best car for leaner at mechanic to mod

best car for leaner at mechanic to mod

Author
Discussion

willlawson

Original Poster:

38 posts

115 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
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Hi,

I'm currently looking to start a mechanics course and would like to buy a car that I could mod. (Currently have a 307 hdi :/ grim I know..)

I know i might be getting ahead of myself but its something ive always wanted to do.

Does anyone have any tips or info that might be helpful?

BritishRacinGrin

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
quotequote all
What sort of car and what sort of mods? you aren't going to learn a lot about being a mechanic by changing wheels and bodywork!

I'd suggest buying a project car, MOT failure, head gasket, clutch, gearbox failure etc and learning how to repair and maintain cars before you get into the murky world of modifications. You need a baseline of understanding to make worthwhile modifications and it is easy to end up with inferior parts or undesirable side-effects.

willlawson

Original Poster:

38 posts

115 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
quotequote all
Well I dont have any specific car in mind just something that would be easy to get parts for I guess?

yea sorry, that's what I meant repair rather than mod bodywork and wheels.

Are their any cars that would be 'easier' to repair than others.. For example cheeper parts, easier to work in engine bay etc..

BrownBottle

1,365 posts

135 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
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The small basic petrol models are generally the easiest to work on ie. Fiesta, Clio, punto and older ones maybe 10 years old are dirt cheap for parts.

LarJammer

2,235 posts

209 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
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mk2 golf should fit the bill. whats the budget?

PaulKemp

979 posts

144 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
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I've got an M reg Glof driver, parts easy and cheap from GSF
a 53 plate Mondeo TDCI 130 more of a challenge parts a bit more expensive
A Lotus 7 replica with mostly Sierra running gear, mostly simple, parts are cheap ( unless you buy from Burton Performance) but getting rare

Stu R

21,410 posts

214 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
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Old mini or vw beetle. Doddle to work on, always something to do and a bazillion spares and upgrades around.

willlawson

Original Poster:

38 posts

115 months

Sunday 24th August 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for the help..I like the sound of cleo, mini and golf.
Im not sure about budget, Fairly cheap I guess so if it goes tits up I haven't made a big loss

BritishRacinGrin

24,602 posts

159 months

Monday 25th August 2014
quotequote all
I cut my teeth on a Caterham 7. They're like an upscaled Mechano set- unbelievably easy, and it even came with an assembly guide! That gave me the confidence to do some work on more regular cars up to and including top end engine work.

Some cars are easier than others but in my opinion a consistent theme is that the cars of the last 10-15 years really stepped up a level in a number of critical ways;

-Engineering down of fixings to save weight and cost
-Use of plastic panels and shrouds for aero and to keep the user away from the oily bits
-Greater dependence on electronic systems not only for general running but also for diagnosis
-Moving engines lower and further back in the car for pedestrian safety
-Increasing requirement for manufacturer specific tools to do certain jobs

With all that in mind you'd do well to avoid these models and go for something older.

There are already some good suggestions in this thread, but I'll add another factor- Cars with longitudinal engines are often nicer to work on due to accessability of ancillaries etc, this means you also get rear wheel drive (normally). Front wheel drive cars, particularly modern ones, can be quite frustrating when you're wedging your hand down the inner wing or bulkhead to get to the cam belt / starter motor etc.

My suggestion then would be an actual classic from such a time when rear wheel drive was default, or a more modern classic such as BMW E30.

CaptiV8ted

816 posts

210 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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MX5 - Peanuts to buy, cheap bits, easy spannering, scope for big tuning, easy to customise. You can also learn all about suspension tweaking as there are 10 adjustments through the suspension (caster, camber, toe). Most cars have 2!





willlawson

Original Poster:

38 posts

115 months

Monday 25th August 2014
quotequote all
Thanks all,
I'll have a look at the options.. mx5 and Cleo is seeming most likely atm

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

254 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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CaptiV8ted said:
MX5 - Peanuts to buy, cheap bits, easy spannering, scope for big tuning, easy to customise. You can also learn all about suspension tweaking as there are 10 adjustments through the suspension (caster, camber, toe). Most cars have 2!
You also get to learn welding to replace the festering sills!

shoehorn

686 posts

142 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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Mr2Mike said:
You also get to learn welding to replace the festering sills!
It will also teach him the fine art of swearing.
Every seasoned mechanic knows swearing adds at least 25% more torque to undo or break off stuff.

eltax91

9,842 posts

205 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I've done 2 different models to help develop my spannering ability.

First one was a Defender 90, now I have an MX5, which I have just supercharged.

Both have longitudinal engines, so easy to get to ancillaries/ belts etc. Both are relatively easy to spanner on, simple, robust mechanicals without any complex bits hanging off them. Both have a big mods scene so you can bolt bits on/ off.

MX5 will be cheaper to buy but the land rover will give you a FAR cheaper parts bill. smile

ETA: Oh and both WILL need welding at some point, they both rot terribly

PaulKemp

979 posts

144 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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"It will also teach him the fine art of swearing.
Every seasoned mechanic knows swearing adds at least 25% more torque to undo or break off stuff."

I to suffer from an extreme case of Garage Tourette's syndrome such that parents hurry their children past my workshop with hands over their ears, there are occasions when even I didn't know I knew those words or phrases

shoehorn

686 posts

142 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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PaulKemp said:
"It will also teach him the fine art of swearing.
Every seasoned mechanic knows swearing adds at least 25% more torque to undo or break off stuff."

I to suffer from an extreme case of Garage Tourette's syndrome such that parents hurry their children past my workshop with hands over their ears, there are occasions when even I didn't know I knew those words or phrases
As important as any tool in your box.

Collectingbrass

2,198 posts

194 months

Friday 29th August 2014
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I see to remember the last time this came up E36s and Defender 90s were the most recommended, certainly for ease of working, parts availability and owners forums.

NashGT

467 posts

182 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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Plus one on the mx5

NashGT

467 posts

182 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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Plus one on the mx5

Neil_M

694 posts

183 months

Friday 21st November 2014
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Plus one on the MX5 too. Cheap to buy and maintain.

An E36 would be a good buy too.