The first question should be; "Is the vehicle in a drivable condition?"  This is a very  important point for the  first-time restorer.  Unless you have a lot of space to store a vehicle during the entire process, look only for drivable candidates.  Even if you have the space, you should consider only drivable vehicles for your first restoration.  The reason we suggest this for the first-timer, is that an inoperative project sitting in your garage will become very unpopular in a short amount to time.  A vehicle that you can drive and restore at the same time will be much more satisfying.  I can’t tell you how many projects that I have looked at for sale in people’s garages.  Most are due to the loss of interest or the fact that the individual took on too big a project for their time and/or pocketbook.  Save the frame-off projects until you build some experience.

Don’t get sucked into "Basket Case" vehicles.  These types of vehicles fall into several categories.  The first is a vehicle that does not run and needs absolutely everything replaced to get to the final product.  Next, is the vehicle that comes in many boxes. Usually these are projects that others have given up on.  Missing parts is the biggest concern here, not to mention trying to figure out where all the pieces of the puzzle go.  Leave these projects to the die-hard restorer.  Most professional restoration shops won’t take these types of projects on and the ones that do, want a blank check when you drop off the parts.  Another good thing to kept in mind about "Basket Case" type restorations is that they eat up a lot of time and cash!   I would rather be working on a vehicle than chasing after a ton of parts. Look for solid, complete vehicles when choosing.  The more you start with the less you have to buy new or hunt down.

Arm Yourself

Once a choice has been made, the education process begins.  I call this "Do your homework", because that’s really what you’ll be doing once you decide on your area of interest.  As an example, let’s say your area of interest is 1955-57 Chevrolet cars.  The next step will be to learn all you can about these vehicles. You will want to find out about the history, factory production totals and aftermarket parts that are available for your selection.  Good sources for this type of information are the bookstores, clubs, special interest magazines and of course, the ever growing Internet.