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  1. #1

    Default Chilton v. Haynes Manual

    I have a Chilton Mustang 1989-93 Repair Manual. It works pretty good for my 91, but I was wondering Which Repair Manual (Chilton v. Haynes) is best for the 1979-86 Mustangs. We currently are working on our '86 GT. -thanks

  2. #2

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    Haynes or Chilton are only resume of shop-manuals and cover too many years. Get the shop-manuals for your year so you'll have every thing that can be specific.
    '79 Pace Car 5.0 (well 4.2 until better days)
    '80 Capri 2.3 (sold ) - '79 Hatchback 2.3 (sold ) - '80 Notchback 3.3 (junk yard )

  3. #3

    Default Shop Manuals

    On ebay i see Shop Manuals for chassis electical AND Another Shop Manual for Body , how many different factory Shop Manuals are there?

  4. #4
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    There are 3 that I know of..... drive train, chassis electrical, and body

  5. #5

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    i have the 79-86 mustang/capri chiltons book. very good info, obviously not as good as factory literature, but its better than nothing. i dont like haynes manuals as much, seem to be more generic. and my favorite phrase....."installation is reverse order of removal"
    79 Capri RS
    341 rwhp,348 rwtq 11.20@127


    1939 Pontiac Deluxe 6. 73,xxx original miles. Barn find. Currently the secomd owner.

    2013 Focus ST
    2012 Taurus SEL
    1997 F350

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member Mr Joshua's Avatar
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    neither, OEM ford service manual or nothing.
    83 GT w/ T-Tops (JeffCleaned)
    2021 Turbo Blue Audi S5

  7. #7
    FEP Super Member cb84capri's Avatar
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    the thing i commonly need from a manual is torque specs. haynes puts them at the front of the chapters, i like that. chiltons on the other hand, seems more in depth with how things come apart. if i'm having trouble with something (like how does this speedometer cable disconnect from the speedo, or how does this headlight switch release) i resort to chiltons. i find that haynes can be lacking a lot of details.

    but hey that's just what i think.

    cale

  8. #8

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    Chiltons has good info on some things, but too many things they bail on you,
    such as if you need to go into subassemblies, like a steering rack, or if you
    need to rebuild an automatic transmission.

    The factory shop manuals are the only way to go.
    Cheers,
    Jeff Cook

    '85 GT Hatch, 5-speed T-Top, Eibachs, Konis, & ARE 5-Spokes ... '85 GT Vert, CFI/AOD, all factory...
    '79 Fairmont StaWag, 5.0, 62K original miles ... '04 Azure Blue 40th Anny Mach 1, 37K original miles...
    2012 F150 S-Crew 4x4 5.0 "Blue Coyote"... 65 coupe, 289 auto, Pony interior ... '67 coupe 6-cyl 4-speed ...
    '68 Vert, Mexican block 307 4-speed... '71 Datsun 510 ...
    And a 1-of-328 Deep Blue Pearl 2003 Marauder 4.6 DOHC, J-Mod, 4.10s and Lidio tune

  9. #9
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    One flaw in my Haynes manual is it calls for Mercon in a C4.

    That a pretty big mistake in my view

  10. #10
    FEP Super Member cb84capri's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JACook View Post
    Chiltons has good info on some things, but too many things they bail on you,
    such as if you need to go into subassemblies, like a steering rack, or if you
    need to rebuild an automatic transmission.

    The factory shop manuals are the only way to go.
    i agree. i was looking at the steering rack pictures they had and reading the teardown instructions. i would definitely not ever use it to do that sort of job.

    cale

  11. #11
    FEP Super Member webestang's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PaceFever79 View Post
    One flaw in my Haynes manual is it calls for Mercon in a C4.

    That a pretty big mistake in my view
    Also....the torque spec for my Pop's 99 V6 front brake caliper bolts is wrong.....I know this because I broke one off................

