Just to add some more thought provokers to the mix......

You should choose the style of car you genuinely like rather than rationalizing yourself into a style because it's what you think you can afford to the exclusion of other choices. When you mention Track T you're ringing my bell, but as the others (with the exception of Martinsr, who I'm not as familiar with, the other guys have all had T's) have said, they're smallish and best suited for limited, local useage. If that suits, fine. If not, you should broaden your horizons.

What Don says puts a fine point on it, especially the dollars involved. You'll spend the same $ for engine, drive train, wheels, tires, wiring, batt, and all those little necessities, so the difference really comes down to essentially the body and frame being the only place to "save" money.

I'm a little short on time this morning, so basically, for someone with self admitted limited skills (and probably tools) you may be better off buying a very good used rod. (Be careful in today's environ, rat rods are a fad and as such tend to be overpriced for the componentry that's there). If you work within the numbers Don mentioned, for $20k you could get, for instance, a nice Model A rod, or a very nice '46-8 fat fender Ford. (Unless you absolutely have to have a T). That way you can have a car to enjoy, and you can get your learning curve by upgrading to your tastes/needs.

If you're set on the idea of a track T, some left coast alternatives are Superior in Portland; http://www.superiorglassworks.com/ca....php?pageid=25 And Poliform in Ca; http://www.poli-form.com/Gallery/27road.html