Haynes or Chiltons

[Joes95GT]

My little cousin is in the process of buying either a 94/95 or 96-98 Mustang GT. He wants to get into modding the car, so I figured I'd buy him some things for the car, one of them being a book/guide about the mechanics of the car. Which do you guys prefer? I don't have any experience with either, so any input would be helpful.

Thanks guys.

Joe

 

[law]

I would pick up both, they are like no more than $20 for each. Both are a good source of information.

 

[Grn92LX]

Chiltons is what I have, though I can't really say I use it. I'd try to get him to consider the 5.0 car as opposed to a early 4.6. Either book you buy is gonna say "install is the reverse of the removal" LOL..
Mike

 

[fiveohh94gt]

i'm not sure exactly where to find it and i know its a little more expensive but i believe u can get an actual Ford repair manuel, i've heard they are better than the other books, i have a haynes though

 

[ShiftTheDrift]

Haynes sux a$$.. IMO, that books reads like stereo instructions. Chilton does it's job very well.

 

[94_Teal_GT]

I have the Haynes. Not too impressed with it at all. Their instructions make some jobs alot harder(more time consuming) than they need to be. Anyone that has one, check out their instructions for front coil spring removal.

 

[94GTNJ]

Buy both, they both become helpful at certain times. But if you insist on buying one, Chilton is MUCH MUCH better. Haynes deals more with 4.6 mustangs rather then our rare 94-95 5.0

 

[JJ95GTID]

I have the Chilton's manual. The wiring diagrams are excellent for our cars. As for the rest, well they have diagrams of the Fox Mustang intake throughout the book which is confusing to one who doesn't know the difference. The 94-95 intake is shown also in some of the procedures which will add some confusion. It does explain the basics like door sticker identification brake down. And, the more in depth stuff like replacing cylinder heads is good too. I think it is was not edited very good. Now that you know this I would recommend this book. Also, on ebay you can get the manual on CD/DVD for like $20. I haven't got one of these yet though.

 

[Treview1]

dont even bother with a Haynes manual......Chilton is farrrrrr superior.

 

[Joes95GT]

Cool, thanks for all the input.

Mike - Hey, imagine that, we disagree again . I'm actually trying to sway him towards a 98 . I want to hop up a "slow" 4.6 and see what it can do.

I'll probably end up buying both books. I don't know why I even posted this . Any more opinions are welcome.

Thanks guys.

Joe

 

[Rootus]

I'm actually trying to sway him towards a 98 . I want to hop up a "slow" 4.6 and see what it can do.

Done right, the 4.6L 2V motors can be pretty zippy. I think a P/I swap on a 96-98 car gets better power than a stock 99+ because it raises the compression quite a bit.

I'm about to get a 4.6L again, so I have to start feeling enthusiastic about it . I hope this one has more torque than the last two I had (both were gutless wonders, 4V motors make no torque on the bottom end, that's why you need 4.30+ gears).

Dave

 

[SlowGT]

Maybe Chilton's have improved since the mid-80s. That was the last time I had one of their's. I've used Haynes manuals since for most minor issues. My favorites are the manufacturer's service manuals. I've picked all of mine up from eBay. The best thing about them is that they're year specific. Almost 3" thick, specifically for your model year. Expect to spend anywhere from $45-80 depending on the condition of the manual. I think you can order them at the Ford garage for around $100 of so. I think it'd be well worth the $$. You could try the cheap CD manuals, but I think they suck more than any of the printed manuals.

 

[revhead347]

I prefer Haynes. Chiltons sucks ass. Neither one is complete, but the Haynes gives you more of the important information, and fewer rudimentary details.

Chiltons, Chapter 2 "How to rebuild your engine"

Step 1: Disconnect Negative Battery Terminal
Step 2: Rebuild engine
Step 3: Reconnect negative battery terminal

Kurt

 

[swingline]

I am going to pick up a copy of both Haynes and Chilton's and a year-specific service manual if I can find it cheap. Amazon.com has both Haynes and Chilton's for $36.72 just in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Venom351R]

I prefer Haynes. Chiltons sucks ass. Neither one is complete, but the Haynes gives you more of the important information, and fewer rudimentary details.

Chiltons, Chapter 2 "How to rebuild your engine"

Step 1: Disconnect Negative Battery Terminal
Step 2: Rebuild engine
Step 3: Reconnect negative battery terminal

Kurt

 

[94TURBO5 O]

I have both and they are worth every cent. As much as you will under the hood of a 5.0 it's nice to have a reference.