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Is the Idiot's book really that valuable?
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volksaddict
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 5:03 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Back in the day before harbor freight a 36 mm socket was not readily available in the neighborhood, would set you back a couple days pay and took up a considerable amount of space in the single hand held tool box that was a person's entire tool collection. Heck, even a metric 3/8" ratchet set was a big expense and not real common. The chisel hack was a life saver. Different times.
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oprn
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 5:47 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Even though it may have been a bit substance induced I still enjoy his laid back outlook on life!
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 6:35 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

some cold winter day I am going to finish coloring in those great illustrations with penile crayons!

For you John Muir haters... when is your book coming out?[/quote]

Cannot wait to see that.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 7:01 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

calvinater wrote:
some cold winter day I am going to finish coloring in those great illustrations with penile crayons!


Shocked
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 7:10 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

I'm on my third Muir book.
The first I gave away to a coworker in the 80's. She bought a lovely 67 vert. And didn't have a clue on how to maintain the car.

The second one went away with wife #2. Good Riddense!

The third is on my coffee table. A 71 addition. It's in fair shape. I bought it on Amazon. I think I paid $19.95 pus shipping.

There are some guidelines in the book that help ya get home. But you better get that issue properly repaired before attempting a long drive.

Now, what pages were the blotter stuffed between? Cool
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 7:18 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

The best thing about Muir is that you can quickly read through the procedure and get a feel for how difficult/dirty/nasty the job is likely to be. Most manuals are so dry that an oil change reads the same as a transmission rebuild, but if Muir tells you to tuck your hair into your stocking cap and get ready for a fight, that's good to know.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 7:48 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

oprn wrote:
Nope but the one I have ain't going nowhere and some cold winter day I am going to finish coloring in those great illustrations with penile crayons!


You can get great high quality large prints of those illustrations from Peter Aschwanden's company "Flathead Graphics" I have the exploded beetle drawing hanging in my shop.

volksaddict wrote:
Back in the day before harbor freight a 36 mm socket was not readily available in the neighborhood, would set you back a couple days pay and took up a considerable amount of space in the single hand held tool box that was a person's entire tool collection. Heck, even a metric 3/8" ratchet set was a big expense and not real common. The chisel hack was a life saver. Different times.


I guess I forget sometimes that I grew up in a farming community where big wrenches were the norm and easy to get your hands on. Come to think of it, I may have gotten my big socket set at Central Tractor.


People think that John Muir was just a burnout hippy because of the way that book was written, when in reality he was a civil and structural engineer with expertise in metallurgy. He worked for Lockheed and General Dynamics on missile defense and aspects of the Gemini program. He knew the first rule of communication, talk to people so they can understand you. That book was written for young people of the 60s and 70s. If he had written it in the language of a technical manual it would never have sold as ,many copies as it did. You have to look at it like your old 4th grade math book, most of that knowledge is in our minds now so we don't need the simple, basic explanation anymore but, how many folks would have gotten to the level of know how they have now without it? Just because you've outgrown something doesn't make it useless.

I think it's safe to say that the "Idiot Book" helped save many of the air-cooled VWs that are around today. How many would have gone into the smelter if they couldn't preform their basic function of cheap transportation anymore?
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 8:14 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

I never have purchased the Idiot Book, but over the years folks have given me theirs as they got out of VWs. I don't really like it.

Personally, I like the out-of-print Clymer repair manual and the Bentley.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 8:54 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

67rustavenger wrote:
Now, what pages were the blotter stuffed between? Cool
It was the pages.

oprn wrote:
For you John Muir haters... when is your book coming out?

1964 Wink
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 9:20 am    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

The 7th edition of Harold Glenn's book was printed in 67. All 92 pages worth!
$59.95 on Amazon.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 12:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Abscate wrote:
Q-Dog wrote:
If you are broken down in the middle of nowhere with no phone or internet and limited tools, the idiot book would be the right book to have.


Is hilarious that a you tube generation of hacks to keep your. Wheels rolling disdains the printed version of the same.


My problem with Utube. So much of it is someone taking 25 minutes to show a 2 minute procedure. No organization of thoughts, no production value, bad camera work, worse editing and horrible sound. And that's on the better videos. 99% of it is garbage.

I'd rather watch grass grow or paint dry ... or read a manual written by an engineer. Laughing
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 1:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

DurocShark wrote:
I may need to list mine...

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/d/tustin-vw-repair-manual-how-to-keep/7315069759.html


Only a True Idiot would pay that much. Maybe that is the seller's goal !
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 1:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Q-Dog wrote:
Abscate wrote:
Q-Dog wrote:
If you are broken down in the middle of nowhere with no phone or internet and limited tools, the idiot book would be the right book to have.


Is hilarious that a you tube generation of hacks to keep your. Wheels rolling disdains the printed version of the same.


