General: New Chrysler Fwd Book Now Available For Sale [Archive]

seanjnl1

08-28-2009, 01:08 PM

I have just published my second book on the history of front wheel drive performance at Chrysler during the eighties, and it is now available for sale.

http://www.moparautos.com/images/cover_0001.jpg

http://www.moparautos.com/images/book2%201_small.jpg

Don't worry about the cover being cut off on the right side. It only looks that way because my scanner was too small to scan the entire cover.

The book can be purchased at http://www.moparautos.com/book.htm

This paperback book is 230 pages long, and tells the story of the front-wheel drive performance cars created from 1983-1992. It includes over 200 black and white photographs, 50 information tables, and a 16-page full-color insert on glossy stock.

Purchase price is $19.00 if paying by check or money order. Paypal price is $20.50. These prices include shipping. Purchase price to a Canadian address is $24.00 (Paypal only).

Thanks for your interest. I hope you like it.
Greg

neongary

08-28-2009, 01:12 PM

I hope it's better than the Daytona/Laser book. That book was a mess.

DodgeZ

08-28-2009, 01:55 PM

Does your book have links to BoostedMopar.com?

MNmopar

08-28-2009, 02:09 PM

I hope it's better than the Daytona/Laser book. That book was a mess.

I'd have to disagree, I really liked the daytona book and I'll definitely pick this one up too. The first edition wasn't perfect, but it's the definitive collection of information on the daytona's as far as I'm concerned. At least to this point.

Speaking of which, is there any update on the 2nd edition color version of the daytona book?

Thanks for all of your work on these cars Greg! I look forward to this book!

ATaylorRacing

08-28-2009, 03:18 PM

Hi Greg....any info on the rare 84 HO powered Horizons...al 84 of them....is mine the only non-A/C car and radio delete...from what I have heard....but would like some documentation in writing.

seanjnl1

08-28-2009, 07:20 PM

Does your book have links to BoostedMopar.com?

Yes it does.

seanjnl1

08-28-2009, 07:21 PM

I'd have to disagree, I really liked the daytona book and I'll definitely pick this one up too. The first edition wasn't perfect, but it's the definitive collection of information on the daytona's as far as I'm concerned. At least to this point.

Speaking of which, is there any update on the 2nd edition color version of the daytona book?

Thanks for all of your work on these cars Greg! I look forward to this book!

Thanks for the kind words.

Regarding the updated Daytona/Laser book, the publisher that was supposed to publish it has apparently left me for dead. They published the all black-and-white version, which is currently for sale on-line, but they never did publish the version with the color insert, despite my several hundred reminders that I sent to them.

At this point, I have decided that all of the online print-on-demand companies are scam artists, and I am no longer going to use them. Instead I am going to publish the Daytona/Laser book myself. I have already got the ISBN barcode, and obviously the interior text is finished. The only thing I need to do is have a new cover designed, since I can no longer use the cover that my previous publisher created. The artist that designed the cover for my 2nd Chrysler performance book is currently designing the cover for the updated Daytona book. Once this is done, I just need to send the files to the printers, and we will be ready to go.

This is the route that I took with my second book, and the total turnaround time from file upload to printed books delivered to my house was only 3 weeks. Not only that, but the quality of the books were also higher, since I was able to use thicker white paper, glossy stock for the color insert, and a glossy lamination for the cover. The books really turned out nice.

seanjnl1

08-28-2009, 07:23 PM

Hi Greg....any info on the rare 84 HO powered Horizons...al 84 of them....is mine the only non-A/C car and radio delete...from what I have heard....but would like some documentation in writing.

Sorry, nothing on the HO Horizons. The closest subject would be the chapter on the 84-86 Omni GLH and GLH-S.

Mario

08-28-2009, 07:35 PM

Nice to see you putting these out there.

CoolV300C

08-28-2009, 08:51 PM

Very cool. I will plan to get it.

superbleu

08-28-2009, 09:44 PM

Greg
Cool I was wondering when this was coming out. Missed you at the shows this year.

2.216VTurbo

08-28-2009, 10:07 PM

Sweet, I got an extra copy to give away as a gift or maybe for SDAC door prize next year:D

seanjnl1

08-29-2009, 07:12 AM

Greg
Cool I was wondering when this was coming out. Missed you at the shows this year.
Dan

I looked for ya buddy. :) Are you planning on going to Carlisle next year? I should be there. I wanted to go to the SDAC show next year also, but it is being held at the same time as Carlisle, so I am not sure how the logistics will work.

Directconnection

08-29-2009, 09:25 AM

Greg, can you give us a little background on yourself and some info about your book.

