Rating: 
Summary: Was there an editor involved?
Review: A good general review of smallblock chevy engine building and engine combinations. Primary focus is on late model electronic fuel injected engines. Disappointing lack of specific details and technical information, but a good book nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: General discussion of Chevy Smallblock engine building
Review: A good general review of smallblock chevy engine building and engine combinations. Primary focus is on late model electronic fuel injected engines. Disappointing lack of specific details and technical information, but a good book nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: A Mass of Generalities
Review: A great book from one of the masters! This book is concise and is clearly laid out for reference. Great for any Chevy builder!!
Rating: 
Summary: Clearly laid out and insightful: a great book!
Review: A great book from one of the masters! This book is concise and is clearly laid out for reference. Great for any Chevy builder!!
Rating:
Summary: Was there an editor involved?
Review: A very interesting book in spite of the fact that there didn't seem to be an editor involved. Many successive paragraphs were completely redundant. On the whole, I'd have to estimate that roughly 30% of the book could have been eliminated. Why didn't the editor catch and eliminate these blatant redundancies? I cannot stress the importance of eliminating redundancies. In addition, redundancies should be eliminated. Hah!
Rating: 
Summary: Easy reading, still informative.
Review: Fun to read because you know you're getting advice from THE MAN himself, John Lingenfelter. It's a great overview of the details, but doesn't get very detailed. Make sense? Ok, I'm glad I bought the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Mass of Generalities
Review: I consider this book to be an excellent source for understanding terminology related to the subject. It's comparable to an extended glossary. It has great explanations, but it lacks the specific detail that I wanted. Also, some of the advice seems a little silly. For instance, he says that it's okay to experiment with a camshaft because they're so cheap to replace.
Rating:
Summary: Great on general and self promotion, lacking on specifics.
Review: I felt this book was worth the money. If you want to learn about SBC's and more of WHY to modify them (as opposed to how) then get this book. I really think John Lingenfelter didn't get into enough detail on certain subjects such as heads, one of the most vital aspects of an engine. Also, there seemed to be a self promotion for his products in many articles. While this is understandable, I understood it was a good product from the first refrence to it. The dyno charts in the back were nearly worthless. There were a total of around 7, and 2 were on an LT5. This is a very rare (and extremely expensive) engine with a DOHC configuration, so the info didn't have any application to standard SBCs. Do not buy this book to build a powerful engine. Buy it to gain more understanding on what you want to do, but go with another for more specific refrences. I recommend it, just be prepaired to purchase additional books for more enlightenment.
Rating:
Summary: Great on general and self promotion, lacking on specifics.
Review: I felt this book was worth the money. If you want to learn about SBC's and more of WHY to modify them (as opposed to how) then get this book. I really think John Lingenfelter didn't get into enough detail on certain subjects such as heads, one of the most vital aspects of an engine. Also, there seemed to be a self promotion for his products in many articles. While this is understandable, I understood it was a good product from the first refrence to it. The dyno charts in the back were nearly worthless. There were a total of around 7, and 2 were on an LT5. This is a very rare (and extremely expensive) engine with a DOHC configuration, so the info didn't have any application to standard SBCs. Do not buy this book to build a powerful engine. Buy it to gain more understanding on what you want to do, but go with another for more specific refrences. I recommend it, just be prepaired to purchase additional books for more enlightenment.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing Venture into the "How Come"
Review: In a day when we have many "how to" magazines and books, this book is a refreshing venture into the "how come". With that point in mind and despite other mixed reviews, I have to give John Lingenfelter's book on Modifying Small-Block Chevy Engines five out of five stars.
John leans more on the reason to build and modify various engine parts and touchs on the various parts and choices we as engine builders have. He thoroughly discusses which engine components should be given ample attention and which parts are just as well left alone. He also talks about how various parts work together to create a powerful unit. In summary, if you are looking for a "hold my hand" walk through engine disassembly/assembly than you may be happier with author David Vizard or many other fine automotive writers. But, if you're looking for something different; maybe to gain the knowledge to begin to make your own engine assembly choices, than this is a fantastic read.
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