Hi John,
First of all, Welcome! I think you'll find this sight much more excepting of "newbies".
You are going to get as many answers to your questions as there are members here, but they will mostly be sincere and with good intention.
To address your question...There ARE several fantastic cars out there. As Dwight said, it is cheaper to buy an existing car and "tweak it" than to build one from the ground up. You just have to be very careful and have it checked by someone who you can trust. Personally, I would not worry about the location of the company as much as which one produces the one that is "right" for you. I have friends in our local club that are similar to you in stature who have Factory Fives, Uniques, Everett-Morrison's and a Hurricane and they all love them. I would definantly look for one that offers elongated footboxes. I have an E-M with them and I installed adjustable seats and a tilt steering wheel which gives considerably more room. As far as a top, well, it depends...here in the South it's nice to have the soft top option to carry in the trunk because we are notorous for our "pop up" summer rain showers. I have one friend who has a Unique and one with a Hurricane and they really enjoy their hardtops in the winter (which get into the teens and 20's here). Vintage Air makes a great unit with both heat and air. My experience is that if you stick with a small block such as a 302 or 351w you shouldn't have the overheating problems that generally come with the large blocks. Besides, the small blocks can be extremely fast, sound great and are easy to build and find parts for. If you opt for the Vintage air I do suggest shrouding the fan and putting the battery in the trunk for better air flow (this also declutters the engine compartment making it that much easier to work on). I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck and enjoy the ride.
