.. where did you get it? how do you all know so much? how do I go about learning all these thing? I'm 18 and want to be able to one day rebuild a whole car by myself; engine, bodywork, paint, rear ends, front ends, ALL OF IT!! what are your recommendations? what should I read? what should I do? please point me in the right direction! thank you
slow down is the number one thing...go read the tech articles.good luck..ya can't learn it in a thread....
Read what's posted, learn, and apply. You're not going to master all of the tasks you want to learn. You'll figure out you are good at a few, but really good at others, and might really suck at a few, too. Hell, I'm damn near 50, and I can't paint or do bodywork for shit. I've learned a limitation, and leave that to people who know how to do it. I do know engines and suspensions, and enjoy that work. Even electrical is fun to me! But, I sure as hell didn't acquire that knowledge overnight, and like anyone else that keeps their eyes and ears open, I learn new shit about cars every day. Once you stop learning, you are probably dead. Best of luck.
The answers are really quite simple. Never stop learning. Always be in a postition to learn something new. All the things you listed have to be learned from an expert in that field. Take them one at a time. Listen, shut up and listen, but try to listen to people are experts in what you want to learn. You are impressive all ready to me, because you asked and are willing to listen. One last thing, keep a good and respectful attitude, it will always get you more than carrying a chip on your shoulder. Don't get any tattoos, if you do, wait until you choose your occupation. You might regret that decision and then it is too late. Good luck
Subscriptions to about 20 magazines when i was 12 thru 20, greatest shop teacher, Mr. Hampton, my uncles are huge into MOPAR restorations, tok a year of auto body repair voTech, I've worked in a heavy truck shop, parts store, and built my own engines in high school. And I don't know shit about cars compared to some of these jokers. I can't take apart a 50 year old carb and know the main air metering bleeder check valve holes are out of round by .005" but some guys can. Its all experience.
I dont wanna sound like a coddgy old man but.... you can learn alot by keeping your eyes open and your mouth shut. show respect to the oldtimers and they will be more apt to share secrets with you. Dont be afraid to say "I don't Know" humility will go along way. But as you go along don't forget where you came from so when a newbie comes along and you have the knowledge pass it on.
The Information here is Amazing.. the only problem for me at least.. I read 2 pages.. then theres 20 more posted.. every one here has experienced the Good and Bad.. the best part is where every one is willing to help trying to make it work.. you dont need a book ( though they do help )when its here at your fingertips. I do not Understand Most mechanical Tasks.... Ive been in the Autobody trade for 38 years.. and Im still learning.. theres always something new ,, Working on my own old cars.. is a learning curve..Not to many people in the neighbor hood that I live in are car nuts. So I have to learn from mistakes made..and try to correct. .
Did anyone say "Read" and not just about cars...EVERYTHING and as HotRod1940 says don't stop learning. I'm 45 and I'm just starting to learn the guitar. I'm crap but it's exercise for the brain.
Read, and learn from anyone who will teach you, then DO, then REDO your mistakes... You will learn that even the simple tasks on an old car are seldom simple, and you will also learn that stuff that looks impossible today will be easy tomorrow... Crazy stuff these old cars...
read, read, read. i learn something new every time i log into the HAMB. the amount of information here is staggering. don't be afraid to ask questions.
When I was 18, I had already helped my Dad build two hot rods and thought I knew it all. A good friend was a talented machinist and offered me a job in his shop and offered to teach me everything I needed to know, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut long enough to admit I didn't know everything. Guess what I do now, some 28 years later? Yep, I went back to school several years ago, and now I'm a machinist. I only wish I'd taken the chance I was offered. If you're a good listener and do what you can to help car guys in your area, even if for free at first, you never know where it may lead. Skills can be learned as you go, but desire and attitude will take you anywhere.
There are a ton of books & DVD's out there that will tell you how to build one . With you being 18 , go to a school . You are very young and that is what I would do if I was 18 again . I myself learned like most my age . We all learned the hard way by looking at it and figuring out how to do it . Go to the salvage yard and but a motor and rebuilt it . A book will tell you how to do that . Body work is all different . You need to learn to weld . Really your best bet is go to school like Wyotech and learn ! I wish they were around when I was 18 ! A ton of big young builders you see on TV & read about went there . Great school if you want to learn and get a good job and have your own business one day ! Just my 2 cents worth !
Do not be afraid to fail...if you do, try again...nothing gets done or built correctly on the first try...unless you're a genius...!!! R-
Your on the right track already. Your here on the board and about out of school. Now you can start learning. I was a dealership tech for 30 years and never stopped learning new things. I was an electrical and electronics tech but hung around the body shop the heavy duty guys always watching and asking questions and it paid off. I work alone now at home and do bumper to bumper work all myself. At Ford they didnt teach us how to fix every problem but how to figure out how to fix problems. It paid off, I even do all my home repairs, I mean everything.... except for this stupid computer..... My other suggestion is get out of the communist/socialist city of Santa Cruz. That place cant be HAMB friendly can it?
