I was given a Varsity the other day. I was thinking of making it a a gravel grinder / backup commuter. I am not putting much money into it (tear down, gease, new cables, tape and going with the kenda k161 cross tires).

I think that I want to get rid of the chain guard and the large ring and make it a 1x5. My question is will I need to leave the FD on to act as chain guide?

The frame has a lot of chips but doesn't really have rust (it does have the expected rust on some of the chrome). The person who gave it to me purchased it from a yard sale 3+ years ago. I don't think he ever did anything to it. The bike itself appears to have been ridden in the past and has had a series of replacement parts: Weinmann levers, dia compe center pull brakes, the front wheel is alloy the stem does not appear to be original. The chain, tires and brake pad look relatively new.