Originally Posted by
ccrsy
You guys really give me the motivation to jump in on this.
One more consideration if you need to decide if repainting is going to be part of the bike's rehab (is the frame rusty?): Repaint and destroy the resale value or let rust destroy the frame. Frame surface preparation is 90-95% of the work of painting, so degreasing, sanding any rough spots, and having the frame bead blasted to remove all traces of original paint is mandatory. Fresh paint doesn't want to stick to the high gloss original paint. You might consider asking a small body shop to prime and paint the frame with auto paint. Or resort to rattlecans, but I can tell you it's not as easy as you might think. There are lots of nooks and crannies on a bike frame. You need several light coats and several days or a week to dry when you're done.