A S/H transmission would be the quickest fix, there is a lot of labor required to overhaul a Automatic transmission, the main components are orings, gaskets, then bands plates as required,
Spray putty is only for scratches not dents , you will need to fill dents with fiberglass Body filler and sand off with a block board.
then undercoat sprat putty , just run a guide coat and sand off Flat by hand
Now is the time a few more weeks and the season will change not much fun painting in the rain.
hope that gets you motivated or I will send pics of my project, that will get you motivated.
I have been using Armour for years with no damaged vinyl, i guess if the vinyl is all-ready so cracked and dry it may be damaged when re hydrated, I am keen to hear from anyone who has had any problems with it to explain what happened to them.
Is it wood that needs to be restored or is it plastic that looks like wood?
I have made my own wooden steering wheels before, any chance of a pic of the dammaged area.
Maybe thats where i went wrong i was doing acrylic base with 2 PAC color on both projects, i really was having more success with plain old acrylic. In the past i have had some issues with shrinkage I was told to use high-fill two PAC undercoat then acrylic topcoat for my next project What do you think? The Hudson is a total aluminum body as well.