Forgive me for taking a few days off for Thanksgiving. It was a busy couple of days, but I’m back and ready to talk restomod. In fact, we know what a restomod is and why people choose to restomod their projects, instead of doing a factory restoration.

Over the next couple of posts, I want to look at different starting points for budget projects.

A little while back, I received a question from one of our readers on the Facebook page asking about an affordable place to start. I want to expand on that, because we all have to start somewhere.

Now I need you to keep in mind that these are just my opinions, and may not work for your particular application.

The asker’s car had a big block 454 in between the front fenders, which is an excellent starting point for any project. In fact, I wish I had a big motor in my truck, but I don’t:

Photo Credit: Me! This is the 350 in my ol’ pickup truck.

Anyway, there are a few points where your project could start, and be very successful. But before we even get there, you need to hatch out a plan.

Ask yourself: What do I plan on achieving with this build?

If you’re just looking for a Sunday morning cruiser, obviously your options are different than if you’re looking for a dragster.

Catch my drift? Know what kind of car you’re looking to build.

Let me paint it for you a different way: Say you’ve got a Camaro with a 350 in it. But, you’d really like a big block 396 – who wouldn’t? I wouldn’t recommend spending all kinds of money on an exhaust system because your new headers won’t bolt up to the 396 when you install it. You’ll have to start over again. In this case, you’d start somewhere else – but more on that in another post.

Photo Credit: Mecum

So again, it makes sense to have a clear cut direction before you even start to buy parts. This doesn’t mean you can’t change directions a bit. But, you should have a good idea where you’re going.

You’re also gonna need to set a budget. I hate budgets, but I’m not made out of money, either. So, in order to make sure my kids still get to have their favorite cereal for breakfast, I have to set a budget.

So, let’s say that a 350 Chevy is your pick (because you can’t actually afford the 396). You’ve already got one installed in your Camaro, but where do you go from here?

Photo Credit: Mecum

Well, that depends on what your budget is, and what you plan to do with your car…

What I mean is this: you’re happy with your engine the way it is, at least for now. However, you would like a muscle car tone coming out of your exhaust pipes, instead of that wimpy noise that comes out of there now.

You would then make a decision based on your plan and build budget. Do you start at the manifold and work your way back? Do you just buy mufflers? Is it a stainless exhaust?

My point is that each one of these options costs a different amount of money. The one you choose is based off of what you’re looking to do with your car and how much money you’ve got to spend.

In the next post, we’ll go into much further detail about where to start the actual budget restomod build. Remember, these posts are for those of us who love cars, but can’t really afford to do a big build, or pay someone to do the work for us. It is my hope that we can all learn something here.

If you have anything to share, or if you feel that what I say is wrong, please feel free to comment below.