I'm new to this, but I did a fair amount of research. Any corrections or additional input will be greatly appreciated.

I'm currently building a bike (my first) and would like to keep costs down. This is the bike frame I purchased. It's a 700c frame. Can I reuse the fork (and headset) from a vintage 700c road bike I have laying around? Could the steering column width and length give me any issues?

Width

Do forks have any width compatibility requirements other than a matching headset? Does the steering tube's width matter at all? Most vintage racers have 1-inch diameters. Would a 1-inch fork fit any frame (provided the headset is made for 1-inch forks)/ Are there additional width-related issues to consider?

Length

The donor bike is a 52/53cm frame (it's way too small for me; I was sized for a 57cm frame). Could the donor bike's frame size (even though it has 700c wheels) impact my ability to transfer its fork to a larger-frame bike?

What am I missing?

Initially I thought that fork had to match the frame's steering tube width dimensions, but now I'm under the impression that the headset - not the frame's steering tube - is the most critical component that has to match up with the fork. This is my thinking: it's a 700c frame whose fork I'm reusing on a slightly larger, but newer frame. What am I missing?

Donor bike: