Mechanics n00b

Scottland

Scottland

Scottland

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
15,713
Location
North Wales
I was thinking of buying a cheap car to take apart and attempt to put back together again in my spare time. Starting with basic things, and working up.

Is this a wise idea to pick it up, or am I going to be left with lots of bits lying around and no idea where to put them? :p
 
Not a bad idea at all.

The first thing an old mate of mine did when he bought his RS Turbo was to completely strip it down & restore it from the chassis up.

When he started the job, he knew nothing. I'd say hes pretty much a self taught expert on them now!
 
Thanks for the link, that looks very useful.

I'm under no illusions, I don't expect to become any sort of expert, but I would like to be comfortable doing some stuff on my own car should I need to.

Whats the best place to start? I was going to say start with fluid and filter changes. Move on to brakes (pads, shoes, discs etc). Where then?

Is it best to buy something working or non working? I quite fancy an old Mk1 MR2, but I think it might be a bad idea with the engine being in the back.
 
Scottland said:
Thanks for the link, that looks very useful.

I'm under no illusions, I don't expect to become any sort of expert, but I would like to be comfortable doing some stuff on my own car should I need to.

Whats the best place to start? I was going to say start with fluid and filter changes. Move on to brakes (pads, shoes, discs etc). Where then?

Is it best to buy something working or non working? I quite fancy an old Mk1 MR2, but I think it might be a bad idea with the engine being in the back.
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The MK1 MR2 is no bad idea with the engine in the back :)
It shouldn't be too hard to get to.
Just completely strip the car and build it back up.
Pull the engine out and take it apart then rebuild it.
Take the panels off, find any rust and fix it then put them back on.

Try here http://twobrutal.co.uk/index.php They ahve all sorts of infomation on the MK1 and there is a guide to remove the engine on there :)
 
How about looking for an old Citroen BX, sure it’s not as sporty as a MR2 but I’d say it would be the perfect car to learn to work on. £500 should get you a post 1990’s model in decent shape with (hopefully) not too much rust (as you probably won’t be able to properly deal with rust as a beginner) and electric sunroofs windows etc (which will go wrong, and will improve your electrical fault finding skills no end).

There is absolutely loads of info on BXs all over the internet, and the Haynes manual is, believe it or not, actually really good. The hydropneumatic suspension would be perfect for a beginner to work on as mechanically it is very simple and can be worked on with a few simple tools, fault finding can be a very tricky process, however I always think a person’s ability to diagnose problems is what sets them apart as a mechanic and is the most useful skill to learn. Also hydropneumatic Citroens are the easiest cars to get on ramps/axel stands bar almost anything, which is useful if you plan on doing a lot of work on them.

I would add that it’s pretty important that you drive the car you buy on a semi regular basis; otherwise stuff will never really break or need changing. If you just pull the car apart you will end up with a huge pile of bits in your garage and no idea what to do with them, plus you won’t have really learnt anything. If you start slowly and just do jobs as and when they need to be done you will get a much better idea of how things work and common problems and fixes, simple jobs like changing the oil will help you build up experience and confidence when you are starting out, but attempting anything too difficult will just leave you scratching your head. Most importantly there is a great sense of achievement in driving something that you fixed, not to mention you can save a fortune when you don’t have to take a car into a garage for every little problem.

However whatever you choose I’d recommend you find someone with a little experience to show you the ropes first, working on cars can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing and fail to take the necessary precautions.

I hope you find that useful and if you’ve got any questions about anything please feel free to ask.
 
best thing to do is NOT get a car with electronic fuel injection.. pulling it apart will be great... but putting ti back together will not.. big wiring looms are daunting things... get something plain and simple.. with a carb :)

I myself did exactly this 12 months ago.. i bought a mini.
 
Old cars are the easiest to learn on and you can fix things yourself instead of resorting to the black diagnostic box or by swapping parts in and out.
 
One of the reasons I got my first mr2 was because I had theoretical knowledge of cars but no practical experience working on them. Since then I've done all sorts of work and gathered a decent collection of tools.

Engine being in the back isn't a problem, the engine bay is pretty big which makes it a lot easier to work on than many cars. Only problem I do find is that you have to lean over quite a long way to get to things - the backs of my knees really ache after an hour or so of leaning over the engine.

Main thing to watch out with if your buying a cheap MR2 is rust. If you want to learn body repairs (welding/painting etc) then it'll be an ideal car but if you want to concentrate on the mechanical side of things then you may find that the rust holds you back. However if you want to take on a project and have something nice to show for it at the end then there's plenty of cheap rusty ones out there you could strip to a shell, restore and rebuild.
 
Cheers for the response guys. Part of the reason fo doing this would be something I could get enjoyment out of driving now and then also, so a BX might not be the best choice - but I see where you're coming from.

What other options are there? Late MGB's seem dirt cheap (the black bumper ones...), is that too old to work on? What if the body work was sound, or is a case of what's lurking underneath?
 
Scottland said:
Cheers for the response guys. Part of the reason fo doing this would be something I could get enjoyment out of driving now and then also, so a BX might not be the best choice - but I see where you're coming from.

What other options are there? Late MGB's seem dirt cheap (the black bumper ones...), is that too old to work on? What if the body work was sound, or is a case of what's lurking underneath?
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When u check the car if its an MR2 check under the carpet, Under and around the archs and around and under the bodykit/bumpers/skirt things and the seals.
If its a T bar check the T bar area it self aswell, Oh T bars have problems with leaking BTW.

Go to the two brutal link and look at the rust on some of the cars they have and how well they have repared it. You will need to know how to weld to fix it though.
It will also help you know where to spot the rust by looking through the site and their gallerys :)
 
depends if you have time, if you do. Then best is a vw beetle. the panels are bolted on, easy to find parts and cheap.

+ lots of tried and tested mods. means for some easy BHP and a fun good looking drive.
 
AcidHell2 said:
depends if you have time, if you do. Then best is a vw beetle. the panels are bolted on, easy to find parts and cheap.
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I wouldnt say they are the most enjoyble car to drive TBH
And it would probably be better for him to work on a car with liquid cooling
 
Zip said:
I wouldnt say they are the most enjoyble car to drive TBH
And it would probably be better for him to work on a car with liquid cooling
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No not the most exciting but you can work with them. A lot of modern cars its very hard to work on. + you can get liquid cooled conversion.
 
if it was me i would get myself down the scrappy and look around for an old Mk4 escort or below to tinker with. My mk4 XR3i cost me £175 and was a road worthy stolen recover. Rusty sills and wheel arches and the engine needed flushing out but was a decent car that lasted me a year until i sold it on.

They have MFI and EFI (manual/electronic fuel injection) depending on the age, they are very easy to work on, cheap to buy, easy to get a Hyanes manual for and if you need parts the scrappy will be full of them :D
 
RiPz said:
best thing to do is NOT get a car with electronic fuel injection.. pulling it apart will be great... but putting ti back together will not.. big wiring looms are daunting things... get something plain and simple.. with a carb :)

I myself did exactly this 12 months ago.. i bought a mini.
Click to expand...

Yeah cause carbs are really easy to set up :p ;)

Fuel injection is very simple and problem free.
 
How about just taking one apart to begin with.

Buy a smashed up insurance write off. Take it all apart then flog all of the spares on ebay.

Do your homework and you'll make a tidy profit.

If you can get a mint (inside) Ghia X mondeo for £100 you would easily make £500 profit.

You will leanr how cars are put together and also the names of all of the parts.

Then the next projetc or after a few would be a rebuild using the money made from the above :)
 
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