My gut feel is that N&N gives more bang for the buck, and it looks like the chassis he uses is virtually identical to a P&J unit.

Bob's right about the cost. First timers think they have the bulk of the project paid for when they bring home a body on a rolling chassis. Tain't so. You'll be lucky if that covers half.

The best advice is to plan out every detail. Have a mental image (or even a sketch or a cutout from a magazine) of what you want the final product to be.

Take an inventory of the tools you have, and determine how much work you can do yourself. You can spend 10% or more of the cost of the car on tools if you don't have a really well equipped shop.

If you can weld and paint, you're ahead of the game. But if you have to farm out painting, exhaust, etc., your price will go up rapidly. Painting is especially expensive.

Do you have enough room to work, and enough space to store all the parts? If it's tight, think about organizing things so all your "stuff" doesn't get beat up or lost. If not . . . can I use your garage?

Mock-up is critical. Make sure you build up the entire car (less wiring, paint and upholstery) to make sure everything fits, then tear it all back down before paint, etc.

Think about buying Tex Smith's book on How to Build a Basic Hot Rod, and do a LOT of thinking and planning before you turn the first wrench.