Thanks. I've seen that listing in Wichita. I either found that before or somebody posted it before as an example of what this one SHOULD look like.
I have no desire or bandwidth to fix it up and keep it and use it. I might want to start woodworking at some point, but I'm 62 now and at this time I don't even have room for this thing. The extent of my woodworking at this point has been home improvement projects and building utilitarian strong and useful though not artful garage type storage shelving and cabinets.
I would want only to sell it as-is, part it out or scrap it--probably will end up being some of both.
I think the best analogy somebody posted was that of a '57 Chevy BelAir vs. a 1980 Impala. I was using this analogy myself to ask for advice for the two old and neglected boats that I have to decide what to do with--and on boating forums both are leaning toward the ruined 1980 Impala designation. I will probably remove all metal from both, take them to the city dump and scrap the trailers.
I've owned a 1960 and a 1968 Impala; my brother had a 1965 Impala. Our stepdad has owned a beautiful 1957 wagon for almost 50 years and does new things to it over the years. I love the 60s and 1970 Impalas (1971 and later were battleships), but I can think of nothing that would make me want a 1980 Impala nor ever spend the time and money to fix one up--especially one in this sorry condition.
My cousins already sold or kept anything that had any obvious value (coins, guns, gold, silver, unopened boxes of sports cards, and even broken down machinery like two Bobcat mowers...) They gave away a lot of stuff. They hauled carloads and pickup loads to a local thrift shop.
They gave a lot to their half-brother that none of us knew about until about ten years ago.
There are other cousins but it was mostly his sister/my mom, my uncle's oldest daughter and myself helping him out as his health failed. I missed a lot of years of his life after I joined the Navy and didn't return home for 41 years after that. They gave me two boxes of my uncle's reloading gear, three 75 lb bags of lead shot, all of his old baseball caps and a bunch of his old coats--a lot of this I can use or sell on eBay. I asked to buy his .270 deer rifle--and I'd have to clean IT up of surface rust and neglect. And all of the scrap metal and firewood I can haul. I brought home a pickup load and a trailer full of firewood today.
I loved my uncle and I knew he loved me. He was only 16 years older than me and lived with us for years when I was very little. He was the only person who took me hunting when I was a kid. He and my aunt could have called my brother and I their starter kids for the amount of time we spent with them before any of my cousins were born, because of things I still don't know about my parents. Only he, my mom and a GF at the time saw me off at the bus station when I left for Navy bootcamp. But he had some faults.
It kinda comes down to this for just about everything out there. He had no 1957 BelAir. Everything he dragged home was only a 1980 Impala that was already in very sorry condition that nobody else wanted. My cousins had to tow away at least five broken down old cars, and none were anything anyone would want to fix up. As of today I've hauled away over 14,000 lbs of scrap steel--mostly rusty farm fencing, homemade hog feeders all rusted through, broken down machinery left outside to rust for years--name it. I've hauled away six broken down old lawn tractors. Only one has parts I can sell on eBay (1973 Craftsman that's missing parts), and one is a newER Walmart brand Murray that I may be able to fix up and use to mow my lawn (that he apparently cannablized for parts for the 7th lawn tractor that still ran and which my cousins sold).
Even his 2011 or 2012 Tundra pickup he bought new, it turns out the frame was nearly completely rusted through. My cousin who claimed it will have to sell the thing to a salvage yard for parts and scrap.
. Given the number of Mark V's in the world, saving this particular one might be akin to saving a 1980 Impala. 
Trying to put it into perspective, but then not everyone sees things the way that I do. 
RF Guy
