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That's tricky. If you don't have a friend that's a mechanic plus you're a novice, a project car is going to bleed you dry financially. It would be a lot less expensive in the long run to buy a fully restored car.

Start here: www.amazon.com/Auto-Repair-Dummies-Deanna-Sclar/dp/0898153417

That's the 1989 edition that I started with in 1989. That, and a 1974 Pontiac Ventura. I was a complete novice at the time myself.

This book will be especially helpful to you, because it uses the author's 60's Mustang as a reference for everything. That's the 1st edition of the book. There is a second edition that's a lot more recent, but I don't know what's in it. For your 'Stang - get the 1st edition for $5 and save $20.

There's also a good chapter about what to look for when buying a car. That'll be helpful to you as well.

As far as being a novice goes, don't let that intimidate you. I've learned that 90% of mechanics is having the confidence in yourself that you can fix it, and you can fix it correctly. Always have the right tools for the job. Buy the best tools that you can afford. Today, there's a whole internet full of videos about car repair. I didn't have that luxury.

And good luck! I wanna see Mustang pictures one of these days.

If you want reliability.. I'd respectfully spend the extra on an engine case that doesnt need line boring. Line bored engines tend to have a shorter life, it's hard to do right (most use a handheld tool) and it usually costs 200-400 to get it done, plus 150-200 for cylinder boring. A new aluminum case (They are a bit heavy compared to as41 mag...) is roughly 830 dollars shipped, and it would include boring for larger cylinders. (aa performance, use code AASAVE15 )

As for the build, it has gone VERY simple. I used gasgacinch everywhere, and aviation permatex on the jugs for the most part. I replaced a LOT of parts with aftermarket ones, including my heads (the old ones might be rebuild-able, but i found a pulled out spark-plug thread in one..) That said, This is my second re-assembly of this engine. I did a non sealant full assembly to check fits, bearings, clearances, etc.

There's lots of little gotchas with measuring this, that, and the other. Some parts are only available in inferior versions, etc. If you can find a complete vw engine for 200-300, you're saving a lot of money on things like the distributor drive pinion, tin, 1.1 forged rockers, cooling fan, oil relief valves, alternator, etc.

Whatever you do for the engine case, do look into 'full flow' modifications. These permit you to add an external spin on oil filter, which is a big improvement. I'm doing a filter pump.. which isn't amazing, but works. Also look into a sand seal to keep crud and moisture out of the oil, and have a proper crankcase ventilation setup (basically, vac hose to air filter, consider a catch can.) When you go to build the engine, measure everything, including stuff that 'should be' correct. Consider having the crank, crank pulley, flywheel, pistons, rods balanced, then the clutch pressure plate (yup..) balanced. That way, you can replace the pressure plate without hosing the balance on the engine. It's really not super required, but it will help make for a longer life engine. Make sure to get a forged crank, cast cranks are problematic in VW engines because they only have 3 real main bearings. If you're not stroking, it's REALLY hard to beat original forged German cranks, unless you want counterweighted (not needed unless you're revving to the moon...)

All of this is really building up to.. make sure you're basically running a cleanroom on final assembly. Wash even new parts, chase threads carefully, then wash again and bottle brush the oil passages. If your build table is dirty, lay down some paper to keep it clean, etc. Then learn to love the assembly lube. And have all the torques on hand. and torque patterns. You're probably going to be about 1.5-2k into the engine, to be totally honest, tack on another few hundred for your choice in carbs, and whatnot. You can do it all cheaper if you find an engine in fantastic condition that just needs some cleanup, and new P&Cs. Those really do not exist, to be honest, outside of finding an older person's projects when they pass...

ALso: Go get a book. Good overall and excellent for engine building. Saves you money.

I think you'll be hard pressed to find actual detailed schematics.

http://www.amazon.com/Race-Rally-Car-Sourcebook-Competition/dp/085429984X

That book has a lot of pictures and diagrams of various racecars (both production based and formula style) and discussion about design considerations.

The To Win series by Carol Smith has some wisdom from a man who built a lot of formula cars, but it's mostly technical stuff - not straight up schematics.

The only resource I know of that has full schematics about how to build a car, is Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It!, but that's to build a 1960 era Lotus 7. (If you want to check this out, I have a .PDF copy I might be able to upload, as the original is out of print - the book shouldn't cost 1/2 the price of the car they teach you to build IMO, lol).

A while back, I had the same dream - except not a Formula 1 car, just a homebrew of some sort.

To get "practice" at putting a car together, I taught myself a 3D CAD program called SolidEdge (similar to Solid Works, except there is a free academic version that's readily available to almost anyone). I looked everywhere for schematics of real race cars so I could attempt to model one before I started working on my own design. The best thing I could find was that Build Your Own Sports Car book.

Seems like nobody wants to give away their design secrets - even with 50 year old cars...

About 10 years ago a friend of mine got a book about Ferrari's ~2000 F1 car. I think the book cost $250. You could probably build a ~2000 Ferrari F1 car based on the photos and diagrams in that book, but you'd need an extremely well equipped shop to do it, and it would still cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just to make the shell and suspension. I don't even remember what the book was called. I think it might be this one, but I'm not sure.

It sounds like you're comfortable with a carb; if that's the case then EFI should be easy for you. Greg Banish has a few books, this one and this one, that lay it out very well. These are the best how to books on the topic I know of. An Innovate LC2 (or the outgoing LC1 for a bit cheaper) is all the equipment you'll need.

I used to say the same thing about EFI vs carbs... now I can hardly imagine running a carbed car. My '83 Alfa will definitely get EFI, probably the '72 Duster as well. Part of that may be that I'm an engineer in the engine industry, I confess that I probably have certain biases.

