I've already enlisted Charlie's help. I'm going to take the bike over to him on the 23rd. He said it would be about $75, which doesn't seem too bad. Of course, he hasn't seen anything except a photograph yet. I tried to find some NOS rear dropouts - I thought that might be more secure than filling in what's there, and how much more could it be to buy and have the dropouts replaced, another $75? But there doesn't seem to have been anyone with huge boxes of unused Raleigh dropouts sitting around.

Still, my $120 Craigslist find is growing more expensive by the week.

I have the frame almost stripped down. I couldn't get the fixed cup off, even with the Bikesmith tool for it, but I have the bottom bracket off. Everything looks rust-free in there. The kickstand had flattened the chainstays a little bit, (of course), but nothing that seems too bad. It's probably been ridden that way for decades. And there are a few little dents here and there, but nothing major.

I have thought about getting Charlie to sandblast and powdercoat the frame, since I will pretty much have everything off, (and could probably have him pull and put back the headset). However, I kind of like the patina of the black spray paint haphazardly applied over the original green, which shows through here and there. I just have to decide how to cover up the bare and rusty spots. Luckily, the rust is superficial. A nice durable clear coat would be fun.