5 comments about Challenger and Barracuda Restoration Guide, 1967-74 (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. If you want to know what the proper tire pressure for a 'cuda or challenger was or what color the aircleaner was, get this book. If you want help or guidance fixing up your car, look elsewhere. This book will tell you all about what the original specifications were for these cars (which might be helpful to some) but has no information on how to repair them to the point where knowing which direction a sticker faced would help.



2. This book is loaded with info, codes, casting numbers, diagrams, and photos. There is a lot of useful info. Many of the diagrams look to be directly taken from Plymouth/Dodge chasis and body manuals, but with additional info. If you are going to do a complete A to Z restoration, you will need more info than what is offered here, but show me one single book that covers an entire restoration on E-bodies, and I will buy it. Its my observation that you need a full library of reference sources and this book has its place.



3. This book is well organized and has a plethora of useful information, including part numbers and photographs. However, the author appears to be chiefly interested in the "E-body" cars (1970-74), as opposed to the "A-body" Barracudas (1967-69). The amount of information on the A-bodies is disappointingly small, and I noted several statements that are factually incorrect, as well as overly sweeping generalizations, and confusions between similar features. I personally am mainly familiar with the A-body cars, and I am willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume that the E-body information is accurate. I am even willing to recommend this book to A-body owners, with the caveat not to take every statement at face value -- the part numbers and other statistical information are probably worth the price.



4. IF YOU REALLY LOVE OLD CLASSIC CARS, I'D REALLY RECOMMEND GETTING THIS BOOK. (VERY DETAILED INFORMATION!)



5. Very good reference book for Mopar restorations. I wouldn't start to restore a project car without it.

5 comments about Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways (Road Trip USA).

1. Bought this for my recently retired parents for Christmas. They loved it. Kinda of a nudge out the door to experience life....



2. This is a wonderful book. The detail and how it is divided into areas makes it an easy read and easy to locate the information you want. I am extremely pleased with my purchase and I recommend to everyone whether you are going to travel or not.



3. I recently completed a series of road trips around the U.S. with one of my children. We found Road Trip USA to be an indispensable guide to each section of the country we visited. The book was full of accurate recommendations and suggestions of what to see and what to avoid.



4. Extensively researched and very well written - good humor makes the exhaustive details easy to read. Over the years, I have driven many of the roads travelled - and I wish I had this book with me in the past. I read through it and say "Oh yeah, now I get it" about many of the sights I have seen. Going to enjoy bringing it with me on future travels - this book gives me far greater insight than other such books I have read. Well laid out, great index and cross-references.



5. The USA is just too big to encompass in one book. Most things covered in this book can be found by searching the internet. Good reference.

No comments about The Fine Art of the Motorcycle Engine: The Story of the Up-N-Smoke Engine Project.

5 comments about Automotive Cheap Tricks & Special F/X.

1. This is one of the best books of it's kind! I absolutely love this book! I've been a fan of Craig Fraser and Jon Kosmoski for years, and they(mostly Craig) have done a wonderful job compiling information and demonstrating various techniques in the field of automotive airbrushing. Though focused mainly on the automotive genre, these techniques can be used in any field of airbrushing!! Craig is one of a kind, and he has been a tremendous mentor to many, and a terrific teacher to "airheads" everywhere. For the price of the book, you will get priceless information! It's well written, informative, and loaded with the coolest tips and tricks!!!



2. This book is one of the best. It motivates a person to paint-paint-paint. This book has great tips, illustrations, directions and good common-sense.



3. I've never airbrushed before I got this book, but I feel like I have a head-start after reading it. It explains things very well, like the may types of automotive paint, and demonstrates the use of stencils and freehand sheilds. He even has a computer that he can make designs with! I always thought everything was done freehand. He also explains and demonstrates how to highlight and very effective use of shading and shadows. He even shows how to do a carbon fiber effect. Very cool! I highly recommend this book. Thanks!



4. lots of step by step examples. nice guiding. not an indepth guide for choosing and using auto-colors.



5. If you like custom painting, you'll find several -other- nice books about the theme. This is not the only I've got about car painting and custom painting, but in fact, is not the one I like the most...
   
   Even if it contains nice step-by-step procedures, and goes with most of the painting proceses you may want to know, is not a great font of inspiration -for me-. It is most like a airbrushing book, that goes even in painting things that I would never paint on cars... and really hate to see on cars...
   
