For me the best part is the day you got a hold of the 86 year old original owner. a day to remember,  you probably made him the happiest man in the world that day knowing that you will care for that car as he did and I'm sure it brought back many wonderful memories.  Bless your heart for making his day brighter and thankful he cared for the car as many of us do ours.

Enjoy the car everyday and maybe someday someone will put a smile on your face with a phone call.

Not sure how I missed this thread, but sure glad it got pulled back to the top. What an amazing story! Again, not sure of your goals for the car, but if you're planning on it being an investment, I would suggest getting judged before you do anything else to the car (other than to take it for that drive you mentioned!). Great job on the restoration so far!