Can't you use one of those saver things. Looks like a chain ring bolt with thread on inside that you first attach to the drop out then attach mech as normal? Awful description sorry!
Hey thanks Rod, just white spirits followed by t-cut and when that run out finished off with brasso and a lot of elbow grease.
Slowly reassembling it now bit by bit, just ordered some new cables online, need to get a chain and maybe a rear tyre too.
It's slowly taking shape and I'm into it more and more. I put some almost new Ritchy grips on it from the spares and like the contrast of new parts on the old well used bars, so much so I'm considering using some almost new Avid brakes and SRAM x4 flat bar shifters and rear mech I have from a old hybrid I used to use for work. Will see how the old deore stuff turns out first but find it hard to believe these brakes are going to feel safe compared to modern standards and I'm not that positive about the shifters ever working again either, we'll see. So far the current total spend is £5.88 for new straddle cables, cable inners and outers - bargain!
Good score. Looks like a 1993 Tufftrax. If it is be careful with the seat post - this would normally take a 26.2 and something like 27.2 is at risk of getting stuck after a while.
Looks like you found the magic ratio - what size chainring & cog did you use?