I want to race, but how do i learn the mechanics? a course?

[tomvcarter]

Does anyone know of a part time course that would teach me the basics of a car engine, so that i could learn how to tamper with my own race car?
Thanks Tom

[Muzzlehatch]

Buy an old Mini and a Haynes manual. Then take the whole thing apart (including engine), clean/fix/replace all the components, then stick it all back together again. That should take you a few months of evenings and weekends, by which time you'll know all the basics and will be well grounded to apply yourself to more technical stuff.

[RichB]

Even more challenging would be to strip the gearbox whilst the engine's out. It certainly gives you an idea of how stuff works.

[tomvcarter]

Muzzlehatch said:

Buy an old Mini and a Haynes manual. Then take the whole thing apart (including engine), clean/fix/replace all the components, then stick it all back together again. That should take you a few months of evenings and weekends, by which time you'll know all the basics and will be well grounded to apply yourself to more technical stuff.

i was thinking about doing that win a 1970s BMW 2002 tii? would that be too ambitious?

[EDLT]

Taking the car apart and putting it back together won't help diagnose problems.

Do you know anyone who has experience of fixing cars who'd want to help? You could learn while preparing your car and have someone to help out on race days.

[RichB]

EDLT said:

Taking the car apart and putting it back together won't help diagnose problems..

Humm... without an understanding of what a cam follower is or what a thrust release bearing looks like you'll never get started on diagnosing problems so to an extent I disagree... It's where most of us started and I reckon understanding what's going on is the first step towards problem diagnosis.

[Holst]

RichB said:

EDLT said:

Taking the car apart and putting it back together won't help diagnose problems..

Humm... without an understanding of what a cam follower is or what a thrust release bearing looks like you'll never get started on diagnosing problems so to an extent I disagree... It's where most of us started and I reckon understanding what's going on is the first step towards problem diagnosis.

I agree.

You cant work out what broken if you dont understand how it works first.

Who does your race car prep and repairs at the moment?
Would they mind if you gave them a hand or watched them work?

Can you get a workshop manual for your car?
Not a haynes one but a propper garage one.
I downloaded one for my Prelude and it tells you exactly what you need to do to remove and repair everything on the car.
I did my own gearbox rebuild using it and I had never attempted anything like it before, but with a pictorial guide and some basic understanding of how it worked it wasnt all that hard. Without the Honda manual it would have been a nightmare job.

[Muzzlehatch]

tomvcarter said:

Muzzlehatch said:

Buy an old Mini and a Haynes manual. Then take the whole thing apart (including engine), clean/fix/replace all the components, then stick it all back together again. That should take you a few months of evenings and weekends, by which time you'll know all the basics and will be well grounded to apply yourself to more technical stuff.

i was thinking about doing that with a 1970s BMW 2002 tii? would that be too ambitious?

Not at all too ambitious. During the rebuild you can fit new springs and dampers, and learn about spring rates, corner weights, rslow/fast bump and rebound, roll centre, etc.

It's during the rebuild process that you can learn a lot with some good guidance (Carroll Smith's books are very good indeed, e.g. Prepare to win, Tune to win, Drive to win).

[Holst]

Muzzlehatch said:

tomvcarter said:

Muzzlehatch said:

Buy an old Mini and a Haynes manual. Then take the whole thing apart (including engine), clean/fix/replace all the components, then stick it all back together again. That should take you a few months of evenings and weekends, by which time you'll know all the basics and will be well grounded to apply yourself to more technical stuff.

i was thinking about doing that with a 1970s BMW 2002 tii? would that be too ambitious?

Not at all too ambitious. During the rebuild you can fit new springs and dampers, and learn about spring rates, corner weights, rslow/fast bump and rebound, roll centre, etc.

It's during the rebuild process that you can learn a lot with some good guidance (Carroll Smith's books are very good indeed, e.g. Prepare to win, Tune to win, Drive to win).

The 2002 looks like quite a nice car to work on, although they are quite expensive!
As they are quite old you may also find yourself learning to weld and do bodywork repairs as cheaper examples are likely to be a little rotten in places.

[tomvcarter]

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE THAT I COULD DO?

[Eric Mc]

tomvcarter said:

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE THAT I COULD DO?

Most colleges run GCSE courses on Motor Mechanics. I did such a course in 1995 as an evening course. It was good for the basics and we got to do some basic hands on things, like taking cylinder head blocks off, dismantling pistons, camshafts etc and putting it all back together again.

It was a good introduction.

[The Real Stig]

I may not have read all the posts completely but.

I beleive silverstone have an academy that do courses? Race prep anyway.