I`m starting to tear down everything on my 185s so I can have the frame blasted and repainted. I was looking at the chain and it appears to be held together by rust so it`s gotta go.
When I was still riding it, the front sprocket which was a 11 tooth count had a lot of slop in it so I replaced it with a new 12 tooth sprocket. I lubed it up and it too has some play in it, is this common? or will it cause a problem later? if so can I do anything about it?
I realize going to a 12 tooth count moved the ratio from a 3.73:1 ratio to a 3.42:1 ratio, but I liked the higher ratio better. Any tips on this appreciated.

 

I'm not quite sure, but does your last sentence imply that you are unhappy with the lower ratio (less low-end torque) of the 12-tooth front sprocket? The more teeth you add to the front sprocket, the less torque you'll have. Conversely, fewer teeth in the rear sprocket means more high-end speed. When changing ratios, its best to do it on rear sprocket because you have so many teeth to play with which means you'll spread out any added stress better. However, there is usually enough range in a chain tension adjustment to accommodate a teeth or two difference in a front sprocket and the results will be noticeable. Numerous articles about sprocket gearing ratios can be found by searching for "sprocket gearing ratio"

You didn't mention if you replaced the chain and/or rear sprocket. As for play, are you referring to the chain to sprocket or sprocket to shaft? I suspect probably the former. When replacing chain and sprockets it's a good idea to replace the chain and both sprockets all at once. A sloppy and stretched chain can quickly wear out a new sprocket and vice versa.