Until you have worked for a dealership and have seen the condition that new vehicles come in, I done think you can pin down the word original. They come in dinged, scrstched, missing parts, and just plain screwed up. It is the dealership's responsibilty to make it sale ready. There are set procedures for refinishing any damage during the pre-delivery inspection. I believe that if a vehicle has been refinished using the same materials and systems that were available at the time that it rolled off the assembly line, it has not lost much originality. In later cars, I have seen people decode inspection paint daubs, reproduce paper tags that were hung around the rear axles, check every component for julian calendar date coding and basically build a full sized model car. My opinion is that this is bad overkill. The bottom line is make the truck to where it has the most sentimental value to you and forget what other people say when they tell you someyhing is not original. The harshest critics are those that lack the nuts to attempt a project themselves. It's yours. finish it so that you know that it would make your grandad smile and be proud.
