Mil... Welcome... and relax!!
I have three Forward Look cars... a 1955 and a 1956 Chrysler New Yorker St. Regis and a 1956 Imperial Sedan... I knew very little about these cars or any other for that matter. I like to do things myself and I hate to be given a load of BS because I am clueless on some subject.
SO at age 58, I trekked over to my local community college and got an associates degree in Automotive Technology... three years of going to school from 6pm to 11:15pm two nights a week. I had tons of fun, met many, many nice guys, and learned a lot. HOWEVER, I was spoiled... the instructors would give me an A regardless of what I did, so to hone my skills and knowledge, I took (and passed) all seven of the ASE exams that qualify a mechanic as an ASE Certified Master Auto Technician. These are not trivial tests, trust me... Many auto technicians who work on cars for a living fail these exams. [I admit, as a university professor for 35 years, I am good at taking exams and that helps!]
Your enjoyment of your old cars (and your daily drivers as well) will be dramatically enhanced if you understand what's going on under the hood and elsewhere. This stuff isn't easy, but it's not exactly rocket science either. Plus, if you subscribe to magazines like Cars and Parts, the WPC Club, Old Cars Weekly, Skinned Knuckles (a GREAT mag), and Auto Restorer, you pick up tons of info over time.
I built a heated and air conditioned shop with a lift and bought a fortune in tools, but as I tell "her highness" (the wife), I could have spent even more in the bars.... She is a big gardener, so her "dirt" is different from mine.
Come out of the mechanic's closet and start having some real fun.... It's never too late; you'll have a good time; you will meet and be able to help many nice people...
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