Making an old Raleigh MTB Roadworthy again

I dont know

Guys, just looking a few tips about the above.
Long story short – I’ve been carting my road bike up and down the motorway at weekends for ages and am getting tired of it. I use the road bike for long rides at the weekend down home but also the relatively short trip to & from the office during the week.
I want to just leave the road bike down home and use an old Raleigh Max for the weekdays cycle to work.
The problem is, it has been neglected for quite a while and needs a few things done to it. I’ve attached a few photos for an idea.

What I want to know is;
Wheels – Can they be ‘converted’ to use those easy release skewers? The back one is slightly bucked, when a certain point passes through the brake pads it stops. Should I get this repaired or just get a new wheel? I’ve had a look on ebay and there seems to be quite a lot of relatively cheap ones, I’m just afraid of getting the wrong thing!
Tyres look ok on it. They are 26x 1.96.
Chain/gears – They’re very rusted. I intend to just give them a good brushing and plenty of oil, Anything else I should do?
Bits of the frame have faded or are rusted. I was just going to spray paint it black. Any recommendations on the correct type paint to use?

Sorry for coming across as such a n00b, but I don't really know what I'm at

Images below;

CardinalJ

Quick release would be easy to do, but if its for commuting they make it a bit easier for someone to rob the wheel.

With regards to the buckle you could always try and pick a wheel up off another old bike. If you've a local bike shop they might have one they're waiting to throw out?