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The best of Automotive Repair books by number of unique Reddit comments:
![Design and Simulation of Four Stroke Engines [R-186]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41i6E0PcCWL._SL500_.jpg)
![Chassis Design: Principles and Analysis [R-206]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/4127RU8SN1L._SL500_.jpg)
Top Reddit reviews mentioning Automotive Repair books:
When I had my first beetle I was a big fan of How to Keep you VW Alive - Step by step for the complete idiot. Mostly because I was an idiot mechanically back then.
https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Volkswagen-Alive-Step-Step/dp/1566913101
I second this. They are straight forward and would be great to learn on.
That said - you do know on todays highways they are death traps. The drum brakes don't stop for $%^&, it handles like a tractor, has tiny skinny tires with no grip, and the only crumple zone is your skull. Really, if a texting soccer mom in a Tahoe T bones you its probably over
Everything I will say comes from personal experience, which isn't transferrable, and reading books like Lee Parks' Total Control.
According to his advice, to brake even in the most controlled situations, you should apply the rear brake before the front brake. This maximizes braking AND grip, avoiding accidents such as yours.
From experience, if something undesired happened and you don't know what you did wrong, it's very likely you have done something wrong, and being conscious about it and trying to figure it out is a great symptom that you care and want to improve to not do it again.
Maybe your mind wandered a bit and you hit the brakes just a bit harder than you think. The street conditions you describe are worse than pouring rain, because the drizzle mixes with dust and oils in the tarmac making it very slippery. Heavy rain washes all that residue faster.
I'd give lee parks' book a shot, you will learn the technical aspects of why your accident actually happened and the correct technique to avoid it.
Drive safe, and heal soon!
I have no suggestions but wanted to let you know this post felt so full of love. Keep it up Mama. I teach middle and high school kids and it’s a rough time. If he’s into building cars, why not get him a book related to that? Something on mechanical engineering? How Cars Work by Tom Newton looks good. how cars work
https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Volkswagen-Alive-Step-Step/dp/1566913101
Following the guide in the book, buy some tools and a box to keep them in that will fit in the rear window well. Then do the basic tuneup. Learn how to set your valves, and why the number 3 cylinder's valves should always be set looser than the other cylinders. Figure out how to advance and retard the distributor. Figure out the proper method for changing your generator belt.
Then you'll want to learn how to do all of that by feel with your eyes closed, so that, some dark night, you'll be able to do it all on the side of the road. Bugs are not unreliable, but they pick the damnedest times to do janky stuff.
Check to see if your university has a Formula SAE team. As an AE student you can help design and fabricate the airfoils of a Formula one car. Lightweight aeropackages with a low lift/drag ratio and a large downforce win races.
Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing for Speed (Engineering and Performance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0837601428?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
*edit: forgot to include link
I'd recommend:
buying a bentley e30 manual https://www.amazon.com/BMW-E30-Service-Manual-1984/dp/0837616476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519082032&sr=8-1&keywords=bentley+e30+manual
Buying a decent mechanic tool set, I just bought a 450 piece one off sears for $250 but any good rated amazon one for $70-$120 should do for basic stuff
Register on a good e30 forum like r3vlimited.com and look at the diy guides and info there
Basics like when/how to add which fluids, changing a tire, at what point to see a mechanic are things my kids learned before they were allowed to drive. When I was their age I toasted my VW and had to learn about engines to rebuild it because I had no money. "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot saved me an incredible amount of money and was the original "Idiot" book.
If you’re referring to what the wrench is on, then yep that’s your fuel pump. It’s possible the diaphragm inside is not working properly, and the unit needs replacing. You can buy replacements at nearly any of the popular parts sites for supers like jbugs, cip1, Wolfsburgwest, to name a few. It should run you about $20-30 depending on what year your Super is. Fairly easy replacement.
As to the stalling at stops and lights, I would be more inclined to take a look at your carb, specifically the idle jet. Open the top of your carb and look into the bowl. If you see any kind of debris or grit in the bowl you would be best served to clean out your carb thoroughly, including removing and blowing out the jets. You can get new carb gaskets from the same websites. Also not expensive.
