Best "How to.." books ??

[DRJDVM's '69]

I'm always looking to learn more stuff so I can do more and more on my car myself.

So, in regards to car building (fabrication, upholstery, painting, welding, etc etc), what are some of the books you guys have picked up over the years that you really liked/couldnt live without ??

How about ones that had good potential but turned out to be useless ??

What about some of the videos/DVD's out there ??

[DeepBlue68]

Let me preface these reviews by saying that I'm the type of person that loves learning and I like books to be technical (as opposed to being in layman's terms), so people who don't want as much theory or extra information in a book might disagree with my reviews somewhat. Having said that, I think I'm similar to most people on this board in that I don't want to pay good money and waste my time on something that isn't beneficial. I'm also a car fanatic like (I assume) just about everyone else here, so I'm always trying to learn new things, improve on old skills, etc., and those are the kind of things I look for in a "good" book.

Wiring

Automotive Electrical Handbook (by Jim Horner)
- IMO a great book; really helped me to understand automotive electrical systems
- the material is somewhat dry, but that can be expected given the subject
- is a little older, but many of the basic electrical principles and good wiring practices will be applicable until the end of time

Hot Rod Wiring (by Tim Remus, Dennis Overholser)
- an absolute WASTE OF MONEY; do not buy this book, just order a full catalog from Painless Performance, b/c that is essentially what you get with this book
- it was written as a joint project between an author and a Painless Performance employee, and you're getting nothing more than a product catalog for Painless Performance
- basically tells you the same stuff as the installation manual that comes with any parts you buy
- I would've rather flushed the money this book cost me down the toilet, because that honestly would've provided me with more satisfaction
- the ONLY good use for this book that I can see is if you're about to install something from Painless Performance in your car and want more info on why they built it the way they did beyond whatever the instructions might give you
- did I mention not to buy this book?

Tex Smith's How to Do Electrical Systems (by Skip Readio)
- a decent book; not as good as the one by Horner listed above, but certainly a giant leap from the P.O.S. Hot Rod Wiring that I wasted money on

Welding

Before I talk about books, I should mention to anyone who has never welded before and wants to start: do not expect to read a book (or 10 books for that matter) and be able to pick up a gun/torch and start knocking out awesome welds that day. In my experience, welding is one of those things that no matter how much you read about it, watch others do it, etc, the only way you will ever be good at it, is to do it A LOT, especially when it comes to more difficult-to-learn processes like TIG. I recommend enrolling in a class at a local junior college. I'm taking my third semester of welding now, and the class has been really helpful.

Performance Welding Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop) (by Richard Finch)
- pretty good book about the different welding processes used for automotive and aviation stuff
- geared more toward aviation/high-end (racing) automotive, but the practices mentioned are good practices for any car;
- focuses mainly on procedures and the correct way to do things, as opposed to being highly quantitative with respect to machine settings, material properties, etc.

Welder's Handbook (by Richard Finch)
- you've probably seen this book at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc; it's usually sold wherever entry-level, hobbyist-type MIG and stick welders are sold
- similar in layout and content to Performance Welding Handbook (same author, go figure), but more general than just aircraft/automotive welding
- more qualitative with regards to material types, amperage settings, filler selection, etc. than Performance Welding Handbook
- paired together, this book along with the previous book mentioned would be very helpful in getting started with multiple welding processes, not only in automotive applications, but with welding projects in general

Welding Basics (by Creative Publishing International)
- not a bad book, but certainly for beginners; if you know absolutely nothing about welding and want to learn, this could be a decent book to pick up
- I liked it because there's a huge section (~65 pages) of all kinds of useful, easy welding projects to do (project sections include Shop, Lighting, Furniture, and Outdoor Projects)

If you want to learn how to weld in general, my recomendation would be to pick up the first two books I mentioned and enroll in an entry-level JuCo welding class. If you want to know how to do auto body repair and fabrication, I probably would not recommend any of these books to you. They might have decent background info, but I don't think auto body is covered in any of these books, at least not directly.


Ok, I gotta run to study for an exam , but I will finish these up later, because I've got 5 or 6 more books I can review on general restoration, custom car building, and building a bad a** shop/garage. Hope those help so far

[BADVELLE]

Both books by Tony Huntimer!