I just traveled over 300kms to get parts for my 05 sunfire, including a front bumper and instrument panel which I plan on installing tomorrow.
I just realized that if you knew a lot about cars and rebuilding engines and transmissions you could go to pick and pull every time your car breaks down and find the part and fix your car.
Your car would last like 30-40 years and repairs would have minimal cost.
Does anyone have any experience doing this?
thats what all mechanics do.
that's what I do, for daily driver anyway.
You mean, people could fix their own cars with parts they bought themselves by using the same procedures and tools that mechanics do?
wow
yes
but how easy is it?
what do you mean?
intellectually, it's easy.
mechanical aptitude is all about experience. things you cant learn from a book.
like how do you tell someone how to not over tighten a spark plug or strip an exhaust stud, it's all just feeling that comes with doing it a bunch of times.
if you're interested in it just get a service manual, buy tools as you need them, and start doing it.
Easy for me, I'm a qualified mechanic.
Seeing as some mechanics are total morons I think you would be fine if you were at least a partial moron
no way???
as a mechanic I agree wholeheartedly
That said, you might be underestimating the amount of total morons in the general population, there are quite a lot of them
the problem is people aren't curious or creative. they don't give a fuck how anything works and assume it's too complicated when in reality it's really simple.
idk, im a tech so the more retards who can't fix their car the better as far as im concerned.
What's more difficult to rebuild.
Transmission or engine?
engine for sure. way more time consuming. 4 or 5 times more time consuming at least. and cleanliness is a lot more critical.
>service manual
Do these things list every last bit of how specific cars work?
No, you need them for torque specs, clearances, shim sizes, diagrams, and order of re-assembly, etc.
But yes, it's specific to the model and year of car it's for.
Outside from rebuilding an engine or tranny.
What would I have to learn to fix my car if it's fucked.
I have an 05 sunfire.
You'd have to learn how your car got fucked, what exactly is fucked, how to unfuck it, and how to make sure it doesn't get fucked again. Get a service manual for your car and jump on a model-specific forum to talk to others who have done the same work on the same cars.
Every time I work on a car I always end up breaking something and taking it to a mechanic. I guess I can't into removal and reinstallation perfectly.
Download the auto zone app. They have specific repair pdfs on the app for most vehicles post 1990.
the manuals don't have every last bit of info. but they are very helpful on bigger projects.
breaking shit is part of the deal, especially if your working on a shitbox, or anything in the rust belt. With practice, you'll learn to anticipate what is going to break and get the parts to fix that at the same time.
e.g. im going to change the fuel filters on my truck this week, and i know that the drain plug for the fuel/water separator is always corroded to shit, so i bought a drain plug and will replace it when i change the filters.
>buy trans filter for car
>install trans filter
>trans pan doesn't fit
>find out they only make trans filters for a certain model year and newer
>pull trans pan off newer car
>$20 fix for a $5 problem
I guess if I had some actual money I could do some cool stuff with things in the JY,but due to turnovers I don't think 30-40 years is realistic. Maybe if you bought a few parts cars.
Going to pick n pull is a gamble with a transmission.
I have bought lsx engines from a boneyard but never ones over 120k miles
I'm going to have to say rebuilding an auto is probably more difficult than rebuilding an engine.
Rebuilding an engine is easy as fuck. It's simply a matter of
>remove shit off of heads
>remove heads
>remove oil pan
>put new shit in