First project car?
Posted by Shopkins_lover@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 23 comments
I currently own a 2015 Mazda 6 as my everyday car. My grandpa has this huge garage/shop bigger than my house. Like it’s genuinely the size of a small Walmart istg.
To be entirely honest, I don’t know anything about cars. I completed my own oil change on my car and brake pads without screwing anything up thank god . My grandpa has a ton of parts , scraps, every tool you need, and can also get good discounts on tires and such from our local mechanic since they’re friends.
I don’t want my current car to be my project car because in all honesty I’m scared of fucking it up.
I don’t really know anything about anything car wise but I want to. I’ve been watching videos and trying to learn as much as I can. I want to have a car I can work on but maybe not be as terrified to make mistakes in. I know this is kind of an insane ask but is it ever possible to find free cars? I don’t care if it’s in the worst condition known to man. I’m not in a position to buy a car but can afford to work on it because of my situation.
I’ve been searching fb marketplace and it’s not really helpful. Is it better to just wait until I can buy a cheap car or is it worth being hopeful and searching for a free piece of junk I can learn with and work on?
If the latter is remotely possible where do I go to look for these offers?
Again, I know it’s a wild thing to ask but figured it’s worth a shot. I’m passionate about this thing I know NOTHING about
Ps - if anyone knows like the BEST way to learn about cars and become handy with them lmk. YT can only take me so far. I wanna be a car guy you know?
EuroCanadian2@reddit
If your Grandad has a huge shop like that, I'm guessing he probably has a project sitting around, or can find one easily?
TheseCod2660@reddit
Yeah you can find free cars. Drive around rural areas and look in fields and backyards. I’ve gotten several cars for free or close to it simply by asking how much they wanted for it and that I’d move it off their property as well as take any junk cars they don’t want to the scrap yard for them and bring them the money. A lot of times they just say “if you get rid of all that junk, you can have it”. Rare, but happens.
They get cleaner yard and some cash, I get a car. Win win.
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
Love to hear this! I’ll do that for sure, can I ask what you’ve gotten?
TheseCod2660@reddit
This is probably my best find I ever gotten. 1970 chevelle SS. This little old lady who’s husband had passed away several years earlier had this and a bunch of scrap vehicles, she offered it for free if I removed all of the junkers, but I gave her 2k on top out of principle and all of the scrap money.
And yeah, I made her call her kids to make sure they were cool with the deal first. Not trying to take advantage of people. It worked out for everyone.
But I’ve found everything from civics, a lot of 80s Camaros, Miata’s etc. only advice I have is always bring 1-2k cash, really helps close the deal when bust that knot out lolol
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
Genuine question, where do you begin to work on a car in that state? Or is it more of like getting parts from it situation
TheseCod2660@reddit
Start with the structural stuff as that’s your foundation. If you zoom in you’ll see I’ve slowly been cutting out the bad and putting in the new metal. Once it’s complete, I’ll probably have it sand blasted or chem dipped and epoxied. Then I’ll prob spend the next few years slowly doing body work on it when I can 😂
My advice for a first project car though, get a car that is already running. Doesn’t have to run good, but get a car you can drive out of the gate. Start there. Most project cars never get completed because people get something like this thinking they’ll be able to knock it out, not realizing this is years of work and a lot of $$$. You won’t just be buying parts, but tools too. And those tools if you don’t have them tend to cost the same or more as the parts.
I saw you liked 300zx’s. I’d look for a clapped out 350z. VQ engines are cheap af (under 1k). 350z’s also have big brakes out of the gate and depending on year, really strong transmissions. Oh, and you can fit any motor in them, LS, coyote, 2jz, rb, k series, v10, anything. Prob will be hard to find one for free, but if you’re patient you can def find one under 4k
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much! I’ll be on the hunt for sure , im really excited for this. I don’t need it to be something that I’ll be driving or making really cool necessarily I just want to learn hands on without as much fear. Of course I also want to learn mods and stuff but for now my goal is to learn the anatomy of cars and how they work and th function of every part. I hope to learn how to diagnose problems and then fix them or at least know how to fix it. I appreciate the advice !
