Question: What's the most important things to have and know start automotive repairs?

(Posted by: on 2012-02-06 19:54:49)

I'm a high school student looking to get into fixing up old beaters with a few friends, but we have a problem. We need to know what the best tool set up we should have to get started, including repair manuals. Next, is there any important information we should know before we start? Finally, is there any guides or anything to learn about the parts and what could cause what to go wrong with the vehicle so we don't have to have a professional tell what we need to fix. Thanks for everything, Jake

Posted by: boater on 2012-02-06, 20:31:03

A professional is trained to know what to fix, a back yard mechanic has experience to know what to fix. There really is no shortcut to fixing up old beaters. Get a good socket set, a good wrench set, screwdriver set, find an old beater and get a book on that model. Now you have a starting point. Get another beater like the first and it may be easier to fix up. Now you are starting to get some experience. Schooling or experience takes time and even with the training you will still be learning from someone that has been at it longer than you. There is no shortcut.

Posted by: jon on 2012-02-06, 20:41:25

Boaters right there is no teacher like experience. i started working on cars in 74 with a couple of screw drivers, a hammer, some vice grips and a roll of electrical tape. the one thing you have to understand is as long as the motor gets fuel, has compression and spark, it has to run. as far as any guides, check with your local library.

Posted by: Bagel the Cat on 2012-02-06, 20:46:07

You'll want to learn about basic electrical systems, the different components under the hood, and have an idea of how engines work. The internet can be your friend on a lot of this, as well as specific issues with any particular task you're doing. There are different types of manuals that you can use. For a beginner, I would suggest a Haynes or Chilton manual. A lot of these manuals will have suggestions as to which tools you should have. As you get more familiar with working on cars, I would use the larger and more expensive (eBay if you can) shop manuals the manufacturers put out, if possible. For basic tools, you'll want a good socket set (mainly SAE for domestic cars, mainly metric for imports - I recommend one that has both, though). You'll want some crescent wrenches and screwdrivers too. For body work, you'll want hammers, filler, and paint. JB-Weld is a good thing to have for damage to metal parts. For electrical, you should have a multimeter, extra wire, and electrical tape. If there are cars that are 1996 and newer, you'll want a basic OBD-II scanning tool to read error codes (Check Engine Light). Aside from that, the tools you need depend on what you're doing.

Posted by: So on 2012-02-06, 20:48:04

You need a Car garage , Carjack, Oilpan, Drill/ Screw driver, Flathead ScrewDriver, Philips Screwdriver, Wrench, a welder and a lot more. You need to have a Drivers License. You need knowledge of where things are located and how they work.