I bought this car last year and I need help to understand if there is value to it remaining un-restored and original or if I would be better off to just begin a slow restoration and do some updates to it. I'm looking at it from an investment standpoint as opposed to my forever car. I honestly feel bad about driving it because I don't want to put any more miles on it (~93K mi) and minimize further wear and tear.
The seller was the original owner and he said it was rear-ended in 1971 and repaired by the dealership (subcontracted to a local body shop). They used rivets where spot welds would have been used. Other than the rivets, the sheet metal work for the repair seemed pretty good but a light coat of bondo on the rear quarter shoulders has cracked over time. There are rust spots on the fender aprons and one in the passenger rear wheel well, but other than that, it is pretty solid. I sprayed those areas with Skyco Ospho to hopefully stop further deterioration since I took the pictures below. Any recommendations other than just sort of tapping the rust out of those areas and cutting metal for repair? I wondered if a small amount of aluminized filler would smooth it out nicely if it is not rusted through?
Any comments, good, bad, or ugly are welcome. I am open to "I would do this" responses :) Thanks!
