Thread: Book: Standard Guide to Building Street Rods

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Has anyone read this book?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=24TC69T5HLJ5R
Would you recommend it? I am just starting to get into hot rods and figured this would be a good place to start. I am not a car novice but I wouldn't call myself an expert either. Are there other books that you suggest I read?

Quote from the review:

"Learn the secrets of how to build a hot street rod without going broke. Enthusiasts will learn step-by-step how to plan for and undertake a custom street rod project. Includes practical advice for the entire process, such as how to assemble a budget and a game plan.
Chapters cover in detail each step of building a custom street rod including chassis, engine, bodywork, painting, upholstery, and tips to keep the car looking sharp. Time and money-saving tips and tricks are included throughout, such as whether to use steel or fiberglass.

Generously illustrated, this book contains both in-progress how-to photos and inspiring photos of completed street rods. Hobbyists will save time and money and avoid costly mistakes. "



Since these reviews are usually written by non enthusiasts I would hope the author cringes at it.

Just about anything you read will be usefull, especially if your experience is pretty limited. Given that the author has a slant of "avoid costly mistakes" it might be a good one. Keep in mind that a book that REALLY "covers in detail each step....."would have to be thicker than Webster's unabridged dictionary, so this book is probably like most. It will require some further study to grasp the full intent of each subject. What's presented in any book is the author's perspective. Not unlike what you see on a site like this, or any other. Each person presents a solution within his own experience and tastes. Any given question could end up with several "correct" answers, it just depends on the desired results. One word of caution; websites are uncontrolled and sometimes the answers given are "wrong", deadly wrong. So varify veracity on everything you see. As you will often note on a thread here, if an answer is patently wrong there will be someone (even several someones) to correct it, but minor misinformation bits sometimes slide by.

This could be a good launching piece for you to read, but be prepared to read others, and surf sites like this, as well as conversation with real people you might meet at events. There's a lot of experience here, and the advice is free (but as noted earlier it is sometimes worth what you pay for it). The temptation for many who are new to an endeavor they haven't participated in before is to look for a "silver bullet" experience of knowledge, or learning tool. There ain't none!! It just takes time and effort on your part. Keep in mind too, a solution that I might offer will differ from someone elses based not only on our experience, but on our interpretation of what's "right". Part of that comes from previous negative experiences in the learning process. If a certain "bad" thing hasn't happened to an individual yet, they may not see the value in a prescribed solution that looks more "difficult". Or a difference in aesthetic value could deem one solution too "troublesome", or too "costly". If crude works for you, minimal effort might suffice. If you value style and what could be called a more finished look, then more effort/cost may be appropriate.

All in all, it's like any other learning experience. The more you invest (time/money/effort) the more you should get out of it.

...Hi Mayfield, I'm also really new to street rods and for what I'M interested in building I really liked this book; Builders Guide To Bolt-Together Street Rods, by Bruce Caldwell. I went over to Barnes & Noble several times and spent HOURS reading a bunch of street rod books. Ended up buying a couple of 'em {including the one you mentioned}. But I think that for MY needs the particular book that I mentioned above was the best {by Bruce Caldwell}. When I say "MY needs" I mean for what I'm doing. Which is having a roller package built for me and then I'm going to finish off doing what I'm capable of {& feel like} doing. The reason that I highlighted the 'I' , 'I'M' & 'MY' is that this book fit MY needs but it might not fit yours. What are you planning on building??? Plus this web site is invaluable for info.... just my 2 cents.... Bill....