Turbodave

08-29-2009, 12:34 PM

neongary

08-29-2009, 12:49 PM

I hope it's better than the Daytona/Laser book. That book was a mess.

Guess that came across a little harsh and I apologize for that.

I do appreciate the book and it's great to see someone finally put out a book on these cars. The information inside is invaluable and nice to see coverage on some of the rare and unusual prototypes that we might have not known about otherwise. What I meant with the word "mess" is that some of the photographs were not that great. The one color picture of t-top Daytona with a trash bag on the seat and others with dirty interiors just doesn't impress as a professional looking publication. The numerous cars with aftermarket parts that are not mentioned might confuse someone trying to use the book as a restoration reference.
Keep up the good work and I look forward to your future publications, hopefully with better photography. Hey, maybe you could get together with MaryBeth (Dodgeshadowchik)?

scrampage1

08-29-2009, 12:55 PM

Kinda curious as to why this is from 1983 to 1992.

Seems like it should go from 1983 to 1993.

The 1993 Dodge Daytona IROC R/T counts, doesn't it?

Sorry to be a little nit-picky.

I plan on buying the book anyways.

Ray
Central California

scrampage1

08-29-2009, 01:01 PM

Aaarrggh!! Just looked at the table of contents.

I believe I figured it out.

You don't have any of the 1984 to 1993 G-bodies listed.

The 1993 Dodge Daytona IROC R/T is most probably covered in your Daytona/Laser book.

Ray
Central California

zin

08-29-2009, 03:18 PM

Well the price is reasonable, I might have to pick one up myself! Just isn't much of anything covering these cars, which is a slight that you are correcting, good to see it!

Mike

rosie

08-29-2009, 03:58 PM

Well the price is reasonable, I might have to pick one up myself! Just isn't much of anything covering these cars, which is a slight that you are correcting, good to see it!

Mike

You guys see that "History of mopar Muscle" that just came out? Apparently Mopar didn't make anything worth while since the 70's till the SRT4....

Plan on getting the book too.

Thanks:thumb:

seanjnl1

08-29-2009, 11:03 PM

Greg, I plan on picking op a copy but was curious if you used any of the pictures on my 89 Competition Package Shadow in there? I know you took a bunch of pics at SDAC-18 and a few this year as well. If so, I would want to get a copy for my uncle who painted the car too.

If it is the red car that is shown in your postings, then yes it is in there. In fact, it is also in the colored insert section. Very nice car.

seanjnl1

08-29-2009, 11:13 PM

Guess that came across a little harsh and I apologize for that.

I do appreciate the book and it's great to see someone finally put out a book on these cars. The information inside is invaluable and nice to see coverage on some of the rare and unusual prototypes that we might have not known about otherwise. What I meant with the word "mess" is that some of the photographs were not that great. The one color picture of t-top Daytona with a trash bag on the seat and others with dirty interiors just doesn't impress as a professional looking publication. The numerous cars with aftermarket parts that are not mentioned might confuse someone trying to use the book as a restoration reference.
Keep up the good work and I look forward to your future publications, hopefully with better photography. Hey, maybe you could get together with MaryBeth (Dodgeshadowchik)?

I was not happy with many of the pictures myself. Part of the problem is finding cars worth photographing. Daytonas and Lasers just do not show up in my hometown. When they do, they are often in poor condition. I had a particularly hard time finding ANY Lasers to photograph at all. I got stuck using whatever I could find. Just my luck, a few months after the book came out, an 85 and 86 Laser XT both appeared at a car show. I was able to photograph them and they appear in the updated edition.

I have to admit, being a first time effort, I was also hesitant and shy to bother the car owners to ask to close hoods, or move their cars to give me better shots, resulting in far too many "open hood" shots. I did not realize just how helpful car fans really are. In all, it was a learning experience that hopefully resulted in a better 2nd effort.

seanjnl1

08-29-2009, 11:45 PM

Greg, can you give us a little background on yourself and some info about your book.

There is nothing particularly special about me. I am just a Chrysler car fan like the rest of you. I remember the 1st time I ever saw an 84 Laser. It was an XE, and I thought it was the coolest car I had ever seen. I later remember seeing a brand new 89 Daytona at the dealership. OMG, those were so gorgeous. Unfortunately, like most teenagers, my job at the time was pathetic, and there was no way I could afford to buy one new.

