It's ok to use stock parts.....In some cases it's better!

In every enthusiast mag and on the internet there's article after article about the "Gotta Haves" when restifying your musclecar. It's your car, and if you have the money for the very best of everything, then more power to you-build yourself an awesome car and don't care what it costs. But the rest of us that have husbands and wives and kids and mortgages, sometimes a car project has to take a backseat or wait while other things are taken care of-medical bills, schooling, whatever. That's why you read sometimes that it took somebody five years to finish a car-it took that long for them to scrape up the money. These people can't put a hundred grand into a car like you read in the magazines. For some of these people even $25,000 is really stretching it. I talked about the guy that had a really nice Olds Cutlass-that was almost apologetic that it wasn't more radical. Here's some really good advice for the average car-restorer, regardless of what kind of car your restoring. You have to realize that magazines go double overkill on everything. For example-why does every single magazine project car have to have a Custom 9 inch Ford rearend? A recent one-"Project Disco" that Hot Rod did-was a 1979 Z/28 Camaro that of course they put a modern LS engine in-I thought they were going to do a '70's style Rat motor-but regardless they put a Custom Currie 9 inch Ford rear end in it. Why? Late '70s Z/28's come from the factory with an 8.5 inch ring gear 10-bolt limited slip axle with either 3.42:1 or 3.73:1 gears. You couldn't ask for a better rear end for a street machine. And, their tough.  I personally have had 400, 4-speed Pontiac Firebirds that I drag-raced and popped the clutch at 4,000 rpm incessantly on, and never broke this style of rear. A complete Currie 9 inch with GM mounting points retails for about $3,300. That's 3 grand that they didn't have to spend, that could have been used elsewhere for a crate engine-or paint and bodywork, wheels and tires, whatever-but they didn't need to upgrade the rear end!!  I know a guy that has a 505 inch Mopar wedge in a Duster that run's low 10 second 1/4's with slicks, and he's never, ever had trouble with the 8 3/4 rear end. Try to keep a straight face while telling me how all-important that extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch on the ring gear is. Puhleeeze. The same goes for brakes. Why does every single project car have to have a Wildwood or Brembo aftermarket 4-wheel disc setup? If your Autocrossing, or hot-lapping at Laguna Seca in vintage car races that's one thing;  But are they telling us that the stock front disc / rear drum or 4-wheel disc setups on most '70s and '80's cars are inadequate to stop the car safely in daily driving or on the occasional weekend trip to the drags?  Come on. There's another 2 or 3 grand that you don't have to spend. Yes, I'm all for safety-but honestly-if the master cylinder and power booster aren't leaking, and the calipers are in good shape and you install new pads and hardware-I think the stock front disc / rear drum setup on a '72 Chevelle will keep you safe in a panic stop-even if it's sporting a snarling 620 hp 572 under the hood. Anything-even a '64 GTO or a '68 Dodge Dart with 4-wheel drums will stop good from high speed- ONE time. It's repeated high-speed braking that causes brake fade. So-like I said-since your not running 200 mph for 500 miles at Daytona-you don't need the brake system of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Racer. The third is overdrive transmissions. To me, reducing your 65 mph cruise speed by 500-600 rpm isn't worth the 3 or 4 thousand dollars that the 5 and 6 speed stick, or 4,5 or 6 speed automatic conversions cost. I'd say keep your 4-speed stick or 3-speed automatic and spend this elsewhere where it will do you more good-paint and bodywork-or engine work. Here again-they put a six-speed in "Project Disco"-Again-Why? 1979 Z/28's had either a 2.64 1st gear BW T10 4-speed or a TH350 with a 2,400 rpm converter. Either one a stellar street / strip trans that would have bolted up and held up just fine behind their 400 hp LS3. Even if the stock trans needed a rebuild-in Southern California you can get a T10 or a TH350 rebuilt for a helluva lot less than the $3599 that the Tremec conversion cost!!!  From Summitt Racing a brand-new T10 is $1499, and a new TCI Streetfighter TH350 is $1039!!. So the argument of  "Well, the old trans was shot anyway so...." Won't fly because they still could have saved between $2,100-$2,400 with a brand-new "disco-era" tranny!!  Another thing is rolling stock.  Most wheel manufacturers-Cragar, American Racing, Year one, Wheel Vintiques etc- sell their "Classic" styles in 15, 16, or 17 inch sizes. This means you can have a "Period Correct" look, AND the good performance and handling of modern VR and ZR rated performance tires. You don't need to spend a ton of money on 19 or 20 inch wheels, and they look like crap on a Musclecar anyway. Lastly-you can build a stock engine that runs really, really good. If you can afford a badass crate engine, or aluminum heads and a roller cam conversion, or whatever you want to do, good for you. If your on a tight budget, don't despair. Magazines talk about cylinder wall thickness, nickel content, four and six-bolt and cross-bolted mains, screw in rocker studs, this engine has a weak oiling system, this one tends to detonate, etc till your brains run out your ears and you don't know what to think. Here's what to do- Forget all the "Gotta Haves" in the magazines. Again-if your building a NASCAR engine that has to go 8,000 rpm for 500 miles at Daytona, yes you need all the beef you can get. In a street / strip vehichle or weekend cruiser that's never going to see the high side of 6,000 rpm, your fine with a two-bolt main block and a cast crank, and a stock oil pump. In over 30 years of building and racing various street machines, and circle track and drag race "hobby stock' or "street stock" race cars-I have never, ever seen a stud pull out of a head. Broken valve springs, pushrods, and rocker arms, yes, but I've never seen a stud pull out of a head, and these engines are far more abused than the one in your pride and joy ever will be.  Even the non-Chevy big blocks that everyone says blow up at high rpm say a Buick, Olds, or Pontiac 455- their practically indestructible as long as you don't try to run them over 5,500 rpm. And with 400+ lbs ft of torque on tap from idle on up-why would you need or want to? Chrome accesories-i.e. valve covers, timing cover, alternator, etc look cool, but they don't make you go any faster. Ditto for stainlees steel hoses or sleeveing for the hoses. Anyhow, I hope this helps everyone out. Mastermind