^ thanks. 'before' images are the one thing i most often forget to capture. i really couldn't believe the state of the bike when my buddy dragged it out of his car -- i was just thinking, 'scrap heap.' the plastic derailleurs looked like they had been sitting at the bottom of the ocean. i was really fortunate everything worked out -- especially with the chain rings in good order and salvaging the pedals. replacement french sized stuff can be so expensive.