John,
I am arriving a bit late to the comments of awe here, but I first saw this thread when you were busily posting all your initial pictures, and I couldn't believe my eyes --- I almost commmented right in the middle of all those first pics.
Everybody has already said it, but the degree of effort, the attention to detail, and the accomplishment there is absolutely stunning. Sure its fun to start a restoration with a great platform that isn't far gone, but omg wow, you did a remarkable job. This is truly quite an accomplishment. I have done some fun restorations (and some not-so-fun) but never something this well done.
Hat's off to you!
Gordon