Well I'm officially finishing my car on my own now! Already on my way, gonna have a new exhaust manifold on tuesday and re-wiring within the next week. So with any luck I'll have it running by the end of the week! I couldn't be more excited! But there's a lot left to do and I'm way behind the curve here on knowledge. Like what's next? How do I do it? Where should my priorities be once I've got it running again? Any advice? Random bits of information, or just a little lesson in the automotive you would like to share with me? I need help!! I definitely wanna be a well versed girl that can fix my own car. That's my new years resolution! So teach me somethin, please?
As you go, try and learn what things do and how they work instead of just fixing whats broken. try and get it running better
as kid said. know how they work and you'll know whats broken. i usualy make the engine,******,brakes,gas tank,suspension my first priority followed by the electrical wich is a sinch for me. get you self a shop manual for the vehicle you working on. i find em cheap on fleabay here and there. also!. buy good rep parts and not the chinaware. luck!..valvenut
agreed w/ the above, definately get an understanding of what each item does and its role in the whole working of the car. hard to say whats next when you get it running w/o being there and listening to and or looking over. You've got the right at***ude and good luck, ask away with any specific difficulties you might run into. make sure to check all the engine fluids before start-up, oil, water in radiator, make sure no wires laying on headers or exhaust manifolds etc etc, all the basic stuff, no tools laying on radiator to vibrate off and get into the spinning fan.
Don't give up, if something seems too big step back and think about it. The light bulb above your head will pop on when you least expect it. Understand how and why thing work the way they do. It's just a machine, it can be fixed. Be specific about what you want to or have to do next, You will get plenty of help from the folks here. Us guys have a soft spot for girls willing to turn their own wrench. Most importantly...have fun.
Get a service manual for your type of car and use the search ****on for issue's that pop up, and if all else fail's give everyone here a yell. Good Luck and I like the fact you are wanting to learn about this sickness...
Great that you are doing so much on your own. Which car are you working on? Give some info on overall condition, type of drive train, etc. What obvious things do you see that might need attention? Any pics to post? Share what you know about car and what your plans are for it. Of course, getting it running will be a big help. Did it run when you got it? Was wiring just old or ? If trans, brakes, etc work take it for a drive around the block and back home to check for leaks or other problems and let us know here what you see and hear. Plenty of help available, just need more details. Have Fun
Brittany, some guys here will say there are some stupid questions, but if you don't know, and want to learn, then it's not a stupid question. A wise man/woman learns for their mistakes, but an even wiser man/woman learns from others mistakes too! Ask away when you need help! Mott
The HAMB is a HUGE source of knowledge but if you don't have local gear head friends, get some. Not only is it easier to get help when people can actually see and hear your ride, but its a hell of a lot more fun.
+1 The old "Factory service manual" is your best friend when working on any pretty much stock vehicle yourself be it old or new. There are people who sell them at most of the swapmeets, on Ebay and online. They usually are written in plain language and are pretty easy to read and comprehend. Hunt around and find an old auto mechanics textbook and read through it. That will give you somewhat of an understanding of how things work on the car. Actually that would be good for just about anyone starting to tinker with old cars. I've sent you a pm with a link for an older automechanics book that should help with the basics.
That's a nice looking Buick Roadmaster. Once it's running again, drive it and enjoy it before you start anything major, do the brakes, tune up and replace fluids and make it a nice daily driver..ya already got some nice sneakers on it. Good luck and update your progress on it.
Thanks for the input so far! I do have an original manual for it. I'm thinkin' that's gonna be my reading material for the next few months. A bit about it: 1951 Buick Roadmaster. Bought it off my (now ex) boyfriend who pulled it out of a junkyard for $500. It was running when I bought it but didn't have floors or front windows. Still don't have front windows but I do have floors now. Collectively since I bought it (in May), it has been my daily driver for about 4-5 months. I took it the 140 miles to Billet Proof and back and limped it home on fried points and a bad spark plug, but we made it. Got the original 320 cubic inch Dynaflash inline 8 and Dynaflow transmission. I'm sure the ****** could use some work, but I don't know the first thing about that and it's been working well enough. Also have all the original wiring, which is why wiring is a MUST right now. The last time I started my car was after I got my starter rebuilt but the wiring was so messed up it had to be hot wired from the battery to the starter and from the starter to the ignition. Since I got it it's gotten new points, new spark plugs, new battery, alternator, rebuilt starter, floors, and a few bomb can paint jobs I definitely need new shocks though because you can make it bounce with one finger, and I'm not even kidding or exaggerating. I'm really beginning my journey here, time to start learning everything about my car! And about how it works.. I'm not highly mechanically inclined so I've had a little trouble grasping on to how everything works, but I'm getting there, and at the very least I know what a lot more things do than I used to.
