Originally Posted by capnjonny

Every Wednesday when I go in to the Bike exchange to drop off what ever I have been working on I seem to come away with another bike in need of restoration This week I dropped off a 1979 Centurion Elite I repainted in a stunning black metallic . siting in the back was this somewhat thrashed Bianchi. My best guess is it's a 1982 Champione Del Mundo. it is all Campi, including the hubs, derailleurs, shifters, brakes and brake levers. It has 3ttt bars and a unmarked stem with Campi head set. The paint as shown is good/ bad, with the rear triangle and top tube badly scratched and marked but the seat , down, and head tubes pretty good with intact decals. The big bad is the fork which is bent.

We have a fork straightening tool at the shop so hopefully I can get it right. I have gotten serious flack in the past for repainting bikes (it is only original once) . My thought, since it is black , is to repaint the rear triangle and maybe the top tube and clean/ clear coat everything else.

Questions:
Is this a high end Bianchi?
Should I try to improve the appearance by a partial repaint or just clean and wax and let all the flaws show. ?
The bike has a bianchi branded fluted seat post. My bike shop friend says it is a rare item and wants it for one of his projects. He wants me to trade it for a Campi seat post. Should I do it. He gives the bike exchange lots of very nice trade in bikes for us to fix up and sell.