For the last few days now I have been reading articles on all kinds of mechanical do it yourselfs. I have never done anything my self on a car, not even an oil change. But this is what I want to do. I want to become my own mechanic.

When you first started out, what kinds of things did you do? What kind of cars did you have, what kind of projects did you work on. What kinds of things did you do that you wish you didn't do? What would be your best advice for someone starting out in the mechanical world?

BTW, I will most likely be learning soley from honda-tech and other such online forums.

 

1. Buy a Helms Manual for your car
2. Buy a mechanics set (sockets,drivers,screw drivers etc)
3. " jack and jackstands

A rear disc swap if your car doesnt have it already would be a good start, then some suspension. Think about what your plans for the car is and how much hp you want to make before you buy a motor. Work from the ground up.

 

i would start real small first, number one i would change your own oil, then move up to like an intake,headers soemthing easy, i learned from friends but learned the most from my self like when something would break i would have to fix it, you just have to learn as you go

 

D seires are great to learn with, they dont cost much if you break em.

Keep reading here on HT, you will learn lots, and remember the search engine is your best friend.

D series B series excluding type r are slow. dont waste too much money on them

 

what B series are you talking about that are slow?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by THC07 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
D series B series excluding type r are slow. dont waste too much money on them</TD></TR></TABLE>

what u been smokin to come up with that ?

 

sorry i should make that more clear.

B16's are slow. B18BorA are slow B18c ant that bad, the B18C5 is tight tho

with a few thousand dollars they can be fast.

this is my opnion, i feel the same about my H22. just ant fast enough.

 

all it takes is time, you cant be rushing when doing things... and if you do, you will find it will actually take more time altogether.

 

for some reason my last post went through 2 times .. so this is an edit

 

Quick question: Where would the best place be to get a mechanic tool set, and how much on average would this cost me?

 

sears - craftsman tools ...also has lifetime warranty

price will vary depending on the set

 

you can go to sears they alwas have deals, depending what size set you get you can spend liek 50 or up to 250 or even more.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 19992civichatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can go to sears they alwas have deals, depending what size set you get you can spend liek 50 or up to 250 or even more.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i was thinkin more like 200-400 for a better amount of **** that he would mostlikely need,, socket set and extensions small and large, open end wrenches, screw drivers, pliers, wire cutters,allen wrenches, etc. etc.
maybe even an impact gun, they're always good to have around

 

My friend works at sears and he can change the price on things.Got the biggest tool set they had for 10 bucks.lol!

 

Yeah right now I have my mind set on either a B16 Civic or a B18 Teg. Whichever I can find around me, and I live in northern Indiana.

My ultimate goals would be to have around 250 hp and have a racing suspension setup. Also with custom paint, projectors w/HID, full custom interior, ect.... Something you would see in a magazine basicly. Of course meeting those goals will take years. But thats what I have my mind set on.

 

Start taking **** apart on your car and sooner or later you'll learn how tjings work! ya know second hand and pawn shops always have deals on tools but Sears for lifetime garuntee on craftsman but its going to be speny that way

 

which b18 . . and why in a teg, you could always just drop one in a civic..

 

Yep i basically taught myself everything i know with honda-tech, and hands on experience, just start out small, and you will soon get the hang of things.

 

Definitely get Craftsmen at sears or online.. They have a lifetime warranty.

Also get a comprehensive repair manual for your specific car model & year. Helms is the best and worth every penny.

Like other ppl said, start with easy things and work your way up. You will gain confidence with each modification, repair, etc that you do.

 

If you are doing something like brakes or suspension (somehting that needs done on both sides of the car) take one side apart at a time that way when youcant figure out how to put it back together you have the other side as a referance...sometimes the manual just cant explaine it as well as seeing it in real life.

 

1. Lots of people have said this, but I'll reiterate: Get a Helm's manual for your specific car. They are invaluable in working on Hondas.

2. Craftsman hand tools aren't the best, but they're cheap, and they'll replace them for free if they break. Probably the best brand for the home mechanic.

3. Working on my car became incredibly easier once I got a compressor, an impact wrench, an air ratchet, and an angle grinder. Essential? No, but VERY helpful.

4. Skimp on the jack if you want, but DO NOT skimp on the jack stands if you like living. Don't get under the car without jackstands.

5. PB Blaster is your friend.

6. A Dremel is the best all-around tool you can have in your arsenal. You may think you don't have a use for it, but eventually you'll wonder how you got along without it.

7. Most major chain parts stores will let you borrow an OBDII tester for free. You'll probably be doing this frequently.


8. If you screw up a D series too bad, you can always pick up another one cheap.

9. Don't believe everything you read on Honda-tech. A great many people have no idea what they're talking about. Identify those who have a clue (Bense, etc) and use their posts to reality check everyone else's.

 

Just remember, it's not all the person. Sometimes you might simply lack the efficient tools to do it yourself in your own driveway or garage. Obviously not for stuff like oil changes but for some stuff, sometimes you just lack the sufficient tools to do it.

I've ran into this problem a few times when needing a certain size and just NOT having it in deep wall or something to the effect.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Syndacate &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just remember, it's not all the person. Sometimes you might simply lack the efficient tools to do it yourself in your own driveway or garage. Obviously not for stuff like oil changes but for some stuff, sometimes you just lack the sufficient tools to do it.

I've ran into this problem a few times when needing a certain size and just NOT having it in deep wall or something to the effect.</TD></TR></TABLE>

if you want to start a project invest in tools. you can always use them later

 

Just an update:

Bought a 263 peice craftsman set for only 180 dollars! Also a craftsman jack, jackstands, and a torque wrench. Jacked the BMW up for the first time yesterday for an oil change. Turns out I need a 36mm socket for the damn oil filter housing! I think I will take apart the front bumper, grill, fan, ect on the E36 just out of curiosity (and a fan delete).

Still looking for a Honda though btw. I am in Warsaw, Indiana so give me a pm if you have any for sale. Not looking for anything with mods or nice, as I dont want to spend much.

 

ahh, careful about the front bumper.. Many people have issues with the correct fitment when putting it back on.