From Scratch

What would I need to know if I wanted to buy a used car and totally fix it up? Im really interested in cars but ive never tried to do anything like this before. Could anybody direct me to a guide or something? Not like a step-by-step but an overall idea of the things that I would want to do

It would just depend on what's wrong with the car. Are you looking for a wrecked car with mechanical problems, something currently drivable, or something in between? Are you looking for a classic car and doing a total frame-off restoration, or a '96 Beretta and just fixing what's wrong with it?

I just want something that I can work on. I was thinking about getting something that may or may not run at all and by replacing whatever parts needed to be replaced, end up with a car that performs pretty well. Im really looking for the experience of working on a car and ending up with a car that I built

Look for simple and cheap. The ultimate simple cars are old. The older the better.... but as you get really old, parts aren't as cheap.

If you want the cheapest to fix, I would suggest picking an early 70s through mid 80s GM product. Second to that would be the same thing in a Ford product. Parts are ridiculously cheap for those guys. Many Mopars from that era are equally cheap, but I don't recommend them for a couple reasons: Old mopars are insanely expensive right now. You can pick up a good example of a late 70s or early 80s mopar, but that was a pretty dark time for Chrysler. The cars in those years weren't what I would call "great."

All of these cars are a little wimpy given the smog requirements of the time, but all can be made to perform very well.

GM cars I would suggest on a budget: A/G body (monte carlo, el camino, grand national, regal, cutlass, etc) F body (firebird, trans am, camaro)

Ford cars I would suggest on a budget: Maverick/Comet, late 80s Fox body mustang or thunderbird.

All of the above have ridiculously cheap parts and are super easy to work on, plus they provide great performance potential. They are what I like to call the chia pets of the automotive world. Pick your style, then add water and seeds. I rebuilt the complete brake system on a 73 Impala for under $100, and that was master cylinder, brake pads, shoes, wheel cylinders, calipers, and even machining the rotors. The only thing I didn't replace was the brake lines.

ok. and sorry to ask what is I'm sure a dumb question but where do you get the body to start out with?

craigslist, ebay, newspaper, autotrader.com