• One other point while I'm here: those fork ends.

    For what it's worth I have a Gillot which has exactly the same combination of old style on the front and Campag at the rear. My frame has seen a lot of use in its seventy years of life, and quite a bit of modification. I'm almost certain that my rear ends are repacements fitted in the eighties when the frame was used by a clubmate as a geared training bike.

    I can't see a frame number on mine, and I guess that's because it was on the old fork end - have you found a frame number ? If there isn't one one the main frame, it probably was on the original rear fork end. There's probably a number on the steering tube, although I've never taken mine out to look.

    P.S. I would certainly add those bottle cage bosses.

  • The frame number on mine is on the bottom bracket and matches the steerer, identifying it as made in 1960. I think it moved from rear dropout to bottom bracket late 50s - sure exact year is on the classiclightweights site somewhere.

    I had worried exactly that though, mine has been through a few overhauls already. The rear dropouts are nicely brazed in though I think, and similarly to the front. Although only so many ways to peel an onion.

    resists searching for matching front dropouts on Ebay

    Edit - I think all the lettering will be lost in this respray, and the front do look like the lower tier Campag offering. Who knows, maybe they are contempory!

  • My Gillot dates from about 1950, so that seems to fit with your info.

    I certainly wouldn't bother to change the front fork ends.

    Pitting - It's not difficult to fill rust pitting, but it takes a bit of patience and you need to have the frame back after shot blasting if you're going to do it yourself. I would use a two pack polyester filler (eg Plastic Padding) and flat first with 180 grit then 320. If some one had asked me to have a frame back to fill it in this way, I would have been perfectly happy to give him the frame coated with yellow etch (anti rust) and let him get on with it. I guess enamellers nowadays must be working on something like £50 -£75 an hour, so this sort of filling would be expensive.

    Transfers - Waterslide transfers are not very durable. Gold size were the traditional type. There are various other types. If the transfers are going under stoved lacquer it is essential to know that they will take the heat without being ruined. One possibility is to hand paint over the transfers with air drying varnish

  • Gillott changed the position of the frame number in 1951 from both rear dropouts to underneath the BB. Consequently your frame number is in the correct position.
    Looking at some similar frames on MS Flickr page I suspect your rear dropouts are original there is definitely no reason to suspect they are not.
    As for the front dropouts, I'm not sure it does seem like a money saving excercise.

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