One thing I figured out ages ago is that there are some things best left to others (who have done it before and KNOW what they are doing) than to do it myself. Brakes is one of them. I can do shocks and master cyl swaps, but not ball joints. In other words, it might be better for someone else to do the "safety related" items instead of doing them myself. That way, if something goes wrong, it's on them and not me. Ign points, plugs, wires, carburetors, no problem. I'd seen enough of them done and read all about them in several publications, so that I had a good working knowledge of what was going on and how it should end up. Didn't happen over-night, either.
I completely concur, keep the car reliably sheltered at all times. In prior times, I might have suggested getting a storage space in a quality facility, but now some of those are owned by investor grouips who want "passive income" and the prices have skyrocketed to close to $300.00/month for what cost $135.00/month several years ago. Price shop bigtime! This way, the car is sheltered in a locked space and protected. The way weather patterns have been changing of late, this might be a good option.
Tools? Youi might watch for estate sales or similar, hoping to find some good OLDER Craftsman tools at a good price. HFreight might have some good prices, but the quality can be lower in some cases, by observations. They do have some good stuff, though. They periodically have sales on jack stands and such. Get set-up to receive email notification of their sales and coupon events. Get a creeper, too, or scrounge some big pieces of cardboard to lay on. Might be a reason to buy a big screen tv? A drain pan you can carry around, too.
Ta,e care,
CBODY67