Well, my hat's off to you for all of the work you have done.
In my opinion, those $16,000 paint jobs are highly over rated.
By doing it your way, you get a good driver and will enjoy the car more overall.
And it won't break the bank!
Some people may scowl at the work and call it a waste of time and money, but I for one are thrilled about the fact of keeping it simple and enjoying the car.
And the people that criticize your work or your car, are usually people that don't realize budget builds.
I've had more fun with the cars that I've owned and driven over the years that weren't perfect or shiny!
All I do now is make the car safe, reliable, and good driving.
In the past I did a '71 Duster that was very nice and painted shiny with a rebuilt drivetrain and interior, the works.
I never had much fun with that car, with worrying about the weather and rock chips, and storing it in the winter.
I ended up selling it and building cars that were more realistic for my tastes...
Good on ya!