sleepingbuick
New Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2009
I have the general idea about cars, like 4 cyl, 6 cyl, etc. And how turbos work. But how do I really get to know about cars? How did all you guys learn about cars?
Best Way To Learn About Cars?
- Thread starter sleepingbuick
- Start date
novaderrik
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2004
i am a third generation gearhead- my grandpa was an aircraft mechanic for the army during WWII and opened a repair shop after the war that he owned until he retired in 1981 or so. he kept working on cars in his home garage until he got too old to do it in about 1990 or so.
my dad was a general gearhead that bouthg a brand new '69 Z/28 when he got out of the army in early '69 and built and raced stock cars at local dirt tracks during the 60's and 70's.
i got the bug and some good general knowledge from them, and just started buying cheap junk and trying to fix it up starting at the age of 14 or so. most of the stuff i took apart never got put back together and wound up in the junkyard, but since i got my license in 1990, most of the stuff i take apart goes back together without too many parts left over- and usually in better shape than when i started screwing around with it.
learning about cars isn't something you do by reading magazines or internet bulletin boards- it's something that you actually have to dive into and do. there will always be cheap $200 cars you can buy to dissect and scrap out without losing too much money on- parting out cars can even make you some money and learn how things go together and what they do. but if you live in a town or city, the neighbors might not be as enthusiastic about your automotive education as you are.
my dad was a general gearhead that bouthg a brand new '69 Z/28 when he got out of the army in early '69 and built and raced stock cars at local dirt tracks during the 60's and 70's.
i got the bug and some good general knowledge from them, and just started buying cheap junk and trying to fix it up starting at the age of 14 or so. most of the stuff i took apart never got put back together and wound up in the junkyard, but since i got my license in 1990, most of the stuff i take apart goes back together without too many parts left over- and usually in better shape than when i started screwing around with it.
learning about cars isn't something you do by reading magazines or internet bulletin boards- it's something that you actually have to dive into and do. there will always be cheap $200 cars you can buy to dissect and scrap out without losing too much money on- parting out cars can even make you some money and learn how things go together and what they do. but if you live in a town or city, the neighbors might not be as enthusiastic about your automotive education as you are.
I have always been into cars. I remember a point when I was around 5 or so when my parents used to hang out with Dick Harrell's grandsons Rick and Russ. My dad always had all sorts of cars and I would always be out with him no matter what he was doing. I started learning back then what did what and why things worked the way they do. Always loved to hear whatever they were working on fire up and watch it tear off down the street. 
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2006
Trial and error.
You have to have a passion for it. When I started getting into cars in high school, I started to surround myself with real gearheads. Stay away from all the wannabe's that act like they know what they're talking about, but actually have no idea. Get people that own relatively fast cars or at least work on them (ie, No "Ricers"). I have to say though, having a subscription to Hod Rod and Car Craft helped a lot also. At $12 a year, that's a pretty cheap source of knowledge. Ultimately though, you do have to own some sort of cheap muscle car and experiment. Personally I had a '91 Firebird 5-speed that I picked up for $1600 that I did all kinds of crap to, but was still dead reliable.
Most people that can really work on cars have a mechanical talent that they are born with just like some people having a natural musical talent.
You can learn to work on cars by reading and watching but it will always be a struggle if you don't have the mechanical ability.
My Dad was a mechanic all his life but I do not have the ability.
I can change stuff out (injectors, turbos, etc) but looking at something and figuring out how it works or goes together, I don't have a clue.
And if it can be done a right way and a wrong way, I will always choose the wrong way.
I do get a lot out of watching people work on things on You Tube.
You can learn to work on cars by reading and watching but it will always be a struggle if you don't have the mechanical ability.
My Dad was a mechanic all his life but I do not have the ability.
I can change stuff out (injectors, turbos, etc) but looking at something and figuring out how it works or goes together, I don't have a clue.
And if it can be done a right way and a wrong way, I will always choose the wrong way.
I do get a lot out of watching people work on things on You Tube.
Just a Six??
OK! Who Farted??
