This article's topic may be a sore subject for some readers. There are likely to be several gotchas in this list, where a gearhead or two (or several thousand for that matter) might have rushed headlong into purchasing and starting a classic car renewal project that goes awry and is hopelessly stalled. It's not something to beat yourself up about. It's called being human and making mistakes. Don't let the fear of making a boo boo or two get in your way of reading this article for some helpful hints on getting your old car project going or restarted. If you keep these muscle car restoration mistakes in mind, you won't fall victim to them in the future.

Our lead photo of a restored Lemon Twist yellow 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda is courtesy of Mecum Auctions.

The Most Common Muscle Car Restoration Mistakes

Development of the second-generation 1963-1967 C2 Corvette began in the mid to late 1950's. Ed Cole, Chevrolet's General Manager, called it the "Q-Corvette" project. To achieve better handling, the chassis would have a four-wheel independent suspension system. It should also have four-wheel disc brakes, for better stopping power. For better weight distribution and elimination of the transmission hump, a front engine/rear transaxle foundation was planned. Read on as we take a look back at C2 Corvette history, concept cars, racing development, factory options, and model year changes throughout its five-year production run. We'll even share some data on original pricing and how many were sold each year.

What do these three pop culture luminaries from the 1980s and 1990s have in common: John Rambo, Bruce Jenner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger? One is a famous Olympic athlete who won the Decathlon. One is a famous actor and former governor of California. The other is the protagonist in several movies played by actor Sylvester Stallone. In addition to being well-known celebrities, they were all selected as code names by designers at the Ford Motor Company for three different concept cars for the upcoming 4th generation Mustang (a.k.a. SN95 or Fox-4). The John Rambo, the Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Bruce Jenner were all concept cars leading up to the release of the 1994-2004 SN95 Mustang.

Car and truck designers and engineers are well versed at evolving and improving vehicles through sometimes subtle and other times dramatic improvements. A vehicle that exemplifies subtle and artful design changes is the 1967-1972 Ford F100. These model years are known as the 5th generation of the world-famous Ford F100. In this identification guide, we'll show you some styling differences that can help you distinguish each of the F100 model years from 1967 through 1972. We'll also take a look at the engine options that were offered for these classic F-Series trucks.

General Motors car designer Harley Earl unveiled a two-seater 1951 LeSabre concept car at Watkins Glen racetrack in upstate New York in 1951. While watching the field of British and Italian sports cars careening around the track on that fateful day, Mr. Earl realized that American car companies weren't designing, engineering, and building anything like those fast, stylish, lightweight, and stunning vehicles that were flying around the track with such grace and ability. American cars, and even his elegant two-seat LeSabre, seemed ponderously large and heavy in comparison to the lithe European machines. So, Harley quietly began a project that would eventually lead to the creation of one of America's most legendary cars: the Chevrolet Corvette. In this article, we'll take a look at Corvette generations from the 1953 C1 through the 2020 C8, as well as some of the incremental changes that kept the Corvette a world-famous machine.

From the 1979 model year through the 1993 model, the 3rd generation Ford Mustang spanned 15 years of production. Ford's third-gen pony car is more commonly referred to as a Fox Body Mustang after the unibody, rear-wheel drive platform that this generation Mustang is built upon. A total of 15 distinct Ford/Lincoln-Mercury vehicles were produced on the formidable Fox foundation, including the Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Capri, and Lincoln Mark VII. The Fox platform is the second longest running platform of Ford's illustrious production history, behind Ford's Panther body-on-frame foundation architecture that spanned 1978-2012, or 33 model years. Read on as we take a look back at Fox Body Mustang history.

A beguiling beauty to be sure, Betty was first sold at A.G. White Company, in Cartersville, Georgia on April 28, 1972. A.G. White Co. was an old Ford dealership that was established way back in the early 1900's. Mike McCarthy gave his 1972 Ford F-100 Explorer Special the moniker of Betty not long after he purchased her from a farmer in Kansas in 1996. He then gave Betty a new career when he entrusted her with towing his 3rd generation Spec Racer Ford (SRF3) upto Willow Springs Raceway for campaigning the car in some SCCA road racing events. Betty provided over 10 years of trustworthy trouble-free service before the rusty floorboards forced her into a well-deserved retirement and several years of storage at the McCarthy home in Surf City USA.

The Ford Motor Company first produced a pickup truck in 1917. The truck was called a Ford Model TT. It differed from the Model T passenger car by having a heavier frame and rear axle, which gave the truck a hauling capacity of one US ton (2,000 pounds). Ever since then, Ford has been building world-renowned pickup trucks, including the F-1, F-100, and bestselling F-150. Read on as we look back at Ford truck history from the early years through the modern F-Series.

The Chevrolet division of General Motors first used the name Impala for its 1956 General Motors Motorama concept car. The graceful African antelope was used as the car’s logo starting with this show car that incorporated Corvette-like design cues, especially in terms of the vehicle’s front grill. Notice the word grill is missing the ‘e’ at the end of the word. For some reason GM always left the ‘e’ off the end, ala BBQ grill, while other car companies use the more common and generally accepted spelling of grille replete with the ending ‘e’.

As time marches on, American pony and muscle cars are becoming more scarce and valuable. The expensive part is great, so long as you already have one (or many). If, however you're on the hunt for one, that's quite another matter. The price that you're likely to pay for anything that's restorable is likely to be quite dear. You might even be tempted to tap into your kids' college funds, justifying the purchase by thinking that you can share the old car hobby with them. Thankfully, there are still some less sought-after muscle machines out there that are just waiting for some smart folks to snatch 'em up. Consider if you will these three fine A-Body Mopar models from Plymouth and Dodge: the 1970-76 Plymouth Duster, the 1971-72 Dodge Demon, and the 1973-76 Dodge Dart Sport.