My problem with Utube. So much of it is someone taking 25 minutes to show a 2 minute procedure. No organization of thoughts, no production value, bad camera work, worse editing and horrible sound. And that's on the better videos. 99% of it is garbage.

I'd rather watch grass grow or paint dry ... or read a manual written by an engineer. Laughing


+1000

Absolutely false. It’s 99.9% garbage.

If you can find someone to cullg it for you , the 0.1% is great. I still haven’t found a good YouTube to clean snow off my 1971 Bus, though

My fourth wife came with an Idiot Manual; well used.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 1:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

The later versions that added the Types 3&4 got too complicated, and lost some accuracy. If you have an earlier Bug/Bus/Ghia the '71 edition is great... simpler, reasonably up to date.

I still use it for the pre-work parts lists and tool lists, unique in repair manuals, and golden for the beginner. Get's my head in the right place, too. Then I check Bentley or others.

The only version worth $100 might be a first edition in super clean shape, probably the unicorn of books.


Last edited by KTPhil on Sat May 01, 2021 3:18 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 3:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Cusser wrote:
DurocShark wrote:
I may need to list mine...

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/d/tustin-vw-repair-manual-how-to-keep/7315069759.html


Only a True Idiot would pay that much. Maybe that is the seller's goal !


You also have to drink a lot of $5 "Smart Water" before you buy an Idiot Book at that price!
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 4:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

I don’t think anyone’s pissed but they remember things through different eyes. What I remember about those times is there was little to no help except these few books. The independent shops guarded the knowledge. I finally fell into acquaintance with somebody a little younger who did train us but we had to work run errands and drive the tow truck. The guy was a genius he did VW repair and also radiator shop for American stuff. He stayed busy and life was good😀 I remember getting excited over going to the public library and using the reference books, looking at official VW workshop manuals. And we walked to school uphill both ways.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 5:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Q-Dog wrote:
Abscate wrote:
Q-Dog wrote:
If you are broken down in the middle of nowhere with no phone or internet and limited tools, the idiot book would be the right book to have.


Is hilarious that a you tube generation of hacks to keep your. Wheels rolling disdains the printed version of the same.


My problem with Utube. So much of it is someone taking 25 minutes to show a 2 minute procedure. No organization of thoughts, no production value, bad camera work, worse editing and horrible sound. And that's on the better videos. 99% of it is garbage.

I'd rather watch grass grow or paint dry ... or read a manual written by an engineer. Laughing



Sad
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 6:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

FarmerBill wrote:
People think that John Muir was just a burnout hippy because of the way that book was written, when in reality he was a civil and structural engineer with expertise in metallurgy. He worked for Lockheed and General Dynamics on missile defense and aspects of the Gemini program. He knew the first rule of communication, talk to people so they can understand you. That book was written for young people of the 60s and 70s. If he had written it in the language of a technical manual it would never have sold as ,many copies as it did.


Heck ya, the really smart people know how to make anyone understand a subject.

Opinion:
If you can't dumb it down, you don't know the topic well enough.
Or you aren't as smart as you think you are.
Or it can't be dumbed down but that is very very rare.
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 6:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

Q-Dog wrote:
Abscate wrote:
Q-Dog wrote:
If you are broken down in the middle of nowhere with no phone or internet and limited tools, the idiot book would be the right book to have.


Is hilarious that a you tube generation of hacks to keep your. Wheels rolling disdains the printed version of the same.


My problem with Utube. So much of it is someone taking 25 minutes to show a 2 minute procedure. No organization of thoughts, no production value, bad camera work, worse editing and horrible sound. And that's on the better videos. 99% of it is garbage.

I'd rather watch grass grow or paint dry ... or read a manual written by an engineer. Laughing


Part of the problem is that if you have ads, it has to be over a certain length to shows ads / get paid.
So... the 10 minute introduction and lots of dumb filler content was born out of "necessity" in a lot of cases
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 6:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Is the Idiot's book really that valuable? Reply with quote

EverettB wrote:
Q-Dog wrote:
Abscate wrote:
Q-Dog wrote:
If you are broken down in the middle of nowhere with no phone or internet and limited tools, the idiot book would be the right book to have.


Is hilarious that a you tube generation of hacks to keep your. Wheels rolling disdains the printed version of the same.


My problem with Utube. So much of it is someone taking 25 minutes to show a 2 minute procedure. No organization of thoughts, no production value, bad camera work, worse editing and horrible sound. And that's on the better videos. 99% of it is garbage.

I'd rather watch grass grow or paint dry ... or read a manual written by an engineer. Laughing


Part of the problem is that if you have ads, it has to be over a certain length to shows ads / get paid.
So... the 10 minute introduction and lots of dumb filler content was born out of "necessity" in a lot of cases


I'm the first to admit my vids are absolute shit. But I promised someone I would do it. As for time, I don't have enough subscribers to monetize, so it's just my crap editing. Wink
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