Re KEY 271:
We set out to simply replace rotted wood and repair collision damage in one of the ends. That project went well so we decided to tackle the other end, which had similar problems. That has gone well. But now that the ends are sound, there is the roof, and the sides, and the seats, and the windows... Our work on all of those and more is progressing well. I don't know that it is a can or worms, but it is an example of mission creep. The goal is to restore the car to its 1946 appearance (that's the year the car entered our collection) or at least to how the car would have been in 1946 if the Key had kept really good care of it.
You haven't asked, but once we had repaired the broken brake system pipes in the first end the car was able to run and we expect that it will leave the shop on its own power. But it's a very old wooden car so we will need to be judicious with its use.