One thing I do right is the opposite of BradH, I will never tear down my car unless I have everything in place to get it running.
That's a great approach, assuming you have a spare engine, trans, differential, etc., waiting to swap in when you hurt something.
Otherwise, I don't see how you can avoid down time while you tear stuff apart to determine what needs to be repaired before it can go back together.
That was my plan back in 2104. I had another transmission and had a deal for another engine so I could do the second engine and gearbox up and just swap it.
My friend died and the whole deal was set back and took me almost 3 years to fix all the crap.
Just because you think it won't make it true. Horsepower is KING. To dispute this is stupid. C. Alston
