I guess it depends what you are going to do with your rig. If you are going to put on an after market bumper or tow anything you should probably just bite the bullet and get it done with the Trail Tailor C channel kit. Good luck!
Is this going to be a show rig? Going to be auctioned off once completed? If it is a driver again I wouldn’t sweat it. I have bought and sold a good amount of cars over the years and they all arrived on an open trailer without issue. This includes sports cars etc. But if you are losing sleep...
Personally I wouldn’t really worry about it, I towed my rig with my Tundra from Kelly’s to the Front Range of Colorado with zero drama. Kelly’s paint job will hold up to flat bed towing just fine. Brand new cars move around the country on exposed trailers all the time.
+1 for working with Kelly Saad in Flagstaff, AZ. He worked his magic on my 60 and it came out great and now he is working on my 40. I think something to keep in mind is the rust you see is only a fraction of the actual rust buried in your rig. The cost of repairing your rig will be pretty...
Post some pictures of what you are dealing with and would like to replace and I would guess the collective will be able to help point you in the right direction. I don’t know of only one source for you to shop and get everything you may need.
I have a 60 with 5.3 and NV4500, I drive the vehicle all the time with 33’s on and off road, it is very confidence inspiring. I never worry about overloading anything because it was built to take the abuse. It is no problem to cruise at 75-80mph all day and have done it on long trips many times...
Quality seems good thus far but it has only been a short time. It looked like a job better left to a specialist and it only cost me $350 to get it installed. I ll snap pic tomorrow when it is light out and post up.
The metal on the panels was fine but the fitment took extra effort. Kelly Saad on Mudd is starting to make his own panels, not sure if they are for resale or just his customers only. Best of luck.
Chances are that rust is only the tip of the iceberg. If you start digging you could find way more than you bargained for. A knowledgeable or interested buyer may be willing to buy it knowing they will have to do the repair work. More pics and your price would be interesting.