Worst onset of shipwright I have ever seen. Probably terminal. Having said
that here is my opinion in the "For what it's worth" section.
Scott, cars are only original once so when you start fixing things like
powder coating the frame they become "Restored." If you were to only repair
the
area where the hydraulic leak was then one could still possibly call the car
original with a very minor asterisk. If you respray the engine bay, redo the
brakes, exhaust, suspension, powder coat the frame, touch up the body paint,
etc., then it is no longer "original" as in not touched. If the person you are
having do your work is indeed a professional then you shouldn't have to worry
about a botchy result.
Given all of this and where you are in the project I would simply plow ahead
and do a complete restoration and do it correctly. Which is to say, fix the
body, do a complete respray in the original color, etc. Might cost a bit more
but then you have a solid car with no worries. Value wise I suppose it is
debatable. Speaking ONLY for myself I would pay more for a car that I knew was
recently restored and done correctly by a professional than for an original 30
year old car. Why? Because I like to drive them and enjoy them rather than
polish them. Any car will deteriorate with time. Rubber dries out, gaskets
crack & shrink, no oil moving around inside the motor, etc. I know and respect
that there is another school of thought so as I say the above is only my
opinion.
Cheers & welcome back to the list. Keep us posted!
Gary Fuqua
Branson, MO
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