General Automotive Reviews

Talk about the power of books! Six years ago, some roadside preacher in a bus covered windshield-to-tail lights in bible verses handed me a book called Wild Wheels. He thought I would enjoy it, seeing as how I was driving a Ford Granada covered in graffiti, and therefore somewhat of a kindred spirit. Well, he was right. Years later, I'm still driving that Granada and mostly thanks to writer/photographer Harrod Blank's campaign to make the American highway a safer place for art. In the stories and bright colorful photos of Wild Wheels, I found the inspiration to turn my graffitied junker into a driving dream, a 2-door art museum on wheels. And though Wild Wheels won't likely have so dramatic an effect on every reader, its universal theme of self-realization through expression will touch every reader's heart.

Featuring over 100 color photos and fascinating anecdotal peeks into the lives of the artists who made the cars, Wild Wheels continues to introduce the world to the pioneers of the now popular car art movement.

The characters and cars in Wild Wheels are so genuine and so funky and so genuinely funky as captured by Blank that they'll have you wondering "Is it real? Did somebody make all this up? Am I really bolting antlers to my hood?" For answers to these and other wild questions, buy this book!! I loved it, and everyone I show it to wants a copy.

Woodies by Han Halberstadt, is the best coffee table book on these rare, wonderful, cars published to date. The text is well researched and the book is loaded with high quality photographs. The author not only relates historical facts about this golden age of automobile history, but he also relates stories and events that shaped the lives of the owners of the beautiful woodies that are featured in this book. The book is not an in-depth look at all the wonderful wooden bodied cars produced by all the various automobile manufactures.....that book still waits to be written. It is however a must have for any woodie owner or lover of these beautiful automobiles. This book will bring back many fond memories of a time long past or perhaps introduce you to the wonderful world of woodies!

It think this is a well written, well ilustrated book explaining alot of cars. Some are well known, others are obsecure. Overall, this it a good book that is recomened!!!

I thought it covered many makes and histories of the different manufactures.

This book starts at the beginning of the tractor era and keeps on going right to the up to date machinery and technology today. We have a three and a half year old son that new all(and I mean all) of the tractors in this book before he hit age three. We sat with him night after night and day after day with this book. He just kept wanting to know these tractors and what they were all about. We live on a farm and the cover of this book is the same tractor that his Popa drives every day. He has since destroyed the first book from so much reading, so we are ordering a new one from a book store in Rocky Mtn. House where we live. We will try to keep this one in a little better shape so that he can pass it on to his children one day. Thank you so much for making a book with so many pictures and so much information on each tractor, who knows, maybe some day he'll grow up to be a farm machinery repair man or something. Thank you again

IT HAD CARS GOING FAST .THE FASTEST CAR COULD GO 325 MILES PER HOUR.IT HAD NICE CARS.THE CARS WERE REALLY FAST.THE CARS HAD BIG TIRES AND ENGINES.

this is the book to get if you want accurate interesting 50 word summaries of many models of most major auto marques with a b&w photo for every one - the text is part technical info, road test anecdotes, gripes , insights etc - the reviews of cars i know have been very accurate and its fun to just flip thru all the very different approaches to automobile engineering [there are 2 other companion books cars of 1945-70 and of the 70s - both also great]

Very very interesting book on the Father (but not creator) of the Corvette. The book brings the legend to life. If you have already put Zora on a Pedestal, then you may not want to read this book as it shows his human side (but does not tarnish it). On the other hand if you want to know the inside story on someone who had a tremendous influence on automotive history, then read this book. If you want to learn about how the Corvette happened and grew, then this book is for you.

This book really changed everything for me with regard to motorcycle performance. Before reading this book I (like most other people) thought that motorcycle tuning was just a question of upgrading say airfilter, jetting and a louder pipe and of you go. What this book teaches is that the world is not that simple. A bike is a system of interrelated parts and you can't just change one of the parts and expect good results. Even if you do the tuning right there is still a price to be paid in performance. You want top end? Be prepared to sacrifice the lower end and the reliability. It's all about what you want from your bike.

In the end the book changed my focus from engine tuning to suspension and brakes and I really love the result. The above-mentioned mods was what I originally intended and would have destroyed the trait of my bike that I love the most. A killer torque straight from the bottom and up.

This a book that nearly all riders can benefit from whether considering racing, street performance, maintenance, or just wondering about how all that machinery underneath us works. Kevin Cameron approaches each aspect of motorcycle performance with an explanation how that system works and how it interacts with you and the rest of the bike. This understanding of your bike's systems makes performance choices clearer and easier. Any mechanical modification or upgrade has its tradeoffs which Cameron make clear for every subject. But even without the need for "superbike" performance, understanding the inner workings of what you ride adds greatly to the experience. In reading this text it is clear that Mr. Cameron has considerable experience, education, training, enthusiam, and intuition into the workings of motorcycles. He is able to bring all of this into words for the enthusiast - without the need for an engineering degree.

I received this book today. Gave it a quick look through and it seems to be just what I wanted. I don't want a book that says do this and that to your bike, I need something that give me the theory and lets me plan it myself. I have been building and restoring bikes for 5 years and basic performance is not a problem for me. I am building a CBR600 from the ground up this winter and need to know what to do and what not to do to keep it reliable, but add a good kick.
This book seems to have lots of pics and drawings that explain how to tweak the entire bike to your needs. Goes far beyond bolt on and shows just about everything under the sun you could do. does talk about bolt on products for beginners though. Looking forward to reading the entire thing this weekend.

It's not really the fault of the author, but it lacks a lot of information. You're better off buying a text book for automotive service. You can find good ideas from the local college that has classes, better yet, take their introductory class if you can.

It's a good primer and goes through the systems but it recommends more often than not to seek professional help.

You're also better off just getting the service manual of your car from Chilton and Hayes if you want to fix your car. See if you can find this book in the library or bookstore and just browse through the pages in an hour or two. It's definitely not worth having in your library.

I own this book and Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care. These books compliment each other quite well. Auto Repair for Dummies does an excellent job explaining basic maintenance and repair, using well drawn line art. Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care uses detailed photos and drawings to show actual car parts. Auto Repair for Dummies is quite procedural for specific repairs. Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care uses to-the-point chapters, price guides, internet links, and an activity CD to help the reader learn about automobile maintenance and ownership. I see Auto Repair for Dummies as a reference, while Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care is a book for anyone who wants to learn more about cars and car ownership (from obtaining insurance, to cleaning, to understanding oil and other fluids). All and all, I recommend having both books in your personal library. These are also great gifts for the new driver!

BASIC. GOOD FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS NO IDEA AND YET HAS SOME TIDSBITS FOR THE EXPERIANCED CAR CARE PERSON.