There are few things that beat a good judging guide when it comes to reference materials for your restoration. These are the guides that the judges use and study. It doesn't matter if you're going to be in a concours or not.
When I ordered the Concours guide for our Austin Healey 3000 BT7 it was also possible to get a guide for the Sprite. Since there was no additional cost (that I can remember) it was well worth bundling it in with the information request.
What is great about these documents is that they are the most concise references for when things changed on cars, and when we're dealing with British cars it's a common occurrence. I printed out the reference (it came on CD Rom) and the judging sheet. At the back I added a photocopy of the build sheet that we ordered for the vehicle. With the car's vital statistics and all the concours data combined I then had it spiral bound as my point in which I can validate parts and information about the vehicle as I go through the systems as well as somewhere for me to take relevant notes.
Aside from being a great little notebook, it helps you identify things on your vehicle that just aren't right. Some are obvious, as this car came to us with an alternator, but they were fitted with a generator at the factory. Some are less so, this car appears to have an earlier radiator and to have had the temperature sensor bulb moved from the head to the radiator.
All in all, these are well worth printing, buying or acquiring for any vehicle you're going to restore. I keep these, the parts catalog and the shop manual all within easy reach when working on the car.
