So I picked up a "shop manual" a while back hoping it would have some good info in it for me to reference as I get more and more into this old tin. No such luck. It's the one pictured below, and it's crap. Anyone have any GOOD recommendations for old shop manuals?
My first inclination would be to get a vintage Motor's Manual that covers that era. I'd also reccomend joing HAMB's sister forum, "The Ford Barn" for answers to questions concerning stock items & repair procedures.
Charlie... If you want a 'shop manual' that deals with step-by-step shop procedures in repairs/overhaul ops, I'd suggest either a reprint of the actual Ford shop manual, or good old MOTOR'S REPAIR MANUAL, the 'large blue book'. It is year specific, for instance: 1940-1948, one I have is '49-'53. I spent lots of time in those books when I was an apprentice (1957-1961) and for years beyond. Motor's was more to my liking than Chilton's, BUT "NATIONAL SERVICE DATA" was published by Chilton's, (?) and is to date the most in-depth ever printed. Look for a used Nat. Serv. Data that covers your years of interest. If you are looking for illustrations of parts, and their related numbers...there is "The Green Book". (the real one) A reprint costs about $80.00, it's soft cover, and a treasure trove of FORD info! Look to EBay, and Ford Barn. "The Book" is sometimes scoffed at by ignorant 'mechanics', but these fellows are likened to small town doctors who can do without X-rays. I just feel confident when a problem is 'unfamiliar' to me, and have the option of looking inside before removing 120 lbs. of cast and stamped iron that's in the way.....
Thanks TagMan. I'm on the Ford Barn, though I forget I am often. Mostly I'm fed up trying to track down things like rebuilding a distributor to spec or having to track down some third-hand trans tolerances for backlash and various things like that. Not so much concerned with stock, just details.
Thanks Mike! Sounds like the Green Book is what I'm after. The last Motor's manual I have is for 60s era stuff and I got it second hand. Hadn't thought to see about earlier versions.
If you want a good manual, you need one that's specific to your make/model/year. An 'official' factory manual is almost always the best source for full detailed servicing. The more years/models they cover, the poorer the specific year/model info will be. There are occasional exceptions (cars that changed very little over the course of production, like VW Beetles or Model As), but generally not. With that said, the multi-year manuals can have nuggets of good info in them that can be useful when used with a factory manual. One fault of factory manuals is both the originals and reprints rarely include 'service bulletins' with revised procedures, mid-year options or updated parts issued after the manual was initially printed. I've found that the multi-year manuals generally will reflect these, as well as procedures aimed at the DIYer. Their worst crime is illustrations showing one version with the note 'other years similar', which may or may not be true...
Thanks Steve, good thoughts to take into consideration. Looks like I'll have a library before too long...
If you want a specific make and year: These guys are great and sell on eBay and Amazon too. https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/ You can probably pick up used Motors Manuals on eBay... I'm not parting with mine. I'm covered from 1927 to 1988. Some were 1 year specific for all models. Most had a range of years though. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&_nkw=motors+manual&_sacat=267&LH_TitleDesc=0
OK. The best manuals are Canadian...but you have, I think, the wrong one of two that are easy to find in reprinted and mislabeled form One is pieces of the Canadian Service bulletins, snippets of info meant mostly to identify applications and give specifications. It is only really a supplement to a manual. This https://cgfordparts.com/ufolder/showproducts.php?c=1&s=2&g=21&t=49 MAY be the one you want; I can't be sure without illustration. the repro Canadian '39-48 has a similar non-original green covet. If it is it is a wartime manual extended a bit into the postwar period with pretty good coverage. Its year range has been extended by adding pages from Motor's manuals to give the specs for '39-48. Flathead procedures are pretty much the same for '32-48 and you just need to apply the specs intelligently to adjust for annual differences. If you have a '35 (???,) which would be nice to know here, this should be supplemented with the small but excellent NAPA '32-26 book ( Repair Manual Please check the list below to confirm that this item fits your vehicle. Fits vehicles... (and/or) additional info... 32-36 Passenger & Pickup 48 pgs Part# V-13 Price $26.00 ea (USD) In Stock This covers the earlies with info like how to get the engine out of Ford's tightest compartment without totally taking the car apart, but it can use the increased detail of the so-called '39-48. The other really good manual is the military manual for '42 Ford staff cars...again, with a few specs it is good for any early Ford. Title refers to 1942 sedans. It may only be available as a CD. Ford dealers got their basic manual in the Model A and the '32 Service bulletins...then ongoing service bulletins and the excellent parts manuals kept everyone up to date. This worked, but required years of dedication!
