Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, Ju$y 21,1993. Page 15 Easy-to-read technical manuals avalable By Glen Eonorowski If there is one thing I hate about most shop manuals, it's how technical they get. It seemas as if a bunch of engineers are writing a book for mechanics. q A few years ago, Dennisi Holmes decided te do something about bad manuals. With the help of a few pros, Dennis star- ted writing manuals that thei average person could read, relatei te and then perform. the tasks without a mechanic's tool chest. The books are called 'do-it- right' professional tips and tech- niques. The four books are Detailing Cars & Trucks, Tune- Those fiash FROM PAGE 14 included such goodies as makeup kits and address books fitted into special compartaients. For men, luxury cars often came with silver cups and decanters (long before the days of alcohol awareness). In 1957, Ford introduced the 'Skyliner,' a retractable hardtop whose roof automatically raised itself and disappeared inte the trunk. Sterage space was limited te a small plastic tub in the trunk that fitted under the roof. As a resuit, a Ford option that year was luggage that snuggled perfectly inte the tub -- one of the rarest and most desirable options sought today by resterers. Longf before the days of microchiîps, the 1958 Pontiac had a removable radio powered by a self-contained battery for those who wanted te take their music with them. The car a]so had a transparent green plastic sunshield that pulled down frora Up & Electrical Service, Lube, Qil & Chassie Service and Touch-Up & Dent Repair. Over the course of a few weeks, I read the books and was quite impressed. No matter what subject is covered, it is always explained in layman's terms. With each job covered, there are detailed pictures of what you should be doing or the step you should be at. Included with most of the projects are tips by the pros on time-saving methods or simple solutions to difficuit jobs. About the time I acquired the 'do-it-right' books, I bought an 1981 Chevelle for a second car. 7y options the headliner te, cover the windshield. By this time, options were becoming an industry standard, and in 1963 Cadillac introduced the first engine with mounts for the air conditioning compressor built right in. That year, air conditioned Cadillacs outsold their open-window cousins, a situation that has neyer reversed. Today, my ' fully-loaded' Ohevy looks pretty impressive, but its option list pales against ts ancestors of 40 years ago which would have included its brakes, heater and even its metallic paint as pay-extra 'options.! And even those are no match for the greatest of them ail -- the 1967 Chrysler Newport. When fully loaded, its dash contains eight toggle switches, three thumb wheels, 16 push buttons, three sliding levers and 12 other controls. Keep your eyes on the road. The car was in generally good condition, but needed a really good dlean-up. Following the in- structions in the Detailing book, I cleaned up the interior to CAA: CAA Ontario bas' expressed disappointment with the announcemnent by Ontario Transportation Mfinister Giles Pouliot that the government has given the green ight for truck lengths te be increased from 23 te 25 metres, and trivilers te 53 feet (16.2 metres). almost new condition. Even if you're not the 'do- it-yourself' type, the books give you a good insight as to the work needed te keep your car in top maintenance makes one lesa likely to, get ripped off. Price of the book is $7.98 and it's well worth it. Stronger, safety measures needed for longer trucks OAA Ontario hadi concerns in May last year with the trucking industry's safety blitz record. In the blitz conducted by the Ministry of Transportation that year, 37 per cent of' the trucks checked were taken out of service. This year 34 per cent of the trucks checked were taken off the CAA says there has been a 20 ICUE per cent increase in truck lengthsChc ergatosytrnwh during the past rà ne years.maiodgue Catherine Newell, vice chair,Chc opésrluh public and goverient affaira for Cekcmrso n rv et OAA Ontario, says that in aTetem rau tA/otes recent OAA public policy survey roexa of more than 1,300 OAA Ontarlo- niotoiats, "95.2 per cent G RDG RN R uomt*eSevie indicated they did flot want to see* a truck length increase." 59 usesSt W ,»66 -11 The Shadow MountTm Custom Class! Recever 1 Featuring Removable Draw Bar! 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