Join me as we step back in time and tour California’s Scenic Ridge Route. When it opened in 1915 it was hailed as the “Magnus Opus” of mountain highway engineering. By-passed by the Ridge Alternate in 1933, it was left to the elements and all but forgotten. We will visit sites like Sanberg’s famous Summit Hotel where you would have seen Cadillacs, Packards and Studebakers during the road’s heyday. The sign out front read: “Truck Drivers and Dogs Not Allowed.” Not far from Sandberg’s we will locate the former site of the opulent Hotel Lebec, playground for Hollywood’s finest. Screenwriters, directors and famous movie stars like Clark Gable and Carol Lombard made it their destination. The Ridge Road House, the National Forest Inn and Kelly’s Half Way House are but a few of the other sites we will visit. Don’t take your eyes off the road; motorists faced 697 curves when navigating the famous mountain highway. Rare and historic photos of the road and establishments that lined its route will highlight our adventure. We will visit the location where “Queen Nell” had her shack and review how her sister chased General Petroleum’s pipeline crew from her property with a shotgun when they trampled her vineyard. We will follow “Ridge Route Annie’s” adventurous search for gold. Read how highwayman relived unsuspecting motorists of their valuables, out of control trucks careening down hill when their brakes failed and the 1922 blizzard that stranded scores of motorists in freezing weather. All of this in addition to early history on north – south routes and how Los Angeles had to entice the Butterfield Stage and later the Southern Pacific Railroad into Los Angeles.
While this book focuses on the 1915 Scenic Ridge Route, it also addresses the 1933 Ridge Alternate, (U.S. Highway 99) and the current I-5 Ridge Route highway.
The 5th revised edition was released on October 3rd 2015. It is a complete history of the Ridge Route from 1915 forward. Hardback, 410 pages (now with 287 pictures)
If you own or lust after an Alfa Romeo, this book is for you.
Few cars evoke the passionate experience that comes with owning an Alfa. Accelerating at 100-rpm increments just to hear the musicality of the rising exhaust note. Finding corners where the tires bite like newly sharpened skates on clean ice. Admiring the sensuous body styling and engine castings-all compound curves and aluminum alloy, so often copied in the designs of lesser cars.
Alfas can also be demanding, frustrating cars to own. They are not so much unreliable, as difficult to understand and troubleshoot when problems do arise. “Alfa Romeo Owner’s Bible” gives you precisely the kind of experienced information you need to serenely buy, maintain and drive an Alfa.
Head gasket repairs, valve adjustments, camshaft timing, carburetor and SPICA fuel injection tuning, and driveshaft “donut” replacement are just a few of the many maintenance and repair procedures explained and backed up by hundreds of step-by-step photos. This tremendously valuable information is crucial to owning, understanding and driving an Alfa, even if you don’t work on it yourself.
You will also get expert advice on things you should know when buying a used Alfa-specifically, where to look for rust problems, or signs of neglect or abuse-plus high-performance tuning for street and track, choosing accessories, and fascinating marque history.
Author Pat Braden has owned and maintained more than 50 Alfas and is a columnist and former editor of Alfa Owner magazine. Though many fine books have been published on Alfa Romeo, this is the only book that provides you with the experienced, hands-on guidance you need to keep you in the driver’s seat. No Alfa lover should be without it.
In our mechanized day of mass production, the craft of hand-forming sheet metal into compound curves and dashing fins and fenders is fast becoming a lost art. Eddie Paul is a master at sheet metal fabrication (among other accomplishments), and in this book he gives readers the means to mold their own sheet metal creations. Paul’s engagingly written book talks about the necessary tools and how to use them; how to choose, prepare and work with the right material; how to make forms and mock-ups, and much more. Whether you want to mold a fender for a custom car or just learn about this intriguing process, Sheet Metal Fabrication is a thoroughly readable reference book and guide, and a uniquely valuable resource.
Expert practical advice from an experienced race engine builder on how to build an ignition system that delivers maximum power reliably. A lot is talked about ignition systems and there is a bewildering choice of expensive aftermarket parts, which all claim to deliver more power. Des Hammill cuts through the myth and hyperbole and tells readers what really works, so that they can build an excellent system without wasting money on parts and systems that simply don’t deliver. Ignition timing and advance curves for modified engines is another minefield for the inexperienced, but Des uses his expert knowledge to tell readers how to optimize the ignition timing of any high-performance engine.
