I'm with George 100% on this one... we here on BB are not the ones to ask...

It's the guy that's going to be doing the paint work that will know what needs done, what needs to be removed, what can stay, what he can work with... I would expect many body shops will make house calls, likely not chain type joints, but smallish independent guys likely would, and in my opinion, those are the guys you want doing the work anyhow.

I'd be interested in pictures.. if the paint is original, then the filler underneath is too. Pretty hard to replace filler without replacing paint... question being, are you *sure* the paint is original.. my guess.. if the car is a '72, and it was taken off the road in '83.. and there is no sign of overspray, I bet the paint and filler is original, as nobody would have done a complete nut and bolt restoration on a 10 year old car that had zero collector value at the time...

And, even in the later years, 1800s were hand built to a large degree.. I expect to see filler under that paint. Not sure if they still leaded seams in '72 or not...

I'd consult with a body man before you go any further...

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-Matt I ♥ my ♂