Looking for the best of vintage published books on the subject of hot rodding ?!? Any and all cherished guides to building something special. Any thoughts?
...... and Mike Bishop is back around on the HAMB. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/how-do-i-get-back-into-the-group.1257502/
There is no best one. Buy about 10 of them and pick what you like from each one. That's what I did and I have that one, as well. In the end, build it like you like it.
First, it would help to know what type of car you want to build. There are many good books but some are better tailored to certain makes or models or even your skill level.
Here is another group from my collection , if anything these old books have some good pictures of cars that you may have seen featured in a magazine but the pictures in these are under construction shots that you normally don't see in a featured car article. This group are the earlier "little pages"books.
That is a crazy collection of Spotlight books! I`ve seen one, had no idea there were that many. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the response...I found a 30 Ford two door roadster. Some work done, more, much more to go. Would love input on drive train changes to a flathead from the banger, and thoughts on suspension and changeable rear ends. Would love to have a couple of experienced friends nearby!
Those are some great looking books !,,,,I love reading about how it all began . I hope no one takes this the wrong way,,,,,,but from what I saw in those pics,,,,,,the majority of those Ford traditional hot rods had small block Chevies in them . Tommy
https://www.verntardel.com/store/p397/Vern_Tardel_-_Hot_Rod_Your_Model_A_-_Second_Edition.html This. Best book that takes you step by step on how to hot rod a stock Model A with a flathead. This book is worth every penny and then some.
Or maybe not, I think the above Spotlite books show a representative sample- First photo, flathead, 2nd is a SBC, 3rd is a Chrysler slant six, 4th is a four cylinder banger, 5th SBC. The next series has a Pontiac, two SBC’s, Oldsmobile, SBC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, with the last Spotlight cover having a Chrysler Hemi, SBC, Lincoln and I think a flathead in the black Model A.
One of my favorites, Tex Smith books were designed for the average guy but I have seen these books on the shelves of pro builders. HRP
This ones fairly new and AWESOME!!! 2020, loads of fantastic tricks and tips for traditional hot rodding. I think the title is misleading, it covers budgets but the bulk of the book is so much more technical than that with great pics and loads of well documented different ways to skin each cat
Books are cheap. Buy several. All will have things you like or dislike. There will be dozens of helpful hints, even some you can use. Best way to get you mind set about what you want to build.
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