For some reason, I was always drawn to the 70's and 80's cars at the Mopar shows. While everybody else is going ga-ga over the Cudas, the Road Runners, and the Chargers, I am looking at the Magnums, the Cordobas, and the Daytonas. I actually never intended to write a car book. Originally, I just wanted to buy a book on the Daytona. Anytime a new Chrysler car book came out, I would look to see if any information on the Daytona was in it. Of course, as all of you are already well aware of, book publishers believe that Chrysler stopped building cars in 1974 (except for the Viper), and the newer cars are never in it. Frustrated, I decided that nobody would ever write the book that I was looking for, so I decided to give it a try on my own.

The second book is just a natural progression from the G-Body book. It gives the history of the FWD performance cars built from 1983-1992. Essentially, it is a history of K-Car performance, although the Dakota also has a chapter. I considered including the Neon and the Diamond Star cars, but the Neon could probably fill a book all by itself, and the Diamond Star cars seemed to be a bit more Mitsubishi than Chrysler, so I left them out (the Neon is discussed in the after-1992 performance chapter). If you have seen my Daytona/Laser book, then you will recognize the layout of the second book. The Carroll Shelby and 2.2 liter engine chapters were carried over, although both chapters were expanded and updated. Much of the information focuses on the Shelby cars, although I did not want this to just be a "Carroll Shelby" book.

I did have another person more knowledgeable than me edit the book. I won't give his name just in case he is shy, although you will be able to read his name in the credits. He truly did an incredible job of finding errors, giving suggestions, and providing additional information and history for the book. I am so grateful that he agreed to proofread my manuscript. This book is so much better because of the work that he did.

Like my 1st book, most of the pictures are black and white, although it does include a 16-page color insert. In an ideal world, I would have made all of the pictures in full color, but that would have raised the retail price to over $50.00, which nobody would pay.

neongary

08-30-2009, 12:32 PM

I was not happy with many of the pictures myself. Part of the problem is finding cars worth photographing. Daytonas and Lasers just do not show up in my hometown. When they do, they are often in poor condition. I had a particularly hard time finding ANY Lasers to photograph at all. I got stuck using whatever I could find. Just my luck, a few months after the book came out, an 85 and 86 Laser XT both appeared at a car show. I was able to photograph them and they appear in the updated edition.

I have to admit, being a first time effort, I was also hesitant and shy to bother the car owners to ask to close hoods, or move their cars to give me better shots, resulting in far too many "open hood" shots. I did not realize just how helpful car fans really are. In all, it was a learning experience that hopefully resulted in a better 2nd effort.
I can appreciate the difficulty in finding an original Daytona/Laser. Years ago when I was looking for one to play around with, I couldn't find one either. The ones that were for sale at that time were so heavily modified that I wasn't interested or just trashed.
Not sure what your budget is, but you probably will have to venture out of your hometown to find something halfway decent to photograph. Carlisle and the Mopar Nats are probably a good start along with one of the SDAC events.
Just being on this board is a great resource too and could provide leads for cars to photograph.
When it comes to owners cars, I gotta think that they would be flattered that their car would be featured in a book and would be more than willing to help you to get that perfect shot.
I look forward to your next book. :thumb:

neongary

08-31-2009, 12:34 AM

Just ordered the new book. Can't wait to check it out. Bonus...it has the Lebaron Indy Pace car!

Polygon

08-31-2009, 02:34 PM

Sweet, I just ordered one. Being a GTC nut I'm obligated to buy it.

Tony Fields

08-31-2009, 02:58 PM

There is nothing particularly special about me. I am just a Chrysler car fan like the rest of you. I remember the 1st time I ever saw an 84 Laser. It was an XE, and I thought it was the coolest car I had ever seen. I later remember seeing a brand new 89 Daytona at the dealership. OMG, those were so gorgeous. Unfortunately, like most teenagers, my job at the time was pathetic, and there was no way I could afford to buy one new.

For some reason, I was always drawn to the 70's and 80's cars at the Mopar shows. While everybody else is going ga-ga over the Cudas, the Road Runners, and the Chargers, I am looking at the Magnums, the Cordobas, and the Daytonas. I actually never intended to write a car book. Originally, I just wanted to buy a book on the Daytona. Anytime a new Chrysler car book came out, I would look to see if any information on the Daytona was in it. Of course, as all of you are already well aware of, book publishers believe that Chrysler stopped building cars in 1974 (except for the Viper), and the newer cars are never in it. Frustrated, I decided that nobody would ever write the book that I was looking for, so I decided to give it a try on my own.

The second book is just a natural progression from the G-Body book. It gives the history of the FWD performance cars built from 1983-1992. Essentially, it is a history of K-Car performance, although the Dakota also has a chapter. I considered including the Neon and the Diamond Star cars, but the Neon could probably fill a book all by itself, and the Diamond Star cars seemed to be a bit more Mitsubishi than Chrysler, so I left them out (the Neon is discussed in the after-1992 performance chapter). If you have seen my Daytona/Laser book, then you will recognize the layout of the second book. The Carroll Shelby and 2.2 liter engine chapters were carried over, although both chapters were expanded and updated. Much of the information focuses on the Shelby cars, although I did not want this to just be a "Carroll Shelby" book.