I got a a 1940 Motor's Manual covers way back from that year. Just cool to sit back and read it for a sort of history lesson. I have an old Hollander thick book that is just as cool to read. Heck I have old Model T service tools and NOS engine gasket kits going back in the teens to the 40s. Ford, Pontiac Nash, Buicks etc etc. Guess I am just a collector whore.
Thanks @Bruce Lancaster, much appreciated. Good to know our friends up north are hoarding the good stuff
I like the green Motor Manuals, but they're kind of clunky to have sitting around. Then there's the Jalopy Journal and HAMB! Also, there's the Early Ford V-8 Club. And don't forget, Google knows everything! But then, that ain't traditional...
HA! Google has let me down many times on technical things. Sometimes there's no replacement for a good hard copy.
Yep. Look up a spec or a procedure, and a shop manual gives you one lousy answer. Google steps right up and gives you dozens, and you can pick whatever one pleases you! Books: Obsolete, gather dust... You have this: I believe it is the one that is selections from the Canadian Service bulletins. Sort of auxiliary info. This next is a copy of a 1936 NAPA book, good for specific older info This one: is PROBABLY the actual shop manual from Canada I described. They have put ANOTHER random Ford picture on the front to keep its origin unclear.
MoToRs Repair are pretty good. The writing style in most automotive publications before about 1970 is usually very terse and condensed content, no extraneous BS. They are fun to read as somebody mentioned. The difference then, I think, was they were written by mechanics who could write, now they are published by writers who can barely pump their own gas and then pored over by a team of lawyers who insert 150 pages of CYA boilerplate; e.g. "WARNING! DO NOT INGEST CONTENTS OF BATTERY". The actual shop manual has the specs you're looking for. The only thing is sometimes they used proprietary tools and test equipment so it's tough sometimes to figure out or reverse engineer exactly what they were doing. The first 8 or 10 pages of the MoToRs manual are dedicated to generic "Tune-Up" information and about as good as it gets.
Yep, the 'use Ford tool number blah-blah' isn't very helpful... LOL. That's where the aftermarket manuals come in. But if you're trying to figure out how a window regulator goes in (when it was all loose parts when you got it), need to know what kind and how many clips you need for a piece of trim, or how a headliner installs, you usually won't find squat about it in the aftermarket manuals....
Exactly! Those are the tidbits I like to know. Also, exploded parts diagrams that aren't all pixellated and blurry.
Unfortunately, you won't find too many of those in any type of service manual. You'll find some, but for complete car exploded parts diagrams you'll usually need a parts manual.
The Ford parts manuals (as with any olde car project) are important parts of the package. They have levels of detail you cannot match. The old literature can get expensive, but the best of it is an investment more than an expense. The "Ford tool number blah-blah" is part of any shop manual of any make or year. What is necessary is to study the tool shown and figure out what it pushes or pulls...90% of these things can be replaced with a moderately expensive but very versatile puller set...and when you find one, you will notice that there are a lot of inexpensive Chinese ones matching the functions. That's USUALLY a good course if you lack a huge tool budget. As a "For instance" I once HAD TO overhaul an automatic trans, no money for pro job. I could easily have figured I needed tools costing twice what a pro trans would have cost, but after studying everything I figured out how to do EVERYTHING I actually had to with a flathead cam bearing driver, a bag of long bolts, a couple pieces of steel strap with holes, and various round things like sockets and washers. Everything turns out to be just figuring out a way to push or pull some damn thing hard.
The Jalopy Journal
