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Best Hot Rod & Custom Car Books for Traditional Builds, Fabrication, and Garage Inspiration.
10
items This list is built for real gearheads—builders, dreamers, and hands-on hot rodders who want more than just glossy photos. These automotive hot rodding books were selected because they teach, inspire, and preserve traditional hot rod culture.
You’ll ...
Sections
6
Engine Swaps
Engine Builds
Air Ride Systems
Automotive Wiring
Turbo charging
Traditional build ideas
Engine Swaps
Books that I've found helpful in my swaps at work and at home.
I really like having this book to help with my engine swaps. As with all SA books the quality is exceptional.
How to Swap GM LS Engines (Performance How-to)
I picked this book up to help LS swap a 1967 Pontiac firebird convertible I'm building.
Swap LS Engines into Camaros & Firebirds 67-81
This book is a little dated in the fact that the examples of cool swapped vehicles will be harder to find nowadays but the principles remain the same.
Petersen's Engine Swapping
Engine Builds
Books that are always handy to have around when you’re working on engines.
Great information to have if you’re building hot-rods or just working on your daily drivers.
LS Engine Parts Interchange: 1997-2020: 1997-2020
Great reference material.
What can I say. CarTech books, in my opinion, are absolutely the best, and this is another prime example, a wealth of great info and COLOR photos. It has part numbers, casting numbers, blocks, cranks, rods, pistons, cylinde...
Chevrolet Small Block Parts Interchange Manual
This book has some great information. Especially if you’re running old school stuff (carbs,manifolds, distributor)
How to Build Horsepower: Volume 1
Air Ride Systems
I bought this book as a total newb to air ride systems . It has lots of great info.
Install Air Ride Suspension Systems Guide
Automotive Wiring
Books to help with wiring your hotrod project or daily driver.
Wiring is not my strong point. I've found this book pretty helpful.
Automotive Wiring & Electrical Systems
Turbo charging
Books I've picked up to aid in turbo installations.
Turbochargers offer one of the most effective ways to make serious horsepower, and Turbo: Real World High-Performance Turbocharger Systems breaks it all down without the guesswork. This book walks you through how turbo systems actually work, how to c...
Turbo: Real World High-Performance Systems
Traditional build ideas
Books aimed at building a more traditional car/truck
This is a no-nonsense guide to building a true ’29 highboy roadster the old-school way. Mike Bishop and Vern Tardel walk you from bare frame to finished car using real ’50s hot rod methods—chassis, flathead power, paint, upholstery, and final details...
How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod