greetings from the long distance backpacking community. i have just recently agreed to ride a bike across the country (USA), but to do this i really have to count pennies. so here i am reading every thread as well as any info i can find on maitinence on line. all the while eying my dads old faithful road bike from the 70's. this thing has a great, strong frame, fork, and handlebars. but the gears are a mess. firstly, its only a 10 speed. secondly , the front crank/cogs are all bent out of shape. i have determined through some research that i could stretch the 120mm frame easily enough in order to accomidate the wider hub that comes along with modern gear systems. but i havent found any info on cranks, namely if any old crank from nashbar is gonna be compatible with this oldie. will i need a bottom bracket too?

is this whole scheme feasable? i figure i got 300 bucks to do this.

what is the cheapest way to get this thing tour worthy? any recomendations or warnings about specific kinds of derailers, cranks, freewheel hubs, and so on? i have truly tried to inform myself as much as i can before coming to you guys, but still i am swimming in confusion. i simply need to get a shopping list of parts that will work and go from there, but this has proven difficult. any help is so, so, so appreciated. help me make my budget dreams come true.