Working On Your Own Truck
Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: Clifton Park, NY
Originally Posted by Eastrick
Nobody has mentioned it, so I will: Read lots of car/truck magazines.
My first vehicle was an '85 Jeep CJ, back in 1992. It required constant maintanence, and a high school kid couldn't afford to pay someone to do it. If I didn't learn to keep it running, I was hoofing it everywhere.
Back to the magazines: I read 4x4 magazines cover to cover. Every article about every truck, every advertisement, every how-to. When I had read every single word, I bought a new one. You can learn a ton about trucks in general by reading. 4x4 mags are great because within a year, there will be an issue that focuses on everything from engine mods to intake, suspension lifts, tires & wheels, and on to general maintenance.
Pick one up, they are much better bathroom reading than the 100-page makeup ads that our wives/girlfriends leave in there. The intenet is great, too, but you can't read in in the "office".
-CJ
My first vehicle was an '85 Jeep CJ, back in 1992. It required constant maintanence, and a high school kid couldn't afford to pay someone to do it. If I didn't learn to keep it running, I was hoofing it everywhere.
Back to the magazines: I read 4x4 magazines cover to cover. Every article about every truck, every advertisement, every how-to. When I had read every single word, I bought a new one. You can learn a ton about trucks in general by reading. 4x4 mags are great because within a year, there will be an issue that focuses on everything from engine mods to intake, suspension lifts, tires & wheels, and on to general maintenance.
Pick one up, they are much better bathroom reading than the 100-page makeup ads that our wives/girlfriends leave in there. The intenet is great, too, but you can't read in in the "office".
-CJ
Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Hearst, Ontario, Canada
Hmmm, first repair I can remember... I'm 10 or 11, and I'm topping up the old one lung Polaris snowmobile's brake fluid reservoir with 10W30 or something of the like.... First major repair - swapped engines in my VT-500FT Honda Ascot (bike). Did lots of bike engine rebuilds since then, 1983 Kawasaki GPz750, lots of holes in pistons. Did a full top end job in the parking lot of a local dealership in less time than the shop guys did ! After that, turned to pickups, first a 1980 F150 with the 6 and an NP435 tranny, like low-1-2-3. When it finally broke, I had 270+ miles on it, and it ran for 8 miles with the #2 rod/wrist pin flying around (after coming off of the piston) until the block and oil pan broke. I pulled a section of camshaft out through the gouge in the oil pan.
Next, a 1989 bought for $500 from a scrapyard; engine, wheels, tires, brakes, did another 200,000 miles with it. Body had skin cancer. Now, a '97 S-cab with a 4.6L. Never loved Fords as much as this one.
I fixed every single thing that ever broke on each of these things, by buying a good manual (Haynes) and taking the time to OBSERVE AS YOU WORK. It's far too costly a mistake to miss some critical little thing if it causes a major breakdown or damage. I even rebuilt 2 auto.trannies (a C6 and an AOD), both still working well, years later. Pay attention to the details, try to work extra clean, and the little bit of extra time will always pay off in the long run.
Truck/coach technician for 8+ years, with a little small engines and automotive in between.
Thanks for your time, and thanks for such an excellent site to visit !
Next, a 1989 bought for $500 from a scrapyard; engine, wheels, tires, brakes, did another 200,000 miles with it. Body had skin cancer. Now, a '97 S-cab with a 4.6L. Never loved Fords as much as this one.
I fixed every single thing that ever broke on each of these things, by buying a good manual (Haynes) and taking the time to OBSERVE AS YOU WORK. It's far too costly a mistake to miss some critical little thing if it causes a major breakdown or damage. I even rebuilt 2 auto.trannies (a C6 and an AOD), both still working well, years later. Pay attention to the details, try to work extra clean, and the little bit of extra time will always pay off in the long run.
Truck/coach technician for 8+ years, with a little small engines and automotive in between.
Thanks for your time, and thanks for such an excellent site to visit !
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
From: Clifton Park, NY
Not bad at all. I've read my Jeep's Haynes manual cover to cover more than once. When I was doing lots of electrical work on it I made photocopies of the wiring diagrams and LEFT them in the "office" to stare at and absorb.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 284
Likes: 0
From: san antonio
My grandpa had an old Gulf gas station.
My grandpa had an old Gulf gas sation, and I was lucky enough to work around the place. I remember the first thing I ever really tried was to do a rocker arm adjutment on my on own Ford Granada after reading a book on how to do it. Needles to say burned up the engine.... couple of months later. But really got me going was when I took my truck in with a nickle stuck in the seat belt and had to pay 65 bucks to get the nicke out. Since that day I've been working on my vehicles since. Dont get me wrong there are times I get myself in way over my head and this forum and its posters have really helped me ou.
MP
MP