Grocery bikes for a WSD body?

[OakLeaf]

Part of me would really like to take my old custom race frame and turn it into a commuter rather than let it collect any more dust. But the expense, compared to the cost of a new complete bike, makes it really not worth the effort (never mind I'm really scared about spreading the drop-outs on a bike that was built for a 6-speed freewheel hub).

Would I do best to get an aluminum WSD road bike that I can clamp a rack onto? I've got really short arms (especially short humeri) so I'm nervous about a non-WSD bike. Back in the day I had tens of thousands of miles on non-WSD frames, but for some odd reason I'm not as young as I used to be and fit is more of a concern.

I have about 16 miles of pretty steep hills between home and the grocery store (and I'd want to be able to get back home before the groceries spoil ), so whatever I get needs to be reasonably light and accommodate pretty low gearing. I'd consider swapping out a cassette and RD for a mountain setup, but I'd be happier if I didn't have to make any changes other than outfitting and fit tweaks.

Any suggestions?