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2003
Nobody in my family was into cars. At 12 years old I decided to "fix" out Polaris 530 Snowmobile. Tore it apart completely down to almost bare block. They wanted $600 to put it back together in 72 so that was left at the shop & never seen again. Then I got Honda SL70 which was techmically street legal so my Dad put a plate on it. I was 14 sneaking around & beat it to death & blew the tranny. Bye Bye! Then at 17 I saw a 69 Coronet RT in a field with no motor or tanny but had a rear end. Got it for $100 & towed it with my friends truck for about $75. I took the 340 out of my 69 Dart GTS that had a great engine & tranny but hit about 5 times. Coronet had a 383 Big Block. I had NO IDEA what I was doing! I made some longer motor mounts with some metal plates welded together, threw the auto in wuth a B&M Quick Click shifter & drove it 2 years. Then sold it to a kid for $500. Only had primer & I kept the Cragarr SS rims & MT Tires. Laid low after that until the GN came out & since May 88 I have invested in lots of tools, books & since the internet its easy to learn.
You just have to have the Passion!
Also had a custom built chopper & a 64 GTO ragtop but those are another story.
Still again it came down to the Passion & willingness to learn!
You just have to have the Passion!
Also had a custom built chopper & a 64 GTO ragtop but those are another story.
Still again it came down to the Passion & willingness to learn!
Back in the 50's started reading every car magazine known to man, didn't matter if foreign or domestic. Fnally got caught up in the old R&C mags (Rod & Customs) and flipped over the custom jobs. They were real small magazines back then, used to take them to school, read them instead of doing classwork, they fit inside a text book so the teacher though I was studying, and learned a lot from them.
Unfortunately my marks showed my INATTENTION and my old man got it out of me that I was a gearead. Instead of giving me a good beatdown, he made a deal that if I got good marks, graduated H.S and had the marks to go to college, he'd BUY ME a car!
I wasn't stupid, worked my butt off in H.S. and was accepted to City College (at the time you had to have good grades to get in, not like today when ANYTHING gets into school!).
Much to my surprise and utter amazement, my folks got me a 1961 Impala SS 409!!!!!!!! Roman Red no less! Pop was a NYC police officer and had connections back then to get impounded cars, that the city was going to sell off! The body was PERFECT, but the tranny was shot, and it had a bearing knock! I got out my old Rod books and rebuilt the tranny and pulled out the motor, had a local shop do the bottom end, and I rebuilt it! Even went so far as to port the heads by hand, of course, reading how the PRO's at the time did it!
That was back in 1963, and had the car running 13's! Back then a 13 second car was a killer!
Until lately, when It's HARD to crawl on the ground to do stuff, I've always had some type of Hot Rod
Unfortunately my marks showed my INATTENTION and my old man got it out of me that I was a gearead. Instead of giving me a good beatdown, he made a deal that if I got good marks, graduated H.S and had the marks to go to college, he'd BUY ME a car!
I wasn't stupid, worked my butt off in H.S. and was accepted to City College (at the time you had to have good grades to get in, not like today when ANYTHING gets into school!).
Much to my surprise and utter amazement, my folks got me a 1961 Impala SS 409!!!!!!!! Roman Red no less! Pop was a NYC police officer and had connections back then to get impounded cars, that the city was going to sell off! The body was PERFECT, but the tranny was shot, and it had a bearing knock! I got out my old Rod books and rebuilt the tranny and pulled out the motor, had a local shop do the bottom end, and I rebuilt it! Even went so far as to port the heads by hand, of course, reading how the PRO's at the time did it!
That was back in 1963, and had the car running 13's! Back then a 13 second car was a killer!
Until lately, when It's HARD to crawl on the ground to do stuff, I've always had some type of Hot Rod
darkred87T
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
Started off by holding the drop light for dad when I was a kid (I could never get the right angle for him)and went from there. My father and my uncles are all car nuts and dad always did major repairs out of the tiny one car garage in our home. :biggrin:
imjoesnuffy
I just break stuff!
