YCF,
Don has posted wise and excellent advice.
Believe it or not, my first vehicle was a 1948 Chevrolet 1/2 ton Panel Truck, that I bought for $80 (scrap value) in 1969 (during my first year in college). It was rusting away, but it ran. It was considered a worthless old farm truck, back then. I did not know the difference between a spark plug and a set of points. I rebuilt the 216 about a year later.
As Don suggested, buy some good tools (I bought a $99 new/1969 Craftsman tool set on sale), get/find a Shop Manual (I found one in 1969 on microfiche in a Library, and, oddly an original, in a Library. Read, search-here, and ask questions. I got invaluable and truly helpful help from some good-old-boys, dirt-track racing mechanics. You have the members here to rely on.
Do not worry about glitz, get one running and slowing bring it back to specs/drivability.
