that mileage can't be right--I can see rust killing the common areas, but I have a hard time believing a former owner replaced the rotten wood with steel plate on a 35K mile vehicle.
that being said, the 283 is a lot more uncommon than the inline...my '62 Suburban has the 283 with granny 4spd.
Front suspension is expensive to restore, but all the body parts it sounds like you need are available.
And it's really tough to beat the price of rebuilding a small block Chevy.
-Brad
