How to get the most bang for your restoration bucks......Weigh the cost vs the benefit!!!

People get caught up restoring cars and reading the buff magazines and often it causes them to spend thousands of dollars that they don't have to. One thing you have to realize is a lot of the advice given on engine building or car building is for an all-out race car. For a street machine / daily driver or a show car that only gets the occasional "Stoplight Gran Prix" or weekend trip to the drags-a lot of the "Gotta Haves" are completely unnecessary. For example many Chevrolet enthusiasts cite an article ran by Hot Rod magazine back in the '80's where they asked Smokey Yunick how to build a small-block Chevy to be COMPETITIVE in NASCAR WINSTON CUP RACING!! Basically-how would he build an engine to win Daytona?!!  So when he said that you "had" to have a 4-bolt main block, a forged steel crank,forged pistons, screw-in studs in the heads, etc-he was right-IF you are building an engine that has to turn 7,800 rpm for 500 miles at Daytona!!  Because of the backlash of this article-Smokey himself published another clarifying that. He said-if you were building a street engine-or even a circle-track "Hobby Stock" or "Street Stock" engine-that you'd race on a 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile track-where the main event is 50 laps-basically 12.5 or 25 miles-that two-bolt main blocks were fine. As were cast cranks, as long as revs didn't go over 6,500. He said cast pistons were fine for this type of use as long as you weren't running nitrous. He also said what I've said-that in 40 years-he'd seen rocker arms break, he'd seen pushrods break, he'd seen timing chains jump-but even with pressed in studs in a street engine or this type of racing-he'd NEVER seen a stud pull out of a head. He was pissed because it looked like the magazine was laying down the law-like Moses with Tablets from the mountain-if you didn't spend 10 grand-you had shit for a motor. People get caught up in that shit all the time. I hate to be cynical and harp on the same point-but magazines have to push their advertisers products, and again- a lot of their recommendations are for all out racers. For example-why does every single magazine project car have to have a custom-built Currie 9 inch Ford rearend?  I've said it before- and I'll say it again-I have NEVER in 40 years seen anyone break a Chrysler 8 3/4 rear, under ANY circumstances. I've never seen anyone break a GM 12 bolt, or for that matter- a GM 10 bolt. I have owned 400, 4-speed '70's T/A's and popped the clutch at 4,000 rpm incessantly and powershifted until I broke a shifter rod-but I didn't break the rear end. I know "5.0" Mustang racers that are running 10s with wrinkelwall slicks and have never broken the 8.8 rear. Because that 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch on the ring gear makes SO much difference in reliabilty?  Puhleeeze. The same goes for transmissions. I have seen C4s stand up to 500 hp blown 302s and 351Ws. I have seen TH350s behind 500 hp 455 Pontiacs. The "Weak" BW T5 that was used in millions of Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs in the '80's and '90s?  Again-I know "5.0" Mustang racers that are running 12s or 11s with nitrous and have never blown this "weak" tranny. A friend put a Stompin' 385 hp 350 in his '83 Camaro and it lasted 13 months-with him going to the drags every other weekend and putting 30 hard passes a month on it. If it had been a daily driver or if he'd been less of a maniac-it would have lated several years. I know Buick Grand National racers that are running 11s-with 200R4s. So the crap that you "Gotta Have" a TH400, or a C6, or a 727 automatic, or a Muncie or Richmond 4 or 5-speed rated for 500 lbs of torque is bullshit. A BW T10 supposedly has a 375 lb ft torque rating. Yet Hayden Proffit and Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins had them in their fire-breathing 421 Pontiac and 409 Chevy racers in the early '60s and they held up fine-behind big-blocks producing 500 plus lbs ft of torque, and having the clutch dropped at 3,500-4,000 rpm with slicks!!  Remember the biggest and best and latest thing is not always the best. I work in Subaru dealership. Everyone knows about the blisteringly fast WRXs. However-my own experience and Car and Driver road tests will bear this out-the 5-speed, 265hp base model is faster to 60 mph than the much more expensive, 6-speed 305 hp STI model!!!  The difference is in the gearing. In the quest for more speed-the engineers thought the lower gearing would do it. However-they didn't have faith in their own product. The Turbo boxer engine actually has some good torque-especially above 3 grand-and hot-rodding it-if you shift out of low at 6,500 rpm you'll hit 2nd about 4,800-right in the thick of the boost. And you'll hit 60 while still in 2nd. With the stiffer gearing of the STI you have to shift to third-twice instead of once. So the base model does 0-60 in like 5.2 seconds, and the STI does it in like 5.4. That's 2 car lengths in a drag race-and although the STI may pass you by 80 or 90 and certainly before the end of the 1/4-your "Street Cred" with the young guys that buy and drive these cars is hurt. If it gets out that the base model thats seven grand cheaper is also quicker to 60-that's going to hurt sales. Any how-think hard before you spend big bucks on a "Gotta Have." Mastermind