5 comments about Custom Auto Interiors.

1. This book took a lot of the mystery out of building custom interiors for me (a beginner). It covers a broad range of things, from building seats and door panels to headliners. Check out the table of contents. The authors obviously work mostly on hot rods but you can apply this knowledge to building interiors for newer cars. It doesn't go into extreme detail, (it wouldn't really be feasible to do so!) but it delivers on it's promise. If you're into fiberglass interiors for the newer cars, you may want to try another book.



2. Yes, the best, bar none. If you're a veteran like me, there were probably guys in your crowd who could do engines, trannys, paint/bodywork, even a little electrical. But nobody, NOBODY had a clue on how to do the interior. This book reveals the secrets and the inside tips step by step, easy to follow, and yet, not tedious. Quite the contrary, it is an enjoyable read full of discovery. Even if you only have basic skills like cutting plywood with a saber saw, you can probably put together a great interior for your car armed only with patience and this book. And that goes for new cars too- the techniques are totally up to date. The fact that they are illustrated on hot rods doesn't mean they won't work on the latest models. You just have to be thoughtful and creative, and anything is possible. Most Highly Recommended.



3. A colour guide to customizing the interior of any vehicle.This book is a step by step guide(and in colour)from designing to completing your interior.Even though the book shows various hot rods the techniques apply to any vehicle.This is a comprehensive guide and is great value for the money.This should be your first book on customising interiors.There are plenty of books that cover other areas of car restoration to add to your collection.
   
   I also recommend this book:
   "How to restore and customize upholstery & interiors".By Dennis.W.Parks.(Motorbooks Workshop series.)



4. I purchased this book to understand a little of the process of designing and making a custom interior. The designs are good, but maybe a little dated. For instance, it's mainly street rods and no discussion of the newer 'pimp' style look. No AV system installs - which I was most intrested in finding how some of the flowing speaker enclosures are done.
   Very good photography throughout... you can pick some nice ideas if you're doing a street rod.



5. I finally decided to do something about the half-disintegrated and shockingly smelly interior of my '52 Chevy pickup. Now, the smart thing would have been to hand it off to a professional and pick it up a few weeks later completely done. Unfortunately, the six grand or so it would have cost me is almost as much as the truck's worth. So, perhaps unwisely, I decided to do it myself. It's now 90% finished (see pic) and I have to admit that I owe a large portion of my success to this book. It's undoubtedly the best thing on the market.
   
   Having said that, though, it's far from perfect. The photos are poor quality snapshots that make it hard to see three-dimensional shapes, there are strange omissions, and many of the brand recommendations are downright bizarre.
   
   But instead of waxing rhapsodic about the book's problems, I'm going to use the rest of my review to try to give you the benefit of my hard-won experience. Keep in mind that my project was about as difficult as they get--I had to make everything custom, because my truck didn't have much of an interior when it was originally manufactured. Yours should be easier.
   
   OMISSIONS
   This book is obsessed with using chipboard to make complex shapes that can then be upholstered. All very lovely if the shape isn't too complex to wrap smoothly and if this is the look you're going for. In many cases, it's much easier to use fiberglass and body filler to create a paintable custom piece. This is standard practice for virtually everything relating to stereo enclosures (see mine in the photo.) The only reason I can think of that the technique isn't so much as mentioned is that the authors are currently writing a book about it. Check the web for pretty much all the info you need to make whatever you want.
   
   There is no information provided on the tools you'll need, no instruction on sewing, omissions in the information on laying carpet, etc., which (probably intentionally) forces you to read Taylor's Automotive Upholstery Handbook.
   
   WHAT YOU WANT TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
   Sewing is hard. And even if, like me, you can con your mother into doing it, then you have seams to deal with and they are brutal to keep straight when you're gluing. Design your interior to keep sewing to a minimum.
   
   I would rather stick my tongue in a hornet's nest than glue in a custom headliner. Nine yards of contact cement-covered material suspended over your head, trying to stick to everything, including your hair. And one mistake, you get to rip it all out. Granted, mine is ridiculously hard due to the acute angles in the back of the cab, but still you should still seriously consider having this done professionally.
   
   BRAND RECOMMENDATIONS
   There aren't many in this book, but almost none make sense based on my experience.
   
   Glue is all important--the difference between an easy five-minute job and an endless disaster. The only advice given (actually in the Automotive Upholstery Handbook as I recall) is to buy the most expensive stuff you can find. This is just as stupid as it sounds. I tried Stick-it, Tac-it, and Duo-something, among others. All with horrible results. DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT ISN'T MADE BY 3M!!! Note the cheesy use of caps and multiple exclamation marks. I'm serious here.
   