    Scotty
    1985 Fox Notch 4-banger Ranger tube header Eastwood Royal Blue
    1988 Fox LX 5.0 AOD Vert BBK 170mph speedo Candy Apple Red
    1999 Mustang Coupe V6 Auto Chrome Yellow -Daily Driver.
    Past Pony's.....
    68 Coupe Inline-6 3-Speed-Man. Primer
    78 II Hatch 302 3-Speed-Auto Sunroof Black
    81 4-Eye Coupe 4-Banger 4-Speed-Man. White

  12. #12

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    they are all pretty vague. i have several. some of the older ones that came out before the 90s have more info. i have a smaller sized chiltons for mustang,capri and merkur from 79-86 i think another book is a haynes and another is chiltons till 93 and all are differant. i think haynes has the electrical diagrams and the chiltons doesnt. either way both are owned by the same company.
    86 w/87 motor,full cage, gutted interior,5 lug, H&R front springs, SVO A arms, jeggster subframe connectors, driveshaft loop, 2007 mustang bullitts, 25th anniversary dash, 87+ qrtrs....
    96 honda civic 4 door
    01 suzuki sv650s v twin crotchrocket

  13. #13
    FEP Power Member jbishop's Avatar
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    I have used both in the past and they get you by. I do not have factory manuals... I have FEP
    Back off, man! I'm a scientist.


    *81 T-Top Notch

  14. #14
    FEP Power Member Peganit2's Avatar
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    Look online and you can get the factory repair manual cds pretty cheap. You may have to buy more than one and it's inconvenient to have to copy everthing onto paper to get them out to the car, but it's way worth it. The $6.00 I spent for the wiring cd for my 4.6 fuelie swap project was BY FAR! the best money I spent for install help.

    Or you could also do what my nephew did and put an old computer in your work shop.
    Current list o' cars
    87 hatch california car 94 SHO Taurus DD 96 Aerostar FH 77 HighBoy with a BBF
    Memorable cars from my past
    69 stang sports roof 302 GT RARE! 63 XL Galaxie loaded 75 Torino with a BBF 80 Capri coupe 82 stang hatch Turbo conversion car 82 Escort with a 2.3 85 'stang coupe with a 4.6L 4V Cobra motor 85 LTD with a 302 67 'stang coupe roller 61 Starliner Galaxie with a 428 SCJ 72 'stang sport roof

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Peganit2 View Post
    Or you could also do what my nephew did and put an old computer in your work shop.
    I've got a 200mhz Pentium Pro in the garage... It saves the time of running inside and potentially leaving greasy fingerprints on the indoor computers. It worked great till that part of the shop got blocked off. I know it's still there, I can still see the computer on the network. LOL

    The real deal manuals are the best investment. Look on Ebay and you can usually find them cheap. Sometimes you can get lucky and find them on the shelf at the local public library. The Chiltons/Haynes manuals since the early 90's have all been pretty worthless. I haven't seen a fox body Chiltons/Haynes in several years, but in general the Chiltons tend to be a bit better. The green cover Chilton Total Car Care manuals seem to be more complete then the older white cover repair manuals. Either way, they're better then nothing but weak next to the dealership manuals.
    Last edited by Jimmy2.3Mustang; 05-09-2011 at 01:02 AM.
    1986 Mustang Notch, 2.3L Turbo Project

  16. #16
    FEP Power Member Ford'sCapri's Avatar
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    While factory manuals are great to have, a Chilton book covers pretty much anything you need to know about our cars. This one is probably the best one I've come across as it covers things like dual snorkel air cleaner vacuum hose routing to manual transmission overhauls. You can also find it relatively cheap as well.

    http://openlibrary.org/b/OL2409261M/...-repair-manual.
    -John-

    79 Mercury Capri RS: 5.0L 5 speed swap
    83 Mustang GT: 5.0L 5 Speed
    83 Mustang GT T-Top: 5.0L 5 Speed
    84 Mustang L: 2.3L 4 Speed
    85 LTD Wagon: 358W 5 speed swap
    87 Mustang LX: 5.0L 5 speed swap

  17. #17

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    chiltons manual is the better imo
    old set up e7 heads,victor 50 intake, bbk equal length, or bbk h-pipe, under drive crank pully, e-cam, mac cat back,3.73 gear, 76mm air meter, 75mm tb, bbk cai, 150 wet kit ..................11.56 @121, on motor 12.76 @ 105
    new motorput in on aug 8 2009 306 h prime rods, 236, 232 @ .50, 565,545 lift camotion cam. gt-40p heads, bbk equal length headers, bbk h-pipe, 75mm tb 76 mm air meter, under drive crank pully, mac cat back, 3.73 gear. 12.14 at 116 and 11.07 at 128 and need bar in the car

