Jay,
My view on any car is what previous owners did is all part of the history, my car has been to many racing events many bangs with other objects. I'm slowly putting all back together. If the car is original (e.g. not restored, etc) this is very very very rare. Nearly all cars have been changed. What do you expect for nearly 50 years!!. Just you keeping the history and the car going is a great statement.
So keep the history going!!! and the car is looking good.
John