Outer Limits 4x4 Board

To all you DIY people, i'd like to know, where did you learn to build and modify your 4WD on your own and where can I learn about it so I can modify my 4WD by myself?

what type of rig do u drive???

searsy989 wrote:To all you DIY people, i'd like to know, where did you learn to build and modify your 4WD on your own and where can I learn about it so I can modify my 4WD by myself?

here and here

I teach Industrial Arts and have a really well decked workshop.

Actually 4 workshops, 1 welding bay, a shed, a spray booth and a mumma undercover area with 240v, 3 phase and lotza bright lights.

Lots of good tech here though for ideas.

Oh, and you can learn at School/Tech/'uni how to machine, weld, fabricate, cut, stress analysis, materials etc etc.

Once you have the equipment to be able to do it yourself. Just be willing to have a crack at anything. And if you are unsure, then jump on the phone and get some advice.

A lot of places will help you out for a carton of beer.

Just ask when you don't know what to do.

Also I have worked with my old man who has some knowledge on fab work.

It's always better to get more then one opinion then just ringing one person.

searsy989 wrote:To all you DIY people, i'd like to know, where did you learn to build and modify your 4WD on your own and where can I learn about it so I can modify my 4WD by myself?

In my fathers shed as a lad..........
then at my first job, boilermaker.....
then at trade school ......
then at diferent places of employment ......
then at my shed !

Its called "trial and error" when ya first start.

Get ya butt down to a TAFE course and start with that !
Do a welding course, then once thats finished do a mechanicle course, and if ya do really well at those two do an engineering course !

I started doing my own stuff cause no-one around here knew how to do what I wanted done .....was simply a case of had to learn or go without !

Kingy

teach your self you can find anything out by reading a book or looking it up on the net but you will never get any were if you dont just have a go what you planning on building im only at loftus so ill lend a hand were i can

i was booty fab born and breed.

I guess it is one of those things that you either get or you dont, i have been told that alot of things cant be done, thought about it for awile, thought about it some more and worked it out. Thats me, some people just cant get there heads around things that others can.




NICK

i'm learning slowly, as for tafe courses, is there any that a layperson can get into, the only ones i've seen for welding etc say you need to be sponsored or get a referal or something from a business in the industry

Read 4 wheel drive monthly. Dont stop asking questions and dont quit.

get lots of advice and if your still not sure, get some more

ludacris wrote:Read 4 wheel drive monthly. Dont stop asking questions and dont quit.

Not a big fan of toyota monthly when it comes to fabraction/building advice. I tned to think that they are a bit too advertiser focussed, and won't admot when they got it wrong or the corners that they cut.

Personally I don't think you can beat JP and Petersens for fabrication inspiration. Rick Pewe, Christian Hazel and John Cappa dream up some wierd stuff, and have two different approaches: They havethe budget to build it through the mag, or they build their own junk for no money. Wither way, they feature them in the mag. They also do lots of cool tool stories and the like.

Join a club that has the sort of vehicles and mods that you think you want to do. Ask the guys with the cars to go over their vehicles with you. Ask them questions about what they have done etc.

Surf the net sites like here and Pirate http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ are great tech resources also sites likehttp://www.howstuffworks.com/ can be good too. The US mags tend to be better in the buildup department than the Aussie mags.

The main thing is to research alot before you start doing major things that will effect the safety of the vehicle. ie don't just jump straight in and do a straight axle swap on a ifs rig without having a clue about steering geometry etc Its great to be able to DIy but you don't want to then have a car that is completley undrivable and will require big $$$ to fix your mods

bad_religion_au wrote:i'm learning slowly, as for tafe courses, is there any that a layperson can get into, the only ones i've seen for welding etc say you need to be sponsored or get a referal or something from a business in the industry

Ring your local tafe The brisbane based tafe welding courses that most people do just to learn weekend warrior skills isn't a diploma or anything like that. It's actually under the adult education program

It just runs on Saturdays for 6 weeks or something like that and there are seperate courses for the type of welding