  18. #18
    FEP Power Member Peganit2's Avatar
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    Yep, if you want a manual you can get at any parts store, get a Chiltons. They're for a more advanced mechanic than Haynes, which seem to be for total mechanical novices. I'm surprised I've never seen "lefty loosy, righty tighty" in one. (I hate that phrase. It's meaningless.) Helpful, for sure but not complete.
    Last edited by Peganit2; 07-30-2009 at 04:23 PM.
    Current list o' cars
    87 hatch california car 94 SHO Taurus DD 96 Aerostar FH 77 HighBoy with a BBF
    Memorable cars from my past
    69 stang sports roof 302 GT RARE! 63 XL Galaxie loaded 75 Torino with a BBF 80 Capri coupe 82 stang hatch Turbo conversion car 82 Escort with a 2.3 85 'stang coupe with a 4.6L 4V Cobra motor 85 LTD with a 302 67 'stang coupe roller 61 Starliner Galaxie with a 428 SCJ 72 'stang sport roof

  19. #19
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    The factory shop manuals are a night-and-day difference compared to a Chilton's book. Take a look on Ebay and at some local swap meets. I can't live without mine.
    '84 GT convertible, Oxford white, CFI to carb swap, AOD
    '83 GT, T-tops, Bright Red, 65K original miles, 2nd owner; '85 roller cam engine; 8.8 w/3.55s; ROH ZR-6's
    '88 LX 5.0 Notchback, 55K miles, 3.27's, Mach 1 suspension, 5 lug conversion; Saleen ARE 229 wheels; Flofit seats; Vortech S Trim, 42# injectors
    '89 Saleen clone, 3.55's, SN95 rear discs, SVO front discs, 9L white, ARE 229 5 spoke wheels, complete Flofit interior and Saleen gauges; Maximum Motorsports Panhard Bar;

  20. #20

  21. #21

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    I do not either one of those...

    I like Bentley Publishing.
    **Life is a web woven by necessity and chance**

    1982 GT BLK/BLK w/ sunroof
    1985 GT Vert
    1986 LX Hatch
    1993 LX Vert

  22. #22

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    i think the Haynes books have more pictures, but the Chilton books have more specific info... my 2 cent

  23. #23

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    You can buy a used set of Ford shop manuals for about the same price as a new Chilton or Haynes manual, if you're patient enough to wait for the good stuff. I happened to find a complete '85 set a few years ago on ebay for $1 + shipping.

  24. #24
    FEP Power Member Peganit2's Avatar
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    Mitchells On Line is an excellent source. I think it must be expensive, but my local library has it for free use. More than a little inconvenient but for the tough stuff it's worth it.

    They use a lot of the factory Ford tech info. It's lifted directly from them.
    Current list o' cars
    87 hatch california car 94 SHO Taurus DD 96 Aerostar FH 77 HighBoy with a BBF
    Memorable cars from my past
    69 stang sports roof 302 GT RARE! 63 XL Galaxie loaded 75 Torino with a BBF 80 Capri coupe 82 stang hatch Turbo conversion car 82 Escort with a 2.3 85 'stang coupe with a 4.6L 4V Cobra motor 85 LTD with a 302 67 'stang coupe roller 61 Starliner Galaxie with a 428 SCJ 72 'stang sport roof

  25. #25
    FEP Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by FoxChassis View Post
    You can buy a used set of Ford shop manuals for about the same price as a new Chilton or Haynes manual, if you're patient enough to wait for the good stuff. I happened to find a complete '85 set a few years ago on ebay for $1 + shipping.
    That is a steal Fox! I was at the Carlisle spring swap meet a few years ago and a guy had a bunch of them for the EFI years and I got them for only $10 a book. Well then I just had to stuff them into a backpack and lug them about 2 miles to the parking lot. After that, I'm not sure it was such a deal I ended up keeping a couple and sold the rest on Ebay.
    '84 GT convertible, Oxford white, CFI to carb swap, AOD
    '83 GT, T-tops, Bright Red, 65K original miles, 2nd owner; '85 roller cam engine; 8.8 w/3.55s; ROH ZR-6's
    '88 LX 5.0 Notchback, 55K miles, 3.27's, Mach 1 suspension, 5 lug conversion; Saleen ARE 229 wheels; Flofit seats; Vortech S Trim, 42# injectors
    '89 Saleen clone, 3.55's, SN95 rear discs, SVO front discs, 9L white, ARE 229 5 spoke wheels, complete Flofit interior and Saleen gauges; Maximum Motorsports Panhard Bar;

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