I've always been a car nut. As a teenager I bought all the mags and went to all the shows. In my mid 20's I picked up one of the first STi's in the states and spent too much money in parts and labor to push 500hp. Bought a house and had a baby so I had to sell the STi. Six months later I picked up an EVO and spent a bit in parts and labor on that too. Next baby arrives and you guessed it, no more EVO.

I'm looking to get another EVO next spring (no more kids, so this one should last) and I'd like to do more of the work myself. This is to save some money, but primarily because I think there is a ton of joy and pride in doing something yourself. That said, I have zero experience working on cars. I've gone as far as looking for classes to take, but they are all during the day when I'm at work.

Any thoughts? I"d sacrifice some weekends just to work with someone who would share the expertise!

 

I've had Vw's my whole life until 2 months ago when I got my first Evo so I'm new to them too. My best advice is to use these forums/internet and ask friends or people who have experience. It's unfortunately trial and error as you go. The good thing is though I think the 4g63 (Evo motor) is one of the easiest ever to work on, especially with the front facing turbo (thank god lol). There's a great section in here called how tos/installations under Lancer Evolution 1-9 Forums that have detailed descriptions, pictures, and even videos. If all else fails just ask someone on here. There's a ton of people on here from newbies' like us to professional mechanics and tuners. Cars really aren't difficult as long as you take your time and do everything right the fist time around cause it'll save you many major headaches. Good luck :-)


https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...tallations-82/

 

+1 evom

 

Have a back up car ready for projects that take longer then expected lol trust me I'm the same way man, this is my first car that I really have been able to take apart. It's alot of fun, and if you prepare yourself and not just jump into every project it's really not that hard.

 

haha +1 for back up car!


For major rebuilds or installations I would definitely at least look into getting another block...

 

The best way for me was just starting out doing little things first like swapping injectors, catback and etc. I just didnt like the idea that I was paying someone else to do my s*** for me when I could just learn. Plus you always get a sense of satisfaction and appreciate the work you do to your car when you do it yourself.

 

Very well put IGetItPoppin. Those are they exact to reason I started working on my own car too. Pride in my car and money saved from someone else touching my car lol

 

Pretty much research and common sense...

 

Agreed. Start small and find other local Evo owners who will let you lend a hand with their own work. Slowly you'll learn more and more.

 

The best way is to just jump in and start going at it...start with simple things and as you get the basics down go from there...i went to school to become GM Certified and every other quarter we would have a "dealership experience quarter" where you spend a couple months working in the dealer as an actual technician and I by far learned the most by working in the dealer during those quarters and actually doing the work as it came in the door...

Also having a toolbox with a good set of tools is another important thing to consider and tools cost money so you'll have to budget for that too...as far as hand tools stick to Craftsman or even Harbor Freight for certain tools...SnapOn, Mac, and even Matco Tools are great quality tools but are very expensive and for working on your own stuff and not using the tools everyday Craftsman will do just fine and save you LOTS of $$$

Doing your own repairs and upgrades on your own car is BY FAR CHEAPER then taking it to a shop or dealer...the dealership I work at charges $115hr for labor...CRAZY!!! Usually when I do side jobs I charge $50hr and my customers love me and wanna cook me a steak dinner when they compare my rate to the rate on the quote they just got from "Shop ABC" haha so on wanting to do it yourself! GL

 

like everyone else has said, you'll save a ton of money doing things yourself. especially maintenance items. dealerships want outrageous prices to do anything to these cars. the best way to learn is do your research first, and just go after it. start small, and you shouldn't have any problems. learn how the system you're going to work on works before you start messing with it, so you'll have a better understanding of why you're doing what you're doing to avoid small mistakes.

 

By "Doing It By Yourself".

.......................

AKA "I **** up and try again" (Learning from your mistakes of course)

AKA "OMG I blew up my engine because I forgot to put on [Name Part Here]"

AKA "I just wasted money on a part because I didn't do enough research."

 

Search on here on how to do installs. You can literally search "How to install (fill in the blank)" on google and a lot of times directions will come up on how to do things. Read, read, read on this forum and you can find out almost anything.

 

Great advice in this thread. Make sure you have a good toolset. You don't need air tools but a good set of tools will take you far..... I learned by helping my girlfriend do a 6 bolt swap in her GSX. When I fell in love with the 4g63.. I am a VW guy have been for years but bought my Evo and its been a love affair ever since. I bought mine and needed to do the transmission and i had never done one before. I researched a ton on line and asked everyone I could find with a Evo. If it wasn't for the Evo community and some friends the car still would be down.. This is a great site with awesome info so don't be afraid to ask questions and make sure you research..

 

youtube can help on some things.But if you know someone that has lost of experience that is willing to help that is a big plus to.