Hi All, many thanx for all the help, I've taken a look at websites, which while were good still has made the job hard in getting a date, & just about as hard to get a model worked out. I do have some close up pix, but not any overview ones yet, must get that done soon.
Here are a few basics as best I can mention them, Notingham England oval headbadge, serial # on LHS dropout U7734, 26.8mm seatpost size, decals are for butted 531 tubing but then again they could always have been fitted at a later date, strange it has a 70mm ENG threaded BB shell thou complete with grease zerk on the underside of the BB shell also locating a plastic sleeve on the inner, well put it this way if I took the paint of it would get down to 70mm, only found this out when I went to fit a BB the other day & it was loose in the bearings. Never struck a 70mm ENG BB in my life then in 1 week heard about another. I'm sure mine would be a English spec frame with the headlight braze on the RH forkblade inc the original chromed bolt & mudguar d eyelets on all dropouts. I doubt the Tange headset was fitted when made. Made for 27" wheels & nutted brakes, probally 120mm spacing on the rear, although with the 126mm on the back now it does look good. Was not made for centrepull brakes.
When looking at the MK IV Professional on the link below, mine has the same lug treatment and same chrome treatment, but mine also had chromed head lugs. Also mine does not have the nice rear dropouts that this one does, mine are thin plain ones without any name & NO deraileur hanger.
http://www.retroraleighs.com/
This note was also on the website, and would match the serial #, but then
again is 26.8mm a butted tube section?
>Note: Some of the mid-60's straight guage 531 frames had serial numbers
starting with a single letter which was towards the end of the alphabet.
This below was also taken from that website,
>The Raleigh Professional
>The Raleigh Professional was the top of the line among Raleigh's productio
n
bikes. It was in many ways a tribute to the Italian designs of the era, wit
h
its elegantly simple lugwork and Cinelli-style sloping fork crown.
So if mine is butted tubing & a Professional model, why does it have the serial # that it does, I doubt that anyone would have gone to the effort an d $$$$ to chrome what is now chrome after the frame left the factory.
I'm happy to say it was from the 60's, esp after looking at all the braze ons and the general overview of it all.
I will list all braze ons below,
Small sheild shaped lump to prevent gear lever band slipping on the down tube. Headlight mounting on the RH forkblade located in the chromed section. Rear brake cable eyelets 2 at the front & 1 at the rear on the top tube all located on the RHS. 2 pump pegs on the seat tube. 1 front deraileur outer cable eyelet at the bottom of the downtube on the LHS. Rear deraileur cable goes thru a bend shaped item on the top of the BB shel l on the RHS then the outer cable eyelet is on the top of the RHS chainstay i n the chromed section.
Someone at some stage has carefully hand painted it in red, making sure no t to paint over the 531 & Raleigh decals, so original colour hard to guess, i t just all looks red, so thinking it left the factory that way.
So after looking & reading what I have, I think I have some sort of Professional, probally and English spec one, & most likely from the 60's. But due to the inability to confirm my serial # we will never now for sure.
Soon It will be on the road again, probally going to cut the BB shell back to 68mm so I can get a BB to fit, then I can be fixed wheel on the road again.......regards wayne davidson Invers NZ............