The larger problem is if you are getting grit in your carb. Do you have fuel filters installed in your fuel lines, and are they installed with the flow going the right direction? Do you have fuel lines that are old and crumbly? Do you have debris in the bottom of your gas tank? None of these things are show-stoppers and parts are available to fix them all. Depending on your time and resources it’s best to go from easiest to fix (clean out carb, check/install fuel filters), to more difficult (remove fuel tank and replace or refurb/run steel fuel lines wherever possible).
I am not sure what book you’re using, but if you don’t have a copy of the Bentley manual I highly suggest you get one. It’s essentially the VW bible for how these things go together and come apart.
Volkswagen Super Beetle, Beetle & Karmann Ghia Official Service Manual: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, https://www.amazon.com/dp/0837616239/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_1BgdGb3SFJ5YA
I know that Adrian Newey (Red Bull Chief) wrote a book called "how to build a car" that i just seen at my friends home. I don't know how technical is it honestly but you can take a look at sinopsis or something.
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Edit: Here you go, a simple google search https://www.amazon.es/New-Directions-Race-Car-Aerodynamics/dp/0837601428/ref=bmx_3/261-8060612-2615810?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0837601428&pd_rd_r=90dd1353-f1d6-4d48-9e93-0dd3a7bd13c1&pd_rd_w=hcxA2&pd_rd_wg=Uxjji&pf_rd_p=37575520-de40-4d12-8f23-8dd416dd87ab&pf_rd_r=YZNH96T8VJ6051VB8B6D&psc=1&refRID=YZNH96T8VJ6051VB8B6D
Sign up for a CHP riding course. Start reading https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760343446/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_3K0PQDXHGP8PYN3N1XDF
Ride on empty back streets with no cars. After you start getting more confident, you can graduate to busier streets. Take a break and relax. Don't force yourself to ride. You should feel confident and clear minded before getting on.
Jbugs, CB Performance, and SoCal Imports are where I personally get all my parts. Jbugs has a few items of questionable quality, but for the most part everything has been good. They're also usually a bit cheaper than other places.
Also if you're going to do the majority of work on it, I'd look into getting a service manual. There's the Bentley manual, but apparently there isn't one that covers 1960. There are actual shop service manuals, and those might work. I have this book and I like it. It's got a lot of info about pretty much anything you'll need to work on, and it covers every year Bug.
On another note, keep spare parts in the car in case of a breakdown. I used to have a spare belt, spark plugs, light bulbs, carb rebuild kit, and a tool kit with sockets, wrenches, etc. I ditched the carb kit when I upgraded to dual carbs a while back. A spare throttle cable and clutch cable would probably be good as well. I haven't had it happen, but they do break occasionally and it sucks to be stranded with something that simple.
yes indeed about the suspension! And actually i already have a book that is well reviewed in my amazon Shopping Cart that i can't wait to get my hands on.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Your-Car-Handle/dp/0912656468/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
If you're working on turbo engines and you want to modify them, try reading this;
It's very simple, accessible and will give you more than you'll need to know for a long time.
Buy John Muirs idiot manual it’s a great read and the art is hilarious also pick up a Bentley service manual for your year, don’t bother with the Hayes one. If you can turn the pulley by hand great! Drain all the old gas if it’s been sitting for more then a month and change the fuel filter if the is one. Drop the oil and clean the screen if some of the studs pull out don’t fret, while you are under there clean any leaves or grass out of the nooks and crannies put the pan back on and fill with the correct amount of new oil. Take the air filter off and see how many spiders are living in there. Lift up the back seat and prop it up good because if you turn it over and the starter won’t stop with the key you wanna be able to pull the battery cable off. get a compression tester pull all the wires and plugs and label them to each cyl with tape. check all the cylinders compression they should all be within 10% of one another if it’s ok ie 100+psi. You can check for spark at this point too by putting on plug in the wire and laying on the tin where you can see it and getting someone to crank over the engine a few times don’t put the plugs back in until all are checked for comp and spark. If everything is still good. Put new plugs back in her. change the cap and rotor and clean up the points with some emery cloth if they are corroded , change new wires one wire at a time to the cap and then do the wires one at a time so you don’t mix them up. change the fuel filter if it has one and inspect any rubber fuel lines and change any that are questionable, don’t forget the one under the tank in the front(I would change them all anyways) Clean any leaves and stuff from the engine bay don’t forget in behind the fan shroud.. put gas in it and check for leaks EVERYWHERE If it starts great! If it doesn’t start you need 3 things for a gas engine to run. fuel, compression and spark. Good luck!
