Here are some things I've learned so far...
1) When calculating a budget for a project of this magnitude, put all of the hypothetical figures down on paper, study them intently, then crumple the paper up and wipe your ass with it.
2) Nothing will go as planned. Write that down, tatoo it on your thigh, whatever, this is a guarantee.
3) When something appears that it's going to be easy...it's a trick. Back away slowly, get reinforcements, drink a beer, bitch to your buddy about it, consult the internet, drink another beer, and pray for the best.
4) Company's that manufacture high quality go fast parts are extremely proud of the quality they put into their parts, and they're not afraid to let you know how proud they are via product pricing.
5) It's ok to speculate on a time frame for your project to be completed within. Once you've convinced yourself as to what that time frame is...walk into the bathroom, look in the mirror, then point and laugh hysterically at the idiot staring back at you.
6) It's highly recommended to surround yourself with good friends before deciding to have something like this done. Not only will they drink beer with you, they'll talk you out of pulling the plug on the whole thing countless times, convince you that you really don't hate Supras, and somehow make you feel better about spending a king's ransom on a car that blue books for about 2 grand.
7) When dealing with a factory produced aftermarket block, parts claimed to be direct replacements or "bolt ons" are anything but. What the manufacturer means is that the part easily bolts on to their test car, not necessarily your car. Consider yourself lucky if you know someone with the ability to make a one off custom bracket enabling the use of your "bolt on".
8 ) When you're told to expect something to arrive via UPS on a certain day, it's usually safe to assume you can add a couple days to that. If what you're waiting on to arrive is holding up all other progress, add at least two weeks.
9) Under their exterior coatings, AN fittings are actually made of 24 karat gold. In this down economy, it may be wise to invest in these as opposed to other stocks.
10) Familiarize yourself with the following statements, as you will repeat them often...
- "It costs how much!?!?"
- "What do you mean it doesn't work??"
- "Uhhh...I didn't budget for that."
- "No...it's still sitting in pieces."