Sheet metal forming and fabrication is an essential automotive art. Creating door skins, fenders, hoods, and a myriad of other components from sheetmetal is a crucial skill for restoring many muscle cars, building custom parts for hot rods, and fabricating parts for classic or competition cars. While many specialized and expensive tools are used to form sheet metal into a functional and finished part, simple metal working hammers, dollies, anvils, and shot bags can be used to create parts with complex curves and crowns. This book shows the inclined enthusiast how to design and fabricate with inexpensive and simple tools as well as how to fabricate parts using more specialized tools, such as an English wheel.
Automotive Sheet Metal Forming & Fabrication provides the know-how for people who are working, or want to work, along the nearly endless learning curve of this craft. It instructs in most of the common processes and operations in sheet metal fabrication work. These are the basic ones that you can accomplish with some work, and with access to fairly modest tools and equipment. It focuses on how to perform most of the basic operations and tasks used in metal forming and fabrication. Of course, some of the more exotic tools, equipment, and techniques in this field also get attention in this book, but the emphasis is largely on the reliable basics of this work. This volume shows novice metal workers how to apply force and use fine judgment, and through close observation, creativity, ingenuity, and restraint, create almost any metal part.
Wire welders, metal shears and brakes, planishing hammers, and shrinker/stretchers are readily available and affordable, and therefore, metal forming is no longer the exclusive art of professional craftsmen. In turn, simple to more complex fabrication and metal forming tasks are within the reach of adept enthusiasts, and this book comprehensively explains how to accomplish these fun and satisfying tasks. Enthusiasts are shown how to work steel, aluminum, and some other metals, and how to select a metal for a particular part fabrication. This book also discusses how to determine elastic limits as well as how to shrink and expand metal, heating and annealing, and may other metal working techniques.
The photos in this edition are black and white.
The Volkswagen Repair Manual: Super Beetle, Beetle and Karmann Ghia: 1970-1979 is a definitive reference source of technical automotive repair and maintenance information for the classic air-cooled Volkswagen Type 1 models.
The aim throughout has been simplicity, clarity and completeness, with practical explanations, step-by-step procedures, and accurate specifications.
Though the do-it-yourself Volkswagen owner will find this manual indispensable as a source of the same detailed maintenance and repair information available at an authorized Volkswagen dealer, the Volkswagen owner who has no intention of working on his or her car will find that reading and owning this manual will make it possible to discuss repairs more intelligently with a professional technician.
This Volkswagen Type I service manual covers Beetles, Super Beetles, VW Convertibles and Karmann Ghias for the model years 1970 through 1979. This manual was created specifically to cover air-cooled Volkswagen models built for sale in the United States and Canada.
Technical features:
- Tune-up and oil change: specifications and procedures for models, up through the latest 1979 cars.
- Troubleshooting, replacing or repairing electrical system components, including complete wiring diagrams.
- Troubleshooting and repair of the electronic fuel injection system used on 1975 and later models.
- Troubleshooting, repairing and rebuilding the clutch, manual transmission and Automatic Stick Shift.
- Rebuilding the carburetor – including the 1974 California-only carburetor.
- Rebuilding disc and drum brakes.
- Rebuilding the front axle and steering gearbox.
- Strut front suspension for the Super Beetle and Convertible-including the suspension modifications of 1974 through 1979 models, and the rack and pinion steering of 1975 and later models.
- Spark advance curves for distributors-including the latest types.
- Emission controls-including 1974 through 1979 exhaust gas recirculation systems.
- Tolerances, wear limits, settings and tightening torque specifications for every part of your car.
Carrera: 50 Years on Track is published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Carrera, a slot car brand introduced in the early 1960s by Josef Neuhierl GmbH & Co. The name Carrera was inspired by the Porsche Carrera models which took their name from the Carrera Panamericana road race. Used in the competitive hobby of slot car racing, these are miniature cars, all scale models, that run along grooves or slots in tracks with a pin or blade extending from the bottom of the car into the slot. The cars are operated using hand-held control sets.
In 2006 Carrera held its first Carrera World Championship; this race is now held every other year. The Carrera cars are now available in more than forty countries around the world, and has become the world’s leading manufacturer for racetracks and accessories.
This is the first book to be published on the subject, with many as yet unseen images about this fascinating hobby. Carrera shows the complete history of the Carrera track, including steep curves and loopings, representing current models and absorbing biopics of their owners since 1963.
