How'd you guys learn how to work on cars?

I'm the kinda guy who will know how something works and can diagnose a problem, but I can never actually do the work myself. I'm just wondering how some of you guys became so well at tinkering with trucks and stuff. I'd love to be able to restore something like an FJ40, especially seeing some on this site drool but I wouldn't know where to begin.

I'm not just talking about restoration, just general car tech.

 

I'm no master tech but I learned the things I know from reading, trial and error.

 

Watching my dad and older brother, but now they come to me!

Sometimes I get in over my head though!

 

Research, buying the right tools, my high school automotive class, and a set of balls to dive in and hope you can find your way back out with a working vehicle.

 

My dad, trial and error

 

Books n stuff. College helped a lot too! Amazon has a book for just about anything you'd even want to know about cars without ever attending a mechanic course. Join the military for a couple years and be a mechanic.

 

tv

 

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I just get nervous working on something as expensive as a car, I guess I should just start with little repairs that wont really hurt it and then just work my way up huh?

 

TV is good although I'm pretty sure I watched TRUCKS last week and the guy told me a "Rev Tech lift is the perfect addition to any Toyota Tacoma." Kinda kills their credibility in about 15 seconds.

 

Hahah yeah man I think the same thing about that show.

 

My dad owned a paint&body shop so I learned some of that and mechanics from my grandpa and uncle.

 

You have to start with a basic knowledge of how the major systems work. This can be from a book, family member, whatever.

The idea here is to lift the hood or roll under the car on a creeper and be able to identify the major components you see and what they're for.

Then you need something that describes, step by step, what you want to accomplish, Haynes guide, Tacoma World photo writeup, factory service manual... I prefer to have multiple sources handy when I take on a job I haven't done before.

You need freedom to fail. It's scary to cut your teeth working on a $25k new truck with a warranty where you might mess something up if you make a mistake. Much better to make repairs on a $2k beater. If you mess up, hey it was broken anyway.

Oh and that counts for time also. I decided to replace a head gasket on my bike one weekend during school, and missed most of the following week before I got everything put back together. When you're learning, it takes three to four times as long as a mechanic would take to accomplish the same job.

Start small. Every repair builds skills that lead to success in the next one.

One more thing: find an old copy of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." It's only ostensibly about working on a bike, but it's all about thinking about problems in a way that makes them easier to identify and fix.

After all that - trial and error.

 

all the vehicles i've ever worked on end up being lighter than when i started due to all the screws and bolts i have left over.

 

TRUCKS went to crap when they took Stacey David off

 

Could not agree more. That guy was awesome. He was supposed to be starting a new show but it's been like 8 years so I doubt that's going to happen

 

I used to own a beat up civic and learned a lot of things because it felt disposable.

 

Hell I know nothing. So I pay other people to do it. And I read TW and live vicariously through others.

 

http://staceydavid.com/

He's on SPEED network now

 

I learned from messege boards; like here, & youtube.

And trying somethings on my own, just to see if I can. I installed my first car stereo recently with instructions from Crutchfield. I had zero previous knowledge of how to. It worked out great!

Messege board Bassboatmagazine.com for boat repairs

 

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