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Old 10-04-2013, 07:34 PM
 
20 posts, read 41,748 times
Reputation: 14

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Hi All,

I'm interested in learning how to restore/work on classic cars (as a hobby). I have a job that allows me to have 2 weeks a month off, so I'm looking to fill that time with something I think I would enjoy. I don't really have any experience with this so I'll be starting from the beginning. Does anyone know of any adult classes or anything around the Houston area to get started? I looked at HCC but unless I'm just interested in general automotive repair type classes, there wasn't much. I don't want to turn this into another career or get a degree - it's just for fun.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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Old 10-04-2013, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Sugar Land
2,465 posts, read 5,790,084 times
Reputation: 2733
Google?
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Old 10-05-2013, 06:59 AM
 
833 posts, read 1,885,106 times
Reputation: 845
There are not really classes for this. Buy a car you want, spends lots of money on it, make lots of mistakes, **** the wife/gf off because you never spend time with her and there are parts all over the house, spend more money on it and a fun car or give up and pay a professional to do it.
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Old 10-05-2013, 07:17 AM
 
20 posts, read 41,748 times
Reputation: 14
Sounds like a good hobby I chose to look into. Any other advice?
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Old 10-05-2013, 07:27 AM
 
Location: Spring, TX
847 posts, read 1,751,193 times
Reputation: 651
Universal Technical Institute (UTI) offers a Collision Repair and refinish program. i initially was going to go there after high school, but i changed my mind.... wish i wouldve went. although they may not specify classic car restoration, you can learn how to do body work and such, then restore your car on your own time......

Collision Repair Schools - Collision Repair Training Program | UTI
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Old 10-05-2013, 12:50 PM
 
Location: Houston
1,257 posts, read 2,652,432 times
Reputation: 1236
There are a few car clubs in the houston area. I would visit one of the events and meet the members. Either purchase a rolling driving project car or offer to assist a member on a project. I was a gearhead for years. I had the proverbial junk yard in my garage. I spent many evenings seeing my ex wifes shoes from under the vehicle I was working on. Going from my experience find something that does not need a complete teardown and rebuild. Plan on buying a lot of tools and having a space to work on and store a project. I have seen a trend with folks using a rented garage to store (and work) a project. I know in my current situation I cannot wrench outside of my garage. The HOA takes a dim view of that .

Niftee 50ees Classic Cruisers Houston, Texas Car Gatherings for Classic Car and Hot Rod Enthusiasts brought to you by Randy and Molly Shannon I have visited an event for this club they seemed like nice folks.
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Old 10-07-2013, 08:33 AM
 
1,728 posts, read 3,549,309 times
Reputation: 1056
which car did you have in mind? I do car stuff as a hobby. I dont think theres much to go to study for. its mostly wrenching, unless you want to do welding, and bodywork. I've done every aspect from bodywork, engine rebuilds, racetuning, custom ECU, fiber glass, carbon fiber, welding... the only thing i havent done is mount tires on my own.
theres a lot of failed projects out there, lots of investment in equipment and the very best one is a tow dolly or car hauler. have a shop do the bodywork and outsource whatever else so you can skip the heavy lifting, frustration, mess and bad health. There is still plenty to do, it almost never ends
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Old 10-07-2013, 06:45 PM
 
20 posts, read 41,748 times
Reputation: 14
I was thinking about a 1968 - 1982 corvette or a 1967-1969 camaro. I'm fairly open though. Obviously this is the first project so I don't want to break the bank.

I understand outsourcing the body work/paint, etc. Things that are a bit more difficult to do in my garage, but what about engine work? I obviously want to do that but don't really have the knowledge. Is that something I could just pick up? There don't seem to be any restoration books that are too detailed.

Thanks for the replies so far.
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Old 10-07-2013, 09:10 PM
 
1,728 posts, read 3,549,309 times
Reputation: 1056
The automotive engine hasn't changed much for 100+ years so you can easily learn the basics online or reading a book. the only development is the precision and materials. since youre thinking about restoring old school cars then there isn't much precision about those, just hardware. still loads of fun... once you get it rolling.
building a car and learning/passing time are 2 different things. you can buy a trashed engine for $200 and just dismantle it,clean it and put it back together (don't use it lol) just to scratch the itch of getting in there, start acquiring/working with tools and developing a discipline so to speak. same with transmissions
if you showed up 2months ago I would have given you my old engine (keeping this Houston)
to build a car, you need a goal... a club to keep up with or maybe racing. visit a shop in your area or local racing club or car meets. figure out who you want to hang with

you can buy crate engines and just have it mounted. you can also buy used engines... ship it to a shop if you don't have the tools for heavy lifting.
you can build a kit car. that's cool too

like I said, there are plenty of failed projects out there. you can buy those and finish it. search ebay

you can restore a modern car that was salvaged

take your pick
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks-...t+car&_vxp=mtr
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