Interested in learning mechanics on older cars 60s and early 70s. Do polytechnic schools teach these? I checked it out once when I was living in Florida and it was a lot of modern car training, aka hooking a car up to a computer then diagnosing through that. I already have a college degree and a job, not looking for a new career path. Just looking to learn a new hobby properly.
just get a car you like and start working on it... they aren't NASA built rockets- they are mass produced pieces of machinery that were put together in mass quantities by average people on assembly lines...
I thought of that way, but ultimately it came down to me not owning a garage. I thought it might be best to learn using other people's stuff until I decide to move up into a bigger living place.
The internet is a pretty good place to learn.
Recent related discussion you might find helpful:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/who-looks-at-cars-different-because-of-internet/64074/page1/
novaderrik is right on, but if you don't have a place to store/work on a car, it obviously presents a challenge.
Try volunteering your services to a local LeMons racing team. I'm not much of a mechanic myself. Until recently, couldn't do much more than change oil and spark plugs. Joined a LeMons team 1.5 years ago. I've learned a ton by working on our team cars under the watch of people who know what they're doing. And it's fun.
I'd love to join a LeMons team. I would be no use though, maybe to hold or wrench or move something heavy.
Any day, I will take someone who really wants to help over someone who wants to show he knows it all.
Easy way is to buy one, disassemble it, clean it up, and reassemble. If it works, success. If not, disassemble the offending part, fix it, and reassemble.
But there was that one school on Wayne's infoermical out in KS(?), where they have the "hot rod" class.
Coldsnap wrote: I'd love to join a LeMons team. I would be no use though, maybe to hold or wrench or move something heavy.
That's what I thought to...and that kept me from joining a team for a while. But I finally decided to go for it when the opportunity arose. I couldn't have been more wrong in thinking I wouldn't be any use, or be able to learn. I didn't know much going into it, but my team is really patient (thankfully) and always willing to help. I started with very simple stuff...my first day I removed the back window out of our Civic wagovan and scraped the old decals off. It wasn't mechanical per se, but it was work. And I'm hanging around everyone else doing work, watching and learning. Even just grabbing tools, I'm learning. Every time I go to work on the cars, I learn something new.
JohnRW1621 has it exactly right. I think most established teams that already have good mechanics would much rather have someone with no skills that's eager to learn than someone who wants to come in thinking they know it all.
Cool. I actually met someone on a LeMons team locally through here, I'll give that a shot.
Coldsnap wrote: I'd love to join a LeMons team. I would be no use though, maybe to hold or wrench or move something heavy.
That is what is known in the trade as "A starting place". Can't think of too many of us who were born with a full toolbox and the knowledge to swap an LS into any vehicle while still in the womb.
I see a lot of people who fit your description introduce themselves on the MG Experience board.... "Hi, I am new and my car is broke what do I do or where do I start?" Couple of months down the road, and they start offering help of their own. While the MG Experience is one of the more polite boards I have found, the same experience is found for most Marques in their respective forums.
Pick up a Haynes Repair Manual for whatever car you're driving, get a bag of chips and some Mountain Dew to wash them down with, and read the book cover to cover. You'll learn a ton about basic automobile operation and maintenance.
My driveway. Saturday morning. Bring lunch.
Sky_Render wrote: Pick up a Haynes Repair Manual for whatever car you're driving, get a bag of chips and some Mountain Dew to wash them down with, and read the book cover to cover. You'll learn a ton about basic automobile operation and maintenance.
You will learn that assembly is always the reverse of removal.
EvanB wrote:Sky_Render wrote: Pick up a Haynes Repair Manual for whatever car you're driving, get a bag of chips and some Mountain Dew to wash them down with, and read the book cover to cover. You'll learn a ton about basic automobile operation and maintenance.You will learn that assembly is always the reverse of removal.
I'd contest that... my experience working on older, rusty cars says that assembly usually involves far less blood and swearing that removal does...
Ashyukun wrote:EvanB wrote:I'd contest that... my experience working on older, rusty cars says that assembly usually involves far less blood and swearing that removal does...Sky_Render wrote: Pick up a Haynes Repair Manual for whatever car you're driving, get a bag of chips and some Mountain Dew to wash them down with, and read the book cover to cover. You'll learn a ton about basic automobile operation and maintenance.You will learn that assembly is always the reverse of removal.
Amen.
In my experience, working on older cars is usually easier than on more modern machinery, except... you will learn every single trick to getting stuck fasteners loose.
Look into community college programs
Buy a 4 door(cheap) American car from that time period and a haynes manual.
Sky_Render wrote: Pick up a Haynes Repair Manual for whatever car you're driving, get a bag of chips and some Mountain Dew to wash them down with, and read the book cover to cover. You'll learn a ton about basic automobile operation and maintenance.
the only thing i ever learned from a Haynes manual was that Haynes manuals are a waste of money..
learn by doing is the best way.. you can ask a thousand questions online, but ultimately it's gonna come down to taking the damn thing apart and putting it back together..
Most manuals assume you have some knowledge. I found some general auto repair books from the 50's that explained the basics, sometimes in excruciating detail!
Buy an early 80's F150 with a 300 I6 and a manual with a 9" and restore/modify/fix it. My garage is my driveway but I've managed to do suspension lifts, exhaust, swap gas tanks, pull heads, fuel pumps, shocks, disc and drum brakes and tune ups all on my back, rain, sun, heat and snow. Just do it.
I got a Nova Haynes manual coming. Will look that over. I would have a car right now but I'm waiting for the right one, I was like 25 minutes late from buying a '71 Skylark with a 455 for $2,800. I called him 30 minutes after he posted it said I will take it and the guy said OK but someone is on their way to look at it first, started driving to the place and the guy called me to say it sold :(
You'll need a few specialized tools for working on the ignition and drum brakes. Timing light and dwell meter, vaccum gauge, drum brake multi tool and hold down tool. This is all pretty cheap, especially for used timing lights. Also learn how carbs work.
I learned by reading an old Stockel auto repair book my dad bought in the late '60s from cover to cover, watching him do some basic repairs on a car he was going to flip and once I had a car of my own, borrowed books from the public library or bought a haynes or chilton book to get whatever specs I needed and just got my hands dirty. I did/do have the benefit of the use of my dad's heated garage if needed. As for tools, I used to hit the pawn shops and buy a little bit at a time. I remember reading in an old Stanley woodworking manual about buying yourself a new tool every week or month so you'd eventually have a decent basic set of tools. I don't know if that's applicable nowadays but for some of the pricier tools it might be something to consider.
I kinda miss the older, simpler junk but "progress" marches on.
Come talk to me in one year when my shop is open.
I learned from an extreme passion. My first was a 66 Bonneville, but my passion started with my first car - an 83 Chevy Celebrity. I flipped the air cleaner lid to get that "waaaa" sound when I floored it. It was nice, but it wouldn't idle because I basically bypassed the idle air temp sensor.
Since then I've modified everything from drills to air conditioners. A quick search of my threads will show that I refuse to accept the norm and seek knowledge on engineering my own way of accomplishing the impossible.
I call myself self-taught, but I have learned from the experience of thousands of others. I have asked questions on forums, read books, subscribed to magazines, and begged knowledge from those in the know.
My modus operandi is to question, learn, inspect, attempt, apply. I now find myself reading 500-page engineering textbooks as a pass-time.
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