The 104.2 is a mighty fine speaker even by today's standards. The connecting rod serves to couple the internal woofers so they work in unison. There is a lot of support and spare parts available for these drivers so I wouldn't let age dissuade you from diving in. Yes, the foam surrounds degrade with age, but they are relatively easy to replace of have serviced.
That said, I feel the TOTL KEF 107 and 107/2 of this era are an even better speaker if you can find a pair with the Kube equalizer (which always seems to "have been lost in a move", but sellers piece these out separately on the bay to maximize profits). Since you're running a separate pre amp and amp, these would integrate into your system easily. They present a constant 4ohm load.
That said, I feel the TOTL KEF 107 and 107/2 of this era are an even better speaker if you can find a pair with the Kube equalizer (which always seems to "have been lost in a move", but sellers piece these out separately on the bay to maximize profits). Since you're running a separate pre amp and amp, these would integrate into your system easily. They present a constant 4ohm load.