[olddog]

Johnnymac - Look at the for sale section on this site. Definitely hook up with your nearest club. Check out car shows. Get as close to as many cars as you can.

The range in quality of parts and builds is huge. From unsafe junk to real nice stuff. If you wait long enough some nice cars are for sale fairly cheap, for what they are. They don't always last long, so you have to already know what parts and kits make the quality, because price alone is meaningless.

Know your skills and weaknesses. Don't buy something that needs a lot of work you are not good at.