[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Definitely two schools of thought, and this goes on all the time in the hobby I would not be opposed to making changes in seating and the engine/drivetrain, but I would be careful not to change or alter the car itself, as most of what you intend can be reversed. I'd advise to save all the original things removed, and keep them so that the next owner may want to restore the car to original and keep it's value intact. You can have the best of both worlds.. It just takes a little planning. I agree that the original engine has plenty of torque and the standard 3 speed in the car is more than adequate.. Of course, rowing through the gears provides a lot of satisfaction to many of us, and all this is going to take is a clutch pedal and some modification of the transmission tunnel which can be reversed in the future. As to myself, I never leave a car original, and have personalized most everything I have ever owned, and that experience is quite extensive. Good luck on your project.