Talking the Talk

[kubiakco]

Now i admit im new to camaro ownership (or car ownership in general) and maybe im preeching to the wrong crowd but i have no idea whats going on. Looking through a couple of thease post thingys (especially regarding engines) i just get confused. For example.... what the hell is a cam housing, alternator switch, fuel retardation, igntion timing, all that stuff. Now i know many of you obviously can talk the talk but my question is... how?

I just want to understand whats going on so i can start building my car and save some money by doing it myself.

so basically..... how do u learn all this stuff?? is there a good manual someone can recommend or some website, book, or video?

im not a mechanic, just a college student with a newfound passion toward my new ride, i just wish i new how to channel it.

[blindeyed]

We've all been there before. I'm not sure how everyone else here learned the ropes around an engine bay, but me personally, I studied here:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-en...ce-channel.htm

I printed out every page there, put it into a binder and studied it whenever I could. I don't have any parents/relatives/friends who could teach me, so that site was the next best thing. I'd recommend it to anyone who's wanting to learn about engines.

I'm also going to move this to Off Topic since it really doesn't have to do with engine modifications/maintnence or anything.

[2.2 Straight six]

yeah, like blind i learned most of what i know from reading. i looked on HowStuffWorks, and if i heard of something i didn't know about (like say, an injector pump) i looked it up on google, found something explaining it and read up on it. there are plenty of gaps in my knowledge, but i fill them whenever i can.

my grandad knows lots about cars, used the be a toolmaker and owned a dealeraship, but he's never lived that close to me, nor is my dad so much into working on cars, so i didn't get much first-hand experience working on them at home.

reading isn't much of a substitue for going out there and working on cars, but it does teach the basics, the theory and a lot of other stuff.

if you want to know something specific, just ask. there's plenty of guy/gals on here willing to help and share some insight. and we have plenty of dedicated forums for that kind of stuff (ie Engineering & Technical etc..)

[72chevelleOhio]

I think this is a good forum to use. With everyones experiences and diffrent points of view, if some advise is wrong someone will be there to correct it.
If you dont use the correct terminalogy then someone will help there too...

Originally Posted by 2.2 Straight six

we have plenty of dedicated forums for that kind of stuff (ie Engineering & Technical etc..)

^ He don't wanna go there.. Curtis is ok but that other mod is a weirdo..

[poormillionaire2]

I wish I could remember how I know as much stuff as I do. I did do a lot of research on the internet and picked a lot of people's brains on forums and stuff. But a good portion came from first-hand experience. I just got out there and started turning wrenches and changing parts.

Magazines are a big part too. Subscribe to some technical magazines, nothing like Road & Track because those are all about general information about vehicles, but something dedicated to a specific set of vehicles. I like GM High Tech Performance Magazine, because they focus a lot on f-bodies, vettes, and GN's. Or Chevy High Performance Mag, something along those lines.

[89IROC&RS]

i was lucky enough growing up to have an uncle that was a drag racer, and owned his own repair shop. so i got alot of hands on lessons helping out at the race track as a part of the pit crew. as was stated nothing beats hands on experience. i also spent time as a chevy mechanic, which probly isnt an option while in college. although, if you wanted a part time job, a dealership would probly hire you on to do weekend work like oil changes and tire rotations and stuff, and while youre there, you can pick brains, peak over shoulders, and work your way up to more complicated things. also you can create relationships that will be invaluble in the future. get to know your dealerships transmission guy, mine built me a fully race prepped 700R4 for my IROC for 200 bucks. all i had to do was pull and installl the tranny, and provide the parts. which cost around 400. normally that tranny would be around 2000 dollars or more.

that being said, i also highly reccomend magazine subscriptions. i honestly learned alot just reading and picking over technical articles. i read diesel power more these days, but i grew up on hot rod and chevy high performance, motor trend, and have kept all the old issues, and reference them regularly.

forums are also a fantastic tool. im personally a member of a chevy blazer forum because of my truck, and what i have learned from the guys there is PRICELESS, almost everything i now know about truck axles, suspension mods, drivetrain improvements, gear ratio's, tire choices, and even things i never thought about asking like rock lights, fender trimming, HMMWV beadlock rims, etc. etc. especially with my truck, theres not alot of info on the net, or in magazines, so the guys on that forum are worth their weight in gold.

the main thing is to not get discouraged, or start to fast. take off manageable bites, start with routine maintanence, like tune ups with spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor, and as you get to know more about the car, start taking bigger bites, install a aftermarket ignition system, then shop around for an exhaust system, so on and so forth.

[Firebirdlad03]

My dad owns a body shop so I have been working on cars since i could crawl. So my dad, grandpa, and uncle have taught me. Also you learn alot on here. Today I finished my first engine swap! (started yesterday) I only had minor help with manuevering the cherry picker for removal and installation. Im only 16 so I think thats pretty darn good. But like i said. ive been doin it for years.

[2.2 Straight six]

Originally Posted by 89IROC&RS

if you wanted a part time job, a dealership would probly hire you on to do weekend work like oil changes and tire rotations and stuff, and while youre there, you can pick brains, peak over shoulders, and work your way up to more complicated things.

working in Tyre shops and dealerships doing oil changes, tyres, exhausts etc.. is a very good way into the industry. you'd be surprised how much you learn from doing those basic jobs. you learn you own methods for doing certian job, and you'll find your own "style" for some stuff. and like 89 said, you can peek over shoulders and ask questions.

Originally Posted by 89IROC&RS

i also highly reccomend magazine subscriptions. i honestly learned alot just reading and picking over technical articles. i read diesel power more these days.

Diesel power is an excellent source of knowledge for diesels. the tech articles are very good and very well written. and they include plenty of pictures that really show you what you need. i would definitly reccomend it.

i started out in a tyre shop, learned a lot there. worth putting up with all the crap i got there for what i learned. although "book knowledge" is good, it's no substitue for first-hand experience.

another thing to do, if you've got the space. is buy an old engine from a scrapyard and take it apart. even if you don't put it back together. you can look at the parts and see how they work together, see the cylinder heads and their push-rod rocks and such. good learning tool, an old engine.