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2005
Go get a part time job working at a junkyard. I had one just up the road from where I grew up. I used to go there on the weekends and take stuff off of cars, looking back it was where I probably learned the most.
Rafs-T-Type
Not so Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2009
I'm seriously considering taking a class at the community college as I didn't have any gearhead family members or friends and I definetly have a thirst to learn more
I am not a master mechanic by any means, just a hobbyist. I am a pencil pusher (Accountant) by day and a grease monkey by night and weekends. I have never taken an auto mechanics classes in high school or any where else for that matter. As a matter of fact not even a wood working course any other type of trade/hobby classes.
I found out a long time ago that if you are going to get into cars you have to learn how to wrench on them by your self. So I started at an earlier age. Hey if you break something, who is going to yell at you if it's your own car. Like they said; trial and error, making mistakes and correcting them. As you start working on cars, eventually things will start to make sense.
Now days with the internet, anyone one can play mechanic with all the step by step instructions and all. Reading up will give you knowledge but actual hands on is what takes you to the next step.
GN's are so easy to work on in comparison to the new technology motors that are out there now days. I hate working on anything else except a GN but most of us are like that anyway I guess.
Just my $.02
Prasad
I found out a long time ago that if you are going to get into cars you have to learn how to wrench on them by your self. So I started at an earlier age. Hey if you break something, who is going to yell at you if it's your own car. Like they said; trial and error, making mistakes and correcting them. As you start working on cars, eventually things will start to make sense.
Now days with the internet, anyone one can play mechanic with all the step by step instructions and all. Reading up will give you knowledge but actual hands on is what takes you to the next step.
GN's are so easy to work on in comparison to the new technology motors that are out there now days. I hate working on anything else except a GN but most of us are like that anyway I guess.
Just my $.02
Prasad
dr_frankenstein
Mad Scientist
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2008
I have always been into cars. I remember a point when I was around 5 or so when my parents used to hang out with Dick Harrell's grandsons Rick and Russ. My dad always had all sorts of cars and I would always be out with him no matter what he was doing. I started learning back then what did what and why things worked the way they do. Always loved to hear whatever they were working on fire up and watch it tear off down the street.
I think both Russ and Rick unknowingly fathered alot of mechanics. and we cant leave out ol' Steve Hardin.
Its a big miss out for alot of the youngsters in town now... shame to see them getting old and crusty!
A.j.
darkred87T
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
I agree 100 percent. I always thought it would be cool to take a class or two just to find out how much I don't know.
I got a job in high school at a gas station as a cashier, then moved to shop clean up, then apprentice mechanic. I was very fortunate because the company I worked for had a practice of grooming people into ASE techs to work in one of their shops, paid classes and all. I was an ASE Master Tech by the age of 20. My dad always was around cars, bought and sold them as well as owned a couple of shops over the years, so it kinda came easy. If you are serious I would reccommend a trade shhool. A guy I used to know got into one and I see him in commercials..Wyotech I think, can't remember. Good luck.
DailyDrifter
The Slow and the Curious
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2007
Like the other guys said....build it.......then break it. :biggrin:. The hardest part is designing and figuring out how they work, and then making them in mass quantities(sp). The easy part is taking them apart and fixing it.
I am a "hands on" learner, I could read a book for days about something, BUT if I can't see it in person it ain't gonna get fixed . The best way for me is to take it apart and see what makes it tick.
We have put people on the moon, and brought them back in one peice. Cars aren't rocket science, and if you take the time and learn them you'll find out they are'nt that hard to fix
I am a "hands on" learner
, I could read a book for days about something, BUT if I can't see it in person it ain't gonna get fixed . The best way for me is to take it apart and see what makes it tick.We have put people on the moon, and brought them back in one peice. Cars aren't rocket science, and if you take the time and learn them you'll find out they are'nt that hard to fix
chopped39
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2004
I had autos in high school and then 8 week course at Morton College.Your in Crook county right? If your in DuPage . Cod has some great instructors. community college is the way to go to see if you like it. If you want to pursue a job in this field UTI is probably the best around here but not cheap.