Read, read, and read some more. Not just car stuff but every kind of stuff. When you decide on a car, read everything you can about it, shop manual, parts book, accessories brochures, restoration manuals, articles about modifying them. When you know your car then when you find your car you'll know if it is the right car for you. Mechanical knowledge starts in a book and ends under the hood. Paint and body work the same way. Welding, ditto. All take practice, practice, practice. Hopefully on junk fenders, hoods, and doors, not your car! Read, read, read, practice, practice, practice, build, build, build, then fun, fun, fun.
Like the majority of these guys have said, READ,READ,READ. After you read then DO. Don't be afraid to make a mistake, that's when the learning begins. I started playing with old cars when I was 13 and I am now 67 and learning new stuff everyday. You will never learn it all but you can become proficient in the areas that you have some talent. Be respectful, listen to the guys that have done it and be able to walk away from the Bullshit.
READ READ READ, keep your month closed for the most part, And listen............... When your going on 60 you'll know plenty................
It all depends on how YOU learn. Some people learn by doing, some people learn by reading, just depends on your personality. Your ability to learn and master technical subjects expands directly with your level of confidence. Everybody tends to look at old dudes like they have no clue, but the issue is that the more your learn the more you want to learn. It turns you into kind of a nerd! hahah! We need a Discovery channel for hot-rodders!
All the READ suggestions are right. Hundreds of hours on the Hamb learning is not wasted time. But more importantly if you can find a shop or avid car builder around you VOLUNTEER your time to sweep, clean, whatever. Just let them know you want to learn. And keep your eyes and ears open when you're there. ALOT of questions will get answered that way...
I agree with what 58 Fridge says. Some guys can read read read, and not get it.they can spout out specs like a shop manual, but once it comes to hands on its all??? Not saying at all that reading stuff on here or in books is bad. So don't beat me up for that. Some guys learn from doing the work. I was a combination of both. I went to community college and took auto shop, as well I have gone to military and auto dealer tech schools. These definitely put you in the right direction, but hands on experience is where its important in my opinion. The books don't tell you the waterpump stud might break because its rotten, or the lug nut studs are stripped out. You get all that from doing the job. The tech school was where I learned electrical stuff, and all the computerised stuff. You learn alot from taking cars apart. If you have a pick a part yard near you, and some time to kill, go in and take some shit apart. Once you get the basics, your learning curve grows exponentially as you figure out that its all just nuts, bolts, wire and pieces of metal.
The reading is definetly one of the great tools. I think that you'll find that if you have the DESIRE and WILLINGNESS and the love for cars as it seems you've expressed. It should'nt be to hard to find the right places to hang out and learn. If ya do get lucky and find a couple of old guys that will let ya become a leatch then pay attention and don't be afraid to mess some shit up. Remember when your working on something it may not be broken but if it ain't what ya want it may as well be. Most important have fun and enjoy
Everytime I see this thread it reminds me of..................... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X7J12_877Kk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X7J12_877Kk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> What this little boy says.-Weeks
Move to Mooresville, NC and do whatever it takes to get a job with a cup team. I learned because I had the desire to work on my car and was to cheap/broke to pay someone to do the work. FWIW, when you work 40-50 hours a week on someone else's car, the fun of working on your own stuff tapers off.
CDO: You already have the first requirement.....the Desire. The second is Knowledge. (Gained by the open eye approach) The third is the Talent. (Honed by years of just doing) Advise: There is always more than one way to do everything. As you go through life, your gonna screw up things. Think of them as a "Learning experience" and try to not get frustrated. Remember every screw up and dont do it again. Lean on friends and even strangers to help you plan, do and re do your projects. Most people enjoy sharing their hard earned knowledge. Welcome to the brotherhood.
Reading is great, but i've known one too may bozos with a head full of hot rod tech articles that can tell me how to do my job... you GOTTA DO! its one thing to simply learn from your own mistakes. its another thing to learn how to learn. THAT comes from following someone who KNOWS how to DO! i am very blessed to have a father that is from another planet when it comes to procedure and detail. my old man doesn't let ANYTHING get past him. that comes from YEARS of experience. he mentions thing that i would NEVER think of when i'm doing a job. it causes me to THINK. its saved my butt more than once! absorb as much as you can. learn about plumbing and carpentry and structural engineering and electrical... it will ALL help you. DON'T allow it to consume your life. stay well balanced. you'll be thankful later. take your time. there's no rush. i've been doing this my whole life and there's stuff i just WISH i was a whiz at. luckily everything i've set out to learn, i've done well at not because i read a book, but because i learned how to learn. now there's NOTHING i can't learn how to do well, even if i dont do it as quick as someone else.
I read a few of the responses here and they are all true. One thing you shouldn't do is hang around with bullshitters who believe the crap they sprout about car stuff. And don't pretend to know about shit you don't know about. If you pretend then you'll never learn the true story. Be open about not knowing and ask questions. You'll find a lot of guys won't actually have an answer for you. Bingo... a bullshitter.
The Jalopy Journal
