Newbie frame advice (and now project)

As you can see from the last few shots that after 30 years the paintwork has seen better days. Once I've got the stem out it will be sent to the powdercoaters.

Can anyone recommend a powder coaters and chrome platers near Leamington Spa, maybe in Coventry or Birmingham.

It's a cool frame, made from decent tubing, but you only paid £60 for the F&F. Spending another £60 on powdercoating isn't worth it. Spending another £50-200 on whatever bits you want chromed really isn't worth it.

I know you're probably not going to listen but that frame ***IS ***in perfectly good condition, especially for 30yrs. The *last *thing it needs is a respray. If you want a gerneric powdercoated lugged road frame, I think you'd have been better off just buying one.

You'll **never **get that paint job back and it looks wicked. Yes it's your bike and your money, but I guarantee you'll regret it.

Every single piece of 'damage' can be protected, touched up, or covered up. The first pic I've quoted will be covered by the rear brake cable. The second, will be covered by the crankset - so just treat it and touch it up. The third, really won't notice and you could touch it up.

At some point later I'll edit my post with my Mercian illustrating the difference some elbow greese and tcut can make.

I don't mean to go on, but people always, always, say "the frame needed to be resprayed because of the condition", and 9/10 times they're just wrong.

Your bike will get knocked and scratched as you ride it. You just need to get used to it. If it was an uber-rare frame to build period correct for sunny Sunday afternoons only, I'd understand. But it's not.

At the end of the day its your bike and your money, but just try treating and touching up the paint first, then decide. Please.