<VV> Manuals

[Padgett]

> > If the manual companies are gonna sale these, IMHO, senseless misuse of a
>perfectly good tree could they at least give me some useful information?!?

Am not sure what you are expecting. The factory service manual (FSM) is 
essential to maintaining a car (for the Buick Reatta, it is the *only* 
source). Be glad that the Corvair has had enough interest to generate quite 
a number of manuals.

I measure the factory service manuals in my library by feet yet when we had 
a Westphalia, "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" was essential since it 
explained things in layman's terms and without requiring large numbers of 
specialized tools (in GM-ese, J-tools mostly from Kent-Moore).

Similarly, once I find the right Corvair, my copy of the "Chilton's Corvair 
Repair and Tune Up Guide" will be along but so will the wiring diagram 
since the Chilton's has none (actually I prefer either Haynes or Clymer's 
but have the Chilton's). Once I have the car will probably get the CD to 
put on my notebook (seems a bit pricey though, are they available anywhere 
at a discount ?).

Now you do not need to be an engineer or a mechanic with a Snap-On habit to 
understand a FSM though it does help to understand that they are all laid 
out the same way: in the 1960s "Engine, Mechanical" was chapter 6 and it 
still is though there has been some shuffling otherwise.

In recent years GM has allowed some car clubs to post the service manuals 
online (usually in PDF format) and it make it mush easier to answer a 
question if you can just refer to a figure or paragraph in the answer.

You must keep in mind that not all factory service manuals are equal 
(preliminary are for long leads and usually just have changes from the 
previous year and even the final was usually produced before the first car 
was sold. There are also supplements where there were not many and also 
require a previous year.

Then there are TSBs, assembly manuals, wiring manuals, P&As, all which have 
different parts of the puzzle. Finally there are separate Fisher Body, 
Delco-Remy, Delco-Moraine, Delco-Radio, Rochester Carb., etc, etc. catalogs 
and service manuals which have still more details. It is never-ending.

The nice thing is that most are available for the Corvair and the prices 
(other than the CD) seem reasonable (have seen certain service manuals go 
for over $100 and others are unobtainable for any price (MCC Smart Car) .

So if looking for a single slim volume that will tell all, it doesn't 
exist. If someone knows where I can buy a copy of Finch's "How to Keep Your 
Corvair Alive ", I would appreciate a lead.

Padgett