All of you guys..been in my position:

Hi guys !

since some of you were reading the thread that i started about thinking of swapping my carburator to a advance e.f.i system...the decision i took for now is to stay with my chokeless carb and to learn more about it ...( the mechanical way )

im 27 and im a mopar freak since the last 11 years ... my friend builted and sold me my duster 5 years ago and my dad builted my cuda when i was 17...but i have a normal life like all of you have , work , girlfriend , debts to pay , groceries , seing family ...things to do etc...

i never had anytime to go to school , to take my mechanic courses ...i worked full timeat a very young age to pay my cuda , and on and off i did a lot of small jobs to pay out my things .My good friend explained to me so many things since the last 5 years , i learned a lot , but i never add the courage of rebuilding a carburator on my own ... i never fixed a major problem myself on my car, never pulled of a engine etc... a lot of guys ( baby boomers ) were confortable of playing with old carburator engines in their driveway , but now in 2013 , there so many people that dont even know what a carb is ...i am a cleark in a chrysler dealer since 2 months and everyone is working on efi and computer controled engines etc everyone as a modern challenger , magnum , 300 etc.. im the only one stuck with old muscle : my point is , where can i start ... how to take care of my car myself , books ? do i really have to go to a school for that ..my dad was a bodyman not a mechanic..my friend is an engine builder but he as is own life to live too... cant call him every 5 mins if i break something on my car even if he helps me a lot when i need him , but im such a beginner that its hard for him to start from sratch , time is not always there for both of us ...

im kinda lost and lost in the dark by having a old muscle car that i dont know how to take care of ....being 17 and having dad around you is a thing but being 27 and being a working man ,,soon to be a father and wishing to raise a familly , and seing is passion in the driveway and being scared to play with it, its kind of frustrating.

thx a lot guys

ps: dont want to loose patience and sell my cars to buy a new camaro or challenger ... my passion always kept me from buying modern muscle , because deep down its the old iron that i wanna drive. period

Books, forums, and just old fashion "give it a try". The internet has greatly expanded the knowledge base (and to some extend the "B.S." base) so you have that advantage in your favor. Trial and error is OK to a point too, you just need the confidence to do what you want to do.

New cars are nice, and expensive. It all comes down to what your family needs.

I never even changed my own oil a year ago. Now, I've done engine swaps, carb rebuild, brake swaps, electronic ignition, etc. there's a lot of knowledge online. I learned by reading forums and not being afraid to make mistakes.

this^^^^^^^ and if you need to know about anything pm me will be glad to help you out! mike

As far as knowledge goes the "good" people will always be willing to give you advice. Like anything else its a hobby and sometimes you just need a break from it to gather your thoughts and regroup. Don't ever let it get to the point where you need to throw in the towel.

Factory service manual is a good read, it will help you understand why things work.

trial and error lots of errors.

Don't be afraid to TRY! That's the best advice I can give. I've owned many cold blooded cars over the years and became very good at driving with both feet.(one on the gas to keep it idling, and one on the brake) I've honestly never gotten an electric choke to work "just right", but I can make do with a manual one.

Find a older gear head,ask lots of questions. Straight to the point,and saves coin.

It can be intimidating in the electronic world. Roll up your sleeves and dig in - best way to learn is to get your hands dirty and figure it out. Take your time and think about the way the pieces come apart and fit together. The internet and service manuals are a great place to get information too - this website is KILLER in finding information and so many helpful people and threads here!

People have often asked me how I learned to work on cars - I basically just dug in and figured it out. Yes, it can be intimidating and you will make mistakes, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes and the more enjoyable it is! Good luck!!!

I'm in the same position, 31, two young kids, wife, full time jobs, two houses (ones a rental) and a Duster with pretty much the same engine you have in it bought 3 years ago. I've learned a TON by just getting my hands dirty. Did an auto to 4sp swap, new headers, rebuilt the 4sp and the bearings in the 8 3/4 myself....i'm a web developer
This forum and the internet has been invaluable. After trial and error, the next best thing I did to understand my car was buy a Innovate A/F gauge.
With that being said, I know how hard it can be do devote time to these projects. Theres lots of times where I have to set it aside for the good of my relationship with my kids and wife.
Anyway, enough rambling. Don't get discouraged! I would be happy to chat anytime about my experience with these crate engines!

