Thanks for understanding out hesitation Ed. I'm sure you understand the concern when a new face shows up here to ask how to repair a vintage piece, while we have no knowledge of their judgment, background, or skills. Sounds like you have a decent footing in the trade though.
Of course the motto "first do no harm" immediately comes to bear here. As to the wear on the top, I would do nothing. The cracks, I would likely repair with hide glue and light cleats, even if they are dirty, so long as they close fairly tightly. If there are gaps then splines could be suitable, though I feel they are generally used far more often than need be.
The neck is a different issue. A repair of that neck would likely involve such a large section of it being spliced in and replaced, that I would be more likely to replace the entire neck. I feel it would simply be less work to carve a duplicate neck, new board and all (though you could certainly use modern frets) than it would be to restore the original. This also allows the original to be steamed off and preserved should it ever prove worth fully restoring.
A part of me also feels it just as valuable to preserve the neck in it's current repaired state, as it seems to carry it's own share of history and beautiful stories - even if we do not know them. Maintaining a history of the trauma and repairs it has undergone in generations past seems near as invaluable as the instrument itself. I feel minimal repairs of the top and making a new neck would allow you to bring the instrument back to a functional life, while not erasing it's past. It would also leave less risk of irreversible changes if you don't feel comfortable trying to restore the original neck. This may sound a bit of a sentimental approach, but I think it's appropriate for the circumstances.
Please keep us posted if you move forward with this, and welcome to the forum.
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