   Q-pads: This is a messy, expensive, and obsolete asphalt sound deadener. Use RAAM-Mat or go to sounddeadenershowdown if you want to really geek out on the subject.
   
   Mellowhide: This is nice vinyl and I used it based on their recommendation, but it's hard to find and apparently it doesn't store well in non-climate controlled situations, prompting my supplier (the excellent Larry Dennis company) to quit carrying it. It's probably an off-gassing issue and I haven't had a problem with the installed interior, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't take the chance.
   
   OTHER TIPS
   Foam dulls razorblades incredibly fast and a dull blade can ruin hours' worth of work in the blink of an eye. Figure three feet of cutting in 1/4 foam before you have to throw the blade away.
   
   I made the mistake of using glue in rattle cans. Buy a gallon of the stuff and spray it with a primer gun. It's far cheaper and will give you a more consistent coating with no globs that might telegraph through your material.
   
   This is not a science, it's an art. Buy some cheap materials and play around before trying something that's actually going to go in your car. It's not complicated, but it can be kind of subtle.
   
   That little 3" sander you see them using in the pictures is your best friend. It's called a polisher, though. Searching the Net for "3 inch sander" won't get you anywhere.
   
   Good luck, and remember: Patience!

5 comments about Automotive Electrical Handbook (HP 387).

1. Great book for learing how to wire a car from scratch. Although written in 1986 and a lot of references are made to kit cars and VW bugs (a favorite foundation for kit cars), this book explains how most things electrical work in your car, as well as how to create your own electrical system. Highly reccomended to anyone into restoring an old car or building a car from "scratch". Also get Haynes "Automotive Electrical Manual" to learn how to troubleshoot and fix a wiring harness, also highly reccomended.



2. Unless you already know how to wire a car and have a thorough knowledge of electricity and electrical fundamentals this book will be absolutely worthless. It will show you how to solder in case you don't already know how to. Don't waste the electricity necessary to order it.



3. I read this book about 10 times and threw it at the wall WHAT an incredibly stupid book. NO IT isnt I was though and all you need to know is there ITS actually a great book to learn with BUT it doesnt point out the key points to grasp very well BUT trust me its there you just need to pay attention to what mr horner is saying. If you pay attention and arent expecting some kind of miracle surge of electrical knowledge into your brain then this book will teach you how to wire a car from tip to tail. After my impatient little brain paid attention to mr horner I found that I understood electrical systems far better than most people and I could wire any brand of car because the basics are all the same from vw to lexus. THIS book is worth its price



4. tell you what if you wanna learn about electricity not just automotive but electricity in general this is your book. It helps to lay a great foundation. I already knew this stuff but it was a great refresher, as well as a excellent info source for automotive applications. I truely feel this was money well spent.



5. Basic book on electronics for cars. It's okay and on par with the one titled "Electrickory" (which is a touch disappointing considering the tittle).

4 comments about AMA Ride Guide to America: Favorite Motorcycle Tours in the USA (American Motorcyclist Association Ride Guide).

1. this is a good reference book.. lots of information.. would buy again..



2. The only tours in the book close to the central US are in Colorado and Texas. There could have been less concentration of tours along the east and west coasts. Buy this book if you ride on the east or west coasts. There are other resources free on the Internet for Texas and Colorado. Arkansas State's web site promotes motorcycle tours with routes and attractions for free. Also this book's tours seem to be from the publisher's collection of the Motorcycle Journeys thought the same regions.



3. This is a high-quality guide with color pictures and/or color maps on every page and a good balance of great road descriptions with turn-by-turn instructions, commingled with information on the places you may wish to look or stay at along the way. Nearly all of the rides that are described look great. As useful a work as this book is, though, it is severely limited by it's size. A ride book covering France could be this short, but one covering a country the size of the USA should describe much more than 31 rides; possibly coming in several volumes. However, you could still be a bug-toothed rider for several years just riding the great roads they have listed so I still recommend it.



4. Just used it this weekend to navigate around VT....worked great! Can't wait to try even more rides!

3 comments about How to Restore Metal Auto Trim (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. It was good.and very helpful.It gave me the reassurance that I could do the task



2. I had some beat up trim pieces for two vehicles, a 57 belair and a 64 impala. After pricing replacement trim I realized I needed other options. I picked up this book and was very happy with it. It covers all aspects of repairing and restoring trim.
   
