The single most thing you can do before you pick up a wrench or a parts catalog, is to sit down and decide what you want to do with the car. Do you want to drive it? Do you want more horsepower? Do you want to make any suspension upgrades? Do you want to restore it to near showroom perfection?

Once you have mapped out what you want the car to be, then decide how much money you have to spend on it. Obviously if you have a fixed or limited budget, your car won't be a "showroom condition" car. Work within your budget.

When the finances have been taken care of, you still need a plan of attack. Where to start? The engine? The brakes? New interior? Body work? Suspension? It can be a little overwhelming if you aren't prepared for it. Do a complete inspection of your cars different areas. If you aren't mechanically inclined, have a good auto service or repair shop give the car a once over. Or a good body shop for a repair estimate.

Doing the repairs in the correct order is important also. Do you want to get the engine compartment painted while the engine and trans are out? If the suspension needs repairs, do you want to upgrade to polyurethane bushings? Etc. These things need to be made part of the plan.

You can also spread out the repairs over time. Get the transmission re-built and wait on the new seat covers, etc.

The point is that the better plan you have, the less chance you will waste money on stuff you don't need, time re-doing something that only needed doing once. And losing your sanity over stupid things.

Remember, this our hobby, not our life's work. Keep things in perspective, follow the plan you made, and your car will be nothing less than what you envision it to be!