WASHINGTON — Like any teen approaching his 16th birthday, Jamie Walters had a dream car: a Mustang fastback — not the 21st century version, but a classic, circa the 1970s.

When he was still a year away from getting his driver's license, his mother, Karen, tossed out an idea: "Find an old junky one and you can fix it up."

The gauntlet was dropped.

Jamie and his father, Jim, had taken on joint projects before, "mostly fixing up house things," Jamie Walters said.

They put up a shed, repaired a porch railing, patched a hole in a garage roof, but there had been nothing like this, a father-son adventure that would test their patience and cement their already strong bond.

More than a year later, the project continues.

They began by searching for a car on the Internet and scouting "For Sale" signs on parked cars. One day, in a Wal-Mart parking lot, Karen Walters spotted it: not a Mustang, but a bright blue 1991 Chevrolet Camaro with a T-top.

"It's cool," said Jamie Walters, a high school junior in Washington, D.C. "It's not a Mustang, but it will work for my first car."

His father looked it over and wasn't sure he wanted to pay the $1,000 asking price. At a chance meeting with the seller at a barbershop soon afterward, the price was cut in half.

"It was the best $500 I ever spent," Jim Walters said.

The seller delivered it on a flatbed truck, then drove it into the garage. The fact it was drivable was a plus.

Once there, the arduous task of determining what needed repair began. The seller said there might be problems with the water pump. Jim Walters thought there might be wiring issues. Or was it the battery? The brakes, for sure, needed to be replaced.

There were stops and starts, taking things apart and putting them back together.

Jamie said his biggest challenge so far was the gas pedal.

"I was trying to put a cover on it, and it kind of snapped," he said.

And then there are the brakes. Well, not really the brakes — just getting to them. The tire lugs were put on so tightly, Jamie couldn't get the back tires off and was having trouble finding a lug wrench that would work.

"There have been times that we have struggled with stuff," Jamie Walters said. "There are times that we discovered stuff."

When they got stumped, Jamie Walters went to the Internet for help.

The Web offers scores of do-it-yourself auto repair sites. Some advertise certified technicians ready to answer questions. Others specialize in specific makes of cars. One of Jamie's favorite sites is autozone.com.

At cars.com, through a partnership with Car Talk, do-it-yourselfers can access an interactive view of a car's systems, from brakes to engine to suspension and more. The site ranks repair jobs for complexity and the risk of doing damage to the car — or yourself.

Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor of cars.com, said do-it-yourself repairs are far less common now because cars have become so complex.

"So much of it is computer-controlled now," he said. "Typically, you need diagnostic equipment."

And for things like oil changes, it's not really worth the time and money to do it yourself, he said.

For those who decide to go ahead with their own repairs, he said, "Everything seems to take longer than you expect it to. Sometimes there are unexpected costs. There are dangers involved both in working around a vehicle and dealing with what are inherently safety features."

But knowing how things work is important, and, Wiesenfelder said, an invaluable bond is built between a father and son when they work together on projects like repairing cars.

"There's an absolute benefit in the relationship in ways that going fishing doesn't accomplish," he said.

Wiesenfelder, 40, speaks from experience. He did car repairs and other projects with his father.

"That's how I learned," he said.

And that's how it is with Jim and Jamie Walters.

Whatever Jamie does, dad is there to oversee the repairs.

"I feel like you're always watching," Jamie Walters said.

"I probably have to hang back," Jim Walters responded.

"I've gotten used to his teaching method," Jamie added.

And what's that?

"Just do it and work hard at it."

In the process, he and his father learned a lot about one another.

"What I have seen is his ability to problem solve and not get overly frustrated," Jim Walters said.

Jamie said he and his father sometimes approach things differently. When that happens, "we discuss it in detail."

"I've always liked my dad a lot," he said. "He can be annoying at times, but he always said I can do it. It's just been fun."

When they're finished with the repairs, they said they will take the car to a mechanic to make sure they didn't miss anything.

With luck, the Camaro might be ready by the time Jamie Walters, who turned 16 in January, gets his provisional driver's license.

In the District of Columbia, teens must have at least a year of experience behind the wheel — first with a learner's permit and then a provisional license — and be at least 17 before they can get a regular license.

Jamie Walters already has his first big road trip planned, though: He and his friends will drive to Pennsylvania to get fireworks.

"We'll launch them out of the T-top and watch the fireworks from inside the car," he said.

Walters looks over at his son. "We'll chat about that," he said.