I've had a Skylark for two years now, I've worked on it alittle (what I am able to do with my limited skill,- I'm 20yrs old living in a generation that is dominated by playing video games instead of working on cars), and had a speed shop do the rest. But I still feel like I know very little about cars in general. I know the best way to learn is by getting your hands dirty and working on it. Being a tradesman this is how I learn best, but since everything is pretty much set to go I do not want to take a chance and mess anything up. I was wondering if there is a book or some type of basic class that is worth taking/reading. Any recomendations, thank you
If you have the space, buy a car near the year model of your skylark. Something cheap and not running. Then take it apart piece by piece. Pull engine and pull it apart. That is what I did when I was 15. Learned how things worked and connected and why things were there. Then sold it all for more than I gave for it. Have fun and good luck.
Thanks carmantx, I was thinking I could do something like that but right now I have limited room in my garage and the money is not there for a new project car. My uncle has a 1971 Skylark Custom (I live in a big Buick family), that is not running and needs work. I was really hoping that we could work on it, but I believe he just wants to part with the car. Hopefully we work on it before he sells it. Thanks again
You have it right, read, read, read, start with the Buick Chassis Manual available for '68-72 doesn't really matter which, there is not much difference. I started reading them before i could drive and that was a long time ago, do a search in the forum for online options etc. Hands on and reading, best kept secret.
I got a shop manual for my '65 Mustang for Christmas when I was 14. I read it basically cover to cover, even though I didn't know what half of it meant. I'm 36 now, and I'm still learning just about every time I pick up a book or a wrench. But you've gotta start somewhere, so get the shop manual, like Roberta said.
Reading the chassis manual would be a great help, however, it is no substitute for experience. . Daily drive your Buick and put a ton of miles on it. You will find problems and weaknesses and your skills will improve as you address issues. After having my Buick for 7 years and daily driving it for 6 of those years I've gotten to know it very well. She has quirks, much like a woman. :grin: Coming from a 23 year old, it is refreshing to see another young guy that doesn't like video games. :TU:
I spent my high-school free periods in the library reading Chilton's manuals. I tought myself a lot about how stuff worked and how to rebuild stuff. Find an old one online. Also, i had (still do) a friend whose dad owned a repair shop; Find someone there and make friends or hand around if you have the time. Join a car club (Chicagoland Chapter GSCA). Go to races. Buy a junk engine. Hang around here and read a lot. And have fun doing it.
Also, any friends or family members share the same interest in cars as you? If so, align yourself with them and the two of you could learn together. Remember, dont be afraid to break stuff, thats the BESTway to learn what happens when you do something the wrong way:TU:
I just turned 30, so I'm not too far out of the realm of my 20's and can understand where you are coming from. It will come with time. Like others have said, just drive it. Little things here and there will come up that need to be fixed and you can work on those a little at a time. You can start with simple things like belts, fluid changes, swapping spark plugs and wires, changing filters. All those things are simple to do, inexpensive, but can give good insite and create small challenges that are easily overcome. I am no mechanic be any means of the word, but I am learning. Saturday I got under the hood and changed out all the spark plugs. My car has A/C so it was a bit of a chore on the passenger side with all the A/C equipment but nothing too bad. Anything you can swap out on the car will give you a sense of accomplishment and add to the confidence to tackle larger projects. These cars are pretty simple when you get down to it, which is why they are fun to work on. But just make sure you aren't getting in too far over your head before you start ripping stuff apart. Make a plan, get all the needed pieces/parts, then execute the plan. If you run into a snag and aren't positive about something, look for it in the manual and then come here and ask if you are still unsure.
hmm,we will say not too much older than you,chiltons and the like manuals are grand resources,also there are quite a few diy research sites online these days.....and i dont know...... maybe ask ...like.....somewhere if you run into a snag...like here...like totally know if interpretted the wrong way that would almost be an insult on your slightly less progressed generation,so mean no offense......other than your slop haircuts but at least make the distinction between good and bad racing video games in a bad one you throw money at horsepower and suspension ratings where most is best regardless of terrain.and in a good one like gran turismo and forza where you make incremental changes to your gear ratios,lbs per square inch on suspension and ride dampening assets as well as camber, tow, tire compound,if in the event of 4 wheel drive, variable center differentials all rendered in as close to real as the manufacturers can manage physics engine....besides where else where else are you gonna see which is faster a 690 hp murciellago or 750 hp charger.......at ramming into a new charger.......without a spare $700,000+ kickin around and for all you know some people here may even be fans of i dont know cruisin usa or freakin pole position so would be less inclined to blame video games and more inclined to blame spell check bath salts, skrillex for making techno worse... maybe due to bath salts,mtv(for not showing any music and acclimating you to false advertising)commercial emo music for teaching you that emo(short for emotion)can only mean sad and the best way to relieve that is whatever bag of snack and bev is advertised and i dont know maybe blame the generation x for ruining everything generation y for making it worse,your gen for making it lazier,and the kids to come for being tone def....i mean death.....90s humor... ya know i refuse to label or make excuses for any one generation,or rather wont condone nor condemn so please knock it off.....and turn your devil music down.....and stay off my lawn.
