First, WELCOME to Pelican
You will find a lot of help here.
Wonderful story, glad you recovered it.
Yes, “It is a lifer.”
This is worth keeping close to how your mom had it.
Yes, if you want to play ‘hotrod’, buy a ’75 or earlier to avoid the CARB ‘Smog Nazis’.
Spend some time searching the archives.
You will find a lot of accounts of successful projects (and a few others).
Learn from others successes (and missteps).
Plan.
Best,
Grady