Any and all advice welcome!, 1974 Chassis with 1.7 1972 dual carb engine Options

[GeorgeKopf]

I'm starting a restoration project and I'm looking for advice on almost any topic. Please feel free to contributed nonsequiturs and random philosophical ideologies.

The chassis is in fairly good shape and is "mostly" stripped. I still have to remove the wiring harness and some fuel lines. It is my intention to have it blasted or dipped.

The idea is to enjoy the build! Having it and driving it will be cool too but for me the real journey is the creative construction project. To that end, I'll be focusing on building a car that is fun (and reliable). My goal is to get the car on the road by its 50th birthday (2024) and to have it last another 50 years. I'm not too worried about being stock nor do I intend to sell it.

The engine came with dual weber carburetors, (no EFI components) and supposedly the PO didn't like how it ran. I think I'm going to have to split the case to figure out what the PO might have done.

Here are some of my random questions:
1. How do you protect the longs from rusting from the inside?
2. What happens to the heater tubes in the longs if you acid dip the chassis?
3. How big can I build the motor without sacrificing reliability/longevity?
4. Should I sell the Weber carbs and buy an aftermarket EFI system?
5. How do you flat-tow the chassis without the transmission in place?
6. Is it possible to reinforce the doors? They seem awfully flexible and dent prone.
7. If I put low-profile tires on the car, how do I recalibrate my speedometer?
8. What is the right welder that I should buy to work on the body panels? (I don't know how to weld but I have some extra doors that I can practice on).

Sincerely.

George

[GeorgeKopf]

Wow. All great advice. Thanks. Keep it coming please.

Next question: Would there be a "standard" engine mod for dual Weber 40s?

I'm reading and getting more and more confused.

It seems like there are several levels of commitment:
1. Run the 1.7 as is.
2. Swap the cam for a "carb cam".
3. Increase the displacement a little.
a. New cam
b. New crank
c. Same heads
4. Increase the displacement a lot.
a. New cam
b. New crank
c. New heads

Am I understanding this correctly? If so, where is the sweet spot for performance/reliability/longevity?

Thanks.

George