Originally Posted by
gomango
Welcome to the forum!
Couple of items.
The original finish is very nice and distinctive.
Decals look great.
Lots of conversations happen about these nice old framesets at coffee shops, while a powdercoat would take away that original charm.
I would use oxalic acid to remove the rust and just color match as close as possible to protect the metal.
As far as turning it into a fixie, go for it.
Just don't grind anything off the frame.
...and keep the extra parts in a box on a shelf. You'll be happy you did when you get bored with a fixed gear bicycle.
My kids surely did.
The drop out issue can be remedied quickly and if you lived near me, I would do it for you.
That being said, have someone do it that is competent. Too easy to snap it if you're ham fisted.
One more tip. Run it with a front brake.
Have fun, looks like a great project.
Thanks! I definitely don't plan on grinding anything. I just thought a freash paint job would look great. So far, I have removed the brakes and derailleurs, and plan on removing the crank and handlebars today. Any advice on cleaning them up? The is a little bit of rust on the derailleurs and I would love to make everything look shiny again. I've never done anything like this, so I don't want to just start randomly trying things and end up messing something up.