Just buy the right car to begin with!!

I talk to a lot of people that buy musclecar projects and then sell them half-finished ( usually losing money in the process ) or let them sit unfinished in their driveway or garage for years. I think the reasons for this are two fold. One, people get excited over starting the project and buy something that needs work beyond their mechanical capabilities. Two, they get frustrated because the project is a lot harder and a lot more expensive to build than they first thought. Here's some good advice to avoid this problem. # 1. Get the proper raw material. I know a guy that wanted to build a killer '70s Trans-Am, or "clone" if he had to from a lesser Firebird. He got fixated on his neighbors 1976 Firebird. It was a one-owner car that his neighbor had bought new, and it was in exceptional condition. And the price was reasonable-if you wanted an old Firebird for a driver. But making a snarling T/A clone to challenge Corvettes and Dodge Vipers? This was the wrong car. It was a base-model with a 250 inch Chevy six and an automatic! I told him-"This car has no guages, no posi rear, no sport suspension, and you'll need a different engine and transmission, and you'll have to chase a ton of small parts." "For what it'll cost to make this car what you want, you'll be spending way more money than you would if you just bought a Trans-Am to start with."  "A Trans-Am or a Formula 400 is going to have the guages, the suspension, the posi rear end, and a Pontiac V8 already in it." Luckily he listened to me, and instead bought a 1977 400, 4-speed, T-Top equipped Formula for only a few hundred more than his neighbor wanted for the six-cylinder base-model.  With the money he'd have spent chasing parts that the Formula already had-he was able to build a killer 400-i.e Edelbrock heads,cam and intake,etc, and install a Richmond 5-speed. I guarantee he never would have got the car finished if I'd let him buy the neighbor's car. # 2. Acknowledge the limitations of the car, and your ability. I know a guy that bought a a 1970 Javelin that was in pristine condition. He wanted to make it a Camaro / Mustang fighter. His plan was to install a killer 401, a 4 or 5-speed stick, and a killer "G" machine suspension. Problem was it had a 304 with a 2bbl, an automatic and it had 4-wheel drum brakes. Much to his dismay-he found that finding front disc brakes for a 1970 Javelin was very hard. The 1971 and later models were different. Nobody had an aftermarket setup that wasn't outrageously priced. Further-he couldn't find a bellhousing and clutch linkage anywhere. Jeep Cherokees or CJ5 stuff wouldn't easily adapt to the Javelin. And no one offered suspension pieces. He kept it for a few years, never really did much with it, and sold it for less than he paid for it. Now if he'd been building a Camaro, Mustang, or even a Dodge Challenger-there'd have been a myriad array of parts available from the factory, the aftermarket, and in junkyards. He could have easily built the badass machine he wanted. Or if he absolutely had to have a hot rod Javelin, it would have behooved him to bite the bullet and spend more money and find a 1968-74 Javelin or AMX with a 360 / 390 / 401 and a 4-speed and factory front disc brakes and factory front and rear sway bars. Edelbrock makes aluminum heads, cams and intakes for AMC V8s, so more power would be easy, and some KYB or Koni shocks, and some Z-rated tires would help handling. However- he was still dreaming-a 401 Javelin is not going to throw fear into the hearts of 440 Challenger owner or even a strong small-block Camaro or Mustang. The bottom line is-the GM,Ford and Mopar models have the huge advantage of parts availablity and interchangeability. # 3 Don't under-estimate the amount of work a project may need. Sometimes, with rust issues, or water or fire damage, it's just better to pass and pay more money for a better car to start with. And be realistic about missing parts. Yes, finding just about anything for a small-block Chevy is easy. But what about a 330 Olds V8? or a 428 Ford? Ditto for body parts and trim. finding a dash or a fender for a Chevelle or a Mustang is easy. But what about a 1967 Barracuda? ( Way different from the 70-74 "E" bodies that everyone has )  Think hard before you jump into a project and listen to people who have done them before. Chances are their not trying to discourage you, their just trying to save you from losing money or making the same costly mistakes they once did. Mastermind