TheseCod2660@reddit
It’s both easier and harder than you think, you’ll be building masterpieces in no time. As far as the fear thing goes, remember, everything you do wrong can be fixed. Literally everything can be fixed. If you ever mess up real bad?! Well you just unlocked a new skill because now you have to fix it. Nothing to fear besides wasting money and as I always say “ it’s just money, you’ll make more of it” 😂
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
I hear you but if I mess up the car I have right now that I drive everywhere it’s scary bc I don’t have any I can borrow from anyone 😭. What if I explode the engine or some shit! My knowledge about cars is like nothing. Very new to this, that’s why I’m excited for the potential of a project car because if I do something really dumb I can figure it out but still have a drivable car. Regardless, I’m ready to learn and get into this stuff so I’ll update my post when I get a car to work on
Dont-Suspend-Me@reddit
Well good news is if you take a running car and don’t touch the engine bay and start with tasks such as the suspension or possible interior work, chances are the car will still run and you will not explode it, just start small and build up confidence, it’s just adult legos
Sp3ctre__Mod__Works@reddit
Join online groups and talk with people. Im a mk1 vw guy, and we love seeing young people interested. If you talk with people and show interest and compassion, someone might offer you something. Nothing great, but maybe a car someone else grabbed as a parts car, but it's something.
Obviously don't expect too much from that strategy, a clapped mk1 is like 500 bucks, but it may work in other communities too.
People always love seeing a new generation show interest in what they love, but be kind and genuine, and most importantly, never beg.
As for learning, you're gonna want a fwd manual 4 banger, or a classic v8. Those are gonna be the simplest to work on, just depending if you like import stuff or American.
When choosing a car, don't get a niche one, that makes parts rare and expensive, so try to find a pretty common one.
If you're really into cars, consider also volunteering as an apprentice technician at a local auto shop, they might have a left behind car that they'll give you in exchange for work, and you'll also learn that way.
pinkbunnay@reddit
If you don't have to buy tools and have space to work, that's 80% of the battle. Means you need little to no investment besides parts. Buy something cheap with easily available parts that you can not worry about screwing up repairs on. Hondas and Toyotas would be my go-to but I'm a fan of Japanese imports. Stay away from anything Euro, parts will be more expensive and lot of design choices won't translate to other cars. Domestics are going to be cheap and will probably have more issues with age than the Japanese cars.
Free piece of junk is kind of backwards logic... if it's junk enough to be free, why are you going to put money into it? You don't just turn a wrench and the car repairs itself like a video game. You'll generally need parts for every job. The best way to learn is to DO it. Tinker, figure out how stuff goes together and what different parts do. YT is definitely your best resource to learn doing a specific job.
Couple tips: Refrigerant will give you frostbite or blind you, don't fuck with AC until you're more capable. Always disconnect the negative battery terminal when you're messing with anything near wires or that has power. Brake fluid destroys paint. Wear eye protection, especially when under the car; trust me getting rust flakes and dirt in your eyes is not fun. Wear gloves when possible, your hands will thank you. USE JACKSTANDS, JACKS ARE NOT MEANT TO HOLD WEIGHT FOR LONG PERIODS. DIY mechanics have literally died in their driveways for that. Do not fuck with cooling systems on hot cars. Let it completely cool as a novice. Fuel is flammable, duh, don't work on fuel systems with a hot engine (also we're disconnnecting the battery aka the spark maker, right?).
Also be sure you know wtf you're doing with a lift if you're using one. Symmetrical vs asymmetrical lifts dictate how you position the car. You don't want 3000+ lbs of car falling on you. If the arms aren't going up at the same speed, stop, something is wrong. Lower after lifting until resting on the safety stops. Get trained.
