Customer Reviews

How to Rebuild and Modify Your Manual Transmission (Motorbooks Workshop)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The perfect book for anyone wanting to learn the inner workings of a transmission. Very informative with plenty of pictures and layman's terms. Not only does the author explain how things work, but why as well. If you own a Mustang with a T-5 this book is invaluable when rebuilding or working on your transmission. Having worked on both the T-5 and the Honda B-series transmissions, I wish I would've had this book long ago. Great reading, and easy to understand, the book spells things out for just about anyone. Two thumbs up.

Reading author Bowen's practical, to-the-point text, illustrated by hundreds of his detailed photos, is like mining the collective memory of countless transmission experts who share their hard-earned knowledge freely. His book is a pure joy to read because it is written from the real world standpoint of hard facts and "been there - done that" experiences. Very educational and highly recommended.

I expect Motorbooks to be good but this is beyond good! All photos are clear and relevant. Manual Transmission lubrication, oil bases and additives are described. The chapter on problems and diagnoses is a gem. The book will please you. Thanks to Robert Bowen.

This book had the info I was looking for when I wanted to learn how to rebuild my T-5 trans.

(NOTE: I am the author so this is a biased review):

Manual transmissions aren't as sexy as some other engine parts that I could think of (like cams, or turbos), but that doesn't make them boring!

This book covers the little-known and little-described topic of manual transmissions. I attack the subject from the angle of a "weekend warrior" mechanic or car builder, which means it's neither dry and academic nor lowbrow.

Manual transmissions, clutches and even differentials are covered in enough detail to be useful without drowning in theory. Unlike many automotive books it's full of meaty details and tips - the chapter on manual transmission diagnosis alone is worth the cost.

Even if you're not a die-hard stick shifter, it's a fun read and an interesting look at the technology behind a manual transmission. If nothing else, you could read it and impress the guys at your local hot-rod spot with your knowledge of gear oil additives.

Besides, where else can you get all the current thinking on manual transmission modifications in one place?

This book really presents the work and theory in a straightforward manner. It explains what you are doing and why, and what happens when something goes wrong. It's easy enough to follow lightly as you work, or to read in depth to really learn something. You can easily pull from it what information you need. I would recommend this book to anyone with a technical background, whether already you know what you are doing or just starting your first project, there is definitely something to gain here.

I really enjoyed this book and got my money back on it a thousand times.

As both an engineer and a gearhead, I've read plenty of texts that spoke to one of my brains at the exclusion of the other. Bowen's transmission book is one of the rare texts that is deep enough in theory to engage my engineering brain, while straight-forward enough to avoid overwhelming my gearhead brain. I've mostly relied on shop manuals for technical info on transmission operation and service, but Bowen's text will be my new "go to" reference. The chapters are logically ordered, the text is concise, and the photos are clear. Overall a very nice addition to my gearhead, no wait, my engineering text collection.

I am a young guy who's learning all there is to know about car repair and modification from hands-on do it yourself projects, and I have found this to be the most informative book about manual transmissions on the market! It's a must for anyone who wants to repair, modify, or just simply understand their manual transmission. This book made me feel ready to take on the tasks of rebuilding my current cars transmission. I highly reccomend it to the shade-tree mechanic or just the everyday auto-enthusiast!

I was very glad to get my hands on this book as I'm just starting to build a Lotus 7 replica and am tearing into a Miata gearbox. The photos and layouts are fantastic and will serve as a great reference point. All my good auto books find themselves in the garage rather than in the house...and this book has a permanent spot in the garage!