I will add that if you do find a car listed for anywhere near your budget, be very careful. I have been fooling around with street rods actively for over 20 years and I have seen some really crappy and unsafe stuff in that time. There are no standards for street rod builds, so many were built as the owner saw fit. Take someone with you that can help you spot bad engineering. Oh, and look out for bondo buggies, too.

I would be very surprised of you could find a Mustang in decent shape for your budget, but that's not my area.

Good luck! I mean that sincerely, too.