Car Maintenance course

scubasteve

Hi,
Im looking for a Car Maintenance course.Nothing too basic. Any of the ones I've seen seem to be very basic checking oil and water etc. When I eventually get a classic I want to be able to do as much of the maintenance/repairs as possible myself

Should I just get a Haynes manual and practice on my current car (01 carolla) and learn that way?
Sorry if theres already a thread to cover this.

mike65

The good news about Classic motoring is that there are no black boxes and diagnostic nonsenses to worry about unless you are in the "Twilight Zone" of semi-classic fancy machines of 25 years age or less.

So your Toyota may not be that useful - ie stripping and cleaning a carburettor, replacing brake drums, greasing nipples (ooo!) and so on.

2cv

Well, if you ask me... If you get a simple classic car, a Haynes manual and a bit of common sense will go a long way :pac:

scubasteve

Thanks lads.
What are we talkin about when you say simple?

2cv

scubasteve wrote: »

Thanks lads.
What are we talkin about when you say simple?

Morris Minor, VW Beetle, Renault 4, Citroen 2CV, Ford Escort, Ford Cortina, ... You get the picture...

There was an article in Craptical Plastics magazine recently where they compared 4 easy to maintain classic.. It featured the Beetle, the Renaul 4, the London Taxi (FX4 something or other), and a fourth one, which has escaped from my memory, probably cos it wasn't a very exciting car :-)

2cv

mike65 wrote: »

greasing nipples (ooo!)

Oh dear :rolleyes:

scubasteve

I'd be lookin at a mgb or maybe a triumph do these fall into the simple catagory? I would like to do a course or somthing. I wouldn't like to buy a car an fcuk it up.

mike65

Brit coupes of the 60s/70s are pretty much as easy as it gets.

2cv

scubasteve wrote: »

I'd be lookin at a mgb or maybe a triumph do these fall into the simple catagory? I would like to do a course or somthing. I wouldn't like to buy a car an fcuk it up.

Triumph, yes... I've got a nice one for sale at the moment, if you're interested :rolleyes:

Randyleprechaun

If you are good with your hands and have a few basic tools, then a Haynes Manual for the particular car is all you need. I have Mk1 fiesta and I managed to get engine going and do all brakes etc etc with the book.

scubasteve

So what are the basic tools? suggestions?

Randyleprechaun

Spanners, pliers, sockets, feeler gauge(gap measuring). Also a cheap multimeter which can read DC voltage and ohmic resistances. A set of decent screw drivers and you're on the way. You can buy more specielised tools down the line if you get into the whole thing. that's the way I did it and I now have quite a range of tools and I carry out all the repairs & maintenance on my classic cars. Books are a very valuable resource though and so is the net as it pays to see what others think!!!!! You can find cheap good standard tools on ebay and the like.

scubasteve

Cheers Randy