A&Q about 350Z
Q:
I've been working on the car you see in my sig for about one year. It ran but I had to replace the battery and it's tray. I gave it new suspension, brakes, I made a custom fuel line, brake line, I removed the fender and got another used one on. Too much to list. I did all of this work, thinking I was actually helping the car. Lastly, I brought it into a garage for a new catback, weld the battery tray in, and a good inspection. They caught everything I missed, mostly the engine, bad injectors and failing wiring all over the engine bay. It ended up costing me more than I bought the car.
Sure this is a lesson to learn from but that's not enough for me. I've grown so much in learning about how cars run and fixing them. I want to know how to catch more problems. Does it just come from experience? Are there special expensive tools that help you figure them out? Why did I miss things like the injectors?
A:
Just got to learn to look at stuff. Doesnt really look like you've done alot to it though...
A:
What would you consider alot?
I changed the plugs, wires, I replaced some plumbing, all new disc brakes and drums, shocks, struts, coil springs, fender, I took the old tray out by using a chisel and a hammer and then I angle grinded it down to the bare steel. When I bought the car, the wheel's lug nuts were spinning so I drilled right through them and cleaned up the wheels. The front end is fine for now. I removed the old exhaust because it smelled bad, only to find out I didn't need to because the smell was coming from the bad injectors.
One of the first things, the prev. owner hotwired the fans to turn on at ignition so I rewired them back to normal, and I didn't realize the wires were short circuiting the brand new relays. I replaced some relays like I said, I changed the brake fluid, the oil and filter, the fuel filter, the air filters, the thermostat because the engine was overheating. I never knew why, I thought it was because of the thermostat or the fan relays, which had battery spill on them.
My dad and I looked at the intake and it was a bit dirty so we tried to clean it before we put it back on. Everything I replaced on my own had a cause and effect reason to it. I brought the car back to life. I ran the engine before we brought it to the garage, with no muffler or pipes except the converter. At first it would smoke, and we wait a few minutes, the idle comes up, the smoke clears, it doesn't smell anymore. I thought I had it all figured out. It's roadworthy now and today I'm driving it for the first time, but it's all thanks to a hefty bill and them keeping the car for 2 weeks, that it passed NYS Inspection.
Forget the fans, how did they know the injectors were bad and I didn't?
A:
You basically just gave it a tune up and brake job... but you gotta learn on something. The longer you keep at this the less significant stuff seems, sorry if it seemed I was making light of what all you did.
If it had been sitting up for a while the injectors may have been gummed up causing them to either stick open or not open at all, effect pulse timing, ect.
A:
You want to see a real project, visit my hopelessly endless project that I've been working on since 1996:
Now THAT's replacing everything
There is absolutely nothing wrong in my opinion with spending more than you paid for the car. I paid $300 for that bonneville and I probably have $15,000 in it and I haven't even touched the body work yet. But its a family heirloom and I love those years of pontiac so its a labor of love.
A:
yea, it is a little basic, but you have to start somewhere. it takes stuff like this for you to learn. i'm going to get an engine someone and strip it down only to rebuild it to a higher spec.
Curtis, is a Bonneville like a 4-door GTO?
A:
Similar style, but different family. The GTO was an A body, sharing with other GMs like the Chevelle, Olds 442, Buick Skylark, and other intermediate cars. The Bonneville is a full-size B body, sharing with the Bel Air, Impala, Caprice, Electra 225, and Olds 88. The styles are very similar. There is also a D body full size that is basically a B body with a little longer wheel base. Cars like the Olds 98, and Caddy Fleetwood fall into that category
A:
Alright so the important thing is that I'm starting..but where do I go from here? more auto classes? work more on an engine?
A:
I'v got some cars sitting around you could learn alot from.. trade you for that 240...
A:
You've got a good start there. That's how I started myself 25 years ago. I would buy "junkers" or "other people's problems" as I've been told. and then turn them around into a decent daily driver. I started out knowing very little but each time I tried something, I learned a little more, and became more confident to tackle bigger jobs. I hung around the local garage watching my friend repair the cars that came in, and asked questions, while giving him a hand. I also did a lot of reading and research, (back then there was no internet, we are so lucky to have it now because it makes life so much easier in that respect.) I took on the rebuilding of a SBC and modified it for performance. I ended up putting it in and taking it out of 3 seperate cars, and now it sits in my current project, a 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air which I bought in 1992 and have been working on it ever since. I've had to stop work on it many times due to a marriage, the birth of 2 kids, and now a major renovation of my house, but I vow to have it completed one day soon.
You might want to consider taking advantage of courses offered in auto mechanics in your area, whether they are offered through a school district (night classes for adults,) a local college or technical school, or if your area has a B.O.C.E.S. type program. Many of these institutions offer classes to interested individuals usually at night or on weekends in many aspects of auto repair, body work, and electrical systems. But to me experience is the best tool, and you can learn from your mistakes, and gain a confidence to do even more on your vehicles.Another good resource is to find a factory service manual for the specific vehicle you are working on. These manuals, used by mechanics at dealersahips, are more detailed than the Chilton, or Haynes manuals you see in the auto parts stores.I can usually find them for a good price on eBay. Another good source of info and experience in working on your car is to find a local club that specializes in that type of vehicle. You can meet other members, and ask questions and get info specific to help you out. Good Luck!
A:
most people don't realise how expensive cars are. Take, for example, if you buy a car for $2000, and find out it needs major brake work (calipers and rotors all the way around), major tune up (cap, rotor, wires, plugs) coolant issues (water pump, radiator, flush, t-stat, hoses, cap)
Right there, if you are paying someone else to do it, you have well exceeded the value of the car. and these items are very simplistic maintenance items. We're not even touching on major problems, such as tranny issues, engine issues, frame issues.
Some things that seem simple turn out to be unbelievably expensive to fix (again, paying someone else) Such as a heater core on many cars, is a $600, even $1000 fix. All by itself.
I can't tell you how often I see at my shop, people bringing in the car/truck they just bought, because they noticed a little issue, and we give them an estimate for thousands of dollars for all the problems we found. Even if you are a do-it-yourself'er, it still pays to find a good shop you trust, and have them check out perspective purchases, assuming you would prefer not be taken to the cleaners....(assuming its expensive enough for you to care).....if nothing else, it gets you a written estimate that you can use to add to negotiations over the sale price.
Just wait til you get into high performance mods
A:
I learnt what little I know by first working on my own car, and then crewing on a Rally car for a couple of seasons. That's easy to get into, just join a local car club. There are always drivers looking for people who are willing to provide free labour to help build and run a race car. And its a great way to get hands on learning.
From there I started working part time in a workshop. Someone I meet through another job, I went to him to get some work done, joined a club he was involved in, started stopping bye for a chat after work, started helping with his work, he ended up paying me to work for him for a short period.
You just have to get involved, and have a car that needs lots of work. Once you start making contacts in the industry it will snowball from there.