I have a similar raleigh sprite ... a 1967 with the sturmey archer 5 speed. Everything is original aside from the top stem that broke when a daewoo hit me.

But I've broken the original axle once, and after digging through boxes of bike parts found an axle that I could cut down to 3" and re-thread into the hub; but now that I've done all that the front wheel gets stolen.

So I guess what I'm asking is: is there a decent wheel I could buy that will fit my tiny 3" fork, or should I just get a new front fork?