06-09-2005, 11:57 AM
damnit458 Wrote:Good reasoning, although we differ a bit in what we are looking for. Part of this experience is putting in a motor myself (MM help included). I figure theres no better way to learn than to do that. Thus, the engine doesnt matter. The same goes for anything else. While I wouldn't mind a car that came w/shocks and springs, I am more than willing to buy something cheaper and do it myself. I want to learn about everything, and I figure this is the way to go about that.
You say you dont care about any of this stuff - the motor, the suspension, the body, etc but how much do you realistically plan on putting into this car and doing with it? Swapping motors, body work, etc gets expensive fast.
Do you have the budget (both money and time) for something like this? Many of us have gotten balls deep into projects that we didnt realistically estimate (and grossly underestimated) what it would cost to 'complete' the project to an acceptable state - and many times sold the project before completion at a huge loss on our investments. If you do have the time and money and can deal with the car being busted and/or immobile for long periods of time then by all means go for it - but make a plan and add up the costs before hand, you will be really suprised - I know I was when I started making a 'plan' for my Integra.
There are plenty of better ways to go about learning how to wrench than taking something that has every major component that is worn out and needs replacing or refreshing. My advice to you is to save some money, find someone else's "project car" thats had most of the big things done with it and go from there. Its a 10+ year old car, and will certainly keep you plenty busy with things to learn about with maintenance and other things you want to change. The most important thing you will need to learn when looking for a project is patience and not jumping on the first thing you see. Take some time, and take a look at several cars to get a good idea of exactly what you're getting into - there will always be another "great deal" somewhere soon.