Two days and no one has responded soooo I'll give you my take on these questions.
I've got a few questions. Is the "gold book" really the standard price guide to stick to when buying one of these cars?
Not familiar with the "gold book" but any reference material can only be used as a guideline, before investing seek the advice of someone in the hobby with practical knowledge that will know what they are looking at.
My second question is if I got a car that was just fully restored, will it break down in a few weeks?
RESTORED means many things to different people, the truth is you will be dealing with a lot of components that are 30+ years old & you should expect some break downs although some folks here seem to have much better luck than others. Heck these things broke down when they were new.
Another question I have is how much do I need to know about engines to keep one running?
I believe that is the attraction for many of us would-be mechanics is that these are simple to work on so if you have any mechanical aptitude you should be able to handle most repairs and with the support from a forum such as CC.C never be totally lost.