There seem to be several shop manuals to choose from. There's Chilton, Haynes, some that claim to the the actual ford shop manual on a CD.

What are you guys all using and what would you recommend?

Some of the reviews I've read on the Chilton and Haynes books are that they are more for general maintenance and not really suited for more in-depth repairs...

So I though it would be a good question to ask here

 

Go for the factory manuals. No doubt whatsoever.

That's 'cause I have an absolute fear of the aftermarket manuals since one lied to me once. I was working on my brother's Kaw 903 and looked up the cam bearing specs. However, before I got to the spec the bolt started feeling "greasy", meaning it was not tightening up linearly. I stopped until I found the factory specs and they were 1/2 what the other book said.

But, I have a very large library with many Chiltons, Clymers, Motors, etc. Why? Because there is other info in them that isn't in the factory manuals. For instance I was just asked a question that I can't answer in my shop manuals as they only cover the 1981 trucks and the item in question was introduced later. So, I could answer it via one of the others - but ONLY if I thought the answer was approximately correct.

Also, I would not go with CD. I use the manuals too frequently to want to bring up a CD every time. And I take them out to where I'm working to see the drawings or steps next to the work. Give me a book as they become old friends. In fact, the other day someone asked a question about a specific torque spec on an M/400 engine. I picked up the book and opened it to the right page on the first try.

 

X2 on the Ford paper books. I found some on ebay that were in good shape.

 

Factory manual for the win. All I need is the diesel supplement for my set and I'll be golden. It's amazing how detailed they are compared to the aftermarket companies that try to cram all the different engines and chassis into one book that's like 1/5 the size of the factory manual.

 

If you have worked on a lot of vehicles and have a lot of experience under your belt, the Haynes and Chiltons work because they highlight most of the differences and have the specs you need to guide you on the specific vehicle. If you are a newbie looking for a step by step guide on how to take something apart, they are not very good at that. The best for that are 3rd party aftermarket books.

For instance if you have a 302 or 351w, you can get the book "How to rebuild your small bock ford" and that will give a newbie a step by step guide to building their engine. There may books also on brakes and other systems on cars and trucks.

 

Yea I started working on cars when I was 14. My brother "gave" me a 1968 Mustang that had a dead battery a broken drivers window, a flat tire and it overheated like crazy and not a single panel was NOT dented and had holes in the floors.

I had 1 1/2 years to get it road worthy and I drove that car for about 6 years till it really rotted out from under me!

Then, it's been all kinds of cars, boats, trucks, vans, motorcycles... since.

I hate paying people to work on my stuff... I always think there gunna cut corners...

Paranoid?? Maybe... LOL

 

+1 for the factory shop manual, Rock Auto has them on
CD ROM for just under $20.
More Information for BISHKO 12043

 

Have several Haynes manuals that amigo through almost everything you could do here. Definitely recommend them.

 

Hmmmm.... the description describes and owners manual but the title calls it a shop manual... I've written Rock auto for clarification.

 

Unless you have something like Adobe Acrobat you probably won't be able to bookmark a CD-based manual. And, you may well not be able to search it - you can't search the master parts catalog that comes on CD. Without those features having a large document on CD isn't as useful as having it in hardcopy format - in my opinion.

 

I just bought a used hard copy book on ebay! I may get the CD as a backup...or not... LOL

 

I think you'll like the hardcopy and won't have to worry about backup.

 

Haynes for economy, Factory paper for thoroughness, Chiltons for beginners. Forget the CD. Can you picture your laptop balanced on the air cleaner inches from the fan? ~Bill

 

Amen, but with one exception - I can't imagine the book on the air cleaner either. Or, maybe I can but the pages are flipping over, and over, and over.

 

Speed reading!