Aligning your self with someone who is a knowledgeable mechanic is a good suggestion. Offer to help out in their shop if they will let you. You may spend time cleaning parts which is a little boring but you can learn a lot. It doesn't have to be a Buick person to start, once you learn the basics and terminology you can get to the good stuff. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Good Luck Bob H.
ah,another good source of info just recalled was if your town has any used book stores,especially if you have any auto trade school nearby buty anything on general mechanics would be a boon,especially considering the tech isnt getting any younger,may also be able to scrounge pdf copies of manuals online.
I'm 32, and have three suggestions that have worked for me. First is get the service manual for the Buick and read it plenty. It has great diagnostic flow charts, excellent pictures of the internal workings and all around good guide on how things should work. Second is go to junkyards when you can and take things apart there. When I was broke in high school and college I was only $1-$2 away from entering a place I could rip stuff apart at my leisure and occasionally found parts I could use on my car. There are plenty of correlation parts of a common small block Chevy or even a Ford V8, to the Buick engine. Combined with reading the service manual the parts will be familar and when you go to work on your own car you'll feel at home taking things apart. Third, don't be afraid to try something you haven't done before. Blown head gasket, but have never even had the intake off? Who cares, start pulling it apart and see how it goes! You don't become an expert instantly, you become and expert by doing. I'm going to attempt my first auto transmission rebuild here shortly on a 2004r. I've never done anything to an auto trans other than change the fluid and filter, so this ought to be interesting! Felt the same way the first time I set up gears in the rear end of my Skylark. First set I did were a free set (3.70), second set was a junkyard set (3.08), and the set in there now is a new set (3.42), and I learned a bit from each time but none were a catastrophic failure. Read a little out of the service manual, looked up some stuff online (only real difference is having the "service tool" versus everyday tools), then went at it! BTW, the tools shown in the service manual are designed to make those jobs go as quickly and smoothly as possible (time is money in a service shop), there is almost always a way to do each of those jobs without those specific tools, it just might take a bit longer, etc.
Thank you all for your recommendations! I will surely read the Buick Chassis Manual for my 72 and will get hands-on experience too! Thanks
I just bought my Buick, drove it all of 20 min before putting it in storage. But it looks like I have a lot of reading to do before Spring. Also cool too see so many Buick peeps under 40, I'm 36 myself. I thought it was just going to be old folks :grin:
Guess I'm turning into one of the old guys I'm 54, i've worked on old cars since I was kid (reassembled my first engine when I was 10 - and it ran afterwards for a short time anyway, better and about for 15 years after the rings were put in properly). No formal training dad fixed junk cars and we drove the bigger pieces of junk so I learned a little at a time - like has been said getting something just to take apart and put back together is a way great to learn. A lot the classes you can take will give you the basics but aren't going directly apply to our Buicks, even old chevy knowledge doesn't 100% directly to old Buicks - no ECM EFI in our old Buicks and some new mechanics dont even know what a carb is. Best to find an old mentor - get a hold of your local car club - and volunteer to help others with their cars not only will you learn but have great time doing it. I've owned and redone a bunch Buicks over the years and could probably do most things from memory but I check the manual almost every time I go out to do a job (mostly because I'm old and starting forget things), and have read a bunch them cover to cover -lots of bits of info to get the job done right the first time. here's a great resource http://buick-libraries.boattail-riviera-by-buick.com/ ---------- Post added at 11:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 AM ---------- Great to see a young guy into Buick - check your email - i sent you a libraries account.
I was lucky,my dad had basic car skills & taught me to fix it myself if possible.Then I got a job in a wrecking yard for a few years.That kind of on the job training is invaluable,see if you can get one part-time...if you have time.:TU:
