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Question of the day:

Suppose you're building on a tight budget (who isn't??) and you're able to spend only $1,000 to get the project really rolling along. What would you buy with that grand and why?

Cost of the donor is not included in this question - assume you already have the donor or have all dimensions needed to build without it. We'll assume the donor will provide uprights, electrical system, engine/trans, etc.

Cost of the steel tube is not included in this either - let's assume $250 additional is already set aside for steel.

(yes, this is to help give me ideas for what I'm going to do )

nothing

start putting it togethor with what you have. Having all the steel, and the donor is enough to get you rolling pretty good. Use the grand only when you need to move to the next step of what ever you're doing.

heim joints, and nuts and bolts, and a case of beer or three.

Seriously though.. start building the chassis and go from there. Once you start building it, you get a good idea of what needs to come next. I'm just buying whatever bits and peices that I need at the time while I'm building.

I forgot to mention what a good chunk of the money is ear-marked for: the nosecone and fenders. I think the nosecone is the big thing to have to make sure everything is lining up properly, but since I'll probably get it all from the same place, might as well save shipping costs and get it all at once!

I'll probably also find a gas tank and maybe the shocks. If I can get all that plus the misc hardware I'll need for the suspension, I'll be reasonably happy!

I started with the headers, seat, and suspension hardware, and am building the frame around them.

Lenny

Seats (or at least one seat) will probably make my list as well so I can make sure my big ass fits in the thing!

I think all of this has been said but I have thought about this and the big ticket items I will have to shell out for above and beyond the chassis and the donor are:
Coilovers- probably will order the $650ish Gaz units.
Nosecone
Fenders
Racing seats
Rollbar
Some cool guages
Pile of mandrel bends and a collector for the header.
Fuel and brake line
Aluminum sheeting for the bodywork.

also, another reason not to buy a bunch of stuff at once is, you're going to change your mind about stuff at least 10 times as you're laying stuff out. So you might as well wait until it is a must to have.

I've got a wife and two kids who will empty my wallet for me if I don't do it myself. There are a couple of things I'll pick up which I'll either live with or re-sell if I change plans part way through the build.

Sometimes its also good to wait to buy stuff. I waited almost a year from the time I decided which guages to use until I bouth them, but when I did buy them I bout them as an ebay auction for 1/3 of the price as summit sells them for, and they were brand new.

you and me both!

I made sure to pick up the wheels I'm going to use so I know exactly what width I'm working with. Also I've picked bits and pieces here and there when I thought they were bargins. Like a I got a Triumph Spitfire gas tank off ebay for really cheap (fits book chassis - so do Jensen Healey tanks but they rust out easily, not common and likely expensive). I'm going to get my metal as soon as I clear the home reno junk out of the garage. My priority buys will be nose cone and scuttle. After that any suspension bits, steering rack and deals I can find.

another vote for stop spendin' and start buildin'

You'll be surprised how quickly you'll eat up that $1k on misc supplies and parts.

If you really want to put the money into something, I vote wheels and tires. For some reason, a pile of parts with a nice set of rubber on each corner is just easier to look at and visualize the finished product, which helps me stay motivated...