Bicycle Mechanics - Converting 6 speed to 8 speed?

A friend of mine has an 8 speed Campagnolo Athena groupset that he wants to give me. My bikes is a 6 speed equipped with Shimano 600 and 27 inch wheels. I want to make this conversion as cheaply as possible. A new wheel set and long reach brakes should do, right? And do I need some kind of kit to convert the bike from downtube shifting to Ergopower? Also, the frame is a mid 80's Lotus Unique. I think I may have to have the dropouts "stretched" for lack of a better word to accommodate the new cassette. If I'm missing anything, please let me know. Thanks in advance

It might be easier to just get another frame that fits you and accepts the gruppo. Unless you just don't want to part with your frame (excellent fit, sentimental value, etc.) With such a nice parts set, you're not doing yourself any favors by retrofitting backwards. Sorta like butchering a Volkswagon to get a V-8 to fit. It might be possible, but is it worth it? And the notion of "spreading" (the rear triangle?) to get the wider hubset to fit doesn't inspire my confidence. Just my humble opinion.

1. You need a rear Campagnolo hub that is compatible with Athena to rebuild the wheel. You can reuse the existing rim, but need new spokes.
2. The front wheel needs no change.
3. You can use old brakes if you stay with 27" wheels.
4. In order to convert to Ergopower, you need Ergopowers and downtube cable stops: http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=942263528118&d=single&c=Repair-Parts&sc=Frame-Parts&tc=Down-Tube-Cable-Stops&item_id=SH-67B9100
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/Product_Images/SH-67B9100.jpg
5. Dropouts can be stretched from 126mm to 130mm using a wooden board http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

And the notion of "spreading" (the rear triangle?) to get the wider hubset to fit doesn't inspire my confidence.
People do this all the time

A link how to do it is number 5. in the above post

People do this all the time

A link how to do it is number 5. in the above post

+1 Coldsetting the frame is no big deal. Just be gentle; you can generate a lot of leverage and you don't want to overdo it. You're only talking about 2mm on each side, which ain't much. More conservatively, you can probably spread the dropouts enough to put the new wheel in without coldsetting, unless you're concerned about quick wheel changes in a race or something.