Where do you guys get the know-how and skills to do so much work on your cars? I would love to do a frame-off restoration on a vette sometime down the road (I'm 19), but I feel like I will never have the skills to do something like that. Did you guys work at a garage when you were younger or just figure everything out as you went along? I am working on a mechanical engineering degree right now and I have applied at a few garages and speed shops for a summer job. I know this forum is probably my biggest resource, but where else did you guys get all your "car wisdom"?
Take it easy,
Matt

 

Hmmm... Mechanical Engineer from Mass... MIT student maybe??

... i think alot of the guys here have a few things that help them out when working on their cars..

they aren't affraid to do it themselves (or at least try), they realize at the end of the day it is JUST a car (well some here realize this), and if it breaks 9 times out of 10 you can buy a new one of whatever you broke (unless you are NCRS... in which case... you will need a sedative to not worry about something happening to your car!)

plus, they do have the experience, but that is where this place comes in handy, there knowledge of road blocks, tricks, and disasters becomes yours too!

Good luck with your ride!

-John

 

We just jumped right in. My father had done a '59 vette back in the day. We bought the '70 when I was 15. Ten years later, our frame off is complete, and I've learned tons.

 

My next door neighbor was a grumpy old man with a cigar in his mouth all of the time. Always smelled of machining oil. He was a foreman at an engine rebuilding plant in Syracuse NY during WWII... unlimited real world knowledge of engine building. Now, whenever I smell machining or 90 weight gear oil, I have "good" thoughts instead of "ooohh that stinks".

Because I wasn't afraid to ask questions and try stuff, he wasn't afraid to invest time in teaching me... and helping me fix all of the things I broke while learning.

Whenever I get a chance to pay it forward, I do.

Mentors mean a lot in this game.

 

I never had a father or anyone teach me. I just learned by doing. I would read the procedures until they were memorized and I understood the point of each action. Then would try them and sometimes they had to be repeated or parts re-replaced but in the end i figured that was just a cost of the education. Like someone said above, don't start with a high-dollar NCRS car and the headaches will be alot more manageable. As an engineering student I'm sure you know how to read and analyze a tech paper, sometimes you'll even find mistakes or think of better ways to do it.

steve

 

First of all, all you really need to do is not get intimidated by these older cars, for all their impressiveness they are really fairly simple when you really get down to it. You dont need any specialised training, you dont need to take auto mechanics anywhere just dont be intimidated.

#1 READ!!! ok its not something schools seem to teach much anymore but buy books and read, there is a ton of easy to comprehend books out there that cover every aspect of automotive repair.

#2 If you are still a bit scared to get in there and take stuff apart, then hook up with a corvette club in your area, there is a fair chance that it will have one or two people who dont own a c5 and actually do their own work. chat with those guys.

#3 Of course there is the Forum...there is a vast amount of good (and maybe some bad) information here.

#4 read some more

#5 Get your hands dirty with simple stuff, and work your way up.

#6 Dont get frustrated...if your frustration level rises, walk away for a little bit.. I've seen people make serious backwards steps by getting dfrustrated while working on their car.

In the end it really is up to you... for basic auto maintenance and even moderate restoration, you can get all the knowledge you need by reading and practicing hands on..

 

Though I surely don't meet the classic definition of a "mechanic", I do have a great deal of perservierence. My mottos are: If you get knocked down then get back up. And another good one is: Anybody can quit, you haven't done anything special by quitting. Now that the lesson in mottos is over I'll tell you while growing up I was always riding motorcycles (still haven't grown up but still riding motorcycles) and racing go-karts with my dad. Because we didn't have lots of money we had to do alot of our own fixing so I guess I kinda always had a wrench in my hand. I did receive some machine shop training that I suppose that helps with mechanical understanding.

There's really no magic to working on cars. You just have to get in there eye-ball deep into something, ask some questions and then work your way out. I noticed you are an engineering student. In a few years you'll look back to when you were 19 and think about how easy that part of your education was. It's the same thing with cars, like school it takes time and experience. Sometimes the best mechanic just knows the right questions to ask.

I received a degree in engineering (bottom-feeder civil) and it's definately a tough row to hoe but you must stick with it (think perservierence). Hopefully after you get your degree you'll be able to afford a car you won't have to work on so much.

 

A little here and a little there. I was poor way back when and couldnt afford to pay someone else to do it.

When your brakes go bad learn to fix them yourself. When your cooling system goes bad learn to fix it yourself. Working on these cars isnt difficult. In most cases it only comes apart one way and it goes back together one way.

