I need the car only for myself so the space doesn’t concern me more than other factors, like reliability and safety, but I get your point. The engine will be rebuilt by a professional, I know him personally and I saw him rebuilding motors and fixing cars. The body shop in charge of restoring the interior and exterior is owned by a friend of mine and has a 4.9☆ rating.
I think the problem is the car itself, like you said, replacements are hard to find and the overheating may be a problem, altough they will install better then stock parts.
What issues I would be facing?