Repairing rusted chainstays on old Dawes

[stillstanden]

Hi.
This is my grandmother's beautiful old Dawes racer from the 60s/70s.
I intended to rebuild it to use as a commuter bike at uni. However I quickly discovered some really bad rust on the chainstays and a sizeable hole to boot. What I'm wandering is this - is it possible to fix this and who could I get to do it? Bear in mind that the clearance around the wheel (using 28mm tyres) is really minimal so any repair would have to be very precise and delicate so that the tyre wouldn't rub.
See photos below.

Thank you.

[DaveM]

Yeah, that's a little scary looking. It may not be that bad if other than the hole it's mostly surface rust. But it could also be a big weak spot in the frame. First step is to clean off all the rust with wire brush, sanding, etc. so you can see what is going on with the tube otherwise. A decent welder could probably reinforce the area so make it solid enough. Might not be "restoration" quality, but it sounds like you're just looking to make it usable. I'd ask local bike shops if they know anyone who has experience with repairing frames or even local welders who do more than just iron fences and big clunky stuff.

You should probably cut off the bolt holding the fender too and clean that area up as well.

[stillstanden]

(05-23-2016, 08:50 PM)DaveM Wrote:  Yeah, that's a little scary looking. It may not be that bad if other than the hole it's mostly surface rust. But it could also be a big weak spot in the frame. First step is to clean off all the rust with wire brush, sanding, etc. so you can see what is going on with the tube otherwise. A decent welder could probably reinforce the area so make it solid enough. Might not be "restoration" quality, but it sounds like you're just looking to make it usable. I'd ask local bike shops if they know anyone who has experience with repairing frames or even local welders who do more than just iron fences and big clunky stuff.

You should probably cut off the bolt holding the fender too and clean that area up as well.

Yes, I wasn't intending to make it sparkle. I just want to use it around town but I'll need enough strength in the frame to be able to ride over curbs etc. I'll ask around for someone who might be able to do some delicate welds. I'm in the highlands though so those kinds of specialised trades are hard to find.

Thanks for your response.