A car that can be completely disassembled, and reassembled, in your driveway, with nothing more than an old set of Craftsman sockets and wrenches. Which you’ll need to do frequently, to keep it running.
Amazon sells the required instruction manual: How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot
Coming from someone who is very into cars and hungry to learn about them, this book was recently referred to me.
Maximum Boost was a pretty good read on turbo chargers. It goes into a reasonable amount of detail without being unattainable to the average Joe.
I'd love to find something similar for suspension work, myself.
As far as Jack points there are two on each side the square holes under the running boards. Don't use these unless you are changing a tire and after you made sure they haven't rusted. Under the front on the front end there should be two spots left and right of the center tunnel on where the spindles connect on the beam. Those are good solid spots to Jack it up and put it on stands. Just make sure you can access the spindles mounting points. Also go buy yourself two books one the bently manual and two "how to keep your volkswagen alive" these will give you a lot of info on what may be wrong and how to fix it.
I think you'll find head positioning is guided by where your looking which is absolutely key. You want to be looking where you want to end up and if that involves moving your head then you should be doing that.
His head turned to focus round the corner to the furthest point he can see, tilted to level view against lean and while he's not at an extreme position his head is just about on the centerline.
Have you tried reading? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760343446 which will explain the body positioning and the reasons why it works.
The Bentley E30 manual is the best repair and maintenance resource for E30s, the electrical information is super helpful. However, it does not include the ix drivetrain, and a couple other things specific to the AWD model. For example, the engine bay layout is a little different, the battery is in the trunk, the driveshaft is reverse threaded (that was a frustrating weekend), oil pan and pump is unique, etc.
Most of it is the same as a 325is, just be aware that there are differences before you order parts and jump into repairs. So far it hasn't been anything critical and I've found plenty of information on forums like r3vlimited.
There is a great book called How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive I had one that was hole punched and put into a binder, perfect for working in the workshop.
Not Subaru specific, but Greg Banish's Engine Management Advanced Tuning book is a great starting point. I would also recommend learning about engines (in general), Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals is another staple to get started. You can find many online resources by searching for FSAE <topic>, like FSAE Intake Manifold, or FSAE Exhaust.
Beetle is very tinker-friendly car. One of the reason I like it. Also the boxer sound is lovable.
For a tinkerer I'd recommend Beetle factory manual by Bentley, for a novice John Muir's 'how to keep your volkswagen alive'.
https://www.amazon.com/Volkswagen-Beetle-Karmann-Official-Service/dp/0837616239 https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Volkswagen-Alive-Step-Step/dp/1566913101
I've both, highly recommended. :)
This. Anyone can say they out in a ‘new’ engine. That could mean a new to the car beater engine from the junkyard to a fully rebuilt from scratch with all new I rentals and seals, etc.
This appears to be the former. You should have the engine tested at a competent VW shop in your area. Have them check the timing, the rockers under the valve covers and do a compression test.
Then start buying books to lean how to work on the car yourself. Buy this book first:
https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Volkswagen-Alive-Step-Step/dp/1566913101
Highly recommend this book for beginners, easy to follow step-by-step instructions for most repairs and maintenance procedures:
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot https://www.amazon.com/dp/1566913101/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_BNH3M5CZM7WPDDC0DQ5T
The book also has lists of recommended tools to get you started with.
Your project doesn't look bad at all, a great starting point. Don't sweat the cosmetics right now. Focus on starting, running and stopping. Floors are good to have as well.
Cip1.com is a good source for parts.
TheSamba.com is an invaluable resource, check it out.
Also get this book
I would also recommend getting this book. It has tons of great information on fixing your car, and lots of cool drawings to help figure stuff out. There is a chapter on front ends.
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot[sic]
This is a great resource, as well as this book.
As others have said, the carb will most likely need to be pulled and cleaned/rebuilt. Find out what carb/distributor setup you have, and do some research on The Samba to see if they work well together. These engines really do run the best when they are in their original configuration (stock form that is). Over the years, lots of people install loads of mix and match crap quality parts that will make the performance suffer.
Other than that, check the plugs/wires/distributor and make sure everything is in good order. Also try to drain the junk out of the fuel tank, or at the least grab a bunch of fuel filters and keep swapping them when they fill up with debris. Most of all have fun! These old veedubs will make a mechanic out of anyone.