Opinions for my Future please :)

[NoodlePoodles]

I'm dying to learn alot more about Hilux Surf's and see how everything works under neither the bonnet.

If i was to buy a hilux, Would it be better to get it with parts broken so i could learn how to fix them?
Or just buy a reasonable Hilux and just add parts to it eg. Snorkel etc

[popuptoaster]

Surfs are pretty basic, If you really want to learn find a night school class about unserstanding basic mechanics and maintenance.

Should cover most of what you'd need to understand a Surf and it will give you the confidence to maybe take on a bit of a project.

Some basic knowledge and decent toolset will see you right for years, you pick up the more complicated stuff as you go along.

[NoodlePoodles]

Thanks for the reply,
You're right, should start with basics and head to complicated as time goes on
For the time being i'll just watch people on here and see there mechanics.

Project for the time being - Learn how to take an engine apart :P

[Karma Supra]

Just get stuck in and have a go...

I have never had any "training" It was something that I took an interest in and from there it never feels like learning.. I guess it started from building Radio Controlled cars, once you get into petrol ones you soon realise that real cars are pretty much just the same thing scaled up.

I did my first engine transplant at 17/18 (Can't remember lol) I blew the 3.0i in my supra, so swapped it out with a 3.0 Turbo.. and while I was at it converted it to manual... I didn't really have a plan I just went at it and picked it up as I went along. I made mistakes, but it was fun, it went like stink, and I learnt lots!

Last one I fitted looked like this:






Lots of piccies here!

http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/showthread.php?t=79539

And I still don't have a proper finished pic!

As for buying cheap and fixing up, vs buying complete... I always end up spending more if I start of with a project in mind...

[NoodlePoodles]

That's a real tidy engine, You've even sprayed it extremely well.
I only did a small project the other day, of a little car with an engine in it,
also sprayed it yellow and cut out all of the pieces out of metal to make the body work.
It's not as smart as doing it on a real car, but i'm beginning to get more and more interested in cars and engines!

Your project is amazing! I just checked it out and fair play to you, You've left everything tidy and it looks awesome!
I kind of want to grow to your knowledge but i still have a lot to learn.

Thanks guys - Kind of helped my confidence to grow, to know i'll get to your standards soon enough but it takes time

Exciting!!

[slobodan]

Not many people 'fix' things that are broken now.

They identify the offending part and change it.

The knack is identifying it first time.

[popuptoaster]

Yeah, there is a world of difference between knocking up some engine mounts and a bit of wiring and slinging a different engine in and actually stripping parts down, finding faults and repairing damage.

A lot of the people i know who mess with cars wouldn't have the slightest clue how to take an engine apart and do the main bearings, little ends or piston rings for example, most of em just go get another engine or use it as an excuse to fit a bigger one.

I have done transplants and with careful planning and all the info you can find on the internet these days its not that hard.

try to find out why your truck wont start when it's dark, your late for work and its ####ing with rain though and you'll face the true test!

[Karma Supra]

Popuptoaster, if that was in anyway trying to discredit my work, the old diesel runs perfectly.. Some people will happily pull apart a perfectly good vehicle to upgrade it... and I just prefer a decent V8 to a rattily old diesel...

I stripped down and built up my Supra TT engine for the ground up (spun no.5 big end) internals all balanced, piston and rod Assemblies weight matched, everything re machined (fun without Engineering tolerances in English) head gasflowed, oil ways ported, bores re-honed, etc etc...

It was far less effort than the modifications involved to get the VVti 1UZ in a 3rd Gen surf (Although I changed a fair few bits on that while it was out...)
-You know, simple stuff like knowing when you take an engine out, you don't have to re arrange parts of the chassis to make it fit back... that sort of thing...

[popuptoaster]

Wasn't picking on you, I pointed out i had done transplants as well.

I partially rebuilt the cossie motor I put in my Cortina, in fact unless it's a cheap throw away engine i rebuild any engine before it goes in.

Just pointing out the difference between replacing a part and knowing what's broken and being able to mend it are two different things.

link to my Cortina rebuild is here, its the only one that was documented properly, still not got over the sad ending enough to bother doing anything similar.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thre...9#.U97DemNw1-w

[NoodlePoodles]

Fact is, You guys know what you want and do it different ways
and it works for you.
I'm just glad you guys are taking the time to give me some experience.

I know what car i want and i know what modification i want to,
But fact is i need to understand how to do them first,
But your guys threads are helping me out alot..

I say your right though about getting a broken hilux because you can never
100% know the problem unless the person is really honest, which doesn't
always happen.
But if i got a good enough one, I could add what i want and just watch and learn from others.

Plus, it's cheaper to get parts than a full engine unless your wanting to put in a new engine anyway.

[budweiser]

you could start learning with what i got here till you got money to get what you want, and like that you get your hands greasy!! and give me a hand (so much needed) and acquire experience

[popuptoaster]

Can't beat the experience of helping someone who knows what they are doing, info for modifications you can find online, almost always someone who has done a job before you and written a guide, but getting your hands dirty so you can FEEL how it all works is way more useful.

I was going to avoid any more transplants, but having seen how easy it is to get a Lexus lump into a Surf I'm reconsidering slowly!

[NoodlePoodles]

I'm up for learning Esspecialy from someone as awesome
as Budweiser...
I need to take a step at a time i guess...
Exciting