Technology & Engineering

THE complete guide to setting up, equipping and using a home car workshop. Working on your car at home saves you money and helps you to achieve the results you want. You might want to perform routine servicing, modify a car, restore a car, or even build a car from scratch, but to achieve the best outcome, you’ll need a properly-equipped workshop.
Whether you have a small or large space, this book covers workshop design, equipment, storage, safety aspects and much more.
You will find handy tips on the safe use of tools, a guide to welding, as well as instructions for building your own storage racks and cabinets, how to build a strong workbench – even how to make your own full-length car ramps. It also gives advice on the best tools for working on the electronics of your car. The book is fully illustrated throughout with real-world examples.
The author’s many years of experience building and equipping his own workshops for home-modification projects, are distilled here into this eminently practical guide.
If you are planning to set up your own home car workshop, this book covers everything you need to know.

This comprehensive manual provides professional but easy-to-follow know-how on how to restore, improve and maintain your classic car’s suspension, steering and wheels.
This book will familiarise you with the components of your car’s suspension and steering systems and their construction, it also takes a detailed look at refurbishing wheels and the choice of tyres. The relevant restoration techniques are fully explained and illustrated with detailed step-by-step photography.
The book is a new title in Veloce’s Enthusiast’s Restoration Manual series, and is based on articles from Europe’s leading classic car magazine OLDTIMER MARKT.

This manual is for all owners, would-be owners and enthusiasts of the legendary Kawasaki Z1 900, Z/KZ900 and Z1000 motorcycle built between 1972 and 1980, and covers the complete restoration of a 1976 KZ900, from the sourcing of the bike to its completion as a fully-restored machine.

Every area is covered, starting with advice on different models, spares availability, and where best to source a bike to restore. Every area of the restoration is then described in full detail, including the engine, frame, gearbox, wheels, suspension, forks, brakes, ancillaries, bodywork and electrics, accompanied by hundreds of clear colour photos to illustrate the procedures in step-by-step fashion. Additional work on a 1974 Z1A model adds complementary information.

What really sets this manual apart from other offerings, however, is that it has been written in a friendly, humorous manner by an enthusiast of many years, who is able to involve and entertain the reader, as well as guide them through the restoration process.

This is Chris Rooke's third restoration guide: his previous works have been massive hits with mechanics, enthusiasts and restorers throughout the world.

Want to upgrade or update your car’s electronic systems? This book will show you how.
Cars of the 1990s and 2000s have sufficient electronic systems to achieve great outcomes, but they’re not so complex that they’re impossible to modify. The missing link, until now, has been a hands-on manual on how to achieve those results. Well, here it is!
This book covers everything from cheap modifications that allow you to adjust engine fuelling and ignition timing, to modifying car systems like power steering and even stability control. Easy upgrades to lighting, sound systems and the dashboard – right through to fitting and tuning programmable engine management. Photos and circuit diagrams guide you each step of the way.
All the car modifications are practical, and have been tried and tested by the author. From a 660cc turbo front-wheel drive screaming to 8500rpm on standard engine management but with big injectors… to a DOHC V8 rear-wheel drive with modified traction control… to a twin-turbo all-wheel drive with a custom torque split controller. Even modifying the re-gen braking on a hybrid!
This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to exploit the true electronic potential of their 1990s-2000s cars.
Written by a hands-on modifier, who has fitted and tuned programmable engine management, developed electronic automotive kits, and has undertaken cutting-edge electronic modifications, including hybrid cars.

An easy to follow guide to restoring a classic Mazda MX-5/Miata – the world’s favourite small sports car. This book takes you step-by-step through choosing a project car, looking the car over, planning the restoration, and buying parts and tools to perform the work.

The comprehensive text is fully supported by high resolution photographs, guiding you through stripping the car down, cutting out and repairing rust, restoration of interiors, replacing the hood, refurbishing the underside of the car including the floor pan, suspension, brakes, undersealing, reassembly, replacing the cam belt and waterpump, replacing engine seals and gaskets to cure common leaks. It also provides a guide to handy upgrades as you go along.

Whether you are looking to restore to original condition or build an out-and-out track weapon, the techniques described in this book will assist you in getting the right base to start with. The book is based on and actual restoration of a vehicle carried out by the author, with before and after shots.

A step-by-step guide to DIY air suspension for your road car. Manufacturers like Mercedes, Tesla, Audi and Cadillac choose air suspension because they can achieve the highest quality in ride and handling, but until now, there hasn’t been a book that shows you how to get the best from aftermarket air suspension for your road car.
This book covers both theory and practice – from the technical advantages of air suspension through to detailed coverage of the development, installation and tuning of a custom air suspension system. It looks at wiring and plumbing, covers a brilliant new low cost electronic air suspension controller, and even shows how to source low-cost components from cars originally sold with air suspension. Want to buy an air suspension kit off the shelf? That’s covered as well, with the six key questions to ask before buying.
Written by a prolific hands-on modifier, who has designed and fitted air suspension to his own car, this book is a practical, easy-to-follow guide.
Whether you’re after the best ride and handling, or simply like being able to raise or lower your car at the turn of a knob, this book will show you how to do it.

