Classic & Vintage - 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix Womens Upgrade help...

Hey guys!! I'm about to buy this beautiful Raleigh Grand Prix:love:, and it clearly needs some help, but I want to make sure I give it what it needs - I'm no expert on the subject, and Sheldon's site only helped me to understand that there are proprietary parts on this bike, so I'm hoping someone here can help a little further :)
Pictures are here :
https://www.gotonirvana.com/david4/P1010132.JPG
https://www.gotonirvana.com/david4/P1010133.JPG
https://www.gotonirvana.com/david4/P1010134.JPG
The original specs can be seen here:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/1977/images/05-77-grand-prix.jpg
Clearly it's going to need some help around the rear hub, I'm thinking new rear derailleur?, new chain (obviously, lol), new cranks, tires, tubes...I haven't seen it in person yet but I'm thinking the bearings in the bottom bracket might not be good? Also, I would like to upgrade the shifting system and am not sure if I would be able to? (the shifters on the stem get kind of annoying and inconvenient) I don't want to spend a whole lot on this but don't mind sinking a few hundred on the project.
What do you guys think this is going to cost me?
Any help or suggestions on the matter are so greatly appreciated :o Happy riding!!

What I see is a bike that needs new tires (tubes and rim strip would be a good idea), repack bearings with grease and lube up (perhaps replace) the chain and take her for a spin. The drive train does not look to be in a bad shape to me. Why do you want to replace the cranks?

If you ride it and like it you could swap the wheels for ones with alloy rims and perhaps bar end shifters to replace the stem shifters. I think it would sharp with a set of North Road bars in place of the drops.

I'd disassemble, clean and relube ALL the bearings, including the freewheel, headset, crank, hubs, both derailleurs, etc. Even the brake caliper and lever pivot points and shift levers should be looked at.

Most of the rust looks cosmetic to me. Coat the rusted areas with some oil or a thin grease film to try and stabilize them.

I would soak the chain and freewheel in oil/solvent, clean them off, wipe off the excess and use them as-is for now. That is, unless the chain is frozen.

Ditch the kick stand (get rid of it).

Remove that stupid outer chain ring guard.

It's easy to move the shift levers to the down tube but not so easy reach them there. I'd wait on this one.

Get rid of all those dumb reflectors and brackets.

Get a decent seat.

If they really are steel rims, replace them with a good aluminum rim and use a good tire. If you are going to spend more money, spend it upgrading the rims and tires.


P.S. - great find, it is very "clean".

What I see is a bike that needs new tires (tubes and rim strip would be a good idea), repack bearings with grease and lube up (perhaps replace) the chain and take her for a spin. The drive train does not look to be in a bad shape to me. Why do you want to replace the cranks?

If you ride it and like it you could swap the wheels for ones with alloy rims and perhaps bar end shifters to replace the stem shifters. I think it would sharp with a set of North Road bars in place of the drops.

I guess I was thinking of replacing the cranks based on purely cosmetic reasons - they looked rusty lol. Shows how much I know :P
I do like the North Road bar idea....

Thank you thank you thank you! Can't wait! I'll be sure to post some pics when the project is all finished :)

When you redo the bearings, it is much better to replace them. Loose ball bearings are cheap, even if you buy them at the local bike shop.

Looks like you found a nice clean Raleigh!!

What I see is a bike that needs new tires (tubes and rim strip would be a good idea), repack bearings with grease and lube up (perhaps replace) the chain and take her for a spin. The drive train does not look to be in a bad shape to me. Why do you want to replace the cranks?

If you ride it and like it you could swap the wheels for ones with alloy rims and perhaps bar end shifters to replace the stem shifters. I think it would sharp with a set of North Road bars in place of the drops.

+1

Exactly what I was going to suggest - along with perhaps a bit of silver touch-up paint to dress up the scratches on the stays.

The chain guard, reflectors and kickstand? I don't care for them either, but if they make sense for how you use the bike, they could possibly be worth keeping. The saddle? Keep it if you like it, but chances are you could find something you like better.