Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
Slow down there, 65er. 753 frames are not something to approach blithely. When I was brazing 753 frames at Trek, Reynolds told us the *only* tube that they would consider replaceable was a chain stay, and even then they didn't sound too keen about it.
That frame has a lot of problems. Not only has it taken front-end damage, but it appears somebody attempted a welded repair. I'd consider it a basket case.
Given the "wishbone" rear stays, it is conceivable that you could remove that from the main triangle, leaving the BB shell attached to the chain stays to minimize heat damage to the chain stays, toss the seatube and lug and entire head tube/top tube/down tube assembly and build a new frame around the rear stays.
Will let the boss assess things and if I end up with a salvage project and a sexy rear triangle for another project so be it.
The lack of any bent tubes makes me think that the top head lug separated from the top tube... pretty scary if one had been riding the bike.
Personally... I'd take a frame made of pretty much any other tubing... my Moulden mtb (local builder) was built with 853 and is a stellar frame.