I started working on my own cars at 16 then at 20 became a mechanic for 16 years.

 

Learned the basic from my old man (oil changes, brakes jobs ect.)

The rest was Trial and Error, Reading Online and Reading repair manuals,

in highschool i would get funny looks becuase i would pull out a haynes or chilton and just read it. i can't tell you how many differant makes and models i have read but hey it gives me the confidence to do the work

 

When I was 16 and I was too poor to take my Lumina to a garage

 

My ability to learn to work on cars started with my dad in our garage. We restored 2 Model A's and also a Model T. When i was around age 6.

I started raceing 1/4 midgets at age 4 that my dad and a cpl of his friends built back in the 50's.

But my first real hands on abilitys started on my dads 58 impala with a 348 tripower(factory) Which was the anniversary model White over Black In 1958. He blew it up on his way back from an Indy 500 race. Gordon Johncock was the driver of the Indy car that was sponsored by Weinburger homes. In Utica Michigan. (My dad was personal friends with Sid Weinberger)we also lived in a Weinberger home back then.

Eventually this car was handed down to me.....Un fortunately, Had I known then what I know about cars....I would have never parted with it!

 

No one in my family even touched their cars besides cleaning and upkeep lol. I learned most from forums and friends, and even more from just experimenting. Lots of late nights in the garage and a lot of trial and error.