I am new to the forum and have noticed that most people on the forum know A LOT about corvettes. I have also seen that many of you know how to reassemble vettes and do all the repairs on your own, and most of you have restored the cars on your own. How did you come to know so much? Are there any classes I could take or books to read? Anyway, thanks for the help.

 

I didn't know squat about Vettes (and not a whole heck of a lot about working on cars). I learned A LOT by hanging out on this forum every day, reading posts and picking up tidbits of info from the pros here. Stick around long enough and you will slowly build up the courage to work on cars. Now I have no qualms with doing any normal maintenance/repair work on any of my cars. And I can thank all the folks here on the forum for giving me the knowledge and courage necessary. :)
-terry

 

vettinator - welcome to the forum!!! :seeya You will find a wealth of information here and plenty of people eager to share their expertise and knowledge with you. A good basic book recommended to me is the Deluxe Black Corvette Book 1953-2003. It is a reference book that gives basic details on all production models ie: numbers produced, colors and number of each color produced, engine specs, etc. It's a good primer. Also you will find a section on the forum where you can order restoration manuals. Most of these books I have found in local bookstores so you can take a chance to thumb through them before ordering. If you check around in your area you can probably find a vette owner who will more than likely be happy to take you "under wing" so to say. The people you meet here are patient, kind, and eager to see you succeed at getting, keeping or restoring your dream car. Also check under the tools heading for corvette clubs. They are listed by region and area so you should be able to find a whole group of folk who will be willing to have you join in their activites and share their passion for vettes. Good luck and I hope you find what you need. Bev - the "Mominator".

PS - Don't forget you can search archived topics using the search heading in the section to the left. Lots of good info there. It pays to look there first and if you can't find what you need post a request. I don't always remember to take my own advice - probably because I enjoy the contacts here :D :D


[Modified by five-boy-mom, 5:52 AM 12/17/2002]

 

When I was 16 I baught a 67 Firebird that smoked so bad it could kill mosquitoes to a radius of 10 miles. Needed a rebuild in a bad way. I had never even touched a motor before,but my brother in law gave me a Chilton manual. I studied the manual and stared at the engine in the car for a month before I had the courage to pull it out and attempt the rebuild. Now I can pull and rebuild without the book for the most part.Every project is sort of the same if you think about it.I still hate doing drywall,but did it once,and now I know how.Go for it,experience is the best teacher! :yesnod:

 

2 words: Ask Questions.

if you dont understand how something works, garunteed, someone on this forum does. we all love to share knowledge. we also like to make fun of ricers. :D

 

A good motto to remember is: There are NO dumb Questions...Only Dumb Answers. That certainly applies here. Only been a member for about 2 years here but comparatively speaking, I am a Rhodes Scholar of Corvettes compared to what I used to know, and still have to ask many things here many times. A Chiltons manual also helps me immensely......Hang here, you won't regret it............. :cheers:

 

:iagree:
Everyone is correct. I would buy an assembly manual ($20). You can get them in the Books and Manuals section in this website or other places.
I bought mine just over a year ago and have learned a lot over the past year. I bought mine with the understanding that I was going to fix everything. I have messed up a couple time and had to go back and fix my messes but all in all I do a pretty good job. I ask a lot of questions and look at the old threads to find out what other people did. The best thing to do is find something that is wrong and jump in and see what you can do. Try not to get into the "while I'm at it" attitude. It can cost you a lot more than your willing to spend at the time. Pick a job and work on it until its right. You'll learn about the car and you'll have a sense of pride when your done. You won't have to pay 75-80 bucks an hour for labor either. Leaves you with plenty of money left over for more projects. :lol:
Good luck and have fun.

