Oh man, I'm way over budget. I'm about to publish a small booklet entitled "How to cheat and stay married while keeping the car" LOL.

The pound per dollar puts me at a deficit much broader than Michigan.

All kiddin' aside. I knew going into it that I was going to be over budget, but you can't buy the experience and fun in it. It keeps it all refreshing and lively where many of my friends have gotten bored and sold there cars in regret.
Don't say this at home within ear shot of your other half, but this is what I call, "The Dating Game" with your car.LOL.
I will probably spend what a real 2% car costs and there were only four of those, but I'm building one of none myself, as I would have if I was in the development labs of Chrysler back in the day.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not setting myself up for a sucker punch to buy just about anything at any price, I do shop around and I do barter a lot of stuff for this thing to which has morphed into a piece of art at this point. It's sought of a collaboration with many people. If a cat has a talent or finesse to make,sell a beautiful lightweight product, then he deserves that respect. Case in point, I'm impressed with the new A-body dashboard made by B1Cuda which some cats are plucking down the modest dollars for the piece.

On another front, sometimes just to have a little relax from the madness of my line of work, I'll pre plan in my head of buying a $20 dollar K-member bolt out of Titanium and know that the car and my Hot Rodding are achieving a goal one bolt at a time. I just want to eventually have a very modest engine and fly while keeping the hobby alive and well.

In the intern, most of my friends who have laughed, hissed, and grumbled about what I've done or perceived to have done come to me for advise when they want to shed the fat off of their fifth car. I'm still on my first and only.