When I was 17 years old I bought my first car, a shiny-red 1990 Toyota Supra and I could not have been happier.
I took it for one test drive with my dad and 30 minutes later I handed over Twenty-Five hundred dollars to the widowed woman whose living husband had owned it for years prior to his death a few months ago.
A month later I blew the head gasket and warped the head.
So, at 17 with one semester of automotive tech school under my belt and a loan from my father I began the biggest project of my life and I had no idea what I was getting into.
These are the 9 tips that I have picked up as a result of my experience.
I hope to help guide someone else and give them a slightly easier learning process than I had when taking on this large endeavor.
1.
Determine that the Work MUST be Done - While most of the symptoms of major engine trouble will be caused by really serious problems, there is a chance that multiple minor problems are the real culprit.
2.
Get a Second Opinion - Actually get several, you never know who might have special knowledge about your specific model that could only be known by someone with first hand experience with the same car.
Also, get a diagnostic done by a mechanic.
They often charge little or nothing for their opinion and could wind up saving you the time and money of a full rebuild.
3.
Buy the Haynes Manual for your car - These manuals are car specific and have detailed information as well as pictures to help you.
This will be one of the most valuable tools you have the deeper you delve into the project.
4.
Join an Online Car Forum - Forums dedicated to certain car models can provide massive amounts of detailed information that can really help when generic information just will not do.
The biggest advantage is that this allows you the option to post photos and ask questions of things you do not understand fully and the ability to get answers from real people with experience that you would have never been able to communicate with otherwise.
5.
Price and Time Everything - Before you begin tearing down you should estimate as many costs as you can.
Unexpected costs will begin to pile up later as it is, so having a more accurate budget from the start will help when unexpected things come up.
In the same way estimate the time it will take to have parts delivered to you and the amount of time it will take to get parts in and out of the machine shop.
6.
Find a Trusted Parts Store and Machine Shop - You will be spending a lot of time and money on these two places so be sure that they can give you the service you need.
For a good parts store be sure to find one that can get you what you need quickly and for a good machine shop your main concern should be their reputation and quality of work.
7.
Bag-and-Tag - This is a very important one! Buy lots of ziplock sandwich bags and have a sharpie ready.
Whenever you twist a bolt off (or group of bolts) label the bag with a notation that you come up with and can understand.
After working on a project for an extended amount of time it becomes impossible to remember which bolts go where.
This also it helps prevent having any bolts "left over" when you finish.
8.
Take Pictures - We have digital cameras everywhere these days so why not use them to take reference photos? Take as many as you can from as many angles as you can.
When you start resembling the motor this will be invaluable, especially for cables, hoses and bolts that you forgot existed.
9.
Ask for Help - I could not have done what I did without the help of a few extra hands and borrowed tools.
Many people with no experience may be willing to help, out of sheer curiosity if nothing else, and you are bound to have plenty of unskilled work that needs to be done.
Doing major repairs yourself is going to save you a lot of money and hopefully with these tips you will be more suited to deal with the time investment it will require as well.