Wanted to thank you guys for your insights on frame repair, particularly Brian Baylis, very informative. It looks like my best bet will be to just get the drops, tips, and lugs rechromed and paint the frame like original. It is really great for a newbie amature to be able to get advice from real professionals.
I usually prefer to keeps bikes as original as possible, but felt it might be too costly and not have good results on my old 69. It will still be a learning experience and I think I will explore brazing by trying to build some racks.
John Guerry
Ballwin, MO, US