How does a 40's learn car mechanic?
Discussion
I know nothing as to how a cars works, I just put petrol in it and it works. As for anything else I know you put oil in a hole somewhere and water for the washers in a tank (I have done that on my Ford KA, its a yellow tank).
My dreams is to learn the skills need to be able to modify a car or build a kit car. I have looked for evening class, but these all seem to be aim at arts and crafts or improving your English and Maths. Not at car mechanics or other useful stuff.
My dreams is to learn the skills need to be able to modify a car or build a kit car. I have looked for evening class, but these all seem to be aim at arts and crafts or improving your English and Maths. Not at car mechanics or other useful stuff.
As with most things its a case of do it from school at 16 or don't bother, unless you want to pay a fortune for a course and do it around work/evening classes.
Or you could get an old banger and just tinker, get a Haynes manual/internet.
Cars are quite simple once you have a basic understanding of how engines work.
Or you could get an old banger and just tinker, get a Haynes manual/internet.
Cars are quite simple once you have a basic understanding of how engines work.
I can't say I knew much about cars when I was younger, so I went out and bought a Haynes manual and a socket set. Everything it pretty logical, so providing you can visualise how something works, you soon work out how parts fit together and why.
It always helps to have someone in the know you can bounce the odd question off, but I can happily swap an engine, change a gearbox, or simply change fluids.
It always helps to have someone in the know you can bounce the odd question off, but I can happily swap an engine, change a gearbox, or simply change fluids.
Can you operate a spanner? If you can then thats about it for the simple stuff.
Get a haynes manual for your car.
Try doing an oil and filter service on your car, then try spark plugs. Then have a go at replacing brake pads. Its really hard to cock that stuff up. If you do cock it up then you should probably give up there
When i hit 40 i wanted to stop working on cars, not start. I've done a few top end rebuilds in a day, yet not I shudder at the thought of doing even basic maintenance these days (much prefer to pay someone to do it !)
Get a haynes manual for your car.
Try doing an oil and filter service on your car, then try spark plugs. Then have a go at replacing brake pads. Its really hard to cock that stuff up. If you do cock it up then you should probably give up there
When i hit 40 i wanted to stop working on cars, not start. I've done a few top end rebuilds in a day, yet not I shudder at the thought of doing even basic maintenance these days (much prefer to pay someone to do it !)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CRX-99p-starting-b...
buy that an learn.
most technical thing I did before my MR2 was lego.
I have changed the clutch, I'm welding the floors in and soon I'll be rebuilding the brakes, I also got a cheap non running engine to take apart and rebuild. Just jump in and enjoy
buy that an learn.
most technical thing I did before my MR2 was lego.
I have changed the clutch, I'm welding the floors in and soon I'll be rebuilding the brakes, I also got a cheap non running engine to take apart and rebuild. Just jump in and enjoy
A few years ago, our local community college was offering a 10 week, 2 hours a week, car maintenance course for £40 - that was for the whole course btw! 
A bunch of us Midlands PHrs did it. It was based in their mechanics training centre which is a huge, fully heated workshop with all the tools, gadgets, lifts and kit you could ask for. On my cars, we decatted the Ferrari, broke and replaced the sump plug on the Alfa, took the Mini brakes apart and put them back together again, did oil and filter changes on all the cars we had, changed the disks, pads and shoes on my brothers car and lots of other stuff.
It gave me the confidence to later fit braided hoses and new disk, pads and callipers to my Chimaera, oil and filter changes on subsequent cars and attack the engine bay of the Ferrari with a hacksaw when the diff went
Diagnosing problems on the cars we have had since is not easy-peasy because of it, but we give it a go and have either fixed stuff or been right about the cause. I reckon it has saved us at least a couple of thousand in labour charges since.
So 'Spanner school' is a great idea, especially when it costs £2 an hour.
Trace
A bunch of us Midlands PHrs did it. It was based in their mechanics training centre which is a huge, fully heated workshop with all the tools, gadgets, lifts and kit you could ask for. On my cars, we decatted the Ferrari, broke and replaced the sump plug on the Alfa, took the Mini brakes apart and put them back together again, did oil and filter changes on all the cars we had, changed the disks, pads and shoes on my brothers car and lots of other stuff.
It gave me the confidence to later fit braided hoses and new disk, pads and callipers to my Chimaera, oil and filter changes on subsequent cars and attack the engine bay of the Ferrari with a hacksaw when the diff went
Diagnosing problems on the cars we have had since is not easy-peasy because of it, but we give it a go and have either fixed stuff or been right about the cause. I reckon it has saved us at least a couple of thousand in labour charges since.So 'Spanner school' is a great idea, especially when it costs £2 an hour.
