27" wheels aren't necessarily bad because if you replace them with 799c, you now have clearance for huge tires and fenders. Replace the brakes with old Mafacs and you are ready to go. Those bikes always had horizontal dropouts so conversion to ss/fixed is easy.

If you are commuting seriously, brifters are a very mixed blessing. They turn very routine crashes and slides from road rash, new bar tape and $40 brake lever into multi hundred dollar events. The DT shifters downplayed above never get trashed in crashes (in 190,000 miles of riding, I have never done it or heard of it) and always work after the crash. Also work with whatever replacement wheel you can stuff in the frame to keep the bike running.

Ben