They don't make 'em like they used to.
I'm working on putting bits of not-a-car back together, and was looking for some really detailed exploded parts views on the internet and having little luck, when I remembered "doh! I have repair manuals!". Turns out I have many manuals, all in various states of usefullness. I have three copies of essentially the same book:
===
"Chilton's Repair & Tune-Up Guide for the Volkswagen 1949-1971", first published in 1971, sixth printing 1973
This one is hard bound, with thick stiff pages, and has incredibly detailed and well shaded hand drawn exploded parts views and cutaway views at just about every turn, right down to individual washers, with every part labelled. I think this one may actually have been my Dad's, as I don't recall buying it, although I have no idea why I would have carted it around for the last 20 years or more.
===
"Chilton's Repair & Tune-Up Guide Volkswagen 1949-1971", first published in 1971, revised in 1974, thirty-fifth printing 1994
This one is paperback, slightly smaller than the first, with slightly less durable pages. The exploded views have been shrunk a little, and are harder to make out. The ink is much darker, so a lot of the subtle shading in the drawings is missing. This one I think was in the glove box of the Mark I when I bought it.
===
"Chilton Volkswagen Air-Cooled 1949-1969 Repair Manual", Copyright 1997,2007 (your guess as to what printing, doesn't say)
Larger than the first two, paperback, and the pages are practically newsprint. The exploded views have been replaced by black and white pictures which don't have a tenth the detail of the exploded parts views. This I bought off Amazon a few years back.
===
Guess which one I like more?
===
"Chilton's Repair & Tune-Up Guide for the Volkswagen 1949-1971", first published in 1971, sixth printing 1973
This one is hard bound, with thick stiff pages, and has incredibly detailed and well shaded hand drawn exploded parts views and cutaway views at just about every turn, right down to individual washers, with every part labelled. I think this one may actually have been my Dad's, as I don't recall buying it, although I have no idea why I would have carted it around for the last 20 years or more.
===
"Chilton's Repair & Tune-Up Guide Volkswagen 1949-1971", first published in 1971, revised in 1974, thirty-fifth printing 1994
This one is paperback, slightly smaller than the first, with slightly less durable pages. The exploded views have been shrunk a little, and are harder to make out. The ink is much darker, so a lot of the subtle shading in the drawings is missing. This one I think was in the glove box of the Mark I when I bought it.
===
"Chilton Volkswagen Air-Cooled 1949-1969 Repair Manual", Copyright 1997,2007 (your guess as to what printing, doesn't say)
Larger than the first two, paperback, and the pages are practically newsprint. The exploded views have been replaced by black and white pictures which don't have a tenth the detail of the exploded parts views. This I bought off Amazon a few years back.
===
Guess which one I like more?