What to do?

Here are a few pics of the 66 coupe i recently purchased. I was wondering what are the beginning steps to making this car reliable?
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Trunk, down low
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Other side
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Under dash
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The car has 95% original parts; only things that aren't original are stereo, power steering and anti-theft alarm. I'd like to keep it as stock as possible. However there are a few things that I am thinking of changing,
1. Front disc brakes
2. Either a 3 or a 4 point harness system
3. Fuel tank (safety reasons) or install tank armor.
4. Either steering wheel and/or front two seats (I have long legs and I can barely hit the brake pedal with the current setup I'm 5ft 11)

I do not know much about engines, and transmissions, Is there anything I should look for, listen for, that indicates possible faultiness?
The entire car shakes when the engine is on, it smells like a go cart when standing next to it, and continues to smell like gas after you turn it off.
The engine starts up instantly, needed one pump of the gas after 3 days of sitting idlely.
There is a leak, I haven't figured out what it is yet, it is somewhat yellowish, it is a very slow leak.

The car has the original transmission and engine.
 
Hey guys, well i took the car to long's auto in Los angeles, to get a tune up. Mr. Long is a family friend so, when we pulled up he started knocking on the fenders and exploring the car, he and I knew that rust was showing through the paint, but my parents bought this car for me without my knowledge. He told me to come back at 1 so we can put it up on a lift and check out the underside. So i'm going back at 1 to check it out.
My dad tells me that unless it is affecting the car dramatically we shouldn't replace it.
What are your takes on rust? How much is bad enough to replace it?
 
For me, it depends on where the rust is. Shock towers or under the battery=very bad, fix asap. Body rust=not as bad, but ugly no matter what you do. If it's under the carpet, you might want to fix that asap, too. A friend of mine discovered rust under his carpet when he literally put his foot through the floor while getting in. I fixed mine before it got that bad and didn't have to do any welding. I tackled the rust on the lower doors when I redid the paint. It's been 9 years since then and my replacement door is bubbling, so I'll be taking care of that soon. But I need to do the whole car, so that little door rust can totally wait. It's not preventing the car from go, go, go-ing, so I really don't care.
 
Hey guys, I just got back from the mechanic, the leak from the car is due to a bad washer between the engine and transmisison, he said its not worth replacing at this point. In terms of the engine, everything is fine except the choke valve stays shut or sometimes stays open, thus the reason why the garage smells like gas. He said it needs to be replaced. He's gonna keep it over the weekend, then when I get it back i'll start ordering things like tank armor, the steel plate between the trunk and passenger compartment and radio system.
 
I'm going to try to keep this car as original as possible, but there are a few things that I really would like to change. One thing is the rims. Now I was planning on getting some v45s but it has different types of measurements, like backspaces and bolt patterns.
Also, what are some steps to cleaning up my engine compartment, I'd like to clean it up but, i'm young and on a limited budget.
Sorry if these questions seem like no brainers but im in the process of learning :D

Edit:
Also, does anyone know of a place that sells red decals for stripes going down the hood? I don't have the budget for a repaint as of yet, but I have seen pictures of 66's with red stripes and I like it.