I did have another person more knowledgeable than me edit the book. I won't give his name just in case he is shy, although you will be able to read his name in the credits. He truly did an incredible job of finding errors, giving suggestions, and providing additional information and history for the book. I am so grateful that he agreed to proofread my manuscript. This book is so much better because of the work that he did.

Like my 1st book, most of the pictures are black and white, although it does include a 16-page color insert. In an ideal world, I would have made all of the pictures in full color, but that would have raised the retail price to over $50.00, which nobody would pay.

Any pics in the new book from SDAC-19?

I really liked the Daytona/Laser book.

CaptMoe

08-31-2009, 06:53 PM

I just placed my order as well.
Please keep us posted when the 2nd edition Daytona book comes out.
I'd like a copy of that one as well...

djd's turbo

08-31-2009, 09:29 PM

^^^Any idea at all when the 2nd edition Daytona/Laser book will come out? Just a general estimate? I've got an early 84 Daytona and I 'need' to have this book!! Thanks. djd.

ohlarikd

08-31-2009, 10:57 PM

I am reading the Daytona / Laser book right now. I love it. Yes, the pics aren't great, but I am sure you do not have access to Chrysler's picture archive, which would cause the book's price to skyrocket.

I *had* an 84 Laser XE, pretty much unmolested and in great shape. In hindsight, I do not know why I sold it. But I have good pics of it somewhere in a photo album. Maybe it would be helpful one day in a future revision.

Great work on the books, finally someone takes the time to write about these great cars!

Derek

MNmopar

08-31-2009, 11:32 PM

Regarding the updated Daytona/Laser book, the publisher that was supposed to publish it has apparently left me for dead. They published the all black-and-white version, which is currently for sale on-line, but they never did publish the version with the color insert, despite my several hundred reminders that I sent to them.

At this point, I have decided that all of the online print-on-demand companies are scam artists, and I am no longer going to use them. Instead I am going to publish the Daytona/Laser book myself. I have already got the ISBN barcode, and obviously the interior text is finished. The only thing I need to do is have a new cover designed, since I can no longer use the cover that my previous publisher created. The artist that designed the cover for my 2nd Chrysler performance book is currently designing the cover for the updated Daytona book. Once this is done, I just need to send the files to the printers, and we will be ready to go.

This is the route that I took with my second book, and the total turnaround time from file upload to printed books delivered to my house was only 3 weeks. Not only that, but the quality of the books were also higher, since I was able to use thicker white paper, glossy stock for the color insert, and a glossy lamination for the cover. The books really turned out nice.
:thumb:

seanjnl1

09-01-2009, 09:40 AM

Any pics in the new book from SDAC-19?

I really liked the Daytona/Laser book.

Yes it does. Quite a few in fact.

seanjnl1

09-01-2009, 09:43 AM

^^^Any idea at all when the 2nd edition Daytona/Laser book will come out? Just a general estimate? I've got an early 84 Daytona and I 'need' to have this book!! Thanks. djd.

I am shooting for September (this month). The cover is being designed even as we speak. I am doing a final proofread, which won't take long. At that point, it goes to the printer. Their turnaround time was 2-3 weeks for the Chrysler book.

garaithon

09-01-2009, 10:57 AM

I just placed an order for one! Can't wait till it gets here! Thanks!

Tony Fields

09-02-2009, 12:28 AM

ohlarikd

09-02-2009, 12:30 PM

Abkshelby

09-02-2009, 03:17 PM

Ordered. Thanks for the great effort to remember these cars!

superbleu

09-02-2009, 08:31 PM

Got mine today!!! :clap2:Sweet!! Very nice with a ton of good info. Good job Greg :thumb:

seanjnl1

09-02-2009, 09:52 PM

Greg -

You mention in your book that there is some guy who has a yard of 200 Daytonas of varying conditions. Do you know who this is? Website? Contact info?

I am looking for a very particular 84 Daytona Turbo, and wonder if he has one...

Thanks!

Derek

The Car Farm
Johnny Borich is the owner
304-327-9160
Fax 304-325-9451

This contact information will be listed in the revised edition of the G-Body book.

ohlarikd

09-03-2009, 09:44 AM

Greg, thanks for the info to the Car Farm!