   Craig Fraser is surely a very good airbrush painter, but if you are looking for some custom painting, without getting your car out of mind, I'd suggest rather to buy "how to paint flames" or "pinstripping masters"... maybe also "advanced custom painting technics", but not this book.
   
   All in all, it is not a bad book, is just not the kind of information I like to have on my library.

5 comments about Buying a Car for Dummies.

1. This text offers information about buying a car from start to finish, from thinking about what you want, to insurance, to checking your car, to financing, to negotiating with dealers, and refers you to other great online and text sources for more information.
   
   Excellent and well worth it, even for the most knowledgeable car buyers. Everyone will learn at least ten great things from this book.



2. I purchased this book in August of 2005. [...] Should have returned it, but most of the info. is still worth while knowing. The copyright of the book I received is 1998. So when it comes to any internet purchasing or research info., the book is lacking. It still contains a lot of important tips to know before buying a car. I'm sure the most recent edition is great.



3. This is an excellent book to read prior to buying a car. This book helped me to research the car I wanted to buy before going to the dealership by giving me helpful internet sites to find the invoice price on my car and other facts. It also instructed me on negotiating strategies to use when I sat down with the car salesman. True to the books description the salesman used the same tricks the book predicted he would. Highballing the initial price, stalling, stating he was going to lose money on the sale, bringing his boss in, etc. Reading this book allowed me not to be to eager and to be willing to leave if the salesman being cooperative on the price. This resulted in my purchasing a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid for $11 over the invoice price. I also bought my car insurance using one of the websites suggested by the book.



4. This book may be OK but too old. Many information are outdated. I will not read any dummies book older than two or three years.



5. If you have no idea what a radiator is, nevermind where it is, or you don't know the first thing about leasing or financing a car, this book is for you.
   
   I will admit that I know nothing about cars. I can't tell you the first thing about MPG's. So I knew that as I began my car searching, I needed a little help so that I wouldn't get completely owned by dealers. Enter "Buying a Car for dummies" (aka me). It introduced the lingo to me. What particulars I needed to look for when looking for my car. It weighed the pros and cons for me of getting a new car versus buying a used car. It basically empowered me to know what I was looking for, how I would look for it, and gave me the tools to best make my decision and at a price that I was satisfied with.
   
   The book was published in 1998. Minus factual data (Enterprise isn't the only rental car dealership that sells used cars) and take into account how internet wired our population is 95% of this book still holds true today. I bought it for 26cents and it has been my best buy on Amazon to date.
   
   Next buy: "Auto Repair for Dummies"
   
   Stamp of Approval

5 comments about How to Restore Your Ford Pick-Up (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. I wish that you would let people get info from one of your manuals, that way we can get some info for one of our rigs. For example i have been looking for a chasis diagram for a 1977 ford f-150 custom for 8 days and no one will let me look an a manual and print out a page. think you for your assistance. Good luck to all the people that read chiltons auto manuals.



2. Need better description of contents of book.

   I have a 1931 Ford pickup that has been partially restored. I would like more technical information on further restoration, repairs and maintenance.

   From: allenrawl@earthlink.net




3. Before starting a rebuild of my '51 Ford pickup, I accumulated as many manuals and other written materials as I could. Brownell's book helped me to understand the crucial difference between a restoration and a rebuild, and to plan my work accordingly. I'm sure that the job will take longer and cost more than I'd hoped, but I'm equally sure I'll be happy with the end result, due in large part to the wisdom imparted by this book...



4. Very good detail and lots of great original information. Very good how to for restoring any classic Ford truck. One of the best I've seen for restoring my trucks (46's & 47)and any other old Ford truck.



5. This books description on the rear cover and in the publishers description indicates that "every aspect of restoring a 1946-1967 Ford pickup is covered in detailed text that's full of how-to advice from expert restorers". I can only say I think NOT. This IS a good book, with lot's of good GENERAL info, and lot's of good advice, and I'm sure most of the contributors are experts in some or all stages of restoration, but this book covers every aspect of restoring not one of the model years listed, LEAST of which is the 1965 and later models. This particular period (67) is exactly what I was looking for info on. I found that this book covered many general areas of the type/style equipment found on the models of truck listed, and had picktures of many of the models listed, but had specific info about almost NONE of the models listed.

5 comments about Car Talk 2009 Daily Calendar.

