I recently got my hands on an old used/abused Merckx bike.
It is so dirty it even has some traces of moss on it
The person I got it from, really didn't know any more info about it beside the fact that it was stowed away in some kinda barn of the house he is rebuilding.

From what i've read here I think that it is and old professional frame.
Is this a correct conclusion? And if so can someone date it?

The numbers/letters on the bottom bracket are really hard, close to impossible to read.
I think that they are a B on the left side, and the combination of the following numbers 9453 (last one could as well be a 7). On the right side slightly above the numbers is also a 5 or E placed.

Two weeks from now my vacation starts and I'm going to clean it entirely.
I would like to make it a period correct bike, what components do I have to fit on them?

There is some rust on the inside of the fork, where the paint is disappearing. I'd like to keep it in the colour that it is but the fork will probably have to be sandblasted and repainted. Or should I repaint the entire bike?






Some more pictures here => http://s1204.photobucket.com/albums/...deco27/Merckx/