   There were sections of replating that I skimmed over. all of my trim was stainless. The book walks you through tools and techniques. After reading it I went out and did some hammer work on the dents, then some sanding, then polished everything to a perfect shine. I think it looks better than the replacement trim I have seen on other cars. I am sure that some overseas factory worker is not putting the same attention into polishing the trim as I did.
   
   The book is a great addition to your library if you have some experience restoring trim, or its even better if you have absolutely no experience or idea where to start. It will walk you through the entire process with plenty of pictures too.



3. A very informative book a easy read well worth your time just saving one piece of trim will pay for this book.

5 comments about Porsche 944: Automotive Repair Manual--1983 thru 1989, All Models Including Turbo (Haynes Manuals).

1. For $15 this book is an excellent help with lots of pictures for most (but not all) the jobs you'll have to do on your 944. It's based on an early (pre 85.5) n/a 944 so some things have obviously changed on later cars, but for my 84 it is a perfect companion to helpful places such as clarks-garage.com. I highly recommend it for any 944 home mechanics.



2. The manual is up to haynes usual high stansard but the photos in this book are sometimes a bit blurred and not clear.



3. Not too expensive and it's good for the small jobs that would need a little help with. Good for head gasket's deffinitly since they are a [...] load harder to do alone without a book. This is also handy since I have a tight budget and need to save money. It does tend to tell you to go to a porsche dealer on harder tasks alot. So overall this is not ment for the complete overhaul but most of the small annoy and expensive stuff. A head gasket job alone can cost you $600. While if you buy the head gasket for $[...] and then do it yourself with a $[...] book. You just saved a big amount of money and time since you dont need to leave your car at the shop. Recommended for people who need assistence deffinitly.



4. After reading reviews & recommendations from various sites, I decided that this was the book that I needed for my 924S. It is right on the money! Even though there is very little mention of the 924 in this book, the photos presented, could be of my car. If you are looking for a repair manual for the '87-'88 924S, this is what you want.



5. This book gives detailed info for some models.most detailed but not for 944 S2 with 3 liter engine and nothing for soft tops.

5 comments about Pontiac GTO Restoration Guide, 1964-1972 (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. Had wished more detailed information was included in this book. It is a good general overview.



2. Found the book to be very informative. Many diagrams, and illustrations. Recommend the book to Pontiac GTO enthusists



3. Nice book with diagrahms and some pics. Wish there were more details on '72 model year that I need. If rebuilding '66 - '70, this book will help your restore pretty well.



4. Very disappointed with Amazon having a secondary publisher company handle their inventory. Ordered book in August and 29 days later the book finally arrived. Called the secondary company as they no longer respond to email inquiries and was quickly told that I would have to wait a full 30 days to request a refund. They said they had no tracking info either. Poor company to deal with. Suggest Amazon review their policies and how they handle customer disputes on their behalf.
   
   Happy with the book but not the headaches associated with this transaction. Amazon itself has always been very good.



5. My husband is currently restoring a 64 GTO and was like a little kid with a new toy when he opened this present on Christmas morning.

5 comments about In Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line.

1. To anyone who has walked through an automobile dealership, it's no surprise that many of them are doing business the way it's always been done.
   
   The overall message of Pollak's book is adapt or die. As we see the US auto industry fighting for its life it's refreshing to see someone bring some insight and business sense into something that historically hasn't been very sophisticated.
   
   Velocity is a wonderful read for any fan of business--especially as we watch an industry that's undergoing massive change on a global scale. Pollak offers up advice for local dealers on how they can remain more competitive. But for those not in the industry it's great insight into how to apply discipline and sound practices to make any industry better.
   
   Now if he could only get the sales guys to stop wearing gold chains....



2. Many business books shoot for -- but few actually achieve -- such fine balance of the familiar and the profound. Velocity is an easy read, full of personal and funny anecdotes, yet every chapter delivers new insights that will blow you away. Get ready to say, "That totally happened to me too" and "I never thought of it that way before" again and again as you read.



3. Dale Pollak pleads for used car dealerships to evolve within an industry that has stayed stagnant for far too long. "Velocity" contains a laundry list of strategies employed by the most successful used car dealerships in the country. From seeing the Internet as your virtual showroom, making every business decision with an investment-mindset, and considering the benefits of a single-price, no-haggle environment, this book will make you think about the way the used car dealerships should be run.
   
   And it will make you wonder why we haven't been doing all of this stuff before.



