I am looking for a good source of workshop manuals for older (70s) cars. Specifically, I am looking for diagrams of components (chassis, suspension, etc) with measurements.
Haynes doesn't make one, so that is out. Google hasn't been much of a help either. Ideally, I would like a PDF versions, but paper works fine.
Any sources would be helpful. Thanks!
Probably not exactly what you're looking for (and some are better than others), but there's lots neat stuff here:
our local libraries have a ton of 70s era american manuf shop manuals. I was really amazed. You see a lot of them at the old book sales in the area when the libraries clean out the back rooms. And pdfs are only a copier away!
Well, it won't be cheap, but these guys are likely gonna have what you need:
I went to their location, and they have a HUGE stockpile of manuals. It looks like they've gotten some (many??) of them from libraries. The selection I looked at had been sourced from a community college library.
Last time I was there, they had large sheets with all body/suspension dimensions that body shops use to straightened damaged cars. Each sheet was about 20 bucks, IIRC.
These guys http://www.faxonautoliterature.com/home_one.cfm have had everything I've needed.
In fact just last week I ordered a new set of manuals for my little Corolla All-Trac
eBay. That's where I get 'em.
Anybody need one for a 1989 Toyota pickup? :)
I've got a huge recycle bin full of '78-'92 Mopar stuff. Some of it is technical bulletins. Some is on tuning fuel injection on specific models. I'm not willing to dig through it to see if your special car is in there, so no requests for Warlock or GLHS books. If somebody wants any of it, contact me and you can dig through it. I'm in NE Dallas near Plano Road and NW Hwy.
Chilton online manuals for cars 1954 to present courtesy the great state of Michigan.
You just have to enter your Michigan Drivers License number...but any random number with the correct number of digits will do.
A friendly Michigan native will have to tell us the number of digits 
http://www.oxford.lib.mi.us/database.asp
This has been going around various auto forums lately.
-James
For US cars, go to your local swap meet and look for a Motors Manual. There was a new edition each year, but each volume covered about five years' worth of cars. I have a small collection of them spread out over the years, so I can fix anything from 1973 back to the late 1930s. :)
I have in my possession a 1969 Olds service manual for everything from F85s to Toronados (it's about an inch and a half thick, paperback, and cost five whole dollars at the time), but, while the pictures and line drawings are great, and the wiring schematics are amazing, I didn't see a lot of actual measurements as I flipped through it.
I did have one idea, though: Car and Driver and Road & Track both tended to have excellent data pages on their test cars back in the day. (Maybe they still do, but the OP wants 70s stuff.) R&T even used to do scale profile drawings on a grid. Depending on what you want, you could probably find it in there somewhere. Unfortunately, AFAIK (and if I'm wrong, please let me know ASAP!), neither publication has followed The New Yorker's lead and put every single issue on line, so you'd still have some brute-force searching unless you knew what specific issue you wanted. But the truth is out there.
PS Also, some model-specific forums have scanned copies of old brochures available for reference on their sites.
jamscal wrote: Chilton online manuals for cars 1954 to present courtesy the great state of Michigan.
Amazingly, the one time "Miata" is not the answer. There are no manuals for the 90-97 Miata! Sorely disappointed.
jamscal said:Chilton online manuals for cars 1954 to present courtesy the great state of Michigan.
You just have to enter your Michigan Drivers License number...but any random number with the correct number of digits will do.
A friendly Michigan native will have to tell us the number of digits
http://www.oxford.lib.mi.us/database.asp
This has been going around various auto forums lately.
-James
B 654 098 128 577
I am no longer a michigan resident...but it is still a valid ID.
maroon92 wrote:jamscal said:Chilton online manuals for cars 1954 to present courtesy the great state of Michigan.
You just have to enter your Michigan Drivers License number...but any random number with the correct number of digits will do.
A friendly Michigan native will have to tell us the number of digits
http://www.oxford.lib.mi.us/database.asp
This has been going around various auto forums lately.
-James
B 654 098 128 577
I am no longer a michigan resident...but it is still a valid ID.
Maybe that was it...any letter then 12 digits
maroon92 wrote:jamscal said:Chilton online manuals for cars 1954 to present courtesy the great state of Michigan.
You just have to enter your Michigan Drivers License number...but any random number with the correct number of digits will do.
A friendly Michigan native will have to tell us the number of digits
http://www.oxford.lib.mi.us/database.asp
This has been going around various auto forums lately.
-James
B 654 098 128 577
I am no longer a michigan resident...but it is still a valid ID.
Thanks to both of you.
Sadly they don't have Alfa. :(
In reply to BradLTL:
The closest thing I gots to old shop manuals is an old Nissan book covering their old L series engine. Shows how to rebuild, specs, clearances, and even how to rebuild and tune SU carbs. Found it at a indoor swap meet/crafts shop.
I have a few Bentley manuals hanging around for Jag E types, Midgets, stuff like that. And no they aren't for sale. 
Bentley always had the best and most complete books for Euro stuff. The older Haynes manuals (up to around the early/mid '90's) were pretty good and they covered most all Euro and Jap cars, I still have a few of those (Fiat 128, X1/9, MGB, RX7, Accord, Civic). The newer ones such as my Rodeo manual have generic pics of engine innards, usually a small block Chevy, and aren't nearly as good as the old ones. eBay is a pretty good source for either of these.
I'm going to raise a few hackles, but the Chilton manuals always did suck mightily. I bought 2 over the years and was disgusted each time.
The Old Car Manual Project - http://www.tocmp.com/
for blueprints try: http://www.smcars.net/forums/blueprints/
