Riley,
Congratulations on getting a Bricklin!
To answer a few of your questions:
I think it is very optimistic to expect the value of Bricklins to double in
the next couple of years. They haven't gone up very quickly in the past.
Drive it to enjoy. You may make a little money off one, but you can find
better investments.
You will lose some value and it will be harder to sell if you modify the
interior. Originality is important to many, perhaps most, car collectors. It
is a personal choice, however. If you enjoy making modifications then go for
it. Most Bricklins have been modified in at least a few respects to make them
more driveable. An example, is air doors. Keeping the original parts is a
good idea. You can always restore it to orginal before you sell it.
I haven't heard of anyone putting in a rear seat. I doubt you could make
enough headroom for an adult given the slope of the rear hatch. You may be
able to move the battery, but it would be tough to find a good place to move
the air door controls. You would have to significantly modify the floor.
Moving the battery forward would change weight distribution and have a
negative affect on handling.
Your dash modifications sound much more practical. There is an article in one
of the past Brickline issues about someone doing a dash with electronic
instruments.
Scott Isensee
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