Hey all,

I just finished restoring my 1979 Ford F100, but I'd like to do more of it myself next time, and i was wondering where everyone learns how to do all the engine work and body work by themselves!?!? If i just tried doing it and learning by T&E, I know i'd mess something up haha.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

~RR

 

My son (he's 11) asks me the same thing everytime I fix or build something. I don't feel I am a wizard at anything, but I can repair, rebuild, install, fabricate, design and paint most anything I need to. How did I learn? The hard way, out of necessity. I'm now 49 (I'll be 50 in April) and when I first learned, it was from helping my Dad. He was a heavy equipment mechanic until he retired, and he did side work on cars sometimes for extra money. I kept my ears open and my mouth shut and handed him tools and watched. BTW, my Dad is not the most patient person I've ever met, so I learned a LOT about how the proper attitude in the shop is a HUGE asset. Cussing and throwing tools never, ever helps.

That's Rule #1:If you get pissed, just go in the house and watch TV for a while.

As time went on I built, bought and drove crappy cars because it was all I could afford. Lots of times I had to learn to diagnose and repair just to make it to work. I've worked on cars in gravel or dirt driveways, in apartment carports and alongside the road. I've walked 15 blocks to get to work in Phoenix, Arizona because my car didn't run as well. Trust me, THAT'S enough inspiration to learn to do stuff.

Rule #2 You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.

Like most young guys, I wanted more. More power, more speed, a louder stereo, a better shifter, bigger carbs and wider tires. Also like most young guys, I had no money and often bought used (as in worn out) parts and installed them incorrectly with other parts that didn't work well together. The result was quite often a slower car that wouldn't start, over heated and was nearly always worse in every way from what I started with. Doctors learn this rule in medical school, I learned it alongside the road with a broken car.

Rule #3 Don't fix what ain't broken, and be conservative with your changes.

It didn't take long at all to figure out that if I actually do preventative maintenance such as oil changes, then look for problems while I'm under the car or truck, I might spot something and fix it BEFORE IT BECOMES A PROBLEM. Points and plugs don't wear out overnight, swap 'em out regularly and it's amazing how long a car will run. Check the air in your tires and you might find that nail you ran over before you're stuck alongside the road without a spare.

Rule #4: Cars and trucks don't have to be money pits.

As time went on, I made several attempts (and spent thousands of dollars) at actually building my own car from start to finish. I wanted to do it all with my own two hands. I'd owned lots of cars over the years, all of them modified to some extent, and I learned something from each one. Each car or truck was better than the last, but none was really what I'd consider "mine". I also lost lots of mney everytime I sold one. I helped build lots of stuff for friends and family as well and found that I was quite capable of turning out good work if I took it one step at a time. Most of the time I just didn't know enough to stop, and I have never been able to just toss the whole thing in a professional's lap with an open check book. I also got involved with dirt bikes, quads and street bikes for a few years. During my late '30's I grew up and went to back to school and became a machinist, then a CNC programmer/machinist. I learned that men can do some incredible things with their brains and hands if they are willing to do some research and not be afraid to fail. Everything, whether it's cars and trucks or life itself is done one step at a time. One of my favorite quotes is something I remember reading at a bad time in my life, " Success is simply getting up one more time than you fall". It sounds goofy, but that applies to vehicles as well. So you try painting and it looks bad. Sand it off and try again. Do some research, buy a book, post a question online, ask a friend. Everyone has to start somewhere. You're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna have to redo stuff, you're gonna have to sacrifice. But if you are patient, plan ahead, don't listen to those who try to discourage you and NEVER give up, you can do it.

Rule #5:learning is cheaper than paying

Ok time for my final lesson in this horribly long post: when I turned 40 I wanted to build my dream car. I wanted to do it all this time and roll all my skills into one project. I had nearly no money (a common thread in my life) so it had to be done one payday at a time and I had to do it all. I sold my last project for seed money and bought a decent Mustang fastback. For six years I worked a little bit everyday. I worked overtime when I could, I got the wife and our new son involved emotionally, made mistakes, fixed them and made more mistakes and fixed them. Everything on this car, engine, suspension, bodywork, paint and interior was done by me, in my garage (which I also built) on an extremely tight budget. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it, but it all starts with wanting it bad enough and never giving up. Good luck.

Rule #6: Nobody is ever born with enough talent to do anything and you are just as capable as anyone if you really want that knowledge bad enough.

 

That is a great post Sand_Man, very well put!

Beautiful Stang by the way, great job!

 

I would agree with everything you said about Sand_Mans post.

 

My vote too for saying it just the way it is (and many have forgotten)

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/p...ictureid=87362


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/p...ictureid=87363

 

Hello, Sandman is totally correct on everything he is saying....... when your young, you start out with nothing or very little. In case and point, that's how my brother and I started and learned car's and truck's, by sticking around the house garage and our Dad telling us, If ya want to grow up and be a big dummy then just go out and hang with your friend's and such........or if you want to grow up and learn as much stuff about automobile's and so on, give your Dad a helping hand when you can, and I'll teach you everything I can, and know. Our Dad just built hot rod's and custom car's, and that is how we learned alot of what we know today. But as life go's, he retired, lived a great life, but three year's later he passed away. We were all going to work together, but it never happened, so live you life to the fullest and learn everything you can from everyone. Good luck on your learning experience's! 68Ranger390

 

Thank you guys so much for all the great information and stuff, sandman especially! I fit the description of 18 year old with not much money and an old truck pretty well haha. The way i figure it is, if i can teach myself everything possible about computers and build 3 smoking fast gaming computers, i should be able to restore a car right??

Thanks so much again for everything!

~RR

 

I think you can. If you can pickup a manual or book and teach yourself how to do something like that, then this should be no problem. I think it would depend on how much you are willing to learn and do yourself. When I started driving, my dad told me that I could either get a job making enough money to pay someone else to do something for me or I could learn how to do it for myself and that it was my choice. The first time I took my car to the shop and paid $250 to have something done, I watched him do it and decided that I could do that. I haven't looked back since. And by the way, I build my own smokin' fast computers too, as well as home remodeling.

 

There are some great resources on the web - makes things a HELL of a lot easier than it used to be!!! Check out: Welcome To Autobodystore.com for one of the best AB sites. As well, YouTube has a tom of How-To vids on everything AB.

And, if I may my site, E-Tek Restorations has some decent How-To as well!

Here's my latest build:



Modelled by Mrs E-tek:



See the entire build here: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck - The Garage Journal Board

 

Crap....just crap! I MUST be getting old! Mrs. E-tek is nice to look at, but where are the damn parking lights in that old Shivvy?!?

I'm 41...when you notice lighting missing first, that's probably a sign.

Pat

 

So true. You don't need to tear the vehicle totally down and build a concours vehicle to be happy. If you do, great. But so many guys tear them down, find out they hate body-work....get prices at the body-shop down the road, and just leave it sit, till one day they part it out on ebay.
Nice pics you guys.

 

Sandman's post was dead on. If you want it badly enough, you can do it.
I started watching my dad as we couldn't afford to take it to the shop.
then when i was old enough to afford my first car i would pick his brain as much as possible. I started picking up tools at yard sales an such untill i could afford to start buying my own. I kinda bs my way into a body shop when i was 19. They figured out right away I was bsing but the old guys were cool enough to keep me an teach me the correct way. I tried to keep my mouth shut an my ears open and learn from them. Been doing it for over thirty years now. Just dont shortcut anything. As the old guys used to tell me, you only get paid to do it once.
I learned that lesson very early.

 

Great work...Looks sweet

 

Nice Job...