Advice for 1st time restorers......

There's a show on one of the cable channels called "Property Virgins" where real estate agents help first-time home buyers avoid making costly mistakes or bad investments. Maybe I should start one for car restorers. Anyway, here's some good advice that will save you a ton of money and grief, if you've haven't done a major restoration before. #1. This should be a no-brainer, but you be amazed at the people that fall into this trap. No matter what it is, make sure the car has a clear, legal, title. You don't want to invest a bunch of money into a car that you can't legally register or re-sell if your circumstances change. I bought my 442 from a reputable dealer, and registered it legally. Because a DMV clerk transposed a number 14 years ago when processing the paperwork, when I tried to get a duplicate title, to sell it a couple years ago- it took me two years and hundreds of dollars in legal fees to get a clear title on a car I'd owned, insured, driven and registered every year for 14 years!! God help me if it had been in a junkyard or if I bought it at an estate sale. Even if it's free, a car without a title is NOT a deal. # 2. An ultra-premium car missing a key component is not a deal. The obvious examples would be a Chrysler Hemi car without the Hemi engine, or a Boss 302 Mustang without the "Boss" engine. In this case, the cost of finding the parts to make it right would be so prohibitive, that even if you had an unlimited bankroll, it would be easier and cheaper to just buy a car that was already restored or at least had all the major compnents intact. # 3. Avoid cars with major body damage, frame damage, rust issues, or water or fire damage. Even for an experienced mechanic or bodyman, these can be a nightmare. 99% of the time your better off just spending more money and getting a better car to start with. # 4. Get the engine / drivetrain that you want. If you want a big-block Chevelle with a 4-speed, then search harder to find an SS396 in your price range. Don't buy a small-block / automatic Malibu and think that you'll save money by "converting" it. You won't. Which brings up # 5. Don't bite off more than you can chew the first time. Even if your not starting with a premium, numbers-matching car, I'd keep it simple. In other words, I'd build a Duster with a 360 crate motor and a Torqueflite before I'd attempt to swap in a modern fuel-injected SRT8 6.1 liter Hemi and a Tremec six-speed. # 6. Start with something that's easy to get parts for. It's a lot easier to get every nut and bolt you need for a '70-81 Camaro / Firebird than it is to for a '55-57 T-Bird. It's a lot easier to get parts for a 440 Chrysler than it is for a 409 Chevy. See what I'm saying?  Mastermind