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For starters, a lot will depend on the condition of the 1303 and the unknown engine. I know you said "pretty good shape" but that's a fairly broad decription.
For seconders, nexters ... oh crap, I don't know ... anyway, the next big item depends on how much work can you do on your own. I'm a technoklutz without a garage. I assisted in some work with my mechanic on multiple weekends but in general, labor costs are beating the dog snot out of me. (I knew that going in and have it budgeted over time, but that may not be ideal for you.)
Lastly (from me) is can you afford to do this over time. I feel sorry for any poor soul who is more anal retentive than me when it comes to budgeting money, time, etc. and yet, I have had cost overruns. It just happens.
If you have ten grand you want to kerplunk down and then drive your '74 as if it were a Japanese '04 and then be done with it, you may be sorry. In fact, I would suggest budgeting seven grand and keeping three for those things you didn't think of or things that are also necessary to complete what you did think of.
On the other hand if you have ten grand to get this up and started, and then have a willingness to make adjustments over time, then you should easily be able to accomplish your goal.
As an example, you want to 70 over the hills and across the interstates to grandmother's house we go, you may want to initially build your unknown engine (assuming it is a candidate) to a 1776cc displacement. That would be relatively inexpensive, reliable and fast enough while giving you the 20-30 MPG you also desire. That way you will have more scratch for suspension, brakes and other upgrades. Later, you can add more ponies and twisties under your hood.
That's just one example.
You say nice paint job. Nice paint jobs can range from under $500 to $5,000 depending on who is defining "nice" and who is doing "nice."
You've come to the right place, though. There are some exotic rides here and if you are thinking of competing with these cats, ten grand will only get off the starting block. On the other hand, almost all cars here are in some form of being "in progress" and I'm certainly not the only one dealing with finite finances.
My advice: start by making a budget. Don't worry; you're not locking yourself in. The budget will be quite flexible even if the bottom line isn't. Ultimately after you do a fair amount of research, you will decide where you will compromise and where you can splurge.
And that's why all of our cars look different from each other. Each one of us has a different set of priorities and differing financial profiles. Good luck.
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