Just some opinions on Daytona:

At the end of the book, you mention the sales slide of the Daytona even though it had all the improvements. I think its main downfall was that they let it go 10 years with the same unibody chassis. You can only change the front and rear fascias so many times. Everything between the fascias was the same, I don't think anyone ever was fooled into thinking it was a new car in when it was redesigned in 89 (the year that some say was the 'best'). I can't think of any car nowadays that has such a long life cycle. I agree that the G-Body was the last affordable all-Chrysler 2 door sport coupe buillt. The Avenger and Stratus were awful.

I remember distinctly when the Stealth came out, in 91 I think. It was all over for the Daytona right there. The body, interior, motor, technology, rigidity just was light years beyond the Daytona, and it was clear that the G-Body was done, at least to me. I understand it was a Mitsu, but it just made the age of the Daytona chassis glaringly obvious.

Lastly, the interior upgrade. I know you gave it high marks, and I think if you take a picture of it, it looks ok. But my brother bought one with the new interior when it first came out. I was astounded at how cheap the materials were and how flimsy everything was. The blinker stalk made this horrible cracking sound when you moved it and felt like it would break off at any moment. The seats were over stuffed and mushy, the plastics were hard and had huge gaps. Again, it you compare to the soft touch feel and tight quality of the Stealth interior of the same time, it was night and day. I think I prefer the very first 84 interior.

Anyway, just the way I remember it! The book stirs up all these thoughts and debates, so I think it did its job!

Derek

G-man

09-03-2009, 03:53 PM

Hi Greg,

It's Gerry. You used some documents and pictures of my '93 Daytona IROC/RT, the last G-body made by Chrysler in your other book. Should have called me for some stuff regarding this book! Although I haven't seen it, I'm sure I've got alot of memorabilia and stuff that could have been used. The assembly line pictures of the Whiitier cars probably would have made some people happy also!

I've had a feew authors take pics of my low/no mile Ford Mustangs, including the last Mustang SVO made with three miles on it, and a '95 Cobra R with 5 miles on it. They spent HOURS doing set up, lighting and prep. But the results were worth it. The Fox Body Recoginition Guide and the SVT Cobra Guidebook by Tom Schrenier are amongst the best.

Doing these books are a labor of love. I doubt anybody makes much $$$$ on them. Especially if you print them yourself with not much backing from anyone. Other authors tell me getting shelf spots at Borders or Barnes and Noble is next to impossible unless you are with a major publisher! Go figure.

It was nice to have my car and the documents mentioned in your G_body book. Good luck on the new endeavors.

My cars don't go to shows, and stay in the house, but I think I have the best collection of late model Shelby Dodges that have stayed original and have low miles. Buying most of them new back in the day and keeping all the literature and promotional stuff also puts mine in a different category.

Perhaps see you at Carlisle some day!

Gerry

(owner of 8 Mustangs, 2 Porsches, 6 Dodges and one very orange SVT Focus!)

ohlarikd

09-03-2009, 04:06 PM

Hey Gerry - care to share some photos are descriptions of those 6 Mopars? Just curious! Maybe you already have a thread somewhere else?

Derek

seanjnl1

09-03-2009, 04:29 PM

Hi Greg,

It's Gerry. You used some documents and pictures of my '93 Daytona IROC/RT, the last G-body made by Chrysler in your other book. Should have called me for some stuff regarding this book! Although I haven't seen it, I'm sure I've got alot of memorabilia and stuff that could have been used. The assembly line pictures of the Whiitier cars probably would have made some people happy also!

Doing these books are a labor of love. I doubt anybody makes much $$$$ on them. Especially if you print them yourself with not much backing from anyone. Other authors tell me getting shelf spots at Borders or Barnes and Noble is next to impossible unless you are with a major publisher! Go figure.

I had no idea that you had other Shelby's besides the Daytona. To be honest, I did not know how to get a hold of you anyway. I had no idea that you were at these forums. Too bad. It would have been nice to get a clearer picture of the last G-body on the assembly line. The one I used was dark and grainy, but it was the best that I could find. If you have a clearer one, please email it to me. I still have the opportunity to make changes to the updated Daytona book.

You are certainly correct about not making a profit on these books. Self publishing authors almost never break even, and I will be no different. But I didn't write the books to make money. I wrote them because I thought it was an interesting story, and it was obvious that nobody else was going to tell it. You are also correct about getting the book into brick and mortar bookstores. They NEVER take books from self publishers for their stores. There is just too much demand for shelf space, and they assume that self published books aren't any good. I may submit the books to an established publisher (Motorbooks, Krause) at some point, but that is a further down the road. Right now, I just want to get the updated Daytona book finished.

I am planning on going to Carlisle in 2010. Maybe we will cross paths.