The HAMBer's Library: What books should be on the shelf?

Or, what are ya reading?!?

My experience has been that automotive(or welding, etc) instructional books can be really hit or miss. So I thought I'd see what y'all are reading or what you recommend?




1)The Automotive Upholstery Handbook by Don Taylor



I just got this off of Amazon for $18 on the recommendation of another HAMBer. It's really down to earth and the writer is speaking my language(cheapskate). Ignore the street roddy cover, he tells you how to make pleats and cover bench seats and do door panels, headliners, everything in easy to understand language IMHO. Worth the money.

The other books i've been reading are wiring related. These are the ones that I read before tackling my wiring harness, which went really well, thanks to much guidance from others.




2)This one I think is a definite must have, if you're wiring your car or not. How to wire your street rod from start to finish, by Jack Sweeden
It's great as a reference manual to all things electrical and full of wiring diagrams that are hand drawn with silly cartoons, kinda like the How To Keep Your V****wagon Alive book that I know none of you have read
I got this at a swapmeet for $8 or so, and they sell on ebay for around that.







3) How to wire your hotrod by Dennis Overholser aka Mr. Painless wiring


This could also be called how to get $18 for an installation manual for our wiring harness, but at the same time it's still a great book. He's got a few different installs that he documents in full color and I thought it was well worth the money. It's kinda like watching a video but in print, like before we had VCRs and had to read stuff like this if we wanted to see a movie that wasn't in the theater:







4) The Automotive Electrical Handbook, by Jim Horner


This is $15 on amazon and worth about $8. It did help me understand some electrical concepts but its really old and outdated and tough to read. I paid full price (GRRRRRR! ) but found a copy for like $2 on closeout if anybody wants it PM me just pay for shipping.





5) Here's one I got on the recommendation of another HAMBer, it's out of print but I bought a brand new looking copy from Amazon. You might be able to get one off ebay too I reckon.
How to Do Electrical Systems: Most Everything About Auto Electrics (Tex Smith's)



Super cool 80's cover aside, this is another great book. I wish I'd read it first before the others, it breaks everything down in the different components and is a good , practical, nuts and bolts guide. Sure, it's old and a little outdated, but it really is one of the best books out there. Too bad they don't update and re-issue it. This goes for a cool $35 on amazon, but it's worth it.




6) Finally, I read every pamphlet that MAD electrical put out, courtesy of a pal that got them all. I've tried for a couple years to get him on the phone without luck, but I'd love to order product from him if I could.

This Electrical Wiring Made Simple for $8 is worth having and I constantly referred to it, as are his other books that come when you purchase his Relays or Terminal Block. His Electrical Tech Section is fantastic and will give you a lot of what you'd get with his product manuals. I really hope he's doing OK.

 

John Laylor's "Auto Math Handbook." First and foremost.

A factory shop manual for every car you own.

Vintage Motors Manuals--the more the better. WAY better than Chilton's.

After that, every other book out there. Try to buy two a year.

-Brad

 

How To Build a Flathead Ford V-8 by Gearge McNicholl
Tex Smith's The Complete Ford Flathead V8 engine Manual (Ron Ceridono)
and one I haven't got yet: Ford Flathead V8 Builder's Handbook 1932 -1953 By Frank Oddo

My .02

 

For general reading, 50 Years of Rod & Custom from Rodder's Journal; High Performance, by Robert Post.

If you're a Ford guy, Ford: The Dust & The Glory Vol. 1, by Leo Levine, and to a lesser extent, Vol. 2.

If you're an engine freak, anything by David Vizard.

If you're a Chevy engine freak, again, look to Vizard; also John Lingenfelter; Smokey Yunick's Power Secrets- outdated but still worth a look; Bill Jenkins. Mostly small block stuff; there really isn't a great BBC book, but a couple of decent ones are the Dave Emanuel & Ed Stauffel books.

If you're a Ford engine guy, avoid anything by George Reid, unless you like reading erroneous information.

For other reading, Chassis Engineering by Herb Adams; Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners, and Plumbing Handbook by Carroll Smith; Holley Rebuilding & Modifying, by Jeff Williams.

 

The half dozen Felsen novels that deal with hot rods for fun, light reading on a cold winter's night. Also, every vintage (as in 1948-63) HRM, Car Craft, and R&C you can get ahold of. There are so many arguments over "what's right" for a certain time period---own the magazines from that time and you'll never have to guess.

 

They call me mister 500

By Andy Granatelli

Nuff said?

 

I'm re-reading my 1967 copy of "The Golden Age of the American Racing Car" by Griff Borgeson. Man, this is the gold mine of info on the Miller and Offy engines. He doesn't miss a thing and his writing style and the photos are not to be missed.

Also, the previously mentioned "Ford: The Dust and the Glory" by Leo Levine is a great read and packed full of facts that will make any Ford nut very happy.

 

Ditto what Darryl said about the Granatelli book. I bought three paperback copies over the years, and finally found a hardback copy 11 or 12 years ago at Hershey.

A great book about hot rodding and racing--in that order...

 

This is a must!

 

The birth of hot rodding: the story of the dry lakes era, by Genat & Cox.
Hot Rod Milestones, by Gross & Genat
Hot Rod and Custom Chronicle, by Taylor

Are just a few of my favorites...

 

10 posts and no mention of Tardel. Sheesh Ford green book is a must for parts id. Birth of hotrodding is a great one. How to build a traditional hot rod. There are some others but I dont recall them atm.

 

You need some history. The Genat and Cox book is great. Don Montgomey's early dry lakes/hot rod books are a must. The Bonneville Salt Flats by Louise Ann Noth will show the salt's history and a decade by decade review of the meets.

DW

 

DW- I would have thought you would have said the 2009 SCTA rule book!

 

I have a couple of Roger Jetter's books aka 40studedude here on the HAMB.Fast Cars, 4-speeds & Fist-fights, Recollections, Regrets & Random Acts.
Mike

 

My first choices as well. A factory parts catalog too, if you can find one.

 

A good little read in my opinion. Chocked full of ideas for people who are not afraid of color.

 

Beyond Rods and K/Customs is this one-

 

An old Hollander manual, next to the Bishop/Tardel book.

 

I'm reading the recent book on Mickey Thompson, Fast Life and Tragic Death of Legend or something or other.

 

the first real book i ever read ..man that was a long time ago

 

I still pick it up once every few months to re-read the chapter on the rocket car... I'm actually laughing out loud right now just thinking about it. Probably one of the funniest things ever EVER written!