I'm taking some components off a '04 Marlin that was run over by a car and putting them on a '97 Marlin frame. When I took my bike to the local shop one of the guys told me the outer chainring on my crankset was tweaked from being run over--it needs to be replaced. I'm new to bike mechanics so I have a lot of questions about this.

1) The crankset I transfered over is a "Bontrager Select, 22/32/42 teeth" according to Bikepedia. Do I need to get a new outer chainring with the same # of teeth?

2) I've noticed most of the chainrings available on line are for 9 and 10 speed drivetrains. I wanted to use the rear cogs from my totaled '04 Marlin, which Bikepedia lists as "8-speed, 11 - 32 teeth". I've noticed most of the chainrings available on line are for 9 and 10 speed drivetrains. Will an outer chainring (and possibly middle one, too) listed as being for a 9 to 10 speed drivetrain work with my casette? I've done some on line research regarding this and there seems to be some disagreement. Apparently the bolt size and chain size are important factors?

3) Assuming that I can replace outer chainring with one listed as being for 9 speeds, will my old shifters (the ones from the '04 Marlin that accompanied the 8 speed drivetrain) work okay?

Thank you for your time.