Drive your cool base model while you stockpile parts and cash to make it your dream ride!!

I see so many musclecars sitting in garages or driveways, and their owners lamenting-"When I get enough money....".  The car doesn't have to sit until it has it's killer powerplant,suspension and paint job, and is magazine cover worthy. You can drive and enjoy your project while it's "in progress".  You bought a base-model Firebird that you plan on turning into a killer Trans-Am clone? Great! If you put a 4bbl carb and intake and a good dual exhaust system on the 350, it would run way better, and guess what? The Edelbrock Performer intake and free-flowing exhaust system will also work great on the killer 400 or 455 your planning. You want it to have 17X9 Snowflakes and 275/40ZR17 Goodyear Eagle F1s for rolling stock? Fine. But you could put some inexpensive 14" or 15" inch radials on the stock Rally II wheels and drive it while you save for the killer rolling stock. Adding the air extractors, and spoilers and shaker hood is a big investment before you consider painting it. But what's stopping you from throwing a $399 Maaco or Earl Schieb quickie paint job on it for now, to make it look a lot better than it does with peeling paint and primer and preserve the body panels you are going to keep? See what I'm saying?  You can go ahead and put a 3.55 geared,12 bolt rear end and a Turbo 400 in your '69 Chevelle. Guess what-The 350 that's in the car will bolt up to and work fine with that B&M or TCI TH400 until you get that killer 454 or numbers-matching 396 built. You've got the killer suspension in place, and the snarling 383 stroker crate engine is already in the engine compartment of your Camaro. You just don't have the $2800 needed for the Tremec six-speed conversion you planned.  So? Hook up the motor to the Muncie or Saginaw or T10 4-speed, or TH350 that came in the car and have a blast driving it and working the bugs out of the rest of the car while you save for the tranny swap! Planning to drop a killer 440 into that '71 Charger you bought that has a knocking 318? Why can't you spend a few hundred bucks and a weekend installing a running 318 out of a junkyard? Now that the car's running, like I said, you can work out a million other bugs, and get the bodywork and paint and interior done and not have to have worry about some yahoo in a body shop or upholstery shop grenading your prize big-block. You'll be a lot more motivated to finish something that runs and drives than you will to work on something that you know isn't going to move for months. Trust me, you'll be a lot happier with a registered, driveable "Work in progress" than you will be with a rusting, rotting, "Someday" under a tarp.  Mastermind