This unique handbook assumes no starting knowledge of car electrical and electronics systems. It begins with simple circuits and finishes with complex electronic systems that include engine management, transmission control and stability control systems.
If you want to diagnose a simple alternator charging or headlight problem, this book is for you. But if you also want to fix complex electronic systems using On-Board Diagnostics, a multimeter or oscilloscope, this book also shows you how to do that.
Is it best to use a series or parallel circuit when adding a horn? How do you use a multimeter to check a coolant temperature sensor against its specs? How can you add an electronic timer that will keep your headlights on as you walk to your door? When should you buy an oscilloscope – and how complex an instrument do you really need?
The author has been writing about car electronic systems for over 25 years. He is also an experienced and proficient car modifier who has performed numerous electronic modifications and upgrades to his own cars, including world-first modifications.
If you want a practical, hands-on book that demystifies and explains car electrical and electronic systems, this is the book for you.

Keeping Bees and Making Honey is a stunning, comprehensive and attractive lifestyle guide to beekeeping packed with images, information, practical advice, useful resources and recipes. Whether you have a tiny balcony or acres of land; live in the middle of a city or in the countryside surrounded by flowers, you can keep bees. Keeping Bees and Making Honey caters for every situation, and covers everything you will need to consider before you set up your colony – including when and how to tell the neighbours!

'Understanding your bees' introduces you to the history of bees and humans, the anatomy of a honey bee, the variety of species that you are likely to encounter, the caste system within a colony of queen, worker and drone, and the birth and life cycle of bees. 'What to consider' suggests factors to consider before keeping bees, from the space where you will house your hives to children and pets. Learn about the variety of hives available and how they work, as well all the important things that you will need including protective clothing, a smoker and hive tool, as well as honey-harvesting equipment. There are a variety of sources for purchasing your bees and 'Where and when to get your bees' will give you all the advice you need covering the nucleus, packaged bees, full colonies and tips on marking the queen. There are detailed sections on pollen and supers.

'Gardening for bees' will help you consider the best flowers to supply nectar and pollen to your bees whilst ensuring your garden looks great! It is probably the prospect of home-grown honey that entices most people to keep bees. 'All about honey' will show you how bees make honey, and how to harvest, jar and sell your honey. There is a whole chapter devoted to other bee products, from uses of beeswax; candles and cosmetics, to delicious recipes made with honey. Finally, 'Health and care' will ensure that your apiary stays clean and tidy, and your colony is pest free, strong and vigorous.

This updated and revised edition of Keeping Bees and Making Honey includes new material on bees as a superorganism, keeping bees in urban locations such as schools and at work, caring for bees during the winter, your second year as a bee keeper and more on bee health, varroa and colony collapse disorder. Environmentally there has never been a more important time to start beekeeping, nor is there a better antidote to the stresses of everyday life. Keeping Bees and Making Honey is the ideal companion for you if you are planning to start keeping bees in order to contribute to their conservation and to enjoy the considerable benefits of this fascinating hobby.

This is a comprehensive and attractive lifestyle guide to keeping ducks and geese – from what to consider before buying them, how to house them, their welfare and even egg selection.

They make wonderful and rewarding pets, and come in all shapes, sizes and colours, providing delicious eggs which are high in protein and are ideal for baking superior cakes. Geese make handy lawn mowers and ducks are perfect for vegetable and allotment gardeners as they love to feast on insects and other pests. With so much versatility, the desire to rear ducks and geese has never been greater.

The book begins with a fascinating brief history of domesticated waterfowl, and then moves onto first considerations before purchasing your ducks or geese, such as goose and duck anatomy and behavior.

There is a detailed section on all of the 40 common breeds of duck and goose, enabling you to make the right decision about which ones to choose. The book features extensive information on planning and welfare, helping you to ensure that you have the right type of space and housing, along with important feeding information. There are also guidelines on how to deal with any eventuality, such as telling the neighbors, going away on holiday and cleaning.

Useful for anyone considering breeding from their waterfowl, there is advice on egg production, egg incubation and hatching, as well as a whole section on rearing. A lavish lifestyle chapter provides recipes for using the rich eggs, along with fun activities for all of the family including quill making and decorating eggs.

Keeping Ducks and Geese fuses contemporary lifestyle design and an authoritative text, to appeal not only to those who already keep waterfowl, but also to those who are thinking of having them or even just aspire to the self-sufficient lifestyle that they represent.

A comprehensive look at Brunel's most famous and his lesser-known achievements. This remarkable book takes each of his triumphs and explores them in historical context, as well as from engineering and architectural point of view. An excellent 'gazetteer' gives the reader a chance to go out and folow Brunel's engineering trail. Over 80 diagrams and 60 photographs bring the subject to life.

A comprehensive look at Brunel's most famous and his lesser-known achievements. This remarkable book takes each of his triumphs and explores them in historical context, as well as from engineering and architectural point of view. An excellent 'gazetteer' gives the reader a chance to go out and folow Brunel's engineering trail. Over 80 diagrams and 60 photographs bring the subject to life.