Road Trip !!

It's update time! Sorry info has been so sparse, if you've not traveled northern MT and ID you are unaware that cell service is just this side of non-existent for thousands of square miles. I couldn't get hooked up to wifi at either of the overnight places, and there's no way in hell I'm thumb typing this much on my phone which had zip for bars.

Anyway, I got to the PO's house yesterday around 8:30 Montana time. I was able to do the inspection inside his shop which was helpful.

Before I get started, let's give a H-U-G-E shoutout to @Bodyperson who stopped by to help with the visuals, paint, body repair, and other issues. He gave this thing the thumbs up. Thanks for the help amigo!

Here's what I found after four hours going over the car and taking it for a drive.

The good:
The car starts easy when hot or cold and runs smoothly.
Other than a few very minor areas the rust situation is excellent, as in just about none. The spare tire well, cargo well, and what I could get at the floor under the vinyl are all shiny, factory painted, and intact.
The tires have tons of tread but will be replaced, they are 14 years old. They were inside heated shops all that time, but still I'm not taking any chances. They will do for putting around town a bit while I get the car sorted out.
The interior is in excellent shape. The front seat was recovered but springs are soggy so I look like a lowrider at the moment. I will get a pillow so I can see over the dash :rolleyes:. The rest of the interior is certainly original to the car and in excellent shape. Headliner, door cards, flooring (vinyl), dash are all good. The dash pad is cracked in a few places but that's a cosmetic issue I can work on later.
Steering is good and goes in a straight line. Brakes also are good and straight line.
The rear end is a 8.75 741 open with 2.94 gears. I intend to set this up as a high mileage (haha, in a 4000 lb car) touring car so the gears don't bother me. Trans is a 904 that works well and does not appear to be leaking. Engine is a stock 318 two barrel.
Wheels are 15", not sure how wide.
Paint is good with about a half dozen dings and minor dents to fix. There is one old repair to the left quarter that needs to be cleaned up and a couple of minor paint bubbles.
The engine bay is all stock and quite clean. It has three-speed wipers and an AM radio that works well.

The bad:
The front seat doesn't adjust, the passenger side won't release when you pull the knob. Easy fix.
The carb is showing seepage, probably time for a rebuild or replacement. The car has some smog stuff on it that will go in the garbage.
Fuel gauge doesn't work.
The tailgate only opens like a door. Probably some kind of linkage issue, will fix it later.
The engine has fair compression (110-120) on six holes, but the other two are 80 and 90. It still runs well, but I suspect it's getting tired. It is leaking from both front and rear mains, but it doesn't leave puddles.
Radiator may have a very small leak somewhere, I'll check it out later. Meanwhile keep some extra antifreeze in the back.
The oil, trans, and PS fluids all were topped off and looked good. The brake fluid was nasty, it will need to be completely flushed with new.
When we went for a test drive, we found a mouse nest in the drivers underdash fresh air box. Mouse crud went everywhere. We shopvac'ed it out. Fast forward to 700+ miles going home at 65-70 MPH with the air doors open. Yes, you guessed it, another gallon of mouse crud all over the floor and front seat. At least I can feel comfortable there's nothing else to blow out of there!
Both left doors were replaced at some time. They look OK, but the color is off and they are not well aligned. No big deal for now, but will be sorted out later.

The ugly:
There is no currently known ugly, it's a turnkey driver!

Some photos upon arrival home.