Originally Posted by
Crang
Im new to wrenching on bikes so wanted a project. Had done a couple old trucks but going through the learning curve here. Lots of specialty tools I dont have yet to be sure. Got a free beat to hell frame off Craigslist Free so seemed like a good place to start to get experience. It is my size and I think it has the potential to come out nice but at this point Ive got nothing in it so if I screw up, wont be crying.
...you're on the right track. If you want a 130mm wheel in there, the time to do your cold setting is now, before you invest in paint or powdercoat. Some other things you might want to consider at this point is seatpost fit in the seat tube. (Sometimes, on an older frame that has been rode hard and put away wet, the seat lug is a little distorted, from someone fitting the wrong size post and tightening it down to make it work. The only really satisfactory solution is to ream it out round again,)
You can put off aligning the derailleur hanger for later, when you have a good rear wheel. It's not a big job. And you should check out the threading in the bottom bracket shell, to see that it's not boogered up. You can usually fix that, but it's PIA to have something all painted up, and then discover the only way you can make it work is with a threadless BB.
I used to build up project frames to rideable, before painting, just to see if there was anything I might discover in that process that needed fixed. This is also a good time to get someone to put in down tube bottle braze ons, if the frame is old enough that it doesn't have them.