ermedic

I am looking to do some basic repair to my 1996. Does anyone have any suggestions to what the best manual would be?

Years ago when I was in High School, we lived by Chilton's. I don't even know if those things are still in print.

Perfusion

You will find (almost unanimously) that the GM Factory Service Manuals are *the* definitive source for diagnostics and repair. They are 2-book sets, and they're year specific. You will find them least expensively on eBay, but be prepared to bid because the demand for them is high. There's a shop near me that sells them new for around $150ish, so that should give you an idea of what kind of deal you may or may not be getting on eBay. Oh, and in your search, you may see a single GM service manual with a white cover - avoid it like the plague... Just pony up and get the red ones...

As for Chilton's/Haynes Manuals, yeah, they're still around - a lot of folks have 'em as well, but they can come nowhere near the detail thoroughness of the GM Manuals...

Best of luck!

Aaron71771

The red cover factory manuals put out by Helms are the best ones. They are thick and very detailed. YOu an order them online at www.helminc.com, usually cheaper then buying them from a third party.

If you can find them on Ebay - even better.

The Helms manuals are the dealer service manuals.

vader86

Get the Helm

VFR750

What's the matter with the white ones?

Charlie

tempest

Helm + Corvetteforum = best maintenance/repair information

ermedic

Charlie, I have gotten quite a bit of info since I posted this. Turns out the white ones were preliminary releases and full of mistakes that were later corrected by the official release.

rocco16

Note: the manuals sold by Helm are the official GM Service Manuals. I remember paying about $125 for the set directly from Helm, Inc.
They are worth the money.
Not only are they a service manual par excelance', but they contain a wealth of reference material as well, with things like the options codes, GM part numbers for fluids, the best tire balancing machines to use, the best disc resurfacing machines to look for, etc.

Larry

greenvette95

Corvette Kid

They were suppliments to the previous year manuals containing the new model year changes until the full versions were released. They are therefore very incomplete as well, unless you also have the previous year's manuals. The Helms books are obviously as good as you'll get. That being said, once I've done a procedure per the factory manual, I often figure out that they wasted a bunch of my time removing unnecessary parts, etc. and can figure an easier way to do it the next time. The antenna replacement comes immediately to mind.....

Let me add, I've seen better factory manuals than GM's but, I've seen a hell of a lot worse too.

ermedic

So if you have seen better....what do you recommend?

silver & red CE

Not that there aren't some whoopers in the final version.

I spent at least 15 mins looking for that 2nd coolant bleed screw on my 96...Ha, ha.

I have the FSM and the cheapy Haynes manual from AutoZone. I find there's lot's of streetwise info in the Haynes manual, the FSM calls for big $$ tools when the Haynes manual shows how to do it on the cheap.

Eric

SLOWRIDE

Get the helms!

kenv

Yeah: I got the white cover one and its . I get more info from the Chiltons manual than that one

Corvette Kid

For clarification, I was speaking of manuals in general. The Helms are as good as it gets for Corvettes.