Kelley's Works in Progress
Swappology
Well, we've decided to call our second book Swappology, and arrange it like a series of courses.
What we're trying to do with Swappology is give you a guide to donors, parts sources, and swaps to build a better Jeep. Why? "Jeeps are built, not bought." So, we've been culling parts catalogues, going back and forth with vendors and manufacturers, and talking to enthusiasts (like you, probably...) and figuring out how to solve problems that come up when building a rig.
Since this is a "Work in Progress," we are soliciting comments and ideas for inclusion in the work - and for any of our other works. If you want to suggest a method, you can. If you have something you'd like to know how to do, ask! WiP books are written by an enthusiast, written for enthusiasts, and driven by enthusiasts - that's why we maintain full control of the work and print and publish ourselves! It may be more work, but it allows us to maintain full creative control over the work, and to make changes and update as necessary.
While this is, in no wise, set in stone; here is a working outline for Swappology. While the chapters are numbered as "courses" (we thought it fitting,) the chapters should also stand alone on their own - and this is intended more as a "reference work" than a "read-through work":
- SWAP101 - Orientation. What you can probably expect to get into.
- SWAP110 - Basic Skills and Practices. What you should already know how to do, or know someone who knows how to do...
- SWAP201 - AMC Inline Six Engines
- SWAP202 - AMC 150ci Four-Cylinder Engine
- SWAP203 - AMC Eight-Cylinder Engines
- SWAP211 - Pontiac 151ci Four-Cylinder Engine. Used briefly as an OEM in Jeep, and popular for scratchbuilds
- SWAP212 - General Motors 60-degree V6 Engines
- SWAP213 - General Motors 90-degree V6 Engines
- SWAP214 - General Motors Eight-Cylinder Engines (May be divided into "Small Block" and "Big Block," depending on how much material is generated.)
- SWAP221 - Ford 140ci Four-Cylinder Engine. Almost as common as the Pontiac 151ci
- SWAP222 - Ford V6 Engines
- SWAP223 - Ford Inline Six Engine (Falcon Six and Cleveland Six)
- SWAP224 - Ford Eight-Cylinder Engines (May also be divided by families.)
- SWAP231 - Chrysler "Slant Six" Engine
- SWAP232 - Chrysler V6 Engines
- SWAP233 - Chrysler Eight-Cylinder Engines
- SWAP250 - "Idealized" AMC I6 Stroker Buildup
- SWAP300 - Automatic Transmission ID Guide
- SWAP301 - Automatic Transmissions
- SWAP310 - Manual Transmissions
- SWAP320 - Transfer Case Basics, Operation, and Identification
- SWAP321 - Transfer Cases
- SWAP400 - Axle Identification
- SWAP401 - Axles
- SWAP500 - Body & Chassis Parts
- SWAP600 - Electrical Parts Exchanges
- SWAP700 - Basic Dana BoM Breakdown (What did that Dana 60 come out of, really?)
- SWAP701 - Axle Applications and Donors
- SWAP710 - Engine Donors
I know this seems like a lot (and that's why we're working on it!) but this outline is subject to change - we may not get enough information to fully develop a particular section, and we'll have to drop it. Or leave it aside and add it later. Or (this just might happen with SWAP600) leave it as material for another volume!
Also, as it happens, we don't expect this book to be very small. However, we're hoping it will be a complete and definitive A-to-Z manual for swapping parts and building Jeeps. Will we hit the mark? Who knows - but we're sure as Hell going to aim for it... After all, that's what we're aiming for with The Jeep I6 Power Manual - we're not there yet, but it's not for a lack of effort...
Anyhow, comments are welcome - you can either JeepPower Yahoo! group and comment there. The JeepPower group is going to be where updates, revisions, errata (Heaven forbid!) and suchlike concerning the books will be posted first, so signing up is encouraged. It's free, and it's also moderated (we got tired of the SPAMbots as well,) so if it takes a while for your post to show up, it's because we haven't seen it yet. If you sign up, please be sure to mentione why - I have to drop a lot of people as "suspected SPAMbots," and any membership request with no reason given is automatically dropped without explanation. Period.