Trace
SirBlade said:
A man who teaches himself, has a fool for a teacher.
Ha ha, what a load of nads!!! I taught myself by stripping my motocross bike between meets and it had to be right or it would blow up. First few times the piston wouldn't got up and down so took it apart again then did it until it was right!!
You do need the literature to go with them for levels of torque when putting back together but other than that it's trial and error.
as has been said "get a haynes manual". When you get to a section that says "undo nut and gently drift the bolt out" you might want to seek profesional advice. Genrally in "Haynes" speak this means you are going to need a very (VERY!) large hammer, releasing fluid and posibly something to heat said bolt with. If you just want to do basic servicing you will be fine. A Halfords socket set will do you fine for most servicing jobs. I still have the one I was given at 18 and it has been abused for 30 years on all sorts of vehicles.
falkster said:
SirBlade said:
A man who teaches himself, has a fool for a teacher.
Ha ha, what a load of nads!!! ... it's trial and error.
Teaching yourself can be fine but it's never as efficient as a good teacher. Knowing where to start can be daunting. OP have you got a friend that's a bit handier that can help out and be paid in beer?
Have a quick look through this book online and see if it helps. If its what your after I would buy it. When I was at college it helped me alot with the basics. If you get the basics you can build on it.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DoYaRsNFlEYC&am...
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DoYaRsNFlEYC&am...
I went to a night school course about ten years ago and there were all sorts of people on it but I was way beyond the level it was pitched at, used it for some workshop time and to pick the tutors brains, he was pretty good but as my dad is an engineer who did cars as a sideline.
Reading websites like Retro Rides is great as they tend to be guys on a budget with massive passion and enthusiasm for old cars which realistically are beyong economic repair, but they just go for it, some very skilled people on there. PH is ok and there are those who do stuff themselves but its harder to find and a lot tend to be enthusiastic about cars and driving but equally enthusiastic about their nails
I find that in priciple, cars are simple, the engine is a marvel of design to do what it does but in reality its pretty simple to take apart, the key thing is to get the feel for using the tools, for example removing the front suspension is a doddle in principle but you have to deal with rusted, rounded and imovable bolts, rust and all manner of things that conspire to ruin your day, mechanics (good ones) are engineers not spanner weilding thugs, sometimes you have to use force but it is knowing how and when to apply that force not just battering things, there is a finesse and deftness to a good mechanic who also has to have a lot of knowledge about parts, model years, interchangability, electrics, hydraulics etc etc.
I am not a massive expert but I seem to know more than 99 percent of the people I know and then I go on Retro rides and see some of the projects in readers cars on here and am humbled, I would love to do more but dont have a garage really, well not one that I can get a car in, it is very satisfying and saves a lot of money, for example brakes front and rear on our Galaxy, £120 versus £350 at Ford and I think, it being my car I do it with more care, taking time to clean things and lubricate rather than being under pressure to get it out of the door.
As has been said, buy a car with issues and have a go, get any work checked perhaps and just ask questions on the forums, which have made life far easier for the home mechanic, any job you need to do will have been done before and sometimes there is a guide which is a godsend.
Reading websites like Retro Rides is great as they tend to be guys on a budget with massive passion and enthusiasm for old cars which realistically are beyong economic repair, but they just go for it, some very skilled people on there. PH is ok and there are those who do stuff themselves but its harder to find and a lot tend to be enthusiastic about cars and driving but equally enthusiastic about their nails
I find that in priciple, cars are simple, the engine is a marvel of design to do what it does but in reality its pretty simple to take apart, the key thing is to get the feel for using the tools, for example removing the front suspension is a doddle in principle but you have to deal with rusted, rounded and imovable bolts, rust and all manner of things that conspire to ruin your day, mechanics (good ones) are engineers not spanner weilding thugs, sometimes you have to use force but it is knowing how and when to apply that force not just battering things, there is a finesse and deftness to a good mechanic who also has to have a lot of knowledge about parts, model years, interchangability, electrics, hydraulics etc etc.
I am not a massive expert but I seem to know more than 99 percent of the people I know and then I go on Retro rides and see some of the projects in readers cars on here and am humbled, I would love to do more but dont have a garage really, well not one that I can get a car in, it is very satisfying and saves a lot of money, for example brakes front and rear on our Galaxy, £120 versus £350 at Ford and I think, it being my car I do it with more care, taking time to clean things and lubricate rather than being under pressure to get it out of the door.
As has been said, buy a car with issues and have a go, get any work checked perhaps and just ask questions on the forums, which have made life far easier for the home mechanic, any job you need to do will have been done before and sometimes there is a guide which is a godsend.
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