After that rosey picture let me give you something else to think about.

In general (meaning there are always exceptions, albeit rare), the cheaper the "kit" the lower the quality. That means it's going to take you either more $, or more time (which is the same as more $) to build a decent car.

Based on your own self-description I'm going to guess you're pretty new to building a rod from the ground up. That means that what I'm about to write will seem unbelievable to you. It's the truth, but if you haven't experienced it you'll be skeptical. You're doing what almost every "rookie", and some semi-experienced people, do. They sit down with a catalog and a legal size yellow tablet. They go through the catalogs, list out EVERYTHING they can think of. Some items you SWAG (scicentific wild ass guess), and come up with a number. You come up with a total similar to what you have there. Now for the tough to stomach part. Double that number and you'll be close. Don't believe me? Oh well!! Oh, you've probably also guesstimated how long it will take you. Triple that!

Now, you don't know me, but you did ask for input. I'm really not trying to discourage you. Rather, quite the opposite. Too many people have started a project like this without experience and end up with a pile of "stuff" in the garage that is neither a car, nor has any market value to others, or at least nothing near what it cost. If you don't have a buddy like Streets (well, not exactly like him anyway ) to help bail you out you'll get discouraged and quit on the project. Or you may actually find success in another way.

There are many people who don't agree with me, but I feel that the best way to get started in this hobby is to buy a finished, or near finished car. Find something you like first, don't compromise just for the sake of price. The ideal would be a car that's put together well, runs reliably, and just needs some finishing touches like paint and upholstery. You have to be a little patient and a good negotiator because the guys who have these kind of cars, at first, want to get all, or nearly all, of their money back. Ain't gonna happen. You need to wait them out as they learn the realities of the marketplace. And there's the problem with trying to build a "cheap" kit car. You end up with $12-14k in a car that you can only sell for $7k at best (unless you're one of the very few who really do possess extraordinary skill and artistic talent). Why? Because most rod buyers can tell it's a cheap car and put together by an amatuer. Or you can buy a "used" rod, especially if it's mostly like you want, update it with some better wheels, maybe some upholstery upgrades, and have a car you can later sell for something around what you've got in it. After you've "paid your dues" you'll have learned enough to be able to build a ground up car with a much greater chance of success.

You talk about needing time to get in position to play with rods. Great!!! Don't waste it. Go to every event you can. Look at cars that appeal to you. Ask the owners questions to learn the pros and cons. See what the market likes and doesn't like. Now you may be thinking "I don't care what others like, I want to build what I like". If you didn't have affordability issues that would be fine. Throw money away. But some day you're going to want to, or need to, sell the car and move on, either to another one, or something else. That's when your decisions come home to roost.

Now, I'll give you one personal example. Click the camera next to my name. Look for the dark red '32 roadster. When I bought that it had good paint, good upholstery, a new top, and ran well. However, it had a dated style. It was two toned with black, had knock off wire wheels, and sat too high. I bought it, painted the fenders, frame rails, and fuel tank to match the rest of the car. I lowered it, and changed the wheels and tires. Enjoyed the car for a couple seasons and sold it for something near what I had in it. And just to show it's not a fluke, I did the essentially the same thing with the '56 wagon pictured too. That doesn't make me a genius, just an average guy who's been down the road. I've actually got a couple friends who are way shrewder than me and make money doing similar things. Think about it.