where'd you learn how to work on cars?

[Sawbladz]

I learned the basics on my snowmobiles and mini bikes as a kid. My dad was a great asset because he was once a tractor trailer mechanic and still does alot of work to his current vehicles. He has a substantial ammount of tools which Im allowed to use and I have guidance if I get in over my head.

As I grew up, I got into cars and it kinda snowballed from there. My first car I didnt work on too much because I was slightly intimidated. When I bought the Supra I decieded to do as much as I could by myself. Since then, I feel like I learn something every day being on this forum and messing with my car.

I recently purchased a project car for $200 and it has helped to go even further. Its nice knowing if you screw something up you still have transportation the next day.

 

[Ckanderson]

My dad... also working on my first car... a 1984 BMW 318i





(that I turbocharged)

 

[suprageezer]

WAYYYYYY back in the mid 70's some buddies went to Arizonas Auto school. When they came home and got jobs I was still clueless to auto repairs. I had my brake booster replaced on my car, the next day it failed and I got in an accident, so I decided NO one will work on my brakes but me from now on. They began to teach me by saying, I'll show you once then your on your own, which was cool. The it all started with a brake job on my fiat 124 sypder. I pulled off the rear brakes on both sides at my friends shop, he comes over says Rick do you know how those brakes go back together? I said no, but I figured you did, he said hell no, and next time ONLY take off one at a time so the other is a template. Man them were words of wisdom for me. Gotta love working on cars
Rick

 

[Jeff Lange]

I invented cars.

 

[bigaaron]

My grandpa started teaching me how to use tools correctly when I was old enough to hold them. :biglaugh: Working on cars was second nature by the time I was old enough to own one.

 

[claricae86]

i bought a cheap blown headgasket 1985 corolla gts and tore it down and put it back together with help from forums and manuals. i wouldn't go tearing into your dd with no knowledge of what your doing but it was fun for me to buy a 300 dollar car and fix it

 

[ForcedTorque]

I use the Forced!!!! Lucky for me the Forced is strong with me..........lol :biglaugh:

Yes, Forced is always there for Ryan. I taught him everything he knows.

Seriously, I did general maintenance on my old 67 Mustang that I got at 15. Noone in the family was mechanical AT ALL, and I did small jobs on it because I couldn't afford to fix it. Things were the same for probably the next 20 years. Then the MKII that I had driven for 7 years blew a head gasket. I knew a mechanic who would fix it for free, but I had to help. Well, 3 months later it blew again. I figured I learned enough about it to attempt it myself this time. I had success for 3 days. So, I parted it out on ebay. I soon knew what every part on the car was. I made good money back then on it, so I now have parted 10 Supras. By tearing them down, I now know where everything goes, and how to properly remove it.

But, when it came time to try to make one run, I was lost. This forum has taught me sooooooooo much about the car. I still don't consider myself a mechanic, but I can do a motor swap by myself from start to finish. But when it comes to mechanical questions......I could not do it without SUPRAMANIA. A better term for me is Destruction Artist!

 

[annoyingrob]

I learned everything from my father. I started working on cars with him when I was 6 years old. He taught me how to solder , and the basics of DC electronics at that age. After 15 years, that knowledge is putting me through an engineering degree. My mechanical skills have also been maturing over the last 15 years. Most of it came out of necessity after I purchased my own vehicle, and vowed that nobody but myself would ever work on it.

I now teach my friends how to do basic maintnence on their cars, and they always thank me for it.

 

[Dew511]

From this site... then pick up tids bits from mechanics and stuff

 

[trydrew]

Changed my 1st set of front brake pads when I was 4 years old. My step father and mom owned a auto sales/body shop for a little bit and I learned a little then, got real good at identifying wrenches and whatnot and handing them to step dad.

That reminds me of one time when I went with my dad to get his brakes changed a while back. I remember watching the mechanics and thinking, why can't dad do that? I mean, I'd saw him take a tire off a car by this point in life and I began to wonder why he couldnt do his own brakes. I guess it was then that I got the mechanics mindset.

 

[Big Wang Bandit]

I invented cars.

This man speaks the truth.

 

[swaq]

I taught myself. Can't say I'm that great though...

 

[tookwik4u89]

Mechanics are dumb:wavey:

I was tearing things apart and fixing them before I was a teen, and I loved doing models and reading Hot Rod and Car Craft when I was a kid.

Follow the tsrm, and eventually you will learn better ways with experience.

 

[MDCmotorsports]

I learned before al gore invented the internet

I use the Force!!!! Lucky for me the Force is strong with me..........lol

Please don't start this sh!t again. He asked where you learned to work on cars, not WHEN you learned.

I invented cars.

Has some one hacked your account Jeff or please tell me you're not joining the OT mafia band wagon? :icon_conf

To answer the poster's question: I started tearing apart all my toys at the ripe age of 3 or so. Then as I got older the skate board got torn apart, then the bike, then the RC cars, then the pool pump and any thing else around the house including the washer & dryer, then go karts and the lawn mower, and finally up to dirt bikes and cars. I always had the "jump right in" and record as you go method.

 

[Doward]

Right in my front yard, on my first car - a 1977 Pontiac Firebird.

Cheap set of Walmart tools, and I just started wrenching - there's nothing you can break, that can't be fixed I *always* recommend the hands on approach!

 

[BJ91T]

self taught... if i take something apart and study it for a while i will figure it out sooner or later. mostly later

 

[Jeff Lange]

Has some one hacked your account Jeff or please tell me you're not joining the OT mafia band wagon? :icon_conf

The general hilarity that is Jeff Lange cannot be stopped.

 

[T-Roy]

my pops,autoshop,and friends.the best way to learn is just doing it hands on.

 

[shaeff]

something broke. if i didn't have the tools to fix it, i bought them. when i didn't understand something, i searched the internet. eventually, i came across several forums. (including SM)- joined, and i've only owned my car my car for 3.5 yrs. the entire first year, it was just a commuter car.

so in about 2.5yrs, i've learned everything i know mainly by taking things apart and putting them back together, and if i got stuck, searching.

-shaeff

 

[MKIIINA]

cut my teeth on a 94 chevy suburban and went from there. when i got my 90 na i started to get really interested and now with my 91 turbo its even more.

just start tinkering, take things apart, put it back together, use this site and the tsrm and you should be ok.

make sure you ask for help if you get in over your head!!!!!