If you wish to learn how to rebuild a carb,give me a call at 450 424 0445/514 659 0445,and we can get together to do this,mrmopartech St.Lazare Quebec

This also applies to all the members here that wish to learn,as I can help you by phone any time,mrmopartech

You are sooooo fortunate to live in these times of online information. Back in 1972 when I was tearing apart my first engine, I did not have a mentor, big manuals, videos, only car mags. I did have a Motors Manual, which helped a lot. Like everyone else has mentioned, dig in and start taking things apart. Mark where they go, or better yet, shoot some pics of what you are working on. There is infinite help online and also here in this forum. Don't be scared, just use care and be meticulous. You can do it!

aengineguy said:

You are sooooo fortunate to live in these times of online information. Back in 1972 when I was tearing apart my first engine, I did not have a mentor, big manuals, videos, only car mags. I did have a Motors Manual, which helped a lot. Like everyone else has mentioned, dig in and start taking things apart. Mark where they go, or better yet, shoot some pics of what you are working on. There is infinite help online and also here in this forum. Don't be scared, just use care and be meticulous. You can do it!

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I literally can't fathom the thought of learning this stuff without the internet.

One way to learn is to go out side and give it a try. Everyone starts some where. With today's technology, digital cameras/internet and some patience you would be surprised what you can do.
Had a shop teacher years ago that told us that as long as you can read pretty much anyone is capable of wrenching on there own ride. Might not necessarily be true with all of the high tech stuff of today but when it comes to these old cars....

I'm the same way; pretty much a beginner. I've always been around my dad working on cars and when I started dating my boyfriend 2.5 years ago I got a lot more into actually wanting to learn more. Well I just observe them work on the cars and I ask them to let me help, and they show me how to do things like put on the drive shaft and bolt other random things on, etc. When my parents split I couldn't easily have my car fixed when it wouldn't start and stuff, so I forced myself to stop being scared of working on my own car. I knew the parts of the cars and usually I knew what the problem was, so I forced myself to use Google and watch tutorials. I figured if I break something at least it's my car and I can't be too mad at myself; it's a learning experience. Now I change the oil, build stuff for my car, and I made my own door panels and reupholstered my seats with my sewing machine.

Forums are your #1 source of information followed by the factory service manual for your car.

I'm a year older than you and started when I was 16 as well. My grandpa helped me work on the car but he was always a Chevy guy and he's older so he wasn't able to do many of the things he used to. When he was unsure of something I'd get on the forum here or over at slantsix.org and ask away. The advice I got over there when I was just beginning got my slant six Duster going from 10mpg up to 22mpg.

The two most important things you need to know are to not be afraid to ask stupid questions and to not be afraid to just dig in and try something for the first time.

Perfect example is the thread I have going in the Body/Trim forum about welding. I bought an entire MIG setup a while ago because I knew I'd get to the point where I'd have to weld some sheet metal. I've never done it with any success so I made a thread showing my welding failure and asked what I could do to improve on it. Within a couple days I had over 20 replies from the folks here giving me excellent advice that I'll put forth this weekend when I tackle it again. Even though it's the internet, sometimes it's tough to come on a forum and ask a bunch of experts how to do something they can do with their eyes closed but if you've never done it you have to start somewhere. Everyone in real life has told me to just take the car into a body shop and have it done since I don't know how to weld and I've never done a patch panel before. I told them that if I never tried anything for the first time, I wouldn't know how to do anything. If I try the patch panel and it fails, then I'll take it into a body shop and have it done. The only money lost will be the price of the patch panel but at least I tried it on my own.

You've just got to have the confidence that you can start a project and finish it and the only way to do that is to dig in and try it out. If you get stuck, take pictures and ask questions. These guys can walk you through anything.

wow !! thanks a lot guys ! i mean wow !!! i appreciate the feedbacks and all the encouragement ! it will push me forward to do more ! i always had a big fear barrier to break things etc...i think ill will destroy that pretty soon !!!

turning 28 in 3 days .. i thinks its finally the good year to start it all !!

You sound just like the guy I bought my Dart from.

New kid coming, didn't really have the money, and knew almost nothing about it.
He opted for the family first and maybe getting back into a car later.