First Timer 80s Raleigh Conversion

• I wouldn't trust a seatpost that had been subject to aggressive removal: do yourself a favour and bin it.
  
• Stop fucking about with the paint: it's fine. This was, is and always will be a "beater". Stick the money in your piggy bank for the next build.
  
• Don't fuck about with the braze-ons: all you will do is make it less versatile and it will never be whatever it is you think it will be, minus braze-ons.
  
  

You know the scrotes who have spent more on shit accessories and tacky colour-coordinated tat than the actual car is worth? Who could have spent their money on a decent motor, rather than a world of naff trying to turn a Nova 1.0l into a Golf VR6?

Build this as cheaply as possible; ride it much as possible; then build a 2.0 with a nice frame, a nice paintjob and quality components using what you have learned from 1.0.

I'm in a similar position - I sold my Paddywagon as I now have a skip-find of an old road bike which has at some point been bodged into a single-speed (still has a double chain ring on the front).

The wheels are shot - I've chucked the front already and I'm in two minds about the rear, which does seem to be much newer and in better condition.

The paintwork is pretty shabby, although the frame seems sound.

So I'm going to get the cheapest flip-flop wheelset I can find (126mm spacing at the rear) and reuse as much else as I possibly can.

I thought about getting it powdercoated but, as the man says, do this one on the cheap as a beater and think about doing a fancier job on the next one once I have a better feel for what I want.