Celebrating John Haynes, the Mechanic Who Helps Us All
If You’ve Ever Reached for a Set of Wrenches, Then You’ve Likely Been Aided by John Haynes
Those of us who like to tinker owe a great deal of gratitude toward John Haynes. The English-born mechanical explorer has helped countless enthusiasts save time on repairs and seek out electrical gremlins in wiring harnesses.
His passion for disassembly came from a sports car that he’d owned in the ’50s, and by the time 1960 rolled around, he’d already founded a company under his own name. Things expanded rapidly in the ’70s, with offices around the world. His work is so prolific that he even has licensing rights to Chilton repair manuals. Clearly, John Haynes has this market cornered.
Complete teardown and rebuild procedures are the basis of his renowned books, and offer a look “inside” a car before we even start to work on it. Photographers work directly with mechanics during the tear-down process, and every manual is revised based on any model differences that might happen during a car’s production run.
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Master Mechanic
As technology progresses, so do formats for information. You may have a Haynes manual somewhere in your garage, greasy thumb prints and all, but Haynes now offers their manuals in online versions as well. Manuals On Line (MOL’s) have proven to be even better than their paper counterparts, as they offer color photographs, and color-coded wiring diagrams.
Think Haynes’ efforts have gone unnoticed? Thanks to his dedication to repair and publishing, John Haynes was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Clearly he’s doing things right, because we can’t remember the last string of repairs that received such an accolade.
