Bottom line is its up to you. My 49 is not a daily driver but used very often. It is original except for a 12 volt system and a 235. It has scratches and paint blemishes. It has seen rain and snow.
No radio and I don't want one simply because driving an old vehicle with no power assists and a non-fully synchro 3 speed takes a lot of your attention.
As far as a 216 goes it seems these motors get some bad raps. I know of 2 that will run circles around my rebuilt 235. They worked then and they will work now although the driving conditions are obviously different.
