Good project ThinkPad?

[cshortt]

Is there a classic ThinkPad with parts that are relatively easy to come by? I tried working on a 560X as a first project (it was dirt cheap), but that ended abruptly when the only functioning motherboards I could find were in already restored units.

[panips]

390 or 390x
you can easily find its mobo/lcd/hinge/dc-dc/keyboard online (with less than 10 bucks from impactcomputers)

[astral]

Any from the 380 series are a great option. They're totally bulletproof, one of the best examples of a "stereotypical thinkpad" that there is. A lot of them are DSTN, but if you find a TFT one, they make really nice machines. Parts are very plentiful.

[Medessec]

I'd definitely agree with 380 and 390, both are really cool vintage machines in their own right but having both a CD and Floppy drive in the same machine is just too good for vintage software tinkering as well.

760 is a good one in my opinion, although they're getting pricey and parts can be tough to find and replace. But they're notably tougher than 380/390 if you find one that was decently stored and in good condition, and the little flip-prop-up keyboard is just such a nice touch. It also has this odd crystal display for the Battery, HDD, Caps lock and other indicators. 770 is also quite good, keyboard is amazing- situation with parts is similar to 760 though.

A3x can be a good "project" Thinkpad, as standard A30/31s can be found without much difficulty. The dual Ultrabays is really wild and very cool for swapping stuff around, but of course you can just keep a Floppy Drive/CD or DVD drive in both bays. UXGA is fantastic but even just an SXGA+ is quite nice for running old applications, and despite it being much newer than the other ones mentioned, it can still run Windows 98. Be careful if you get an A31p, although it's super sought after and an absolutely awesome Thinkpad to own, replacement motherboards for them are not really around at all anymore. More often than not, you'd just be looking for a roughed up A30 or A31 that you can just swap the board out of to get yours working again. Although, I've had my A31p for almost 10 years now and nothing's gone wrong with it.

600 would also be worth looking at, 600X is similar to the A31p though in parts situation. Base 600 and 600Es can be found quite easily though.

For the most part, if your system board or some other critical component goes south, it's been much easier for me to source the replacement from an entire other unit.