Best cars to work on for aspiring mechanic?

Robert schneider · Aug 23, 2016

Hello, so im really interested in learning how to work on cars/trucks and have access to over 100+ cars, 3 lifts and pretty much anything I need. I can do what ever i want with them. My goal is to learn as much as I can and would like to see what ones I can get running. Most of the cars/trucks are common ones from 90s-2000s ford, chevy, Honda etc. Im most interested in the 99+ chevy trucks but will go with anything that will help me learn quickest.

What are the best or most simple/fun cars/trucks to work on for an amateur ?

What engine and tranny are easiest to switchout?

What engine should I take apart to put back together? (I will use a core)

Easiest head gasket to do?
Or is that too advanced?

Any online sources for "factory" repair manuels or step by step pdfs for removing and installing engines/trans? I was hoping for a monthly membership where you get access to any factory manuel and that isnt a chilton. (We have millions of them) iv looked online but most seem like gimmicks.

So far most advanced thing iv done is pulled starter, engine, trans, wireing harness and fuel lines on a 2001 5.3 suburban and cab and bed off 2001 silverado. Iv done basic things aswell like change fuel pump/filter replace windows etc on various cars but nothing major.

Id like to start doing more advanced jobs like installing an engine or transmission, timing belt and water pump, repairing head gasket, rebuilding an engine. Ultimite goal would be to rebuild an automatic transmission but im sure that takes years of knowledge.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this i appreciate it very much!

If interested heres a backstory

Im 21 and due to family emergency I had to start managing my parents wrecking yard. Up up until recently I didnt care or know at all about cars. Literly couldnt tell the difference between an alternator or a starter.

I hired a mechanic to work on some of the cars here and short story short he started teaching me the basics also is helping me build my truck for which will be a 01 silverado 2500HD that started off from a wrecked 2wd non hd with only 90k took engine and cab and put it on a 01 Duramax frame. We are almost done.

luv2rallye · Aug 23, 2016

Well stay away from DSMs then. They are complicated and tricky for someone just starting off learning about engines. Example: The DSM timing belt replacement is messy, precise, very time consuming and if you get it wrong which many do (even though there's an excellent article on it) you can kiss your valves goodbye. Traditional American designed bigger engines (Chevy, Ford, etc) are always way easier to learn basics on. Even a Honda would be ok. Because DSM's are so complicated/tricky is one of the reasons this Maintenance & Repairs forum exists. Just my $0.02.

PlanZero · Aug 23, 2016

Hey bud, just curious as to why you're posting on this forum? Are you just posting the same thing on all forums and gauging responses?
Either way, most will tell you a DSM isn't the easiest car to work on. The 4g63t (GST, GSX, Tsi, Tsi awd) and 420a (rs, gs, esi) motors are interference motors with virtually no room for error. Not to mention the former are 20 year old turbocharged cars which require a shitton of maintenance.
That being said I love my Tsi. Now that she's pretty much where I want her after a couple years of hard work, and literal blood sweat and tears, the rewards are indescribable. DSMs and turbocharged cars in general are a natural high and quite addictive. Now I prefer to work on my DSMs over any other cars because of the reward factor.
Sure, they can be a total PITA and provide little work space but once you get familiar with them it's not bad at all, and you can mod them for relatively cheap.
For you I recommend starting on a non turbo until you're a little more familiar with the DSM platform and educate yourself a bit more, unless you happen to come across a 4g63 equipped DSM at your yard. All the yards around me never have them, but tons of 420a cars instead.
As for manuals a two second Google search will find you free FSMs for these cars, or any car for that matter, which is all you need (hard copies can be found relatively cheap on eBay as well). This particular forum is hands down the best for this platform and filled with all the info and help without the pretentious attitutes and childish bickering found elsewhere.
Good luck in your endeavors.

ohTONYoh · Aug 23, 2016

What he said.

Older Toyota's are finicky and take some special tools and very precise alignment, at least my old MR2's did. Newer Toyotas im pretty sure anyone can work on. Very simple and easy to get to parts. Also, I wouldn't bother with German cars for a beginner. Every other Japanese car make are fairly simple until you start getting into the bigger engines.

