Hello! Don’t know if this is the right community to post this question, but maybe you can help.
I want to learn about cars and engines. I’m a pretty mechanical person and I like to tinker. I can do basics, like changing my own oil etc.
I want to do some hands on learning, but I don’t have a ton of money to spend or space to work in. I was wondering if you had suggestions on something small and affordable I can get to learn about engines. I was thinking a lawn mower or a scooter but I don’t know how similar those would be to a car.
Do you have any advice?
Small engines seem to be a good start. Mowers, generators and stuff. Helps you to better understand the basics and concepts without breaking the bank on something like a car. They’re also relatively simple, with no computer components to deal with.
My first engine was a lawnmower too! I was 6 and I didn’t think my parents thought I would get it working. I have a picture somewhere of me holding a piston like a prize fish. Worked up to a minibike later. Finished a complete rebuild of a V6 a couple years ago.
Books (remember those things?) are great. YouTube is ok if you actually find a good video. But the best is to make friends with someone who knows what they are doing.
I’ve found, almost too late sometimes, that you have to already know what to ask to learn about something. Buy new bearings for your specific engine? Great! Check clearances before you purchase in case something is out of spec? Oh, guess I’m doing that again. Oops. Haha!
Mowers are an okay start, theyre usually 2 strokes so a bit different from a car but they still have many similar parts.
You might be able to ask around at junkyards/pick a part places if they have engines, especially broken or damaged ones. Even if you never put it together to get it working, you can still learn a lot from just disassembly/reassembly. You could ask local shops if they will let you be an apprentice, maybe make a little money while you learn.
Recommend watching YouTube videos, not necessarily “build videos” since I find those pretty stupid usually, but videos about disassembly and reassembly are important. Cleaning, machining, etc are usually good ones too. Curmudgeon Transmissions is one I like for transmission videos, for example. I like to find the old guys, because theyre the ones with all the years of experience and I find I learn way more from them than from younger guys.
Buy a 60’s era truck. Pre-smog, but not too old that parts are hard to find.
A ford f100 or f250 for instance. The f100 with an inline 6 engine would be perfect. A 302 would be good too. I’d avoid the “fe” 352, 360, 390 only because they cost a bit to maintain.