 

A lot of members have good info on there web sites, so look at them and save some. Here is another step by step good site. http://www.corvettefaq.com/
Make a few folders in your favorite places and gather info to use later. Ask questions and help your friends work on there cars so they can help you too.
Neil in Tenn

 

Get a shop manual, ask questions, then practice :cheers:

 

Buy a really, REALLY poorly maintained car. :D

 

If you are interested in history of the Corvette, or about major models, then you could take a look at my site. But, I am only 17, so there are bound to be a few errors: CorvetteMaster.com

 

:iagree:

:lol: :lol: :cheers:

 

I started working on my own cars back in 1976. A brake job cost me $100.00. A full weeks pay! I've replaced alot of parts that did not need it, had to replace parts that I messed up because I did not know what I was doing. The best place to ask questions is here on the forum. There is always someone that is an expert on that repair or has just finished doing it. Join a local car club and that is a great place to learn.

 

READ EVERY POST IN THIS FORUM. YOU WILL LEARN FROM OTHERS KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE (AND MISTAKES)!

D. Ocean
Miami, FLA

 

Just keep hanging out on the forum and in your friends' garages. :chevy

 

When I joined the forum 3+ years ago I hadn't really ever worked on my own cars - OK, maybe a bit, I'd swapped alternators, brake pads and some basic maintenance stuff. I've spent many hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours reading posts, books and learning about sharks, in particular 1970s. It's become something of an obsession actually. ;) I joined before I found my first corvette - it was part of my homework / research to make sure I got a good one. :lol: I also joined NCRS since I had decided I wanted to go the originality route. The books I found totally invaluable are:

1) NCRS Technical Judging Guide (they have them at http://www.ncrs.org for each year or couple of years of corvettes)
2) AIM - Assembly Instruction Manual. They have one for each year car and it's the factory exploded diagrams of how the car is built - complete with part numbers and torque specs etc... Definately a useful book. Many of the catalog vendors sell these for about $20-$30.
3) GM Service Manual - there are actually 2, the Service Manual and Parts Overhaul Manual. The service one is what the techs at the dealership would follow procedure wise to repair / fix the cars. I found these on eBay for about $40.

Basically you just need to make a list and get started. Folks here are invaluable when it comes to helping you prioritize. Make sure to take care of the safety items first. And don't be afraid to dig in. There is always someone around to help 'hold your hand' with your project. And make sure you post lots of questions. That's how you learn. :D I'm certainly no expert, but I have learned a TON and done a lot of work on my '70 and '87 projects. I definately owe the great folks here at the Corvette Forum a lot thanks for as much help as they have given me with my projects. :cheers: :steering:

 

After reading these posts, it should be obvious that THIS IS THE PLACE YOU NEED TO BE !! All this is good, FREE advice. It is hard to learn from books, expensive to have it done, and one person will give his advice only...
So hang here and read...ask...do the jobs you feel comfortable with...
I have been working on cars since age 15...now 55 and bought my 81 in boxes, figuring the smog and computer would be a challenge...but the real challenge was the poor quality of shops in my area !! Without this forum, I would have sold her. And don't forget to wave... :seeya

 

Welcome, always ask questions, cause the folks here love to be challenged about the workings of the best generation Vette. :yesnod:

 

You know, if you were not so far away I would just have you over to our house. There are 3–1/4 Corvettes in the garage and a ton of books on the shelves.

Read the books; there are a lot out there. Different authors talk about different things in different ways. One book making the rounds this Christmas is a big coffee table edition covering the lasting fifty years of Corvettes. Not deep on the details, but a great place to start.

Unless you buy a new car, anything old will need work. Just do the work yourself. If you don’t get right the first time then just do it over. (This evening I was grinding away on a perfectly great paint job because the hood I installed would not clear the radiator cap.) Oh well.

Do it for fun, not for money, not because you can’t get a date, not because you need the car to get to work tomorrow, just for fun (or in my case for therapy.)

Many people have been into these car for years so don’t be intimidated.

 

I spent my pre-teens wisely studing cars & auto. engineering. Read everything in several libraries, etc. Then it's do it.
Best to know procedure well before starting. A good way to start is to do a cam change. Then build an engine.

I couldn't wait to change the cam & a neighbor kid came over & seeing the engine all disassembled asked it I thought it would ever run again.

It runs tonight.

:cool:

It ran great. It was my only car & had no one to call & no exp., just books. It was absolutely imperative!

You guys really got it wired w/ the Internet. Have seen some guys jump into things & use the Internet forums to bail them out.