[QUOTE=scorcher]Can a modern, standard road bike fork be installed in a old schwinn varsity frame

The varsity has a threaded fork, and these are readily available. If you still have the old fork, just
measure the length of tube above the crown of the fork and that is the length you look for. There used to be a number of different threadings available, but Italian and French threaded forks will be fairly sparse in the US, not unavailable but sparse. English threading is what you want and is the default
threading. Steel or aluminum forks are what you get. Somebody probably makes a carbon threaded but
the price would be insane and I have never seen a reference.
If you want a threadless fork, (not advisable as it makes no sense) then a 1" threadless size is compatible
with the varsity. You will need a threadless headset ($) and a new stem ($) in addition to the fork. The bar diameters have drifted to larger sizes at the clamp over the years so you might even need a new bar. You would have more money in just the headset than the bike is worth. Threadless forks come with a fairly long tube, and this is cut to length before installing to fit the bike. Steve