1960 Valiant Restore: advice welcomed.

She has been sitting in the shop for six weeks now, but so far Jim got the speedometer cable, and it's gear, replaced, NOS speedometer installed, oil sending unit replaced, fuel gauge working.

The big issue was the fuel tank. Jim predicated that after 60 years it would have significant interior corrosion from water condensation. There are zero NOS fuel tanks for a 60 Val, but I was not opposed to some aftermarket thing that would strap in. However, Jim went the route of chemically removing the corrosion and applying an interior sealant. Said there were no perforations, so had that going. It's back in with its new sending unit. So far the tab is $1700, which may be a lot or a little, but then I don't know anyone else doing this kind of work. And taking into account that money is increasingly worthless, I'm not worried it's out of line.

The next hurdle is to repair or replace the original radiator. It doesn't leak, but apparently they are prone to becoming badly clogged over time. His assistant recommends pitching it and replacing it with a new aluminum radiator. I'm not opposed to that notion, if it gives me an added layer of protection from overheating, but the old one seems intact, so what is the consensus?

Also on the to-do list is replacing a relay that is corroded and not allowing the horns to work. There are two, and both are located deep under the front, which Jim says is a peculiar design that exposes them to water splash. Both are non-functional. So, I picked up a $17 replacement at O'Reilley's. Will get mounted on the left front wheel well.

Lastly, got a local estimate to replace the interior top to bottom, which is pretty thrashed. $6,000. For that they better grease the tracks and replace the dome light bulb.

I live on the border of Juarez, Mexico and it is tempting to get the interior work done for perhaps half that cost, maybe a bit more, but less than 6K. The problem with Mexico is that it's Mexico.

As a friend noted, it has been known for cars to get paint jobs and interior work, then be packed with narcotics for the unwitting consumer to drive back through Customs. If you get waved through, then they repo the car using a cheap homing device. If they spot it, then you get arrested and have to spend thousands on attorneys to prove your innocence after the car is impounded and disassembled. What are the odds? Who can say? So, I think maybe better to pay the price and not worry about that potentiality.