1. I wish I had this book ten years ago. The best $10 you can spend on your car. You should have this book if you have a new car, if you only drive your parents' car, if you have never owned a car and are about to buy one, or like me, if your car has been trouble-free and is now starting to act up. It's useful, it makes complete sense, and is very funny too. I plowed through it in about two hours. And if you think you don't know anything about cars, wait until you read what some other people have done...



2. Great stories of the guys vs gals and a wonderful throw in on a college students response to a candidate college! My only complaint would be that the tape was too short only about an hour of entertainment, but a great hour!!!And if you need a good mechanic in Boston this tape has the perfect guy for you - really!!



3. This book could be half as long as it is if all the failed attempts at being funny were removed. The authors seem more concerned with trying to amuse their readers than with providing them with helpful information. While some good information exists within the book, it's buried among lame attempts at humor. I found myself being annoyed over and over again by these unfunny intrusions.

   If you're looking for a lot of helpful, well-organized information on car care, I'd look elsewhere (e.g., "Lucille's Car Care", by Lucille Treganowan, which I highly recommend). And to the authors I'd say, "Either be stand up comics or authors of helpful car books, but don't try to be both!" (because you're failing miserably at it!)




4. Click and Clack diagnosed my intermittant start-up problem in about 2 minutes, via this book.

   As a result, I could talk to my mechanic more intelligently, and I knew what I was in for before I called the shop. I don't fix cars myself, but this book enabled me to be in charge of the process.

   You get a great diagnostic tool, and some cheesy (but still funny) humor, all for under $15. Not a bad deal.




5. I guess you either love these guys or you hate them. My wife finds them incredibly annoying when she hears them on the radio.
   
   Myself, I love them. Their accents are not off-putting to me, and I love how they laugh together.
   
   What I've learned over time, though, is that the 'straight' answers they provide are actually pretty authoritative. They actually know what they're talking about, based not only on their extensive formal education but also based on their hands-on work with many, many cars.
   
   This book distills this expertise into important, relevant items you need to know. Buy it and keep it in the car - you'll be glad!

5 comments about SVO: Powering Your Vehicle With Straight Vegetable Oil.

1. Thinking about running your car/Truck on Grease? Been running your car/truck on grease for years? Know nothing about running your car/truck on Veggie? Know everything about running a car/truck on Veggie?-This book is for you.
   
   Whatever level, this well researched and documented book has information I bet you did not know-from how Veggie runs in a Diesel at the molecular stage to filtering.
   
   I have been doing the veggie thing a few years & it was great to learn WHY something works as well a HOW something works.
   
   Book is well worth it.



2. Whether you are a 20 year veteran WVO consulting engineer, or a novice that is just starting to investigate the possibility of running a diesel powered vehicle on vegetable oil, this is the textbook that you should have in your collection. Starting with the basics of how a diesel engine operates, the author then moves on to how the fuel burns - and explains how vegetable oil can be used in place of normal diesel fuel. There are some issues with the use of vegetable oil fuels and the author describes the 3 various ways they can be overcome. The focus of this book is the method in which the vegetable oil fuel is heated to break down viscosity and allow it to be injected into the engine in a pattern approaching that of diesel.
   
   While this book is largely about theory and goes into great detail explaining fuel properties and diesel operation, it also describes conversions and presents some generic diagrams. It provides enough detail that a mechanically-inclined person could design and build their own WVO system for an older vehicle. Enough detail is presented that it is not a matter of cobbling together a barely adequate system - rather the reader should have a pretty good idea of what it takes to get the alternative fuel into a temperature range that allows for long term use without engine damage.
   
   The other aspect of vegetable oil fuels is gather and filtering - processing it it so that it can be used in a vehicle. Sources of oil need to be obtained and the author doesn't spend too many pages on this topic, but presents enough detail for the reader to understand the issues and work with restaurants in order to get started. Each situation will be unique, so the reader will need to do some investigation first hand. Filtering the oil is the next step - removing both food waste and other impurities such as water. The author describes several tried and proven methods and he also covers some misconceptions that experimentation has demonstrated do not work well. This is not about a hack-job filtration system using used denim jeans for an inconsistent filtration media, he instead covers some common methods of filtering used successfully by many people.
   
   This book is a must read for anyone considering running vegetable oil fuel in a diesel engine.



3. This work represents over a year of research into the use of an alternative fuel where there are no schools that teach its theory or use. The work is a compilation of different sources whether online or in traditional print.
   
