whoo!
Thanks to MountainDave I now have my bike 100% working.
A replacement front derailleur, and some simplex shifters ( not original, but they work )
I gotta dial in the derailleur a little but its pretty much done. I'd love to get the frame powder coated, but its just not quite worth it for me, and eventually i'd like to put gumwall tires on it, but that stuffs all just cosmetic.
I also tapped out my stronglites to accept modern pedals, as the stock ones were pretty beat up and its nice to use my good pedals on the bike.
I'll be sure to get some pictures up soon.