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Comment by DeathArrow | Hacker News Reader

How do you learn how to fix cars and engines as a hobby?

Just a suggestion … start with rebuilding a used lawnmower engine, sell it. Buy a used automotive carburetor, a brand like Holly, rebuild that then sell it. Move on to a used car that Uses a naturally aspirated carburetor. Start with something easy such as the brakes, then rebuild the engine. The rear end would be rather easy and fun to rebuild, then try the transmission. Hayes/Chilton books worked well. Manufacturer shop manuals are the best. I was able to buy a shop manual book for my Datsun 280ZX when I restored that way back in the day (pre-internet). These days, verify the content in YouTube videos you watch with the manuals if you are not comfortable doing it. Buy the tools as you need them. Find a local machine shop for things like head and valve work, cleaning the engine block and checking for cracks, etc.

To answer your question as to where did I learn that, I did all of the above in a class in high school.

Kinda hard to find a carbed car that's not falling apart from rust these days. Late 90s/Early 2000s is about where the good stuff is now.

Similar with lawnmowers, the market is mostly electric now.

Thank you for pointing that out and my apologies for my mistake. I haven’t looked at the market since 2019. I did a quick search and found many project cars which would need some body work in edition to what the OP is looking to learn. Learning about fuel injection instead of naturally aspirated it is then with the early 90s/2000s. :)

I would have thought with the replacement of gas powered lawnmower type engines with electric that it would be easy to find a used 5hp Briggs and Stratton to overhaul. A lot of the commercial landscapers around here still use gas powered tools.

The Holley (or Carter) carburetors were pretty easy to find on eBay. Some that looked like they would need a rebuild kit seemed rather inexpensive, in the $50 dollar range.

Looking at the prices of the Datsun Z-Series, wish I kept mine. Who knew they would rise in value so much! I think I paid $2000.00 for a used one in great condition back in the day. They are an absolute blast to drive!

This thread has me wanting to pick up a project truck from the 50s or 60s. Fun hobby, brings back memories of when I worked on restoring cars at Barrett Jackson.

I mean, if you wanna be on a high carb diet, lots of great motorcycles used carbs into the 2010s. Hell, Suzuki will sell you a brand new DR-Z400 with a Mikuni!

Just get an old car and buy some tools and teach yourself. There's a ton of information online. For a lot of cars, you can find step-by-step instructions or walkthrough videos of common procedures.

I would start with some easier procedures to get your confidence up, like maybe a valve cover gasket replacement or a serpentine belt replacement. Then move on to harder things.

Also, if you live in a rust-prone area (and you are using simple hand tools), your most important items will be penetrating oil, a big breaker bar, and a large sledgehammer. :) Getting rusty things unstuck is kind of an art in and of itself.

Don't forget the propane torch! With rusty bolts I find I need penetrating oil, heat and a breaker bar or impact gun all together.

Buy an old car or motorcycle which has service data available to the consumer and uses commonly available parts. Start by learning how to change all the fluids, then start replacing wear items and making repairs.

Some good learning resources:

- Honda Common Service Manual (general motorcycle repair)

- Haynes, Clymer, or official service data for your vehicle

- ChrisFix on YouTube

- Revzilla's The Shop Manual (and its precursor, Motorcyclist's MC Garage)

- The forum or subreddit for your vehicle

Buy an old car. When problems start appearing, learn how fix them. I feel most "car guys" got started this way in their youth, out of necessity.

Get something cheap to learn on at first, before spending the time and money on a "classic". Something fairly common, so you can find info on repair online (forums/youtube). Get a Haynes workshop manual for it.

Make sure you have access to a garage space with a lift.

The lift is optional for most tasks if you're young enough your back won't hurt- I built my autocross car in my parent's garage on jackstands, including cutting out and replacing everything from the trailing arms back. Only thing that a lift was truly needed for in that car was the clutch and flywheel swap.

I’m 42 now but I started when I was 6 on model cars.

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