I considered the collectability of the bass before I did this, and considering I saved it from a trash heap, and I can get a replacement neck for less than $100 from eBay, I really didn't think I was doing any harm. It's an early t40, but it also has a later body that has been drilled and routed to make it lighter, as well as a non stock refinish. In my opinion, I enhanced the bass, not detracted from it.
So now I have a t40 with 5 strings and a killer sunburst that weighs less than 10 pounds, and still sounds great.
Yep, in my ledger that's an improvement