"Used car factory" Part 2 More good advice!

In the last post I offered ways to build cars that would be unattainable for most of us. And that was good advice. 99.95%  of us won't ever have an extra 300 grand to spend on an original Hemi Cuda or Shelby Cobra or whatever, so buying say a nice 383 Road Runner for 25K and then spending another 15 on a Crate Hemi makes a lot of sense. Now you've got a Hemi Road Runner for 40 grand, which is about 1/5 the price of any "Original" one. Factory Five Racing makes an excellent Cobra Kit car/chassis that comes with everything but the engine and trans for about $13,000.  There are several other companies offering similar kits for similar prices. Even if you didn't want to go with the typical "5.0" Mustang powertrain, you could spend a little extra and get really retro. You probably won't find a 427 Ford, but you can find a 390 pretty easily, and they are the same "FE" engine family. Edelbrock makes aluminum heads for them, and Eagle and other companies make crank kits to turn a 390 into a 428. Most people have about 25 or 35k in these Cobra projects, depending on their mechanical ability, or you could buy one that someone else built-usually for around 20-25K. That's not peanuts, but thats your only shot at owning and driving a Cobra unless you win the lottery, as originals bring up to 500K at auctions depending on condition and mileage. However, some people may take this advice and take on more than they can handle. For example- let's say you decide to buy a 318 Challenger and make it a 440 Six-Pack. It can be done, but not easily, or cheaply. First off- the crossmember is different on small-block and big-block cars. So you'd have to buy a new or used big-block K-member, and then install it-which means basically the whole front end and suspension of the car. Then you have to find a 440 engine. You might think-a buddy has a 440 block he said he'd sell me for 300 bucks. Great. And yes, I know you can buy cranks, rods, pistons, cams, heads etc, from Summit Racing. But what about the valve covers, oil pan, timing cover,distributor hold-down, fuel pump concentric, alternator brackets, power steering brackets, and the starter, alternator, water pump,power steering pump, throttle linkage, etc, etc. Yeah you can buy it, but that stuff adds up quick, and can put you over budget. Also, if the Challenger in question is a slant-six or 318 model chances are it's going to have a 904 Torqueflite, which won't stand up to a stompin' 440. That means buying a 727 Torqueflite, and changing the driveshaft yoke, and having the driveshaft rebalanced. That also means it probably has an 8 1/4 inch rearend, which will break under hard use. Now you have to find a Dana 60 or at the very least an 8 3/4 rear end. The six/small V8 leaf springs will windup and cause wheel hop and maybe driveline breakage under hard acceleration, so you'll need big-block rear springs, and maybe a pinion snubber. Now that you've put all that power to the ground, your going to want to stop safely. The stock 4-wheel drums aren't going to cut it, so now at the very least you have to get a factory or aftermarket front disc brake setup which means spindles, rotors, calipers,hoses, master cylinder and power booster.  See what I'm saying?  I just don't want you to bite off more than you can chew either mechanically or financially.  Anyone considering this kind of project, feel free to email me and ask questions about the feasibility of your dream project, and I'll tell you what it entails, and maybe save you a ton of money and frustration. If your not a mechanic or bodyman by trade, sometimes your better off just spending more money and buying a car that's already restored. That aside, go build your dream ride! Mastermind