If i would be you.
I would talk to HotRodKid or somebody else except your mechanic… to see where you stand, and what you can with all the stuff that you have now. See what you need to finish the build. If you run into problems again such as those that you described, i would stop the build.
Why choose HotRodKid?
Because he does EXCELLENT work. I was there when he built the Turbo SHO, and i was just amazed of what he can do without ‘somedude’ spending a ton of money.
Another thing is, listen to what people tell you. I don’t mean that in a bad way or anything.
OR
Sell the car, or get a different project car.
Thats all, good luck.