I appreciate the info and input you guys have provided. You bring up a few good points.
Yes indeed, projects like this definitely take considerable time and money to finish. Thankfully I am no stranger to projects of this scale, being a professional classic car restorer and lifelong enthusiast. The Kaiser aspect is certainly new to me, but the work in general is not.
Phase one of my plan with this car is to get it basically cleaned up, make it mechanically solid and reliable, then drive it for a bit to see what I think of it. Because of its advanced state of filth due to critters, I am going to nearly completely disassemble the car so that I can thoroughly clean it inside and out. The interior will be completely gutted. I will attempt to save the door panels and dash pad, as I'm sure those would be difficult or impossible to replace, but I will be getting rid of the carpet, seat upholstery and headliner. I will strip the seats down to bare frames, then start with having the front seat professionally refoamed and reupholstered.
I will be removing the body from the frame, so that I can throughly pressure wash the frame inside and out, then make new copper-nickel brake and fuel lines that mimic the original. I will check the condition of the rear axle and perform any required repairs and service as needed. Likewise, the brakes will be completely freshened up. I've already ordered new shoes and hardware, wheel and master cylinder rebuild kits, as well as hoses. The suspension looks surprisingly good, including the rear leaf spring bushings as well as front sway bar bushings. If the ball joints check out ok, I will likely leave the suspension alone for now.
The engine and trans will be thoroughly pressure washed as well, then disassembled only as required for the replacement of gaskets and seals, but otherwise left alone. I will surely rebuild the carburetor, as well as give the required attention to the distributor, fuel pump, etc. as required to ensure proper running and reliability.
As far as wiring goes, I am very likely going to use a new harness kit from the likes of Ron Francis or American Autowire, as I have used such kits in the past with much success. I am not as concerned about strict originality as much as I am reliability, ease of installation and service, as well as cost. I have not yet decided on the matters of 6 volt vs. 12 volt, nor alternator vs. generator, but I do know that if I go 12 volt I will need a voltage reducer for the gauges and such, as well as a ballast resistor for the ignition. I used a 12 volt source the other day to run the engine, with a ballast resistor hooked up for the ignition, and it worked well.
At the end of the day, I know that I will likely have more money into the car than I can get back out of it when done, and certainly a lot of time, but this will be a labor of love. I did not want to see this car end up needlessly in a junkyard, which is likely where it was headed considering its condition.. but the body us just so solid and rust free, so much of the trim is straight and nice, and now that I have seen the engine run, I know I'm doing the right thing with this car. My goal is to make it safely drivable, enjoy it over the summer and take it to some car shows (including Hot August Nights in Reno, which I am not far from), then depending on how much I like the car, probably get more serious about doing some paint and interior work over next winter. I am already enjoying the process with this car, as I most often do with each new project I take on. I do look forward to talking to a lot of folks out there who will surely ask me what it is, having never seen one before!