I would say stay American for a beginner. Chevy is probably the simplest to work on. I just bought an 06 colorado xtreme and I literally cannot believe how easy and spacious it is to work on this thing. Its a dream come true for someone who doesn't have a lot of downtime to work on their car.

GRAVEDIGGER · Aug 23, 2016

Stay with the Chevy trucks as they are pretty easy to work on. As far as being able to learn a lot in a little time. Very hard to do without schooling of some sort. There is a lot of theory and general understanding of how things work that can be applied to all cars/trucks. Unfortunately for you it may be hard to gather all that information as you are trying to work on them. You will most likely have to learn some things by doing them the wrong way first and then realizing that you should have done it differently. Good luck!

Brad0615 · Aug 23, 2016

2004 Galants aren't to bad to work on. Most people on here will agree to start with the basics. Learn how to maintain a vehicle and the rest comes along in due time. I am no mechanic but I own a dsm so I am close enough to keep my car as a daily driver. If I were a mechanic however and I made a living by working on vehicles the best thing I could learn is how to keep a machine running.

I know you are probably already at this level but seriously consider my advice.
When is the last time spark plugs were changed on your daily driver?
Did you know they need to be gaped and torqued?
When was the transmission filter/fluid changed?
When was the radiator and engine flushed?
What voltage does your alternator output?
Bleed your clutch.
Have you replaced the hubs?
Have you tried to remove ball joints?

The point I'm trying to make is by doing all of the maintenance yourself you will learn all of the advanced stuff in the process. For example, you said you wanted to learn how to rebuild an Auto Tranny, well try replacing the fluid and filter in one first as a maintenance item. This gets you one step closer to your goal as the next steps could be replacing a torgue converter or installing a new shift kit.

Machines are fun and rewarding to work on and at the end of the day you have to always remind your self that machines put out whats been given to them.

mitsubishikid · Aug 23, 2016

Early efi toyota pickups are easy to work on "84-"95, also sohc mitsubishi pickups are easy to work on "90-"95 too.

My familly and I own a "91 dodge colt, a "92 mirage,"90 1G awd dsm, a "87 colt vista wagon, "99 dodge caravan 3.3 base model, "81 toyota pickup... the cars I least like to work on in order of worst is

1 the Dodge caravan.
2 Toyota pickup [why ... its carburetor equiped] if efi equipped it would be number 4 spot.
3. my 1g dsm.
4. Plymouth colt vista wagon.
5 colt and mirage same car.
the little mirage and colt are vary easy to work on parts are abundant and cheep and they are vary reliable.

eziomandude · Aug 23, 2016

They are kidding when they say dsms are not something to start on is what I am starting on and it's confusing as all hell

Tanro · Aug 23, 2016

luv2rallye said:
Well stay away from DSMs then. They are complicated and tricky for someone just starting off learning about engines. Example: The DSM timing belt replacement is messy, precise, very time consuming and if you get it wrong which many do (even though there's an excellent article on it) you can kiss your valves goodbye. Traditional American designed bigger engines (Chevy, Ford, etc) are always way easier to learn basics on. Even a Honda would be ok. Because DSM's are so complicated/tricky is one of the reasons this Maintenance & Repairs forum exists. Just my $0.02.

Eh I learned most of what I know from this site, vfaq, and a few other dsmer resources.

My mitsubishi Made me a better mechanic, and my mazda made me a better driver.

If it wasn't for this site, I would probably never have learned half of what I know, never gone to tech school, never owned a Snap-On tool, and wouldn't be opening my own shop... The timing belt job in a DSM is not bad at all compared to DOHC V engines.

You get into a whole mess there, and timing chains are even less fun to try and do inside the car because you have to get all that gasket surface clean as hell, not mention get the chain lined up correctly.

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Best cars to work on for aspiring mechanic?

Robert schneider

luv2rallye

PlanZero

ohTONYoh

GRAVEDIGGER

Brad0615

mitsubishikid

eziomandude

Tanro

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