About eight months ago, I acquired an '87 Appel. It rides very well, handles, climbs excellently, etc. Aside from some rubbed-off paint, but no real evident rust, I wonder about how the frame is internally. Is the only way that I can tell if it is rusted internally is by stripping the frame down? I would like to get it repainted at one point, so maybe then would be the time, unless there is some other way to find out about the frame's condition.

Thanks