Well, at least part of that isn't true, because the body has never had a screw in it, though it is most likely a cheap asian knock-off body, and I'm quite sure the seller wasn't forth-coming with the facts.
There isn't a whole lot of wiggle room at either end. I might be able to get an 1/8" at each end. The neck doesn't hit the end of the neck pocket due to slightly different end contour. I think I can just do some sanding to take care of that. The bridge pocket has a lip at the front that would be pretty easy to route.
I think the neck proportions are fine. It looks like it would be a drop in replacement on my Telecaster. If anything, I'll just get a different body. The main reason I got this one was that it was already finished, and was the exact color I was looking for. It is a lot of time and money to finish a guitar. There were some others available at the time, but they where ash, and I'm not sure ash is what I am looking for tonewood wise.