I had a similar situation with our 70 L78 TH400 survivor. I opted to leave the engine in place and work around it, only doing minor cosmetics. I did pull apart the front suspension though...all new a-arm bushings, lower ball joints, sway bar bushings, etc...also updated the front brakes. All the parts were cleaned and painted, but not at a resto level...and they still look very original. We updated the valve train, installed a 163 intake, Eric prepped 850vs, headers, etc.
