rebuild a car

i wanna rebuild the perfect muscle car.

The first car I ever had was a 1987 Dodge Dakota. I had to rebuild the engine, transmission, brakes, brake and fuel lines, and replace the rear shocks. Once all that was done, I had to rewire the dash. I did all of this between the ages of 13 and 15, so that I could drive it when I got my license. That truck was named Sarah. After doing moderate upkeep on her, and my next car, a 1988 Chevy Celebrity named Jenn, I have had a 1995 Olds 88 Royale for over four years. Her name is Elanor, and she is falling apart. I need to get a new car, and I have no money to spend on one. Thus I’d like to get a car I’ve always wanted, hopefully cheap because it’s fallen into disrepair, and then rebuild it. It has been a while since I’ve done all this though. A friend would let me borrow some of his tools, and his engine block winch, and if necessary a bay in his shop; he also does upholstery and painting, so hopefully he’d give me a good deal on those, as I’ve never done them before and wouldn’t want to start on a nice car, especially one I own myself. But I think it’d be great to pull the engine, strip all the panels and the rust out, patch up the frame, and really have a car I love. More importantly, as years have gone by and I rely more and more on other people fixing my stuff, I notice first how expensive it is, and secondly, how much of an idiot I feel like, when someone has to explain a procedure I used to be able to do in my sleep. Perhaps I need a crash course, so to speak, or maybe I just need to get back into the garage again.

I am not sure I have a specific year yet, but I’ve always dreamed of rebuilding and cherrying (is that a word?) a VW PRIOR to the Super Beetles (which I’m not too fond of). White-walled tires, rebuilt engine, body work, everything you name it! Some day…..=0)

I want to buy a salvaged mercedes at an auction an rebuild it for myself… I am having trouble finding resources for this endeavour. Any advice?

My Stella- I wanted to learn about cars so I could fix my own so I ended up with a 1962 Stude Lark named Stella. Took me alomst 2 years and one complete Visa card account, but I drove her for 3 years! Lets just say, I have no desire rebuild a trany again but I UNDERSTAND! :)