What is everyones thoughts on the best repair manual for me to buy? I would like everything from an oil change to a complete engine rebuild.

 

Haynes is pretty thorough. That and having a friend who's a mechanic that you can call upon in times of need is a great resource.

I wouldn't put it on any ONE manual to tell you the truth. My biggest gripe about Haynes/Chilton manuals is their nomenclature changes from sentence to sentence. They call a specific part by one name in one sentence and then by another in a sentence or section later down the road. Other than that they're pretty thorough and you can pick one up at any auto store really for about 20 bucks. You can also get the Chevy shop manuals online at sites such as ebay. Do a search in this forum and you'll see there's links to other sites that carry pretty thorough manuals for repairs and assembly/disassembly.

 

the haynes are pretty much useless for anything other than basic stuff...they cover too many years on those manuals.

don't waste your time with ebay...you will pay more and get used manuals or new manuals at inflated prices...go directly to the original manual source.

got to Helminc.com and get the proper manuals. They arenet really that much more exnsive...they are the factory manuals and are 1 year specific.

 

Well I purchased some of the same manauls from Ebay for 25 bucks that Helminc.com sells for 60 brand new (they only sell the body books there and the cheapest one for my year is 60 bucks). Plus I got my wiring diagram book for 10 bucks brand new from Ebay which Helminc doesn't even sell. If you've worked on other cars before it's really easy to find your way through everything that Haynes tells you to do or atleast give you an idea of what you're going to need to do. I never really knew that engine teardown to the valve locks was something "basic" or "useless". So they cover different years. The F bodies are pretty much the same save for engine and drivetrain and it's still pretty similar when you go from the main v8 engines of LT1, L82, LM1 for those years. It's not anything radically different between the small block v8 versions other than the front seal goes from thin to thick. It's not like the LS series came out and the water jackets for the engine reveresed. Even the transmissions are somewhat similar going through the th300, th350, th400, powerglides, etc. I think this gives someone starting off on second gen camaros a really strong background in the differences of their car to the others of the same breed. I used to help write simulation training for aircraft for the Marine Corp and I always liked having other points of reference to draw from and a very broad area of information to look at. One of the best things about that was that the Marines always cannibalized other parts to make theirs work (if they didn't have it readily available) and this helped them to know what other parts were compatible with their aircraft and what they could or couldn't do. Knowing what years your car is and isn't compatible with also helps in the same manner. There's been a number of times I've had no luck finding something for my specific year but found something that works from a sister year.

 

If you don't want to go the price of a Helms manual, you can get on line manuals from WWW.alldatadiy.com or CD ROM from http://www.gearheadcafe.com/. Alldata has all the info and diagrams but IMO it is poorly organized, but it is only $25 for a year. Gearheads sell the complete factory manuals on CD ROM.

 

Not sure what year you are running but I managed to get the body manual, the unit repair manual, the service repair manual and an original glovebox users guide all for $75 shipped to canada for my 81. They might have been on sale at the time I bought them a few years back. These books cover every aspect of my car including all wiring diagrams. I can't see my self needing any other books with the exception of the factory assembly manual which I did buy on Ebay. I also bought the Hollander interchange manual specific to the camaro separately as well.

The original books from Helminc.com also are printed on decent paper that will last decades. The chilton and Haynes seem to be printed on newsprint type paper nowadays that turns yellow and brittle in less than 5 years. I can prove that as I have VW Beetle Haynes manual that has done just that. I bought it in 2001. No i don't have the beetle anymore...nor do i want one.