   It is written in a simple conversational tone and is unassuming of the readers past knowledge base. The author even states that he hopes that the material contained within the pages becomes obsolete. Not many authors are so willing to have their work fall to the archives of "old works". However, once you read the book, you will gain a deeper understanding of the rapid changes at work in this field.
   
   The science is sound. The book gives good advice. Sources are properly credited. While it is not a "how-to" manual it does cover the basics. The book uses science to back up the "why" of a particular method used. I would encourage the reader to read the credited sources themselves.
   
   It is not a definitive work on the subject. At this point, there really can't be any one definitive work. The technology is too new. This book, for now however, comes as close as possible.
   
   If you are at all interested in alternative fuels, this book has to be in your reference library.



4. What ever you have to do, you must read this book. What Mr. Gregg has accomplished in publishing this book is nothing less than remarkable. Drawing on a wealth of first hand experience in system installations as well as several years of research involving some of the most complex research documents on diesel engineering and advanced organic chemistry, combined that with hours of conversations with some of the leading experts in the field and you have is a state of the art treatise that corrects many common misconceptions, introduces many new concepts, and is still surprisingly readable.
   So if you're a beginner or an expert with 20 years of experience you will learn a lot from this book.



5. This book is very well laid out and touches on the more broad aspects of VO Fuel and reads well for someone that knows nothing about the subject. It discuses the technical aspects of combustion, fuel properties and more allowing it to be a great overview but at the same time has the ability to keep the attention of the readers who have previous experience with the subject matter.
   
   It has numerous underlining tones of an advertisement for the Frybrid system but disregarding that it presents a well formulated path to outline the objectives for purchasing or making your own conversion kit.
   
   I was disappointed to see a few of the more critical technical items omitted however theres always the next volume.

1 comments about The Key to Metal Bumping An Instructive Manual of Body and Fender Repair Practices.

1. Book was in very good condition. Service was great and the information in the book was even better than expected.

5 comments about Crap Cars.

1. What a funny book. I kept my copy next to the toilet and read the book over a period of visitations, which took maybe three days. I loved the book so much, I gave it to a friend, who put it near his toilet for light reading.
   
   A tradition is born.
   
   There are some people who did not like this book. They are not fun people. They are sad people. Ignore their bleatings and moanings.
   
   Get the book. Give the book



2. I bought this book after reading it. It was entertaining, accurate, and talked about many of the cars I well remember and loathe. This was a time period after the 60's, the best decade in automotive history. I am 56 and was in high school during the 60s. Cars were fun, exciting, and that decade produced many classics. Than the government, in its infinite wisdom decided it was time reign in the fun. I think automotive companies spent the next several years trying to find themselves and a new direction, which really has not yet been accomplished. This book deals with that period. Also it put the VW beetle in its place, a truely dangerous crap car that was killed by those new government laws after it killed many people.
   
   I docked the rating a star for two reasons;
   
   1. The Mustang II is better than at least 15 of the other cars in the book. Granted it was horrible assault on the good "Mustang" name, but it was far better than the VW beetle, vega, pinto, gremlin, pacer, yugo, and geo metro to name a few. It was a cute little car, usually with a cute little driver. If you could find one of these on the road you might find someone worth dating (and marrying).
   
   2. No book of this nature can be complete without mentioning the 1982 Pontiac Bonneville. This car, if mentioned, would have been well into the bottom half of these 50 cars. This car was so ugly and such an insult to the Bonneville name I believe it was one of the cars that contributed to the GM decline. Oh yes, I was available with a diesel engine.
   
   This is a funny, light hearted, coffee table book that is well worth the money and will lead to hours of nostelgic conversation with your guests.



3. This book is hilarious-- very entertaining and brings back so many memories of the cars we had growing up! Makes a great gag gift or stocking stuffer for the automotive enthusiast in your life!



4. Good insights although a gearhead might have his own insights that differ. Mine certainly do but I appreciate it for being a good effort.
   
   Some of the verbiage gets repetitive but overall it is fun. A great book for storing on the lid of the toilet tank.



5. I was waiting to get my car inspected and I picked up Crap Cars book to read at the garage. By the 3rd car review, I was in hysteries. That was one of the funniest books I've read, great sense of humor that just zings and zangs. By the time I was done reading, I was in tears and the garage owner was shaking his head. Probably not so funny if you had the misfortune of having one of the cars listed in book, but the author had a great, very wry way of writing. I've got to get this book for myself and this is a great Father's Day present for a car loving dad. If you need a good laugh, get this book!