Plan your project around what you REALLY want, and you'll be a lot happier!

The title to this post seems so simple, yet I talk to many people who spend big dollars restoring a car, and then don't drive it much because they don't like how the car performs. Here's some tips to avoid this problem. # 1. Be realistic about what you want. Is it going to be a show car, a driver, a weekend cruiser, or a race car?  You may think you want a badass replica of Mark Donohue's Camaro or Richard Petty's Charger, but clambering around an 8-point roll cage every time you get in or out of the car gets old real quick.  If your going to drive the car at all, sometimes a later model is a better choice. Here's an example-I had a chance to buy a 1957 Pontiac ( No, it wasn't a fuelie Bonneville convertible ) or a 1965 Pontiac Catalina for about the same price. Since I wanted it as a driver / weekend cruiser I bought the 65 model. Here's why- the '57 had no power steering, no power brakes, kingpin front suspension, and drove like a dump truck. Further, it had a 347 inch Pontiac engine, and the horrible "Slim-jim" hydro-matic that won't shift over about half-throttle.  The '65 model had power steering, power brakes, control-arm front suspension, a 389 V8 and a Turbo 400 trans. The difference was night and day-the '65 drove like a modern car. If I wanted more power-there's a ton of speed equipment for 65 and later Pontiac V8s-(Practically nothing for the old 347 ) a Turbo 400 is an awesome tranny that will stand up to anything, and I could adapt later-model disc brakes or sway bars to the suspension without major work. Not so the '57.  See the difference?  # 2. Be realistic about how much power you really need or want. We all say we want 500 or 600 hp, but do we really?  That much power requires a lot of cubic inches, compression and camshaft. And that requires a lot of converter and stiff gears and a drag-style suspension to put all that power to the ground. Yes, in a magazine that 12:1, solid-roller cammed 600+ hp GMPP Rat Motor or Mopar Performance Crate Hemi looks and sounds great, and you can dream of your 10 second time slips. However-3,500 rpm converters, 4.56 gears, the motor buzzing at 4,000 rpm on the freeway, and two cans of octane booster per tankful while getting 5-8 mpg does not make for a pleasant driving experience. If your going to drive the car at all, compression ratios around 9.5:1 and a cam that idles at 800 rpm make a lot more sense. The GMPP "Turn-Key" ZZ4 350 in my 442 is rated at 355 hp and 405 lbs ft of torque. It idles at 750 rpm, pulls hard to 6,000 rpm, never gets over 180 degrees even in rush-hour traffic with the A/C on in 90 degree weather, gets 16 mpg, and if it didn't have headers on it, you wouldn't be able to hear it run. It runs high 13s in the 1/4 on street tires, through the mufflers on 89 octane gas. I don't have to take crap from little boys in their rice-rockets, or middle-aged guys in Hemi Chargers or turbo BMWs. I absolutely love driving the car, because it's so easy to drive. Yes, there's faster cars out there new and old, but not many, and none are as head-turning and unique as my Hurst / Olds. I had a radical 455 in it once ( I still have it if I sell the car to someone who wants Original Olds power ) but it's way nicer to drive now. For 99% of us a 400 hp engine will be more than enough, and easy to build and live with.  # 3. Be realistic about your cars capabilities, even with modifications. For example if you want to go autocrossing or slaloming, a '70s Firebird would be a much better choice than a '60s Gran Prix. If I have to explain this one-then you have no business on this site, or around a car at all. If you want a drag racer a Nova is a better choice than an Impala. # 4.  Don't go crazy on buying an Ultra-premium model. This is most people's major goof. Now you've got a Boss 429 Mustang or a Hemi Cuda. That sits in the garage 11 months out of the year and isn't driven 100 miles a year because "It's too valuable" and the owner is terrified of wrecking it or blowing the motor. He'd be much happier with a 351W Mach 1 Mustang or 383 Challenger that he could take to work or to the store once in a while, and even run through the gears and ( Gasp!! ) powershift and spin the wheels on it once in a while!  # 5. A vintage car is a toy, not an investment. Buy the goddamn 350 / automatic Malibu convertible because you want a Chevelle convertible. Don't pass that up and pay more for a 4-speed SS396 hardtop "Because it'll be worth more if I sell it."  Huh?  Your buying something solely on what it's worth if or when you get rid of it?  Did you marry your wife because you thought she'd give you a better divorce than the other women you dated?  Hello?!!!   If you follow these rules, you'll be a lot happier with your car. Mastermind