Looking for small block book suggestions

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NukeBass

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I would like to learn a little bit more about how and why engines work and don't want to berate you guys with random questions I should be able to find the answer to, so I am thinking of buying a book to do some self study. I'm looking for something that covers some camshaft, head, timing, carburetor, etc. theory/application and why parts work together the way they do. All of this with the ultimate goal of having a better understanding of what I have in my car, why it does what it does, and how to change it if I ever want to. I can look at cam specs all day, but all I can really do is compare them to each other and not know why they do what they do (same with carbs). (All manufacturers seem to say things like "better torque response" and "great low and mid range torque." Well, compared to what and in what?)

I saw this one on amazon (How to Rebuild the Small Block Mopar): [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Small-Block-Mopar-William-Burt/dp/1613250584/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394672054&sr=8-1&keywords=small+block+mopar"]How to Rebuild the Small-Block Mopar: William Burt: 9781613250587: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]

and would like to know if this is a good purchase or if there are better ones to describe how the motor works the way it does. My local library system doesn't seem to have anything on motor theory, so that isn't an option to try books before purchasing.
 
Why buy a book?
You have the whole planet's information on the internet.

Like this

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfTX88Sv4I8"]EXACTLY how a car engine works - 3D animation ! - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saPGX-1qC4M"]Dissecting an Engine, The Basic Parts and Their Functions - EricTheCarGuy - YouTube[/ame]
 
The book you linked is a good one, lots of pictures and detailed. Buy it.
 
Most everything is online but if your wanting a book I would go with how to hot rod small block mopars...I think that's the name but it has a small block on the cover with aluminum heads. I bought it before building my motor and it's got it of good info.
 
The web seems like the best place to get the basics. There is just so much more that can be done on a website, like animation, that can't be done in a book.

For the next step, I like "How to rebuild your small-block mopar" by Taylor and Hofer, ISBN 978-0-89586-128-3. Sadly it's out of print, so you'll have to find a clean, used copy. I particularly like the section on parts id and interchange.
 
If you want a book that goes into theory pretty deep a real good one is "Smokey Yuniks Power Secrets" It is not mopar specific but his descriptions of how the individual systems work and how they work together applies to all pushrod V8 and many other motors. A lot of the examples he uses are small block chevy so that may turn off some purists but the info in the book is outstanding.
 
I like having books, even though the internet has lots of info. I went ahead and bought the one I linked to on Amazon. I'll keep an eye out for some of the out of print books and see what I can find at shows and used book stores. Thanks for the input!
 
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1557884056"]How to Hot Rod Small-Block Mopar Engines:Amazon:Books[/ame]. This is the one I got. Pretty good for the parts aspect and blue printing but it doesn't really tell you why the power increases.
 
One can never have too much actual hard copy.
Get anything and everything you can get your hands on.
Yes, the internet is wonderful, this site in particular.
That said, it's a whole lot easier to book mark specific pages and jump back and forth in a real hard copy, as well as writing notes in the margins.
I was away from cars as a hobby for many years, but since I've gotten back into it I have collected everything I can pertaining to our cars...
The Mopar chassis book, for $10 from Mancini Racing, has so much good info.
The previously mentioned Don Taylor/Larry Hofer "Rebuilding small block Mopars" (which shows as currently available on Amazon),
the Larry Shepard "How to Hot Rod Small Block Mopar Engines".
Get a re-print of the factory shop manual...Yes, it's likely here for free online, but remember what I said about writing notes in it?
Find an old Chilton manual.
Just remember, all of these old reference books were not necessarily proof-read by the people that wrote them (meaning you will need those margins to correct some of their inconsistencies, also some information is not actually current).
Jeez, I might have to go get the one you linked in the first post... I don't have that one.
 
Read the repair manuals. You can compare anything with anything and begin to grasp what the engineers were trying to do. An auto is one complete unit, so any one thing can affect another. The combos are endless. How about certain camshaft grinds and how they work with different tire compounds? I think cars have more statistics than baseball players.
 
Don't be brand specific, don't get hung up on just Mopar information. Every engine build article you read has useful information whether it is new on the stand today or 20 years old; it is all knowledge to be digested and cataloged for future reference. Just read everything you can get your hands on.
 
Mopar Performance Engine Manuals!!! Lots of "insider" tips and info you can't find anywhere else. Also just go to your local barnes & noble and look in the automotive section, there are many books on building performance engines and engine design in general.
 
David Vizard does a lot theory, some seem not to agree with him but he's got lots of good books and tons online. Just don't look at mopar books there lots a good info even in one's written about Chev's and fords etc...
 
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