If it's not obvious at this point, we'll just say it: This book's subject is just about exclusive to body/chassis packages. You're not going to learn how to repair rust, convert a car to later suspension, or install air conditioning. On the other hand, you're going to get some information on how to comb aisles at swap meets or pick an appropriate engine that doesn't break the bank. You're also likely to reference a lot of the information gleaned from this book in your future and more ambitious projects. You could even use this book as a baseline to choose a body/chassis package.
Like most of us, Parks isn't a pro car builder. He built his car on a realistic budget using a combination of parts sourced from catalogs or scrounged at swap meets. In other words, he's a regular dude working out of a fairly modest garage. Since he did it by fairly normal means, we're pretty sure you can do it, too.
How to find it: Motorbooks, (800) 826-6600; www.motorbooks.com
What it's called:How To Pinstripe
Who done it: Alan Johnson
What it's about: It's a comprehensive tutorial about pinstriping, including instruction for beginners, refinement techniques for practicing 'stripers, and design analysis for anyone even remotely interested in the form.
Notes: Out of all the niches in our little corner of the hobby, the pinstriper appears to have the ideal job. No single tool is overwhelmingly expensive, and those tools all fit into a compact box that can be taken anywhere, whether it be a shop, a car show, or a cruise-in.
But like most trades that are easy to learn, pinstriping is certainly one of the most difficult to master. Like any refined form, whether it be milling a part or painting a car, pinstriping is one of those deceptively intense accomplishments with implications that can make or break a whole car.
At least that's what most practicing pinstripers would like you to think. In what's a highly improbable (and incredibly generous) act, veteran pinstriper Alan Johnson "lifts the veil of mystery" in How To Pinstripe, and what emerges is one of the more comprehensive instructional-if not the definitive-books on the subject.
In doing so, Johnson breaks down the craft in easy-to-digest bites. Starting with paint selection and color theory, he swiftly progresses to outline tools, preparation, design, and brush technique. After setting these cornerstones, he addresses 'stripe techniques by their intended application. Considering the varied nature of his subjects, he treats hot rod and custom car aesthetics differently than those in restored cars. He breaks out motorcycle technique in its own chapter. Techniques like flames and special effects that aren't necessarily exclusive to any single genre get a sort of catch-all chapter of their own.
While the big-picture instruction this book offers makes it valuable, it's the oft-secret tips and tricks that Johnson dispenses that make it priceless. He dispenses his secrets on how to wield a sword to make difficult shapes like perfect circles. He shows how he uses available body shapes to guide his brush. As a 'striper of note for the veteran-car set, he's accumulated a lifetime's worth of methods to lay down insanely intricate designs, and he reveals many of them in this book.
With greasy palms and calloused fingers, I'm the first to admit that I'm the last to pick up a brush and wield it on a car; however, I can't put this book down. Though I'm not a 'striper, I understand the universal elements of technical instruction to know that this book offers lots of worthwhile information. It's viable in that sense, but it's captivating in the sense that Johnson makes this rather slow and tedious process look as dynamic as the finished product.
If you're like me, buy this book to marvel at what goes into a 'stripe job. If you're even remotely interested in learning this craft, buy this book so you can entertain us with another generation of fine lines.
How to find it: Motorbooks, (800) 826-6600; www.motorbooks.com
What it's called: Standard Catalog of Ford, 4th Edition
Who done it: Edited by John Gunnell
What it's about: It's a compendium of specifications, production numbers, prices, and significant changes to Ford vehicles produced from 1903 to 2006.
Notes: For a long time now, one of my favorite references has been the Standard Catalog series. If their broad spines look somewhat imposing and academic, get over it. For once you peel that floppy cover, you reveal some of the most comprehensive data compiled about various automobiles. With its incredibly detailed information, each Standard Catalog offers a fingertip perspective of dozens of makes and hundreds of models that would otherwise take years to compile. And, with listings like weight, production, engine power, and suchlike, it's the hot rodder's standby dream-wheel for wildly implausible combinations of light cars and powerful engines.
While most books in the Standard Catalog series are grouped by era ("American Cars 1946 to 1975," for example), this latest entry is just a little bit different. To be specific, it's just a little bit more ... specific. It's because, as its name implies, it's about Ford exclusively. Not even Ford derivatives like Lincoln, Mercury, Merkur, or-gasp!-Edsel. In fact, it's 414-plus pages of nothing but pure, unadulterated Ford.
But, this book is something a bit more than just a compilation of Ford sections in various books presented in one entry. To paraphrase John Gunnell, this policy created more space to showcase specialty models like the various Thunderbirds and Mustangs. Gone are the near-identical photos of the same body that vary only by year; in that space created are photos of a wider variety of body styles. In fact, this book comes pretty dern close to illustrating every body available. Considering this book covers a 103-year spread, that's impressive. This book is important just for the updated production records for '55-68 model years (ironically largely supplied by GM, as Gunnell notes in his memo).
If you're an avid study of all things automobile related, there's a good chance you should have at least one copy in the Standard Catalog series. If you're a Fordophile, there's no speculating; this is a title you can't really live well without.
How to find it: Krause Publications, (715) 445-2215; www.krause.com