How did you learn what you know?

[Tamadrummer88]

Every auto forum seems to have its backyard gurus. Im not talking about the vendors with tuners that work for them, I'm talking about the backyard mechanics, people that don't work on cars for a living. Seems to be that a lot here have a very vast technical knowledge in a lot of different aspects of modifying a vehicle (i.e forced induction, motor building, ECU tuning, etc) yet this isn't what you do for a living. How did you learn what you know?

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[Mr Monte]

My Dad was either working on/driving his race car or running moonshine so I was already turning wrenches by the time I was 8 years old which is when I got my 1st motorcycle. I helped build my 1st rail buggy with my Dad's help at age 11. At 16 I completed my 1st body off frame rebuild on my 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr HT.

At 17 my brother & I converted his 1966 Mustang conv into a Hemi powered 4x4. This was back in the 70s when making anything a 4x4 was the thing to do. We did a couple of Mustangs & a VW Bug.

While in high school I took advance physics & calculus classes in the morning but I went to a GM training center in the afternoon to get my mechanic's certification along with with high school & college credit. It was pretty awesome to have access to dynos & distributor machines for some old school custom tuning.

I had some good Father/son project cars with each of my 3 son's plus have helped with dozens of their friends projects as well.

My dad turns 80 this year & is still custom fabricating/turning wrenches/welding/painting.

I've been working in Hi Tech for over 33 years now & cars/motorcycles are my hobby/passion

 

[Herr_Poopschitz]

It was pretty awesome to have access to dynos & distributor machines for some old school custom tuning.

I've only ever seen pics of those machines that allow you to curve a distributor on a benchtop. I'd like to have one still...

Mine's a similar story. I blame Dad. I guess he modified and painted his bicycles when he was young. He grew up watching the muscle car era blossom in the early 60's, and was influenced by guys like Starbird and Ed Roth. Got drafted, went to Vietnam for a couple of tours...came back and got into Harley's and VWs. I was born and he put stuff on the backburner til I was about 8 and bought a '30 Chevrolet out of a barn w/ 26k miles on it. Refurbished it, stripped the paint and primed while I watched and learned...I learned to drive on it at 9...but never got around to building a hot rod out of it as he had planned. Sold it to buy a house in a better school district, but he lived vicariously through friends and family who had 'toys' he would tune.

My first car was a '67 Plymouth that I still own and have since put new floors in, rebuilt the trunk, minitubbed, installed through the floor subframe connectors in, relocated the leaf spring mounts, etc. There were quite a few of us in high school who enjoyed old cars, and in the mid 90's they were still affordable. Did my first engine swap w/ a friend on his '69 GTX at 15 in a Morton building owned by a mutual friend of ours dad who had a pretty nice collection and was kind enough to watch over our work. From then on, tinkered w/ other friends cars as well.

Since about 13 I'd read every car mag I could get my hands on...didn't matter if it was Hot Rod, Motor Trend, or Lowrider. Watched TV shows when I could find them. Worked at a local drag strip when I was 16 and 17. Read those SA Designs 'How to' books whenever I could. The internet is a great source, but many times it's a bit of work to separate the good info from the bad. Some guys like football or baseball and can remember all the infinitely miniscule details...I've never cared about any sports...it's always been about cars, much to my football-loving mothers dismay.

I got an undergraduate degree in Philosophy thinking I might go on to law school. Decided against it when I learned that practicing law wasn't nearly as idealistic (I was young and dumb) as I had originally thought. Went back to school and majored in mech engineering since I loved science and was good at math. Having the background working on cars, I could see how much of what I learned in class applied specifically to them. The engineering background allowed me to read and understand much more complex books about chassis dynamics and spark ignition engines than magazines or those ol' SA Design books could provide.

It's funny, because the old adage of 'the more you know, the more you find you don't know' is very true. At the same time, however, the more you learn, the easier it is to identify connections between new information just learned and things you've known for a long time.

Also, maybe because I always had my Dad kinda watching over me, I've never felt intimidated to tear into a car or any of its systems. Besides the newest computer controlled everything stuff, the fundamental mechanical systems of a car are really very simple. Bodywork is simple as well once learned, just far more time consuming. All it takes is the right tools, a place to work, and some instructions and anything can be done.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[SVTFreak]

By doing the research and doing it myself. Sometimes, that's the expensive route.

 

[Chameleon]

Lots of time, mistakes, do-overs and learning from friends. And beer.

 

[ConspicuousConsumption]

I've only ever seen pics of those machines that allow you to curve a distributor on a benchtop. I'd like to have one still...

Mine's a similar story. I blame Dad. I guess he modified and painted his bicycles when he was young. He grew up watching the muscle car era blossom in the early 60's, and was influenced by guys like Starbird and Ed Roth. Got drafted, went to Vietnam for a couple of tours...came back and got into Harley's and VWs. I was born and he put stuff on the backburner til I was about 8 and bought a '30 Chevrolet out of a barn w/ 26k miles on it. Refurbished it, stripped the paint and primed while I watched and learned...I learned to drive on it at 9...but never got around to building a hot rod out of it as he had planned. Sold it to buy a house in a better school district, but he lived vicariously through friends and family who had 'toys' he would tune.

My first car was a '67 Plymouth that I still own and have since put new floors in, rebuilt the trunk, minitubbed, installed through the floor subframe connectors in, relocated the leaf spring mounts, etc. There were quite a few of us in high school who enjoyed old cars, and in the mid 90's they were still affordable. Did my first engine swap w/ a friend on his '69 GTX at 15 in a Morton building owned by a mutual friend of ours dad who had a pretty nice collection and was kind enough to watch over our work. From then on, tinkered w/ other friends cars as well.

Since about 13 I'd read every car mag I could get my hands on...didn't matter if it was Hot Rod, Motor Trend, or Lowrider. Watched TV shows when I could find them. Worked at a local drag strip when I was 16 and 17. Read those SA Designs 'How to' books whenever I could. The internet is a great source, but many times it's a bit of work to separate the good info from the bad. Some guys like football or baseball and can remember all the infinitely miniscule details...I've never cared about any sports...it's always been about cars, much to my football-loving mothers dismay.

I got an undergraduate degree in Philosophy thinking I might go on to law school. Decided against it when I learned that practicing law wasn't nearly as idealistic (I was young and dumb) as I had originally thought. Went back to school and majored in mech engineering since I loved science and was good at math. Having the background working on cars, I could see how much of what I learned in class applied specifically to them. The engineering background allowed me to read and understand much more complex books about chassis dynamics and spark ignition engines than magazines or those ol' SA Design books could provide.

It's funny, because the old adage of 'the more you know, the more you find you don't know' is very true. At the same time, however, the more you learn, the easier it is to identify connections between new information just learned and things you've known for a long time.

Also, maybe because I always had my Dad kinda watching over me, I've never felt intimidated to tear into a car or any of its systems. Besides the newest computer controlled everything stuff, the fundamental mechanical systems of a car are really very simple. Bodywork is simple as well once learned, just far more time consuming. All it takes is the right tools, a place to work, and some instructions and anything can be done.

Sorry for the long post.

Great response. :clap2:

 

[VTECSAUCE]

Internet and experience. I surrounded myself with car enthusiasts and would try to help ppl wherever I could.

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