Thanks for your concern. Yes, my first priority with this car was gutting the interior to eliminate all traces of it's former whiskered occupants. Those little mice can get into some tiny places, so I put on my gloves and N95 mask, took everything out, vacuumed, sprayed some germ killing stuff and then just bolted the seats and seatbelts back in. All that's left to do are the gauges and the vents, although I've peered down those vents with a flashlight and they look empty.
At any rate, I think I was so anxious to sort the car out mechanically that once it was I hit the road immediately! I found that the car actually attracts quite a number of people pulling out their cell phone cameras wherever it's parked. I think that the car looks like such a heap that folks must wonder how the thing is roadworthy at all! I have to admit that it's become a huge source of amusement for me. I love the idea of a car that looks so bad cosmetically but is totally dialed in mechanically, it's just funny.
I think it will get a complete wash before Fall, but I will probably start prepping it for paint shortly after. The car was originally Papyrus White but it had been painted "appliance white" at some point and I'm not crazy about that. I'd almost rather keep its barn find appearance intact rather than having the "bad paint job" look.
