Originally Posted by KonradNYC
Well, I just went for a short test ride with the chain on the outer chainring. Everything worked but since the chainline is really far off, there is some noise. I'm sure it will wear the parts down faster, but I don't see why that would be a big deal since these are trash parts and I'm planning to correct the chainline with new parts.
How far can your chainline be off before you start to run into trouble?
If I can get my hands on a grinder, I think I'll go with kemmer's suggestion and make the outer ring into a chainguard. That'll look good and get my chainline straighter.
Harbor Freight has grinders for like 6 bucks or something silly like that. You could probably get a cheap one elsewhere if you don't have a Harbor Freight near by. It's a VERY handy tool to have, you might be glad to have it when you want to remove those cottered cranks.