Well, granted I'm no expert, and I live in the best-case-scenario state for these cars, but I'd personally say YES. It will be reliable once again. My newest '83 took me months of chasing problems, but now that I've done it all, It starts right up every time and drives like a champ. I can even let it sit for two weeks and come back to it, and I don't have any problems.
That being said, the previous owner put a lot of new parts into it (including the engine and manifold out of an '81 automatic; which accounted for a great deal of my problems) But I also know that in the local clubs down here, there are several people that started with cars much like yours and built them up to be great looking and great driving cars!
It's really a matter of your preference and what you can find; if you can sell that one for $3000 and buy somebody's fully restored job for $4000, then I'd say you may have saved yourself a lifetime supply of asprin. If you like doing the work, however, then it may be worth it to chase the problems and make your car your own, and something to be proud of.
So to answer your question in a much shorter way:
Can it ever be reliable again? Yes!
Should you put the time, effort, and money into it? That's entirely up to your preference!
Hope that helps![]()
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