I've got an old Claud Butler frame from the 60's that I'd like to refurbish.
It looks in fairly good shape structuraly, but the paint is in bad condition.
Here's a picture:
http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww240/wesyoung2009/Claud-Butler-Prugnat.jpg
There is a fair amount of surface rust, and the inside of the seatpost and bottom bracket shell are rusted too.
Could this weaken the frame at all? Is there much chance of it being dangerously weak?
I'm going to get it stripped then powder coated, so I'll ask them to do a throrough inspection for cracks/damage, but I've no experience in restoring old frames and don't want to be riding around on a death trap
What are your thoughts? Do frames generally get weaker with age or is there a good chance it's still strong?
It looks in fairly good shape structuraly, but the paint is in bad condition.
Here's a picture:
http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww240/wesyoung2009/Claud-Butler-Prugnat.jpg
There is a fair amount of surface rust, and the inside of the seatpost and bottom bracket shell are rusted too.
Could this weaken the frame at all? Is there much chance of it being dangerously weak?
I'm going to get it stripped then powder coated, so I'll ask them to do a throrough inspection for cracks/damage, but I've no experience in restoring old frames and don't want to be riding around on a death trap

What are your thoughts? Do frames generally get weaker with age or is there a good chance it's still strong?