Ironically, 2 weeks ago I bought my first Centurion Elite RS. The frame is in the best condition of any vintage bike I’ve owned. I went by the dump and got this bike for Free! Another Elite RS, but in the worst shape of any bike I’ve ever owned period. There are a few components I can salvage, but the frame is very rusty, especially around the BB and the finish is waay beyond the touch-up phase that I have just begun to do on bikes. The thing is, the frame appears straight, and having experienced the wonderfully smooth ride of the other, I could see putting some time and money into trying to save this one. I’ve had good results with Oxy on rust, but have not tried it on one this bad. I’ve never stripped and repainted a frame before either, but this just might be the frame to try a repaint on.

Any suggestions, or should I just salvage what I can and take the frame back to the dump?

Show us this terrible rust you speak of... If this thing is your size, clean it up, OA the rust, and make it a bad weather bike?

Also, back to the dump is somewhere that frame should NOT go (unless there is structural damage from the rust or something else you discover)

What does the sticker inside the frame, on the silver tube say? The one just below the seatpost clamp but facing forward? What does the sticker on the fork say, on the outside of where the tire passes through the fork?

I've never seen a frame or parts that I wouldn't re-use for myself. I've got 8spd campy RD that has major rash over the cage and parellelogram, still functions fine. I think 99% of frame rust is cosmetic. Unless you can push a finger through rust holes, I'd spray it with framesaver and build it up. If appearances matter, give it a rattlecan job in a dark color and call it good.

my $0.02

That's a Tange 2 frame. No way should that be discarded. A Seafoam Centurion is not common. I'd try to salvage as much of that paint as I could. You could make use of the accent color, silver, to mask the rust after sanding it down. That's what I'd do.

They are both Tange 2, or Champion 2 if you want to use the old name before they changed. Using the serial # decoder on Sheldon's site, it's an 85. The nicer one I have is an 86 using the same same, but both have the same tubing.

It's crap...give it to me

Sandblast and powdercoat. Less than $50 for one color frame-and-fork in my neck of the woods.

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If you really really can't cope with the rust, or if the bike is the wrong size for you, then sell it. Do not take it back to the junkyard.

Care to give me the name and number of such a place? PM if you don't want to share it publicly for some reason.

I will not take it back to the Junk Yard, I promise. That is the point of this thread. I want to SAVE this frame from it's obvious recent mistreatment in the hands of the unappreciative. I care! This bike was about as close as you can get to being run-over by a bulldozer. I do not have pictures of the rust, but as bad as it is, I know I can remove it with OA. I just haven't had any experience removing and repainting a bike. I'm just trying to get an idea of the best way to go.

in Better shape than many of mine

there are some parts worth a few bux on that frame. I'd Cash in and keep the wheels as spares. If the frame's not your size Sell it too (to me, or give it to mickey85)

besides you've already got one in the stable...variety is the spice of life. Use the proceeds to buy some really nice tires and some doodads for your nice Centurion.

It appears to be completely salvageable and you could definitely turn it around and make a few bucks off of it you choose so (:wink. To be honest, I've seen listings on Ebay with bikes in worse condition than that asking upwards of $900. Even if it is a PX10, clean it up first like any other decent cyclist would!

I'm sorry I don't have close-up pics of the bad areas. It seems that some of you think that it just needs a good cleaning. The rust has taken most of the paint away from the BB lug and in many areas you can see bubbling rust under the paint.

if its crumbling metal then its shot for riding. Perfect for practice painting though.

These are the only other pics I have, but they don't really show how bad it is.

is the cable guide rusted off?

I see surface rust, but I don't think it looks terminal based on those photos.

No, it is not terminal otherwise I wouldn't have wasted the C&V Forums time. Amazingly, the cable guides are intact. It my opinion, the metal is still good. Having never gone this deep into a restoration, I'm trying to gleen the best approach. I love the color. I just think in order to save the frame, the paint will have to be removed then repainted and I've never done either.

Steel forgives. Have it sandblasted and powdercoated. A coater can show you literally 100+ colors from which to choose. It'd cost at least $100 in my neck of the woods.

I would pay that and often wish I was back in your neck of the woods being an Evansville born boy.

Just curious, which color would you choose?

I would suggest getting it powdercoated, but do an OA bath first and do framesaver afterwards.

Just be aware that powdercoating can be pretty thick, and will make installing things on the frame a PITA.

It can turn into a money pit if you decide to get a new headset, BB, etc... Possibly need to have the surfaces faced because of the powdercoat, but you will end up with a new bike, essentially.

might be a dumb question but...is it possible to do a 2 tone powder coat?

So you can keep the original scheme of Head tube-Seat Tube in an alternate color.

Know your talking. refacing head tube and BB tube would have to be done after a repaint. What else should I be concerned about?

Wow! That would be the bee's knees (Sorry to use that old timey reference), but I just know it means mo' money.