This is the book I bought. If you want to learn from someone who loves to shape sheet metal then look no further. I met the author, Ed Barr, and he is the real deal. You will learn a lot from his book.

Edit: it's 300 pages of information that applies to what you want to do

Also, there are car restoration classes at the McPherson College in Kansas. They have a summer session that is open to the public. Each class is a one week session (M-F 8:30-5). The faculty and everyone else there are all friendly! Unfortunately, the classes are over this year, but they run every year in June. I took beginner and advanced sheet metal classes as well as a drivetrain class.

In the metal classes we learned how to TIG, MIG and torch weld sheet metal. Also, learned how to shape and form the sheet metal like bending, stretching and shrinking in certain places to get the right shape for your need. They have all the tools you need for your task. English wheels, bead rollers, metal brakes, hammers, dollies, power hammers etc...you name it and it's there. Plus they are open to students bringing in a manageable piece in to work for your advanced class.

The drivetrain class, we were allowed to take apart transmissions and put them back together. I did a Model A, 63-67 MG A, and a TH400. Someone else did a tranny from an 04 Mustang. We also took apart live axles. I took apart an axle with a Dana differential.

They offer a lot more and I promise you won't leave with a frown on your face!

P.S. A lot of students say they know the ins-and-outs of something until they take one of these classes. Almost everyone learns at least something new.

Get Tom Wilson's book. It deals with type 4 engines, it helps you inspect your engine bits to see how "rooted" they are. Then it will help you figure out how to fit it back together.
Also... www.thesamba.com is a huge online forum about everything vw Aircooled and more. Search it.
From there you will ba able to get a picture...
And... www.ratwell.com is invaluable to for info on baywindows... Good luck
https://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Volkswagen-air-Cooled-Engine-models/dp/0895862255

They aren't cheap! I have a temporary set up Currently, I'm Running this OBD 2 reader https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NLQAHS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have a android tablet (that my wife also got me) that I use for the gauges currently. Works fantastic and gives me everything I need so I don't have to worry about dropping 💴 on gauges until the end. I can't remember the app I have but it cost like maybe 5 bucks but was worth every penny. I can Get you the app I use if you want

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005NLQAHS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Also buy the torque app. If you're curious about what you're engine is doing this is the best 30 bucks you can spend. Reads codes, clears them automatically, tells you when your engines warmed up, will display and log the output of your obd sensors.

Okay, in that case I'm pretty sure they're both urethaned in. This tool you posted might work from the inside, if you remove the trim panels. Otherwise you could use a flexible putty knife like this with sharpened edges to cut through it, also from the inside of the car.

Nice score, looks like it has a lot of potential and is near done. If i may add a suggestion, toss a cover on the positive terminal and make sure it is well insulated all the way to the starter/alternator so it doesn't short out. Maybe toss a quick disconnect terminal on the negative side so you can disconnect it if you leave for awhile, or in a hurry if something fishy is going on with your electrical system, never know when those gremlins can attack.

You should be able to find several books on Amazon, check out this one- http://www.amazon.com/Build-Chevy-Small-Blocks-Budget-Performance/dp/1932494847/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377614427&sr=1-2&keywords=small+block+chevy
I've read several books from that series and they are very helpful.

Sweet! What motor does it have? There are a lot of good forums, 78ta has been very helpful. For parts, Ames has an incredible selection. Don't forget to just check rockauto or your local parts store for more generic stuff like brake parts and other wear items. They'll be way cheaper than a specialty catalog. If you're getting into the motor, Rocky Rotella's book is basically the bible for Pontiac motors. How much will it cost... I try not to think about it... but here are some rough #s: Vintage Air AC: $1500; replace brakes from booster to rotors $1500 (not the rears); Stainless exhaust: $900; Engine work and parts $5000 (roughly). Misc parts and trans rebuild will be at least another $1000. Rocky's book tells you how to get the engine done way cheaper but I'm this deep into the project and don't want to go cheap on the motor.

I don't think that'd work. I was thinking more along the lines of this tool http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31NqFg6GcDL._SX425_.jpg

But it'd have to be shorter than that for the sedan side window, since it's a smaller triangle piece about 9" tall by 5" wide.

I also saw this on Amazon, so maybe this will work better? I just don't know how I would use this?

http://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-87900-Windshield-Removal/dp/B0002SRDR8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1463258138&sr=8-4&keywords=windshield+removal+tool

I have a lot of experience in off-road, light weight vehicles. 500cc would be OK for a single seater - a Mini Buggy, not a rail http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c14/theo44/Bandit/Picture0022.jpg

If you want to go "junkyard car" route, strip a VW Beetle (standard, NOT a super).
To see what can be done (street use) go here:
http://volksrods.com/forum/

If you are thinking car based off-road, you MUST read this before buying ANYTHING: http://www.amazon.com/Baja-Bugs-Buggies-VW-based-off-road/dp/0895861860/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426456596&sr=1-1&keywords=baja+bugs+and+buggies

https://www.amazon.com/Approved-Headlamp-Motorcycle-Headlight-Signal/dp/B07P5WFFQG/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=motorcycle+headlight&qid=1558444591&s=gateway&sprefix=Motorcy+le+h&sr=8-8

Looked pretty similar

When I had my first beetle I was a big fan of How to Keep you VW Alive - Step by step for the complete idiot. Mostly because I was an idiot mechanically back then.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Performance-Pontiac-Design/dp/1884089674

https://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Own-Sports-Car/dp/1844253910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540663040&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+build+your+own+sports+car

http://www.locostusa.com/forums/index.php

There are also These I've got them on a few vehicles, very handy just a 1/2 turn or so and the battery is disconnected. They're installed on the negative side and work very nicely.

I've had to do this to pull a rocker at home. Don't use a chinese puller, they will hurt you, good one is only $35.