Think of a frame off as a hobby. some people may buy a boat, some may buy a weekend Harley. Some may do a frame off.

 

When I bought my first car at age 17 and no money to pay a mechanic to fix anything on the car. I am mostly self taught, like most of my friends were at that age. You just dive in and take on a little at a time. Pretty soon, you discover what you can handle and what you can't. Sometimes the best way you learn is after your car breaks down at the worst possible time. You soon learn to "Adapt and Overcome". If you cannot learn or work with a experienced mechanic, get the appropriate service or repair manuals, hand and power tools, then read, read, and read some more. That's how a lot of us do it.

 

I bought my first Vette at 18, now 28, I have been working on cars for a decade. All self taught from jumping in, taking something apart, and asking lots of questions throughout the assembly process.

 

I think the biggest thing to overcome is fear. Dive in! Go slow, USE MANUALS, learn, take notes, try and understand the piece you are working with. I see many intelligent people who are just plain lazy as well. The excuse most use is that "I want a professional to do my work". I will say this, I have had to do more rework from professioanl mechanics than anything I have done myself. I just don't like others touching my car as well. Whenever they touch one piece they screw up two more. If you don't have to drive your car daily, you have a great opportunity to learn. Take your time and don't worry about getting it back in service right away. Go slow, read, observe and ask questions. If you have even average intelligence you will figure out the pieces of cars work. I had never had my hands in a Corvette until 5 years ago, and I now I feel like I know these unique beasts pretty well. I am one of the go-to guys in my club for mechanical questions.

 

research takes alot more time than the actual labor

what counts is the fact that you're 19 and have the desire to do something
most people your age want someone to give it to them or steal it
I call it the "instant gratification" generation. but enough negativity...

just remember not to get in over your head. its an easy thing to do.
often times stuff comes apart alot easier than it goes back together.
its also a good idea to finish what you start before you start on something else.
dont forget most of the tools and equipment cost alot of money, as do the parts. so unless you have a water cooled checkbook, its basically alot of saving money and waiting for parts.
this takes years for most of us

so dont get in a hurry and you can never have too much knowledge. keep reading the CORVETTE FORUM

 

read ....look ..... listen ..... research...and make sure you have the space lighting and tools to the job. buy several manuals and read each on the proceedure you want to ..... think about and then go for it....and don't shun adult vocational courses they are cheap and you can learn alot

 

Broke plenty of parts along the way! Not to mention the extra pieces I have lying all over the place.

 

The most important thing to remember is that a car is made up of many small parts, its not one big part. If you are doing a frame off resto, just tackle each small piece, one at a time. before you know it your car is back together again. For example: dont work on the front suspension, put bushings on the lower control arm, then a ball joint, then put on the frame, etc. Tackle each step without looking at the next step till you get there. If you stand back and look at the whole picture before you start, you'll be overwhelmed. You'll have plenty of time to stand back and look at it when you done with the satisfaction of knowing that it wasnt all that bad.

 

and always bag and tag,take pictures and take notes if necesary....stuff comes apart easily and its easy to forget where they go

 

The old man "crank case" started me off keeping the family car running, I had memorized every procedure in the chilton by the time i was 10
hangin around junkyards taking stuff apart, then finally my first ride. never stopper learning, and taking on new projects

 

Get an AIM an some other tech books and read, read, read. I did for a year before I started taking apart anything. I took pics of everything from every angle. Tag and bag everything. Document, Document ... I would spend hours (beer in hand) just looking at the car to see how everything is and understand. You will have so many parts laying around it will drive you crazy. DO NOT set a time limit or budget. (so far over by 300% for time and money). If you cannot find what you need here by searching then ask. These members are incredible!
Good luck

 

1. Finish your degree
2. Get a good job
3. Good job = lot’s of money also = hot chicks
4. Pay someone else to screw with dumb crap…like cars
5. Sit on the beach with hot chick and Martini in hand…. and enjoy life

 

Same as everyone else here. As a kid I was always taking things apart to see how they worked though couldn't always get it back together. Didn't matter, it was just a mechanical mind set which has always been part of me. I read hundrerds of magazines, manuals etc...
It's cheaper to do it yourself, frustrating at times, but satisfying.
I pulled my first motor when I was 21 out of my 68 Buick Skylark conv becuase I had no money. Bought a running 350 from the junk yard, used a pully and a lot of rope looped over a big tree branch to lift the motor and had a friend help me put it it under a street light at 10 pm! Then I did it again in my 69 Impala conv. My main motive was I trusted myself more than a mechanic because I have a vested interest in the car, the fun of doing it, and the cost savings.
So dive in and have a blast!