The Volkswagen Beetle and Karmann Ghia (Type 1) Service Manual: 1966-1969 covers the Beetles, Convertibles, and Karmann Ghias for the model years 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969. This manual was created specifically to cover models built for sale in the United States and Canada.
Engines covered
- 1300 air-cooled (1285 cc, 78.3 cubic inches, 50 SAE bhp)
- 1500 air-cooled (1493 cc, 91.1 cubic inches, 53 SAE bhp)
This book features wiring diagrams (including 6-volt systems), convertible top repair, carburetor rebuilding (30 PICT-1 and 30 PICT-2) and comprehensive year and model specifications and troubleshooting tables. Like the later-model Type 1 manual, this is a comprehensive source for service and repair information.
Technical features:
- Full data and instructions for all major repairs on engines, clutches, and transmissions
- Rebuilding and adjusting the carburetor for maximum economy and reduced exhaust emissions
- How to rebuild disc and drum brakes for safer stops with older cars
- Taking the play out of worn front ends and steering gears
- How to align front and rear wheels for reduced tire wear and lower rolling resistance
- Troubleshooting, replacing, or repairing every component of the electrical system-with full wiring diagrams for every model
- Complete specifications and instructions for money-saving tune-ups
- Spark advance curves that will help you spot fuelwasting, worn-out distributors
- Do-it-yourself body repairs that help keep older bugs looking new
- Plus tolerances, wear limits, adjustments and tightening torque specifications that you’ve come to expect from Bentley manuals
America’s original – and long considered its best – sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette is fast, sexy, sleek, sublime. The legacy of the Corvette is matched only by its beauty, captured here like never before.
Art of the Corvette profiles two dozen Corvettes from all seven generations, beginning with the first 1953 Blue Flame Six Corvette and concluding with the return of an icon, the stunning 2014 Corvette Stingray. Using a unique style of portraiture known as light-painting, acclaimed photographers Randy Leffingwell and Tom Loeser present the most recognizable, unique, and historic Corvettes ever produced. From the chrome-lined grilles of the 1953 Roadster and sexy curves of the first C3s to the aggressive snarl of the 2012 ZR1 and the bold, blunt powerhouse of the 2014 Corvette Stingray, all are presented in breathtaking color and detail. Rare and one-off cars abound as well, like the 1963 Z06 Sting Ray and one of only a handful of 1967 L88 convertibles.
With an authoritative text by Leffingwell, one of the world’s leading Corvette historians, and over 200 stunning photographs, Art of the Corvette presents this landmark of American automotive engineering and design, the Chevrolet Corvette, as never before seen. Some of the vehicles you’ll find inside include:
1953 Corvette – 1963 Sting Ray Z06 coupe – 1966 Sting Ray L72 coupe – 1969 L71 convertible – 1978 Indy Pace Car – 1989 convertible – 1996 Grand Sport coupe – 2003 50th anniversary convertible – 2012 ZR1 coupe – 2014 C7 Stingray coupe
“The painter laureate of the car” —AutoWeek
Be dazzled by gorgeous paintings from award-winning automotive artist Harold Cleworth. From illustrating the elegant curves of the multimillion-dollar 1936 Bugatti Atlantic, to perfectly depicting the brilliance of the head-turning red of Ferraris past and present, Cleworth brings an incredible photo-like quality to his work that not only captures the beauty of a car, but elevates it. With a precision that is beyond photography, it is no wonder that he is one of the world’s most sought-after artists: commissioned by car companies to paint originals of their newest models, and by celebrities and private collectors to create portraits of their beloved automobiles.
CLEWORTH: an ARTFULLlife is the first publication to compile his life’s work, and is a captivating visual journey of an illustrious career that has spanned almost four decades. A must-have for automobile aficionados, it features Cleworth’s most highly coveted paintings to date, and the fascinating stories behind them.
After his last book „Escapes“, Stefan Bogner returns to the Alps again with this illustrated book. This time he did not only photograph particular routes, but he looked for the ideal tour through the Alps: 3 countries, 15 passes – the perfect little escape for 4 days.
Different from Bogner’s photographs in „Escapes“ or „CURVES“, where Bogner just presents dreamlike empty streets, „Porsche Drive“ focuses on the journey in Porsche models like Porsche 906, Porsche 911, Porsche 918 and more. Stefan Bogner drives his own Porsche 911 1970 ST.
Apart from Bogner‘s photographs, „Porsche Drive“ offers information on each route and height profile. Thus you can follow Bogner‘s itinerary on a long weekend.
Hard Cover 432 pages
