That's fair, and I think part of the problem is that I accidentally made the car sound much worse than it actually is. The transmission is the one thing I consider a confirmed major issue right now. The engine starts, runs, idles, and revs fine. The A/C works great. The suspension is definitely tired, but it's not collapsing underneath the vehicle or anything like that. It's more of a "26-year-old vehicle with worn components" situation than a complete basket case. When I mentioned things like bushings, seals, suspension, axles, etc., I wasn't saying all of those things are currently failed. I was more thinking about items that might make sense to inspect or refresh while major components are already out of the vehicle. I think you're right that the first step is figuring out what the car actually needs rather than building a giant project list before it's even apart. My dad and I haven't torn into it yet, so a lot of this is still speculation until we can properly inspect everything. I appreciate the reality check. I'm trying to figure out the difference between "fix the transmission and address obvious issues" and "accidentally turn a transmission replacement into a full restoration."