Bryce is right. There is a great deal of satisfaction in being creative and stretching your capabilities in the build.
So maybe I should clarify...
I was not offering a formula to succeed. There are many, and I've tried several.
I was offering a more specific response to your question, and focusing on the fact that you are a novice gear head, want to build it in a couple months, and are apparently building alone.
Me too.
The most important part is that you come.
Therefore, I think that YOU should keep it simple.
I've done simple, I've done radical, I've done buy-and-drives, and I've come with no car. I've had fun with all.
By far the biggest risk I take is when I try a radical build. I've had several that didn't make it, and that's no fun. As Bryce has noted, you gotta be there.
Bryce is an engineer, and a better builder than me. He built something creative that stretched his abilities and was more fun to drive.
As a novice, I have also built stuff that was significantly LESS fun to drive. That really sucks.
But Bryce and I both measure ourselves by the same standard- it is a thrill to stretch ourselves, be there, and have fun.
This year was probably the most fun I've ever had. Some people thought my MINI was nothing more than a lucky purchase. It was that, but it was also 3 months of tremendous effort and careful decisions within a plan. I applied everything I learned in the past 10 years about making cars go fast and Challenge building.
And I placed 7th. It felt awesome.
