I appreciate the posts to this thread. I wish I could provide each of you with a copy of the original manuscripts. However, the publisher has copyright until they decide to release it. When I wrote the books, DOS 6.0 was the latest PC system and there were no ZIP drives to store the data. Unfortunately, my computer, with the original 300,000 word manuscripts, 3000+ pictures and several hundred CAD drawings were lost when my house was burglarized. At this time the only originals are in the hands of the publisher.
I have watched these forums for years without participation. Even when topics were discussed that affected me, I have remained silent. However, I would like to clarify a few things. When I wrote the Mustang Performance Handbooks, I foolishly thought that what I wrote would actually make it to print. Ten years ago, when I wrote those books, I was unaware that HPBooks had a publishing restriction on the size of the book that could be published. At that time, Price, Stern and Sloan (then publishers of HPBooks) required that all their “how-to” books could not be physically thicker than would permit 3 books to fit in a standard bookrack with ease of insertion and removal. Most bookracks then and now are typically limited to approximately 1.5 inches in depth. You may have noticed this in places like Lowes where the do-it-yourself books are displayed. In my case, what this meant was that my manuscripts were hacked to meet this criteria. Unfortunately, this resulted in publications that barely resembled what I had written. Some of the sections, particularly in the second book (this was actually published as the first book on powertrains), were so modified that the sections were confusing at best, and blatantly wrong at worst. Most of the chassis drawings, including the double-wishbone suspension and tubular crossmembers, were not even included in the book. Actually, I am still puzzled why they chose the drawings they included. I submitted all my drawings in AutoCAD format only to be told they were “too complex” for the eight-grade reader they assumed their market was. To make matters worst, the publisher did not have the ability to read AutoCAD drawings into their print system; so each drawing was run through some sort of graphic program for conversion. The results were drawings that had strange tolerances and looks. This was most evident in the weight and balance drawing in the back of the chassis book where the formulas were improperly converted leaving half the variables out. When I received the published copies, I was livid and demanded the books be withdrawn and corrected. However, I was informed that the contract I had signed gave them final editorial control and basically I should F.O. For those of you that have relied on some of this misinformation I apologize to you and thank for purchasing the books in spite of it.
William R. Mathis
Graduate Mechanical Engineer
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Originally Posted by wraithracing
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