Check out
www.Howstuffworks.com . Its a great site with awesome animations/pics for a better understanding of a lot of major automotive systems/parts.
Personal experience helps a lot also. Attend some local car meets and hopefully some of those people will show ya some new things. Buy a Haynes manual too. It has much information to offer on Contours in specific, which will give you a better understanding of cars and mods overall.
