Well, I think any hopes of new rims are going to have to be shelved for now. This thing just keeps going cha-ching cha-ching cha-outgoing moola, and doesn't help that the Canadian dollar is pretty weak right now!
I'm not sure if I actually need those fancy new tall valve covers to clear the rockers, but I do like their appearance over any other option and I like knowing there won't be any issues with the rockers. The downside is that they're 4" taller than the stock covers which leads to other clearance issues. The 11" brake booster tries to occupy the same space, and even an 8" would require doing some material removal off the covers...something I'd rather avoid. Not wanting to give up the power brakes, the solution seems to be a hydroboost braking system. A friend of mine is running a Hydratech setup on his 64 Lemans and likes it, so I think I'll be doing the same.
I've also been having doubts about the adequacy of the 2 row aluminum radiator I have, and what kind of fan (electric or crank mounted) to use. Either would need a fanshroud added. Another friend (beautiful '69 Firebird convertible) has a BeCool radiator, and I've been reading good things about those...so looks like I will wind up grabbing a full BeCool Factory Fit assembly for this.
Gauge wise, I'm looking at either Dakota Digital or Speedhut, and really leaning towards the Speedhut option as being better looking although a couple hundred bucks more. Top image is Dakota, bottom is Speedhut with a personalized graphic added to the face.
So those three systems have added significantly to costs, but I don't think I'll be happy going a cheaper route on such important systems. I still have to sort out my interior requirements and have a lengthy list of smaller items, the kind that tend to nickel and dime you to death the closer you are to the finish line.
In the meantime I'm trying to unbury the actual car from the mounds of VW parts I bought recently. Buy low, sell high...need to sell a lot to pay for this build!!!