One of the earliest mongoose frames alive - 1975 build starts here....

[bobafett]

OK... so another one on the go......

I've had so many of these projects waiting for me to get a little bit of time for so long now it's been hard to decide what to work on but I had to go back to where it all started - the mongoose story starts with the original SIMI stamped motomag 1 wheel back in 1974 and then late 75 they released their first frame.

It took me a long time to get my hands on a 75 but after years and YEARS of badgering Warren he finally sold me this little beauty a few years ago. Thanks Waz mate

I'd already been gathering parts over the years hoping to one day get that all important frame and so she has everything she needs to be put together..... including a NOS set of Ashtabula forks and an absolutely lovely clean set of those all important SIMI stamped motomag 1 wheels..........











Now this is a VERY early frame. It's the 332'nd bmx products frame ever built.

Considering the fact that the serial number was shared with Super-X frames built at the time you could possibly half(ish) that number and suggest that this is one of around the first 200 "mongoose" frames ever made..... and I like that...... a lot 

There's not a lot of these 75's around and Warren has tried to keep a log of as many mongoose frames (from all old school years) as possible - it's far from comprehensive but it does give a bit of a general picture as to where this frame lives in what has survived and been logged as still existing in the world of mongoose collectors - here's a snippet of the start of that list....







Update on progress and other parts for the build coming soon..........

 

[Retrodan72]

Wow, amazing stuff John. It's really miles away from the era I like or even have any kind of knowledge about, but I love a good history lesson and if it's part of a build thread, then I'll defo subscribe.

[NORTY40]

Wow ! Cool frame    and those Motomag 1's and the NOS Ashtabula's are off the scale 

Cant wait to see this one built up 

[Picklez]

WOW    , now I'm envious 

That's a thing of beauty right there. I'm typically more early-mid 80's FS driven in my builds, but find as I get older my appreciation is also evolving to a love of builds and bikes from earlier and earlier date periods.

I'm desperate to do a 79 T goose next, so will watch your efforts with this one with a real keen interest. Great thread John, I'm hooked already 

[Taipan]

Cant wait to see this one unfold    and those Motomags! 

[bobafett]

So It's going to be built pretty much as per the 1975 catalogue......

With a tweak here and there and an assumption.

The 75 catalogue has the "hi-rise" bars on the old girl but I just really like box bars on a mid 70's BMX. And I have a nice set of OG survivor box bars. Luckily the 1976 mongoose catalogue has box bars in the "Accessories" section so I consider the box bars as an "option" set of bars for this era of goose. The one peice cranks shown in the 75 catalogue look to be chrome plated but I just can't pull myself away from putting a set of original phosphate black finish Ashtabula cranks on to match the forks.... we'll see about that one.......






The other item is the seat "assumption" or "choice" as it were. There's been various conversations about the seat in that 75 catalogue picture but as we know there was a long standing relationship with Messinger seats in the 70's with mongoose and the chainwheel on that 75 goose is a Schwinn model so I have decided that the seat for this 75 goose build (of mine at least) is going to be a non quilted Shwinn badged messinger..........

The bars and seat I'm using.....





 

[Spen69]

As always John, this is fookin awesome already...

[griff]

That's just ace mate 

[bobafett]

A few more bits pulled out for the build.....

NOS Hunt Wilde grips.......

.....and survivor Schwinn chainwheel........




I'll be putting thise little peice of history together very soon all being well 

 

[Bob_Acid]

Is that the original colour John?

Looks like it's gonna be a good un mate 

[bobafett]

Is that the original colour John?

She was originally red Bob but she was too far gone so she's been re-finished......





Gave the storage soiled NOS Cheng SHin C183 tyres a good scrub and did a little bit of "hairdryer resto"

Didn't go nuts but it definitely spruced them a tad - now fitted to the Motomag 1's




 

[Retrodan72]

This is bonkers John, you must've had all these bits stashed away for 15 years or so, to get this stuff now would cost a kidney.

[Picklez]

Motomags are looking killer, and tyres turned out great.

[BMX1973]

Wow  Can't wait to see this built. 

[brettypeeps]

  that is going to be a beauty 

[bobafett]

This is bonkers John, you must've had all these bits stashed away for 15 years or so, to get this stuff now would cost a kidney.

Yes Indeed Dan - had these bits stashed for years mate - god help anyone trying to source all these parts now 


Found a nice old Schwinn stamped BB in the BB drawer....

And decided to definitely go with the Ashtabula cranks...






Also dug out a lovely set of NOS Union rat traps.........




Won't be long now hopefully.......

 

[Retrodan72]

Look at the stamping on the BB, so crude, but so cool at the same time. I love the simplicity of the way these parts were made.

[Spen69]

Dan, you're spot-on mate. BMX this old all looked like your dad had made it in his shed, just look at the alignment of the frame tubes on the old frames, there's always a bit of mis-alignment on the gusset plates or the matchbox at the back of the BB.....

That's why I love a mk1 Goose, always did and always will 

Personally this is already BoTY for me and it's not even built yet 

[Mikku]

Sorry, am a bit late to the party but am also feeling the love for this. A few years before my BMX time-frame began but this frame is definitely an important piece of BMX history and it's great to see it getting the tlc it deserves. Plus I never knew the origins of the Ashtabula name.

[bobafett]

All done - pictures and thread in a mo............


Update...

Finished pics: http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,196188.0.html