jimmyblue
02-23-2004, 03:50 PM
Got this book today and thought I'd give y'alls a summary.
Glossy paperback, 154 pages at 3/8" thick. ISBN 1-55788-407-2 with a
suggested retail of $18.95, but available widely for about 12 bucks on
various online bookstores. Copyright 2003.
This book is kind of like the "hot rod your small block Chevy" books
only (duh) for the LS1. It is not an in-depth book, but I think it is
an all-right newbie read. The pictures are good, there are a bunch
of interesting and/or useful tables. The advice, however, should be
taken with a grain of salt. A wedge of lime and a shot of tequila
might not hurt either.
For example, they talk up the idea of porting your stock MAF with
no mention of the consequences to mixture or automatic transmission
performance; only that it might advance your timing.
Lightweight overviews of the basic bolt-on mods is a chapter in
itself. SLP is well represented here, almost as if there were some
linkage. Not too marketing-like, but, hmmm....
The info on various heads is interesting and well presented, not
in as much depth as would make you want to grab a die grinder
and go ape but useful in selecting cores and/or "Stage X" heads.
Tuning tools / software receives a chapter as well, similarly
light, but it is at least as up-to-the-minute as acknowledging
the existence of ATAP, EFILiveV6 and LS1Edit. There is no
mention of Predator, but is of HPP3 and SuperChips.
I would say this book is a good "bathroom read" and would
certainly be a useful primer for new LS1 owners or newly-
mod-bug-infected. It will take you to the point of asking
intelligent questions, although stopping short of answering
many. Like, telling you how to make a pointed stick and
where to find wild boar. Entertaining enough in the context
of one's living room but short enough details to make life,
shall we say, interesting if the advice is put to practice.
Entertainment Value: 7/10 (if you are an LS1 fan)
Technical Data: 5/10 (some tables here I haven't seen anywhere)
Secret and Forbidden Knowledge: 1/10 (none found but I might have missed)
Glossy paperback, 154 pages at 3/8" thick. ISBN 1-55788-407-2 with a
suggested retail of $18.95, but available widely for about 12 bucks on
various online bookstores. Copyright 2003.
This book is kind of like the "hot rod your small block Chevy" books
only (duh) for the LS1. It is not an in-depth book, but I think it is
an all-right newbie read. The pictures are good, there are a bunch
of interesting and/or useful tables. The advice, however, should be
taken with a grain of salt. A wedge of lime and a shot of tequila
might not hurt either.
For example, they talk up the idea of porting your stock MAF with
no mention of the consequences to mixture or automatic transmission
performance; only that it might advance your timing.
Lightweight overviews of the basic bolt-on mods is a chapter in
itself. SLP is well represented here, almost as if there were some
linkage. Not too marketing-like, but, hmmm....
The info on various heads is interesting and well presented, not
in as much depth as would make you want to grab a die grinder
and go ape but useful in selecting cores and/or "Stage X" heads.
Tuning tools / software receives a chapter as well, similarly
light, but it is at least as up-to-the-minute as acknowledging
the existence of ATAP, EFILiveV6 and LS1Edit. There is no
mention of Predator, but is of HPP3 and SuperChips.
I would say this book is a good "bathroom read" and would
certainly be a useful primer for new LS1 owners or newly-
mod-bug-infected. It will take you to the point of asking
intelligent questions, although stopping short of answering
many. Like, telling you how to make a pointed stick and
where to find wild boar. Entertaining enough in the context
of one's living room but short enough details to make life,
shall we say, interesting if the advice is put to practice.
Entertainment Value: 7/10 (if you are an LS1 fan)
Technical Data: 5/10 (some tables here I haven't seen anywhere)
Secret and Forbidden Knowledge: 1/10 (none found but I might have missed)