Bluemax: sorry to hear about your car
Thats pretty much why I stick to doing my own work now. Only things I don't do on my own car is body work, alignments, and tires because I don't have that kind of equipment. But anything from engine swaps, wiring, brakes, suspension etc is fair game.
For me the easiest way to learn about cars is to jump in headfirst and get my hands greasy. I feel over the few years I have been driving (about 6 years now) that I have learned quite a lot this way.
I also was heavily involved in my college's Formula SAE group my first two years of college, where I picked up even more information. Anyone in college interested in learning about racing and cars should probably start here if your school has such a program
