how did you learn about cars?

Andr3w

Andr3w

Andr3w

Soldato
Joined
6 Oct 2004
Posts
20,276
Location
England
Hey there, its always been a passion of mine to buy an old run down car and *do it up* as a project car like i know a lot of you guys have!

Im nearly 19 and the only thing i actually know about cars is how to check oil/tyres and fill up my water, i think i'd even struggle to change a flat tyres on my fiesta:o

So i just wondered how did you guys learn how to basically re-build engines etc? Im taking a wild guess in saying the guys on here that do it are pretty much 25++ so i think experience may have helped there?

I'd love to buy a "classic" car, such as an old old merc/bmw (ok not classic but i havent looked around) and try do it up!
 
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Internet + Haynes Manual + A car worth nothing is a good place to start, I think the Polo Project Thread might be worth a vist (I thinks thats what it was called, started after L1J did his inspirational golf thread.

I don't know much about how stuff works, but as I need to do something my dad shows me the first time.

He used to race prep for Lotus :) Which is dead handy!
 
You don't have to be old to know what you're doing. You just need to read up on stuff, lots of it.
When i was 17 (18 now) i did what most people would call major work to two of my cars (respray, built the rest of the car ground up, almost everything replaced etc) and i had only gained an interest in cars at 4 months before my 17th birthday, now that i've got uni i'm glad my car is done, i know my stuff and don't need to spend more time on it.It I had no training whatsoever, my dad doesn't like cars, no-one taught me how to do anything. You can learn how to be a specialist in just about anything off the internet.

I was going to post a story thread as i did on another forum but just never got the time to re-do it.

Just don't be one of those people who talks more than they know. Read Read Read and try it for yourself and you'll soon get the hang of it. Heck on my 17th birthday it took me a day to change my wheels. Now only last week i put coilovers in within the hour. You can do anything if you put the effort in.
 
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moss said:
Just got stuck in and get dirty, owning a peugeot helps, always something to do.
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haha :p

I don't dare do anything on my car but i wouldnt mind getting and old one to try do something with that, im trying to convince my dad to start a project car up with me, so we can work on it at weekends when im back from base, he keeps saying no :( dam him!

What sort of cars are worth looking at? Something 'classic' not like a golf/polo/206 or anything like that. Something abit sporty!
 
Andr3w said:
What sort of cars are worth looking at? Something 'classic' not like a golf/polo/206 or anything like that. Something abit sporty!
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Something that has a decent body, rust is a PITA to sort yourself without knowing how to welding/finish bodywork.
 
moss said:
Something that has a decent body, rust is a PITA to sort yourself without knowing how to welding/finish bodywork.
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Yeh definatly ive been looking around some old cars on pistonheads but cant really see anything that stands out, first of all thought a very old scoobie but then changed my mind! Any ideas lads?
 
I have always watched my Dad sorting bits and bobs out and as soon as I was old enough to properly help, I started to help. Of course, some people just aren't mechanically minded, I think that its something you can pick up very easily if you are that way inclined.

Since I have been old enough to drive I have done lots of bits and bobs myself with my Dad there to help me, and of course the internet and other resources are a fantastic help :)
 
I can manage to do the fluids and filters and thats it. I'm learning more an more, especially reading up on here and various other sites. Age has nothing to do with it, I'm 34 and useless, I wish i had some of the talent some of the guys on here have.
 
Hi,

This has always interested me.

I've booked myself on a college evening course on 'car mechanics for beginners'. 8 weeks, starts in November.

When I learnt about PC's, I always had a working spare.

I would happily take my car to bits, if I didn't rely on it so much for work.

I don't have much space around my house either.

My ex-boss lived on a farm, had a spare car and loads of room to work on his car. He was very handy with his car.
 
I wouldnt try and take an engine apart myself, but i have swapped engines in some basic rovers and stuff, and would undertake most tasks if i have the time.

Just learn as you go along, everything unbolts and comes apart as you would think. The main barrier i found was simply the confidence needed to start a job in the first place.
 
If you have a project car, the costs soon rocket, you will find yourself needing new tools almost everytime you do a job, unless you have a decent tool kit to start with.
Chances are it'll take at least twice as long as you think it will take to do.
 
Mainly experience (usually bad ones) but also knowledge from the internet!

The problem with motor learning is people tend to get semis over their knowledge rather than accept they too once did not know a thing about cars.
 
My old man is a car genius so he has taught me most of what i know. I have been going to rallys where he was a mechanic since i was 2 or 3, hell i even had my own overalls which matched the team. Since then i have been helping in the garage and in the last 4 years building my mini along with a few stock hatch engines and a b series. Books helped me no end, tuning the a series by vizzard and performance rover v8 along with meeting more and more engine builders has given me a pretty decent knowledge of tuning engines. I would start with a very simple car, something old and british like a spitfire. That way there is no fancy machinery you will have to contend with and you can learn the bare bones of mechnics. I disagree with getting a non rusty car, replacing pannels is fun and a huge learning curve it would be deffinatley be worth your while doing some of it if you get the chance to. Rebuilding engines is something which will come with time, the first time you build an engine no matter how closley you follow the haynes you will always miss things that i would consider critical in building an engine, the only way you will learn to do it propperly is by talking to and watching good engine builders at work.
Whatever car you do and however far you choose to go with educating yourself on cars good luck to you fella:D
 
moss said:
If you have a project car, the costs soon rocket, you will find yourself needing new tools almost everytime you do a job, unless you have a decent tool kit to start with.
Chances are it'll take at least twice as long as you think it will take to do.
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Proberly, although my dad's work has a lot of tools hes allowed to borrow as long as he takes back!
There is a lad where i work who bought an old beetle, completely did it up, drove 9000 miles around europe, it might be worth talking to him lol
 
It just takes plenty of time, plenty of practice and having the space and tools to do it.

To be honest with decent internet resources whatever job you need to do, there will always be someone who has done it before and can talk you through it.

Probably the most important thing is to be safe while doing it, not working under a car unless it is very well supported by axle stands.
 
Only way to find out is to take it to bits, most of the time the haynes manuals are wrong, usefull for pointers.
You just need to be logical, it goes back together the way it came appart. If it doesnt get the biggest hammer you can find, and buy a new bit.

I bought my first classic about 4 years ago, your problem is that cars which are rust free you will pay over the odds for cause thats what everyone wants, better to find something that needs bodywork and do that otherwise you will be flinging money away.

Id go for a spitfire aswell i love them simple but yet complicated if you want to make them, im just finishing rebuilding mine replacing pretty much every body panel.
 
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Mattius said:
Only way to find out is to take it to bits, most of the time the haynes manuals are wrong, usefull for pointers.
You just need to be logical, it goes back together the way it came appart. If it doesnt get the biggest hammer you can find, and buy a new bit.

I bought my first classic about 4 years ago, your problem is that cars which are rust free you will pay over the odds for cause thats what everyone wants, better to find something that needs bodywork and do that otherwise you will be flinging money away.

Id go for a spitfire aswell i love them simple but yet complicated if you want to make them, im just finishing rebuilding mine replacing pretty much every body panel.
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What classic did you buy?
 
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