How good is Phils (?) book?
03-05-03, 12:32 AM
#1
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How good is Phils (?) book?
I was talking to a guy online the other night about the SC GTE swap.... He was saying that shops charge between $3500-$4500 labor only to do the swap... I am pretty sure I can do it and made the comment I was going to buy "the book" and read through it and make a decision about if or if not I was going to try it on my own... He said that "the book will make it sound easier than it is" and "Good luck trying to use Phils book as a guide because it is only about half right".. Now my question is to anyone who has ever seen or used he thing firt hand.. Is it worth the money and does it tell you everything you need to know and is it accurate? Let me know because the only thing I am worried aout is the dash interface... My doesn't someone make an adapter harness????
03-05-03, 09:03 PM
#2
Racer
I've not seen Phil's book, but on the occasions he visits this forum he's been very helpful. It couldn't hurt to ask him to provide a few references from those that have already bought his book.
03-06-03, 07:40 AM
#3
I will absolutely vouch for Phil's book. I have no problem building motors, swaps, etc.. I'm just not very good with wiring schematics. The only reason I purchased the book was for the wiring. I didn't have time to sit down with my manuals and cross reference every connection. I figured that the $195 or so for the book, was only one more line item out of all the parts I needed for this swap.
Trust me, if you're worried about $195, then the $8-$10k to do the actual swap may be a bit too much to bit off.
If you feel comfortable with wiring then by all means, get the supra and lexus manuals and have at it.
The wiring in the book is pretty detailed. I wanted to make another comment though, the book was great, however, I cannot even tell you the support that Phil provided me via email! He got back to me within the same day, and walked me through a few spots that were a bit confusing. He completely stands behind his book, and for the money you're spending on the book, your also getting support.
CT
Trust me, if you're worried about $195, then the $8-$10k to do the actual swap may be a bit too much to bit off.
If you feel comfortable with wiring then by all means, get the supra and lexus manuals and have at it.
The wiring in the book is pretty detailed. I wanted to make another comment though, the book was great, however, I cannot even tell you the support that Phil provided me via email! He got back to me within the same day, and walked me through a few spots that were a bit confusing. He completely stands behind his book, and for the money you're spending on the book, your also getting support.
CT
03-06-03, 04:48 PM
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thanks
Thanks for he replys... I just wanted to hear from someone who has the book and has used it... The money for the book was never a real issue... I know there is always a few different was to do a project... I am looking for the cleanest even if it cost more money... I just wanted to make sure the book didn't just outline the swap.. Does it have a parts list??? Im going to purchase th book without a doubt.. The guy online (1st post) just got me thinking... Thanks for the reply again...Tommy D
03-11-03, 01:07 PM
#5
"phil's book"
Hey Tommy,
Just thought you might want to hear from the horse's mouth... I put this book together out of frustration at not being able to get any straight answers or serious info from the "experts" at the performance shops. For the record, I paid Jarrett Humphries a $500 retainer just to get him to agree to review my own wiring diagrams... all I got for my money was "it looks pretty good to me"... Don't get me wrong, Jarrett answered a lot of specific questions for me as I was building my car, and I don't begrudge him his knowledge.
Nevertheless, I spent countless hours on a project that you must understand has a very limited demand. I've sold about 20 copies of the manual, and probably expend some 6-8 hours of my time answering questions from each purchaser, so it's not a get-rich-quick scheme, I just wanted to share the stuff I've learned the hard way, and defray some of my expense and time in the process.
There are definitely mistakes that were made in my original installation, and a few errors have been pointed out in my manual, which were promptly recorded and previous purchasers notified.
The manual is in a constant state of improvement, having grown some 10 pages since the first "issue".
Best of wishes for any Lexus owner undertaking this relatively easy project!
Phil
Just thought you might want to hear from the horse's mouth... I put this book together out of frustration at not being able to get any straight answers or serious info from the "experts" at the performance shops. For the record, I paid Jarrett Humphries a $500 retainer just to get him to agree to review my own wiring diagrams... all I got for my money was "it looks pretty good to me"... Don't get me wrong, Jarrett answered a lot of specific questions for me as I was building my car, and I don't begrudge him his knowledge.
Nevertheless, I spent countless hours on a project that you must understand has a very limited demand. I've sold about 20 copies of the manual, and probably expend some 6-8 hours of my time answering questions from each purchaser, so it's not a get-rich-quick scheme, I just wanted to share the stuff I've learned the hard way, and defray some of my expense and time in the process.
There are definitely mistakes that were made in my original installation, and a few errors have been pointed out in my manual, which were promptly recorded and previous purchasers notified.
The manual is in a constant state of improvement, having grown some 10 pages since the first "issue".
Best of wishes for any Lexus owner undertaking this relatively easy project!
Phil
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