Does anyone have this book and is it any good ?

Chilton's Repair and Tune-Up Guide Chevy Mid-Size 1964-81: Chevelle 1964-77, Laguna S-3 1974-77, Malibu 1978-81, Monte Carlo 1970-81, El Camino 1964 (Chilton's Repair Manual (Model Specific)

I want to learn how to work on my own car and was wondering if this was a good book to start with.

Any opinions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Keith,
You would be much better off buying a reproduction of the factory service manual. All of the resto suppliers sell them including our sponsor http://ss396.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH&Store_Code=chevellecamino

Hey Bill,
Thanks for the advice....I'm going to order that 3 book set from Ground Up tomorrow.

Thanks !

Factory Assembly Instruction Manuals (AIM) are great when it comes to showing how things go together but a Chilton's Repair & Tune-Up Guide (or any good repair manual) is also handy for maintenance and mechanical repairs.

Repair guide has specifications and guidelines for tuneups (plug gapping, timing, etc.), torque specs, alignment specs, brake specs, troubleshooting, etc. A wealth of info on how to's that the AIM does not address.

I have it on PDF file...hmmm

Thanks Dale,
I ordered a used copy of the Chilton's manual yesterday from Amazon...got it for $5.00 + $3.50 shipping. I figured at that price it was probably worth getting. I think I'll still get the other 3 books recommended by Bill. Never can have too much information !

Thanks Dale,
I ordered a used copy of the Chilton's manual yesterday from Amazon...got it for $5.00 + $3.50 shipping. I figured at that price it was probably worth getting. I think I'll still get the other 3 books recommended by Bill. Never can have too much information !Good price. I agree with you 100%, you can never have enough reference material. :thumbsup:

There are three manuals that you should get IMHO; factory assembly, Body by Fisher, and a factory service manual. The Chiltons isn't as good as the factory manual for your car. You'll spend almost $100.00 getting these manuals but if you read them you will be very educated in your car and most Chevy's for that matter. It took me almost twenty years of wrenching on my hobby cars until I finally bought manauls for them and I wasted a lot of time and money going at things the wrong way or asking for answers and getting mixed responses.

Chilton's tend to get you in trouble due to their lack of detail. If you can't get a copy of the factory manual, try to find a old copy of Motors Auto Manual. I have one that covers1968-1974 and is very comprehensive and VERY dog eared.. i miss living in St. louis where the public library had a copy of virturally very factory manual for in house use. not so here in alabama.

When I was young and thin of wallet the Chilton's manuals were my car repair books of choice. Plentiful and cheap, easily found at swap meets and garage sales for the bargain hunters. I think they are great for those starting to learn. The way I explain it is that anything not well explained in a Chilton's manual is probably too much for a beginner.

Thomas

Thanks for all the comments. This forum is very helpful. Great group of people ! :yes:

IMO, the factory manuals show great detail of how that particular car goes together, but the Chilton or Haynes manuals will give additional detail on things like how to actually install a seal (without Special Factory Service Tool PN3977354689785423) or how to pack a wheel bearing. That sort of stuff is left out of factory manuals because the knowledge is already assumed to be known.

K

I need a copy of that too. Chiltons is horrible.

Tim

There are also factory overhaul manuals which cover the major bits of the cars, such as trans, rearend, engine, starter, carb, etc. While the service manual may cover removing the part, the overhaul manual has info on repairs.

Just another source of info.

I'm always on the lookout at swap meets for manuals. Sometimes you can get them for $5.00 r so...