the 4rth of July, as I'm going to be on vacation that week, so I will have plenty of time to tweak and fix everything that the bike needs fixed to be a really sharp looker, and rider!

Jim.

[BobHufford]

I did not know that there was even such a thing as compressionless housings

Jim -- glad to hear that you have avoided all that modern indexy-shifty stuff so far (where compressionless housing is a must).  I was so used to friction shifting that it took me over a year to notice that I had an indexed option on my '87 Cimarron ("hmmm -- what's this little lever on the thumb shifter for?  Oh!  Click/thunk, click/thunk ..."). 

Congrats on "completing" the bike (are they ever really done?).  Just in time for 4th of July parades!

We need more pics. 

Bob

[Schwinndemonium]

Your wish is my command, Sir Bob!!

I took these pictures last night, after I got done installing the new gearcable housing, and factory correct Delta ball headlight.  The fenders on this bike, even though they look good in these pictures, are really not all that good of shape in real life, so I'm replacing these, also within two weeks.

In the meantime, enjoy these latest pictures, taken on June 21, 2010,(yesterday).

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

Here are four more from the same photo shoot from yesterday, also.

Jim.

[Eric Amlie]

Sweeet...Nice Job!(Thumbs Up emoticon)

[BobHufford]

Oh yeah ...    

Thanks for the new pics.  The bike gets better every time.

Best,

Bob

[Echo_Delta]

Oh yeah ...     

Thanks for the new pics.  The bike get's better every time.

Best,

Bob

I agree!

[mruiz]

Yes Sir, great job.

[Schwinndemonium]

Just an update. The fenders have been replaced, and as feared, it was not as easy a job as one would think. I had to grind the rivets off that hold the "L" clip brackets on the original fender set to use them on the replacement set, as this replacement set came off a 1961 coasterbrake Corvette, where the fenders bolt directly to the fork and frame of the bike, so I needed these brackets. I used fender "rivet" screws to mount these brackets to the fenders, as to make them look at first glance of the bike, that they are the original fenders. As expected, I got a little sloppy, and the rear fender slipped on me while I was mounting it, and I chipped the paint on the frame. Not major, that I could not touch it up with the ready mixed paint I have on hand for this, but enough to annoy the living crap out of me that it happened in the first place. You would have thought that somebody "keyed" the paint, but that is just me. Like I said before, I sweat the littlest details!! The rear wheel R & R also took it's toll on the paint, because it took me a little bit of time to figure out that the axle shaft has to have the keyway that is cut into it facing toward the top of the seat mast tube of the bike for the wheel to center up in the frame right. I think because the axle shaft must be slightly bent, or something. One thing that I failed to do on this bike, is that I did not tear apart ,and clean, and repack the rear axle hub bearings, as it seemed to be working pretty smooth, tight, and easy. Guess I should have removed the axle shaft, and done the "table roll test" That is where you take the cleaned axle shaft, and you roll it across a big table, and you watch to see if it wobbles while it rolls across the surface. I did not do this , as I tested it in the hub after I took it out of the S-5 rim, and I spun it between the thumb and forefinger, in the hub, and I saw no wobble in either end of the thing while spinning it in the hub. So I still figured that it probably is still okay.

Eventually, I did get the wheel somewhat centered. Not perfect, but good enough that the bike will not want to turn to one side when you let go of the bars when you are riding straight.

The bike really does not look all that much different, except that I got rid of those extra drilled holes in the bottoms of that first set,and, I got rid of those serious wrinkles that both original fenders have that I could not get out by conventional means,(hammer and wood ball, and wood block). Eventually, these fenders could be repaired nicely if I could get them "rolled", though. I can't afford to do that, now.

I will try to post new pictures sometime this week, as I'm on vacation until July 13th, and I will try to iron out any remaining bugs the bike may have, which I do not think it does, anymore, though.

Jim.

[dan d]

Very cool post, I have enjoyed living vicariously thru your project ! Cheaper that way ! LOL.
I have learned you don't ever want to be completely done, I get bored of my "done" projects and they get hung up on the wall or get sold. I too go to memory lane for my parts, Lisa is very good and helpful, and my patience for waiting for parts to come up online is not very good. I am getting better, at waiting for choice parts and learning that watching the classifieds and the auction site provides some entertainment at night when I'm unwinding.

Again I enjoyed following along, hopefully others will post their projects here, we all learn together that way.
I cought myself wanting a 5 speed middleweight ! LOL

Dan

[Schwinndemonium]

Thanks, dan d.

After doing the refinagling of the fenders, and tweaking the alignment of the rear wheel, this project is definitely starting to wind down, now. There are still parts I would like to replace, and/ or recondition,but it does not involve ripping the bike down again, like it did for replacing the fenders. Basically the pedals, the seat,maybe the "S" reflector, and the tank , as this last item does have deep pits in the chrome. I still have plenty of leftover paint to completely replace the tank with one of those high quality Schwinn made repop tanks made in 1995 for their centennial Phantom repro's, as these tanks are structurally identical to the Jag's tank, except it does not have the brake and gear cable cutouts in it, so I'm not sure if I want to attempt to replace the tank, for this reason.

There is a very nice set of large cap bow  pedals on eBay, right now that I'm considering buying, as they are in far superior shape than the ones that are on the bike now. but I really need to watch how much money I've been spending on this thing, lately. It's been a might much. The bike is fully functional,now, and it looks really good, the way it is, so I might take the time to enjoy the thing for what it was built for....To RIDE!!

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

 Photo Gallery note;


I finally had a chance to edit/replace the picture in the photo gallery of my 5 speed Jag, which I now consider to be complete, but not done. This picture is nicer and more up to date, with the headlight, and compressionless gearcable housing in place underneath the decorative green and white cable wrap. The pic still needs to be approved, and will be back shortly, I am sure.

Jim.