I used to do all of my own engine r&r until I had enough money to pay the pros. :D
Spending time in the garage with dad and reading HotRod magazines helped me learn basics. My first rebuild was a 302 ford my dad needed rebuilt for his '57 Ranchero. This was back in 1982. My high school auto shop teacher let me do the rebuild in class. Back then, year 2 auto shop was a 2 hour class. I remember feeling like I wasn't learning much in there because I had already been exposed to most of the curriculum.
The k boat engine is a learning curve that I'm still working on. Tuning is an art that I may never master, but I'm paying attention when the pros are helping me.:D