Mechanical courses

Ford do courses at verious CEME centres. It's full time but you learn a great deal. It's hands on work as soon as you join, but it also consists of paper work and it's a very maths based course.

I believe there is one at Dagenham if you're in the South East.
 
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I went on an evening course a couple of years ago at my local college - 2 hrs 6pm to 8pm every Tues - cost £220 for 18 weeks.

But as I already knew everything on the syllabus (and the course instructor was my next door neighbour) they taught me engine mapping and how to operate their rolling road :-)

The college is http://www.blackpool.ac.uk/ to give you an idea of what they offer and if there is anything similar in your area.

They are worth doing imo - you get to learn in a nice warm environment and they teach you things you won't glean from a Haynes manual - i.e. what to do whet you snap a bolt or something simply wont come of after following the Haynes highly detailed instructions of "1: Remove the lower bolt. "2: Lower the suspension strut".
 
amigafan2003 said:
"1: Remove the lower bolt. "2: Lower the suspension strut".
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1: heat to cherry red with gas axe, liberally apply club hammer to end of spanner, jump up and down on scaf tube over breaker bar, realise the bolt thread is wrong handed and you've been tightening it for the last 20 minutes. 2: lower the suspension strut.
 
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Look at this picture, you will see a large hammer. If you can master this tool, you are 50% of the way to becoming a mechanic.
 
Haynes: Refitting is the reverse sequence to removal.
Translation: But you swear in different places.
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haha - so true!

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying.
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I actually laughed out loud at this once - been there many times. And no, I never learn.
 
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SB118 said:
1: heat to cherry red with gas axe, liberally apply club hammer to end of spanner, jump up and down on scaf tube over breaker bar, realise the bolt thread is wrong handed and you've been tightening it for the last 20 minutes. 2: lower the suspension strut.
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Been there broken that :p

not the suspension but with other bits bloody japs threading things the wrong way round!
 
Matt82 said:
30% of the skill is just swearing, the rest is covering things in grease. jump in and swim
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Drinking tea and stroking your chin while drawing air through your teeth are also important skills. :)

If you've got the space, you could buy an old banger for 50 quid and just pull it to pieces, then try to reassemble
 
I did an evening course at a college during the first half of this year (luckily it was free as the college are also my employers).

While it didn't teach me anything I couldn't learn reading a Haynes manual it did give me confidence having people who knew what they were doing on hand if I cocked anything up!
 
I get around said:
Haynes manual + online research.
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The most adventurous thing i had done before about a year ago were oil changes, and changing a c.v. boot.

Then my 106 XSi I had at the time blew up its gearbox. I was pretty penniless at the time so had to fix it myself. SO i just got stuck in with a haynes manual and the support of a great forum (Rallye Register)
Another few months down the line I now have a merc 190e which I do all the maintenance and repair work on myself.

There is no substitue for just getting stuck in. With forum support, and haynes you can't go too far wrong imho.
 
Haynes: Press and rotate to remove bulb...
Translation: OK - that's the glass bit off, now fetch some good pliers to dig out the bayonet part and remaining glass shards.
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LOL :D


I find the easiest way to learn is to just dig in, also

Didn't need a hammer when I did my suspension either :D
 
Haynes: Three spanner rating (intermediate).
Translation: Make sure you won't need your car for a couple of days and that your AA cover includes Home Start.
Translation: But Novas are easy to maintain right... right? So you think three Nova spanners has got to be like a 'regular car' two spanner job.
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:D
 
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