Any ideas on this old beast?

Dillo27

Dirt Disciple
Hello again folks!

Any thoughts on the identity of this frame?

It has been painted over with black paint and the mettalic-ish blue underneath looks original,
as does the white trimmed panel on the seat tube. It looks like the crest on the seat tubet has little gold stars above and under its design, not much else left of it.
The curved fork ends and little mudgard mounts suggest 1940s to me but I could be wrong.
The lugs are fairly simple, a bit curvy round the headtube.

It is quite light, frame alone weighs 2.6 kgs on my scales.
 

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I'm inclined to say it's late 30s with those mudguard mounts. If it's 40s, it'll be early 40s.

Frame number looks a bit like a Sun number (see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=344162 ) but I don't think it looks like it's as early as 1935. The frame shape looks a bit too tight for that early.
 
Re:

I've done a bit of searching and found a Sun 'Aussie' made in 1936 which has the exact same headlugs as my mystery frame.. So, Jonny 69, youcould very well be correct!

Great spot, thanks!
 
Re: chrome on forks?

No sign of any chrome, and the blue paint seems original. But those head lugs are identical to the Sun Aussie Special frame from 1936.
 
Re:

Could do with some close up pics of lugs etc.
I do not recall ever seeing top tube brazed on cable stops pre war.
Cast lugs of similar style were widely used til late 40s, the fork should have a slot near the top for the head clip.
Do you have the head clip?
Sun made their own cast lugs, other makes include BSA, Brampton and Chater. Ekla were made for iserted "continental" races.

Keith
 
Re:

No I don't have the clip.
Here are some close ups with more of the black paint removed. There seems a trace of gold flecks in the white seat tube panel, possibly indicating stars above and below a crest.

Also the headtube has a small hole drilled on the left lower side of the head lug, visible in the picture.

The head race cups are part of the lug castings and not detachable like later models.
 

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Re:

And another..
 

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