Sounds like my 49 dodge... in need of much work.. 1 thing at a time until you think it's road worthy, then whatever goes wrong from there.. fix as you go right?
Well at least you got a set of tires out of the deal. Rewiring an entire car is a big project, but very do-able. I'm sure there are Buick-specific restoration harnesses available, or you could use an aftermarket like Painless. Shocks are simple unbolt-and-replace deals. I would bet it could use a set of springs too, but maybe that could be later. How well are the brakes working?
Your on the right track, here's some searches I did...and even found the one about your terrible dilemma!! haha straight eight buick motors http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154779&highlight=buick+roadmaster Lets try this again. Shall we? 1950 Buick pics http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=420836&highlight=buick+roadmaster 50 Buick Straight Eight Mods http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104740&highlight=buick+roadmaster 51 cadillac gl***? Will it fit a 50 buick? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=417190&highlight=buick+roadmaster
your ex boyfriend? didnt he just post on here a few days ago about being your boyfriend? Anyways, when you break everything down on how the bare essesentials work then you can add from there. It is the basic understanding of how and why an engine works is where you want to start from.
There's no such thing as a silly question, if you don't ask you'll never learn! If you have a question no matter how "silly" by anyone's standards it is, it's always better to ask... plenty of knowledge here and plenty of help! M.
There has been good advise already. Old car swap meets can be a good place for parts, and sometimes knowledge. Contact and possibly become a member of your local Buick club (I know there is one in your area). A night course, or what ever time schedule suits you, for basic/fundamental automotive repair. Ask questions on this site. Read your manual, to educate yourself. Have fun with it, and don't get discouraged.
He was a few days ago.. **** happens.. but I think everything will be ok. Thanks everyone for the advice so far! I'm goin' to my first pacific chapter Buick club meeting this tuesday! Excited!
Brakes & Steering are first priorities. Make sure they are tip top before worrying about anything else.
when your asking questions don't be afraid to tell the person attempting to help you don't understand what they mean. some people are better at teaching and if you are actually doing the procedure it helps make sense of it. good luck.
Since you are working on a 50's model, get your hands on a copy of Hemmings Motor News. It's like a huge Little Nickle for vintage automotive cars and parts. I think they can be found on magazine racks and maybe at the library. And don't forget the library as a source of info. It's a good way to preview materials before you purchase so you will know whether you should be buying them. What wrecking yard did you get it from?
You are definatly on the right track asking here. My wife often asks , what the hell can you look at for so long on these forums. The answer is free knowlege!! Every aspect of the Coupe or Triumph I'm building has been done over and over by the guys on these pages. Tends to help weed out the trial and error in my projects. Good luck
Pay attention when people are talking even when they are not talking directly to you is a good way to learn. Reading the manuals will teach you how the car was originally But try to understand how the ignition wiring and timing work and that will help out alot if you have problems on the road.Good luck and try to enjoy what you do.
Yeah dig what's said here........and don't hit those books too hard and turn it into work. Just be one of those curiosity kids that wants to take **** apart and put it back together, that way you'll use the books while in play. Reading ****in' Lego instruction diagrams for months is a drag, building pirate ships with the blocks and shiny pages is where its at. My advice, swing on the jungle gym...just take it easy. We're right here to catch you as long as you don't get sharp teeth & fire in your eyes toward the car without askin' first. Be cool to the car and it'll be cool to you, you know?
why aren't there any girls like you where i live??? One of my shop teachers once said, you don't learn anything by doing something right the first time. you also don't learn how to do something from having someone else do it. mistakes happen, there's nothing that can be broke that can't be fixed. you're on the right track.
Don't feel bad. There are just 31 in the whole country, as far as I can tell. They are far away from and far out of reach for almost all of us.
Learn as much as you can about your car.The club you joined should be great for info.I find you learn more from people that have the same car as yours.You will be amaze at how quick you become a expert on your car. We all had to start somewhere. Enjoy it and most of all have fun.
Break it down into small projects. Don't try to work on two or more things at the same time unless you're just watching paint or glue dry on the first one. Definitely make sure it can safely stop and steer before you make it possible for it to GO!
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