I am rebuilding a 1977 Fuji S-10-S. I love to ride old steel as I like the feel and general give of the frame. I want to use a group set from the same vintage but desire something that is much better than the Suntour Honor/GT set that came on the bike. I have a Suntour Seven set that I may be able to use but would prefer better quality. What should I aim for when assembling the parts for this bike? Yes, I know the freewheel and chain will need to be new, or NOS if possible.

If you like Suntour, look for some Cyclone parts. You can find them routinely on ebay, or pick up a donor bike and swap parts between the two of them.

Do a search on Suntour, someone posted a good recap on their hierarchy.

I wouldn't waste time trying to find NOS. NOS parts tend to be hard to find, and pretty pricey.

Cyclone is a good upgrade. Truthfully I think the best derailleurs are the older Shimano mountain units. The Deore/LX seem to be the workhorse. I think the pivots and cages are nicely made and hold up great.

Its time to upgrade the old derailleurs. For the 77 I'd recommend Cyclone or VX. For non period Shimano MTB parts work great. The cranks are awesome. Not too heavy but not light.

I'm with Sore Feet here.

+2. Deore would give you a better selection of gearing also.