We-elll, will the owner take a counter offer? Is 2K firm or is there room to negotiate a little? Get the price down to 1500 or less and you have reached a point where the work might become feasible. Plus which, if a budget is in play, buy your parts first and then stash them while you save for the labor. At lot of the projects found on this board are of "build as available/can afford it" variety. Me, no different in that respect. I stashed parts for years and accumulated cash to pay for what I had to acquire new.
Nick
The other thing about what Nick said is, don't overlook the lack of rust. Where there a little rust there's usually a LOT more to be found, especially in your neck of the woods.
People are asking lots of money these days for these cars, and what you've got there is: old (original?) paint, that means no hidden bondo bucket and crappy bodywork. No landau top means no rust under it. A solid frame and solid floors save a BUNCH of work, because the repop floor pans lack the mounts for seats, braces underneath, etc and don't even cover all the way to the edge of a floor. In other words.... it's a PITA to work floors, not always the simple 'order a patch' people think it is.
There's a lot there to like about that car, and a more powerful drivetrain is an easy direct swap without relocating rusty greasy mounts and busting knuckles doing it.
In the $2k or less market, anything you buy will have warts, some more than others. And sometimes it's the devil you can see vs many more you can't.
Clean rustwise body, no recent paint hiding things, fairly clean interior... that's not bad to start with.
If it's sat that long, I bet dad wants it gone too. Best case is he's there when you look at it and offer less than the $2k, especially if it was for sale at the same price before the dent showed up and you talk it down based on it.
Also, if there's guys on this board whose work you see and do it by trade, and, are just a 2hr ride away? It's worth talking what they'd charge to get it good enough where you're happy and drive the 2 hrs with it.
Also, that location is easy to add a tu-tone paint band to the car without a full repaint. Saves cash on the bank end and still looks sharp.