Just in case anybody has been looking, J. Eickman's Y-Block Book is back in print.  I just ordered it from Amazon.com for $12.99.  Due to it's supposed rarity, it's been selling on Ebay for upwards of 35 bucks! 

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

YES! Mine is to be delivered Tuesday...to help me get my beat up, push rod bent, stuck valves 292 running again.

My wife said she would divorce me if I bought another car. It scared me so bad I only bought 3 last month!

This must be one heck of a book.  I'm really looking forward to getting mine.  In additon to the outrageous prices on Ebay for such a "rare book,"  a guy at Carlisle had a beat up used copy for $50 bucks!  As is my habit, I made some smart aleck comment that he overheard and he told me he could get double that if he wanted and that I should go f#$% myself!   Ouch!!

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

Yep - some guys think they have it all. For a while, that book was out of print, and copies were selling for well over $100 - hard to believe, I know.

I called up Motorbooks International last year to find out if they were printing any more of the Y block books, and they said that the new books were on sale for about $10 if memory serves. I bought a few. Unfortunately though, the photos in the book were of horrible quality. I should know - I have one of the original Eickman books from MBI and the photos are crisp and very sharp. The paper is better quality too. MBI may have rushed to get the next printing out and probably just made a digital scan of the photos instead of going back to the original plates. There is a difference.

Hopefully yours will look better - maybe they are already into their third printing!

Dan

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

A friend of mine wheels and deals at the local flea market has about 30 of them. Selling for 10 bucks each and cant sell them . This is Chevy country and nobody wants one. Except me! A lot of used bookstores have them cheap. Just gotta look for them.  Earl in NC

55Birdman  Hickory NC

A.J. It's not that it "must be one heck of a book", but that it is the only book dealing exclusively with Y-Blocks. It's just too bad they didn't take the time to correct all of the mistakes in that were in the first printing. (example.. counting time chain links on wrong side of engine, picture page 72).



Word of advice.. double check the info in this book before taking it as Gospel.





Johnson Rod



Southern California

Be weary! I too bought a newer printed book from motorbooks. Total Crap! I could of borrowed the book from my library and photocopied it with the same results. Not happy here.

1959 and 1960 f-100sAkron OH

You guys were right...the reprint is horrible.  The photos and illustrations are hardly recognizable.  I guess that's what you get for 12 bucks!

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

Everyone that bought a lousy reprint needs to complain directly to MBI. It's fine that we have been elerted, but the problem won't get fixed unless you complain directly to them..

Paul

On the day that I received my copies - I complained and was told that I would receive a discount. The manager (after I got through the lower end salesman who did not know anything) told me that this was one of the best selling books, blah, blah, blah (funny how this best selling book is never in their catalog advertising!). After a couple of phone calls, and getting nowhere with the quality issue or the discount, I gave up.

Welcome to corporate America and "customer no service"

Dan

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com