Good advice from Mike. Having gone through the "process" a number of times with a variety of vehicles....many of which were purchased for pennies on a dollar from enthusiastic folks who lost interest, I'd like to add this advice.
The list starts with your past experience with things mechanical. Although many do....learning about the automotive systems cold turkey, is a job in itself. If you've had positive past experiences with twisting a wrench, this would make the "journey" a bit more viable. Secondly, you're going to need some basic equipment. Granted, a hammer and a cold chisel will come in handy but you'd be better served with an air compressor, a variety of air tools, a mig welder for panel replacement, parts cleaning equipment, engine hoist, jacks, stands.....and the list goes on and on. Third.....most people under-estimate the amount of time it will take to accomplish a task. Experience has taught me that you're best to double your time allottment as well as your cost for the repair. As an example, I restored the brake system in my 54 to stock condition.....new linings, drums turned, new wheel cylinders, wheel bearings, seals, new lines and master cylinder only to discover that with everything at 100% my truck was not able to stop safely with the normal flow of traffic.
And fourth.....by the time you finish one truck, assuming that the engine/transmission/drivetrain doesn't need extensive repairs, you're going to have hundreds if not a thousand hours and at bare minimum a couple or three grand in a vehicle that you can putz around in on the back roads.
If you have a good grasp on the things I've mentioned I'd say you had a good chance of getting one of your trucks on the road. I documented my initial build back to stock in my webshots "Shoebox" album. Browse through some of the process and remember that initially I wanted a stock vehicle that I could putz around in. It was only after I discovered that I has presenting a hazard on the highway that I made some solid modifications that have me enjoying the ride.
Dave
