Beginners,doing multiple modifications at once......

All great advice, another reason to slow down and do one thing at a time, is to know what effect that one change made. It's hard to know if that carb made a big difference, when you changed 3 other things. I do know that when you are rebuilding something, it does snowball into a lot more. Mentors are also a huge advantage. I used to read a lot of HP magazines when I was young. Then, I got to know real mechanics and racers that opened up a whole new reality for me. Theoretical BS made way for the practical: does this make me go faster; make my car more reliable; handle better; more efficient; make it safer... Looking back, my best advice would be to get the best body you can to start. Get what you want, because down the road you will have a lot invested, time, money, and affection. Do the suspesion and brakes. Build a bulletproof shortblock, and get a performance valve job from someone really good. Now you can change things to your hearts content because you have a good foundation.