Best place to learn about cars?

[Static911]

Any outside courses or Junior College teach about cars? I just want to know fundamentals and stuff...maybe hands-on stuff as well before I stick a full garage with lifts and dynometer in our garage (father approved of such project)

edit: in southern california area

Static911

 

[thedarkwolf]

Well I wanted to be able to work on cars as a hobby and since nobody in my family new squat I took a year off from school and took a vo-tech class in mechanics. Mine was only $1200 + tools for a full year 5 days a week 7 hours a day of class time, seems like a pretty damn good deal to me. Ours was setup like a real garage. People brought cars in for us to work, mostly poor people , and we tried to fix them. We had to go through about 2 months of instruction before we were able to touch any real cars to go over the basics but then it was almost all hands on. I was by far the least experienced in the class even the girl knew more than me but after I fixed my first car, a blown head gasket on an old beat to hell chrysler, I got over most of my fear and really started learning. By the end of the year I had rebuilt 2 engine one of which was my own, helped on a couple auto transmision rebuilds, and countless smaller things. It was well worth it.

 

[Eli]

If you want to spend 1200$, do what thedarkwolf says.

If you want to go the adventurous(cheaper) route, go to the library and get every book you can find on car and engine basics, including small engine repair books.

Buy basic tools if you don't have any.

If you're very unfamiliar with engine basics, find a couple of old lawnmowers to take apart and put back together a few times. Make sure they run after you put them back together.

Find an old car to work on.

Get Chilton manual for said car-

Go to town.

It's really not that difficult. The Internal Combustion Engine is a simple machine. Don't let all the vacuum hoses and wires intimidate you.

 

[Tominator]

Get a job in an auto parts store..now that's an education!

 

[Jerboy]

<< Any outside courses or Junior College teach about cars? I just want to know fundamentals and stuff...maybe hands-on stuff as well before I stick a full garage with lifts and dynometer in our garage (father approved of such project)

edit: in southern california area

Static911 >>




Take the "introduction to fundamental automechanics" at a local community college or some technical education center.

I took one just so I can earn credit(my HS lets me import college off-campus credit into my transcript). We learned about basic stuff. Learned how an engine works, how a four stroke works, the purpose of lubrication, ignition system, carburetor, cooling system, brakes and other basic stuff. We did a bit of hands on stuff such as working on an old carburetor(who needs to learn about carburetors these days?!).


Oh yeah it's amazing how clueless people are about cars despite making a talk about horsepowers, Vtec, V8 etc etc, they didn't have a clue on how to remove a tire, the four cycles of a four cycle engine and such. We didn't have big car engines to work on but did work on old four cycle motorcycle engines. One group was complaining his engine didn't go together right. Well they put their crankshaft in backward..