4. This book is true to today's market. So many dealers today are stuck with old pricing stratigies. Another well stated truth from Dale Pollak.



5. If you want to thrive in a down market reading this book is your first step. I've been in the business for 15 years and I've haven't seen anything this strong since the introduction of MMR. We all know how that has changed the way we do business.For more reviews from dealers see Dalepollak.com

5 comments about How to Rebuild Small-Block Ford Engines.

1. This book has been around a lot longer than most books.It does offer a lot.A good guide from inspection of your engine to assembly,installation and tune up.Tom Monroe writes in an easy to understand way.His books are helpful so you wont be wasting your money.Plenty of information throughout make this a reasonable book despite its age.The 351C isnt included in this book.
   
   Its a good book and is worth adding to your collection.Good value.Its 3.5 stars as there are newer books out there that offer more.



2. It did not have enough information on setting timing. Also did not have enough information on engine identification.



3. Good for who want to rebuild a stock engine. To get a litle perfomance tuneup you have to find it into another book.



4. This book is an excellent guide to rebuilding small-block ford engines (sbf). Written by experts with years, this book is written specifically about rebuilding the sbf. Anyone who is rebuilding an engine would find this book useful because of the large amount of general wisdom about rebuilding.
   
   Starting with how to assess whether the rebuild is needed, and a discussion of the tools and skills required, the book can help keep you from getting into a project that is beyond one's abilities or desire to complete. There is also a thoughtful section on hopping up engines, since the time to do it is during a rebuild.
   
   Various options for levels of quality of parts to use as well as the decisions around how much machineshop time to use are discussed. Finally well ilustrated and very detailed step-by-step instructions take you through the full rebuild from tear-down to build-up and through reinstallation in the vehicle.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who is contemplating rebuilding an sbf. The combination of detailed instructions with thought-provoking advice will go a long way in helping to create a successful rebuild.



5. I'm the author of this book, so I watch the reviews, albeit a little late on this one. I've been busy authoring a book on how to build Windsor racing engines.
   
   None the less, Shane Edwards said in his review, "Following the instructions contained in this book will ensure the speedy failure of your valvetrain." From this statement, either Mr. Edwards was reading the wrong book (giving him the benefit of the doubt) or he doesn't know the proper way to do valve jobs or set up valvetrains. I gave several methods of reconditioning heads and valves, including how to check springs and setting up the valvetrain. I warned against quick-fix methods, but opted instead for methods to give better than original life.
   
   A telling statement Mr. Edwards made was, " He should try to write one book that tells you how to do the job correctly and find an editor who can eliminate the plethera of spelling and grammatical errors that rittle his work." I can assure you, all methods are discussed and shown being done correctly. From a review made in Road & Track Magazine, the reviewer said, "If you can't rebuild your small-block Ford using this book you're using it as a coffee-cup coaster." As for editing, Bill Fisher aka California Bill, the Publisher and editor of HPBooks at the time had a reputation for being the toughtest editor on the planet . . . literally. So nothing got past him or the experts who read the book. That's not to say an error or two got into print, but they've been corrected a long time ago.
   
   For really hardcore racing information on engine building, which includes valvetrain setup and all other aspects of the process, my book "The Racing Engine Builder's Handbook" is now available. The Windsor Ford Race engine book is in process.
   
   Mr. Edwards is right about one thing. This is not an FE engine. That's the big block. Steve Christ wrote that one. Clevelands and M-series engines are part of the 335-series of Ford engines and the 385 series makes up the 429 and 460 Ford engines. These are covered in the Ford V-8 book, all of which are available from Amazon.
   
   Judge for yourself.

1 comments about Troubleshooting and Repair of Diesel Engines.

1. Received shipment very promptly. The book is very thorough, though in my case I think assumes I know a bit more about diesel mechanics, especially the hardware involved, than I do. Some of the illustrations are too small for all of the minute detail or process diagramming they attempt to convey.

2 comments about Vespa.

1. I got the book as a birthday present for a friend who owns a 1968 vespa. Compared to all the other Vespa books, this had the best combination of vespa-nerd technical information and great historical content -- not just about the development of the scooter, but about how it affected people around the world. I also love the "pillowy" cover, which makes the book not just visually entertaining (so many great photos), but, also just holding it is a great tactile experience.



2. Although the book is deceptively small, its contents are very comprehensive. Contained between its high quality hard covers is a comprehensive view of the Vespa history, current and former production models and associated marketing programs. It's a very handy travel volume for those of us who love to strike up conversations about the world's most popular scooter brand.