Re: Where do I begin learning car mechanics?
kalpol wrote:I am biased, but if I were you I'd go find a cheap Fiat Spider, either a carbureted 69-74 or a 80-82 with fuel injection depending on the level of technology you want to deal with. You can get rusty Fiats for next to nothing, they are easy to work on, there is lots of documentation and support online, and parts are pretty cheap and easy to find. And of course they're fun to drive.
Yikes! After working on 124 Spyders and many Japanese cars, I'd say the Fiats are not a good beginner car. Yes, they are fun, but they're Italian!
I don't see why not - Spiders are very simple cars. The fuel injection is Bosch L-Jetronic, not much to go wrong there. The carburetors can be annoying but so can all other carburetors. There's one fan belt (if the car didn't have AC installed). Rubber timing belt, like a VW except you can see it. Everything is pretty easy to get to. I even heard you can disassemble the transmission without any special tools (like a press). Just get a good shop manual from one of the Fiat places and you're set.
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2009 Yee-haw It's Texas
Prison Break Racing - 1986 325e #27 - 2010 Gator-o-Rama
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2011 Heaps in the Heart of Texas