Now that you know what you want, what do you Really need?

Like I said in the last post-a lot of people spend a lot of money buying or building a musclecar, and then rarely drive it, or sell it for a lot less than they invested, because their disappointed in the cars performance. A lot of the time, it's because they listened to friends, or fell into the bigger-is-better abyss. Here's how to avoid this problem. # 1. Let's say the musclecar you've decided on is going to be a driver or a weekend cruiser. If you live in a big city with a lot of traffic, an automatic transmission is a lot easier to drive in stop and go traffic than a stick with a heavy-duty clutch. If you live in Florida or Las Vegas or Arizona where it's hot the year round, it might behoove you to buy a car with functional, or at least repairable air conditioning. If you live in a rural area 50 miles from the nearest town, 4.11:1 gears are not going to be very pleasant on your commute. A car with 3.23 gears would get much better gas mileage and be a lot less buzzy at highway speed. See what I'm saying? # 2. Don't fall into the bigger is better trap. If you want a Corvette convertible to take your wife on cruises through the Napa Valley wine country or up to Lake Tahoe, does it have to be a solid-lifter 427 model with a "Rock Crusher" 4-speed and 4.56 gears? Wouldn't a hydraulic-cammed 350, automatic model with 3.36:1 gears be a lot more pleasant? # 3. When "Restifying" don't go crazy with expensive upgrades that have no real impact on the car's value or performance. For example-do you really need a Wildwood or Brembo aftermarket 4-wheel disc brake setup? Unless your hot-lapping at Laguna Seca, be it GM, Ford or Mopar, the stock braking system on you musclecar-especially if it has front discs-is more than adequate to safely stop the car in daily driving or at the weekend trip to the drags. When have you ever seen someone break a GM 12 bolt or Chrysler 8 3/4 rear end? Unless you have a 700hp engine with a 5 grand converter and a trans-brake, and wrinklewall slicks bolted to the rims, you aren't going to break one either. So why does your project need a custom-built Currie 9 inch Ford setup? Because that extra 1/8 to 1/4 inch on the ring gear makes such a huge difference? # 4. Be honest about your mechanical and tuning abilities. Not everyone can or wants to do bodywork. If you can't, then maybe spend a little more money for a car with a better body. If you can do basic maintenance, but aren't really a mechanic, then don't try to rebuild a numbers-matching engine. It might behoove you to pay a professional to do it, or buy a crate engine from GMPP, Ford SVO, or Mopar performance. If your not a mechanic and don't have access to an infrared exhaust analyzer, a scope, or carb synchronizers, then don't try to "Upgrade" to a multi-carb setup or aftermarket fuel injection. If a super stock Firebird can run 11.30s with a quadrajet, you don't really "need" a tri-power or dual quad setup, or fuel injection for anything other than the "Wow" factor when you open the hood. A simple 4bbl carb and intake might be best for you. Hope this helps everyone out Mastermind