Originally Posted by
Carvingtr
My father has a early 70s Super Course which has lots of sentimental value to him. He has mentioned several times that he would like to get the bike back in riding condition or even do a restoration. My mother and I have decided to surprise him by getting this done before Christmas this year. My biggest concern is with the condition of the paint, there is plenty of surface rust, so the finish will either have to be stabilized and left in it's current state or completely refinished. While my biggest concern is with the paint
...paint is an issue a lot of people agonize over. At this point, given your description and your father's desire for what appears to be a ride, not a period restoration, you can either go with powdercoat (which has some disadvantages if the person who does it is not careful with the threading and the fork crown race in masking them....it's difficult to find the tools to restore these on Raleigh proprietary threading, which your bike probably has.) Or you can just strip the paint using a chemical stripper, lose the chrome by sanding it (which deals also with the rust, ) prime it with a self etching automotive primer, anc colorcoat and decal it with replacement decals from Velocals, or maybe H Lloyd. Your final step for a first class and durable paint job would be to clear coat the whole thing with a two part epoxy clear like
this stuff. Needless to say it's a lot of work, and some people just sub it out, but it's not cheap.
Originally Posted by
Carvingtr
my biggest questions are about hardware.
The bike has Simplex shifters and derailleurs that are in terrible shape and will need to be replaced, I have read that these can be replaced with Raleigh branded Suntour units but I am not sure which ones are a direct fit.
...as stated above, with a claw mount like these bikes used, almost any old derailleurs will work.
Originally Posted by
Carvingtr
The brakes are center pull Weinmann units and look to be in serviceable condition. The brake pads will obviously need to be replaced, is there a recommended brand pad that fits these better than others?
...solid brakes, the recommendation for Kool Stop pads is a good one, but there are many brands you can use.
Originally Posted by
Carvingtr
I removed the stem and fork over the weekend and in the process lost most of the bearing balls, can these be replaced with caged bearings or do the balls have to be loose in the race?
...loose bearings are much more easily sourced for this use. make sure you measure one of the remaining ones and use the right size.
Originally Posted by
Carvingtr
I have yet to remove any parts of the drive train and plan on getting some of that done this coming week, the chain rings look to be in good shape and will probably just need to be cleaned up, but the fasteners holding them together are rusted and one is missing. Does anyone know what size bolts are in the factory chain rings?
...if your bike is old enough to have a cottered crank, this might require some looking. If it already has a cotterless crank, the chainring bolts are pretty standard. You'll get better answers with photos posted somewhere.
Originally Posted by
Carvingtr
The rear gears are pretty rusty and I'm not sure if they can be saved. Are these a cassette or free wheel and is there a direct replacement for them? Also is a modern chain going to be compatible with the original drive train components or is it going to be better just to try and retrofit a full modern drive train to the bike?
...these had freewheels. Sourcing them and a chain that fits your setup is not a problem, they are readily available.
Once you have the whole thing apart, start putting photos in your thread. You'll get more accurate information, and it's easier to respond. The headset and fork threading are most probably Raleigh proprietary threading (most of these were.) As is most probably the BB and spindle cup threading. They did vary some (depending on where made), and many of them have been modified over the years. Without some pictures it's very hard to give specifics other than to try very hard not to **** up the headset and BB threading as you disassemble it.