I think I've made my point... safety first.
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
Thank you for all the advice on safety. I guess the free piece of junk logic makes sense but I don’t mind putting money into it with time. I just want to learn comfortably and explore the car and its parts freely and work without as much worry as my current car that I use to drive everywhere. I can’t risk damaging it at all. I do thankfully have basically every tool I’ll need and a shit ton of space . At my current financial state I can’t really afford even a cheap shit car lol. I was wondering about free ones in my post because my grandpa can help me get parts I will need for cheaper so I’m not as worried about the financial aspect of the parts and replacements and repairs of the car yk? Thank you again for the advice !
Dont-Suspend-Me@reddit
Well here is my experience on the car guy pipeline
First you find what style of car you like and try to narrow it down so when you see it on FB marketplace you can see the price/condition and see if it’s right for you
Took me 3 months of looking to find a decent condition 300zx but for the past year she has been my pride and joy as I slowly brought her back to life
Being scared of messing things up or wasting money is something we all go through but how else is there to learn, YouTube and online forums are your best friends, with enough research and asking the right questions you can solve about any problem on any car
I wish you the best of luck with your journey just try to have fun, remember risk is part of being an adult but as long as you’re not sacrificing the food on your table for the wheels on your car I think you’re doing alright!
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
The 300zx is one of my dream cars I shit you not!! Literally top 5 oat! Thank you for the advice
Dont-Suspend-Me@reddit
1985 300zx NA
KingOfWickerPeople@reddit
😉
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
I could not possibly be more envious omg she’s a beauty
Dont-Suspend-Me@reddit
Well let me tell you I bought it for 5K, have put about 6K into it and am far from done, she’s still kinda a shitbox but she’s also everything I’ve always dreamed of, feel free to hit me up with any specific questions about these cars!
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
Omggg I am so jealous , sadly definitely can’t spend right now at the moment as I’m saving up for college and such. But that is truly awesome , would you mind sharing any pics of it?
SueKam@reddit
Oil changes and brake pads are great first steps! I learned ealier in life spending time out in my dad's shop watching him do maintenance and repairs on our cars, and later in life I learned far more by jumping at opportunities to help freinds coworkers and family with maintenance/repairs on their cars.
Sometimes just being willing to be an extra pair of hands on someone elses project can payoff HUGE, not only in learning opportinities for you, but also supporting and motivating others to tackle things they've been puitting off.
Free peices of junk are, well, peices of junk more often than not. A lot of times these are the kinds of cars that really they should be paying you to haul off since they'll never be valuable even all fixed up.
Youtube is a great resource, I'll always reccomend Vice Grip Garage for his streamlined workflow of pulling a car out of a field and driving it home,the cavot being he uses a lot of alternative words for things that can be a bit confusing to less experienced wrenchers ( distributers are called "Lightning whirlers", a carbeurator is called a "fuel make-it-happener" and other equally silly things).
Shopkins_lover@reddit (OP)
I wanted to work on my old cousins car. He passed a few years ago and his parents want someone to give it a manual transmission since that’s what he always wanted to do. And an engine swap as well but that seems like way too big a task for me considering my almost zero experience. I’ll look into anyone else needing help and such though. And thank you for the advice!
Dont-Suspend-Me@reddit
Well here is my experience on the car guy pipeline
First you find what style of car you like and try to narrow it down so when you see it on FB marketplace you can see the price/condition and see if it’s right for you
Took me 3 months of looking to find a decent condition 300zx but for the past year she has been my pride and joy as I slowly brought her back to life
Being scared of messing things up or wasting money is something we all go through but how else is there to learn, YouTube and online forums are your best friends, with enough research and asking the right questions you can solve about any problem on any car
I wish you the best of luck with your journey just try to have fun, remember risk is part of being an adult but as long as you’re not sacrificing the food on your table for the wheels on your car I think you’re doing alright!