Classic & Vintage - 1970? Sprint RD pulley wheels?

1970? Schwinn Varsity. One-piece crank. The label on the RD says Sprint / Made in France. There is obviously a place for the same label on the FD. Stem-mounted upright friction shift levers.

One pulley wheel on the RD is missing half its rubber tire. The bearings feel dry but not crunchy. Can I - and should I - replace it with a modern pulley wheel? What kind?

What should I use to grease the Sprint pulley bearings? The same marine grease I'm using in the hubs & BB?

You should be able to get a replacement on flea-bay or even a replacement derailleur possibly NOS if you are patient. I think any kind of good quality grease should be fine. I used Phils green grease in the green tube on everything I did on both my Varsity and also in the current build up on a Continental. Using a modern pulley will depend on the mounting holes size and thickness as to whether it will bolt up.

I think I have a dozen or so similar derailleurs hanging around, with teeth on the jockey wheels and without. Slip me a PM and be the proud new owner of one of 'em for the low, low price of nothing. Well, if you want the whole thing we'll talk shipping.

Thanks! I've been considering the "whole thing" option because I'm having trouble getting it to retract fully so it can get the small cog. The parallelogram pivots seem to bind at about the 2nd cog. I've tried Triflow on them and it helped some, but not with the binding. Think I'll try WD-40. I checked the RD on the Continental and it does the same thing. Is this a known problem? Is there a known fix?

I'll drop you a PM when I figure out which bits I need.

Okay, the parallelogram is not binding - at least, not off the bike. On the bike it doesn't want to relax fully without encouragement. The (new) cable slides freely in the (original) housing. Could this be the result of compressible housing?