I figure they go better with the rest of the Shimano than the Simplex guides on it now.

New fork is here, at least equal in quality if not a little better finish than the original.

Stripped the donor bike yesterday, headset and BB showed virtually no wear, it will all clean up very nicely. About a tablespoon of small brown seeds and 2 Goat's head thorns fell out of the frame when I pulled the BB.

Murray Missile , I'm very happy to find this thread as I've recently picked up a Carlton for my household. Really enjoyed your thinking here and wondered how you're getting on, particularly with the repaint. Mine has what I think is original paint in the team BMB subtle metallic blue, yellow and white, but it's in pretty rough shape and I'm pondering a process to you. Did you end up stripping/blasting and going with the metallic copper? How did it go? Were you able to get a color match?

Life's been a bit crazy lately so nothing has been done on Carlton, more unexpected medical issues, nothing life threatening or debilitating but damn scary just the same. Had an episode of "Transient Global Amnesia" earlier this month. Scary, scary stuff! Fortunately they said it's normally a one time occurrence but they have no idea what causes it. But now when I tell my wife I forgot I have the documents to prove it LOL. On a brighter note I did find a head badge yesterday, it's on it's way from the UK. Not perfect but acceptable, it's just beat up enough to pass for original. The frame will get stripped and media blasted. I thought I had a match for the copper but when I did a test spray it was totally different, the hunt for correct paint continues.

Scary indeed, best wishes for your recovery and certainly hoping it is indeed a one time occurrence. Nice score on the headbadge. Mine is the same crest, but faded, so I think the colors on yours are a bit richer. Keep us updated on the Carlton as and when life allows.

Duplicolor Metalcast orange:




It's sparkly in the sun.

That's what I tried, and while I really liked it it's not close enough to the original Carlton color. I may use it on my Gitane Interclub or a Peugeot PR-10 I have in serious need of paint though, it does sparkle nicely.