I am building a Cobra Replica from scratch and the chassis prints available do not include the suspension components. Before applying aftermarket or Ford Mustang components I needed to know why control arms where mounted the way they are on the latest technology.
The crash worthiness of current vehicles needs to be incorporated into my redesign. The information I have came from experience in tooling the autos and trucks in the Detroit area. The why's and wherefore's of chassis design was not part of that experience or engineering education.
Herb Adams approaches the subjects in a clear and concisely as well as covers the mathematics in a textbook fashion. The math is at a High School algebra level and very well supported with text and examples.
Before I begin to purchase steel and late model parts I will be able to lay out a revised design based on the original Cobra for authenticity, but have the greatest confidence that I have covered the bases well using the content of this book. Adjustments will be required to fine tune the chassis, but the building and testing of scale models (as illustrated in this book) will provide assurance that the welded frame will be correct and the tuning can be carried out easily by design.
I have Proposed and Engineered the tooling for the chassis that will replace the current Ford Explorer, as well as proposed several other chassis welding systems for the remaining companies of the big-3. This book is an excellant reference for my day-to-day engineering endeavors.
Now that we got that out of the way, i found this book to be a very good reference for those who have some experience and a fairly good grasp on the concepts behind it. Also, it comes across in basic, easy to understand language, explaining anything more technical then simple shop-talk. Clear, concise examples with practical, real-world numbers are used through out. A relaxed, yet informative tone keeps it more interesting than a textbook, while adequately explaining the underlying technical points.
i did feel that the book glossed over a few things however. Most notably in the section covering different types of front suspensions, it starts off with a well-balanced good point/bad point system. Near the end, it starts to feel as though the authors bias towards certain types shows through. Not to the point of comprimising the books authority, but it does show.
The book itself is well laid out, clear charts and graphs, black and white pictures provide good illustration. The index is good, and makes for easy location of particular points. The last page has a list of books (from the publisher of course) that provides suggestions for continued reading.
As a degreed Manufacturing Engineer, with a second degree in Mechanical Engineering, I knew how to start the design revisions, but the reasons for the the current design diferences are not intuitive or covered in my educational background. Herb Adams takes you from theory, applies High School level algebra along the way, and concludes with an integration of the all considerations you must apply in designing the suspension and the chassis.
The language and the education level of the text is clear and concise. A non-engineer with mechanical apptitude can understand and apply it. I feel the purchase was a wise choice on my part and a positive reflection on those that recommended the book to me.
I am currently a Proposal Engineer in a large automitive tooling company in the Detroit area. I will use the book as a reference for my daily work since I have Proposed and engineered the tooling the next Explorer chassis and I am active in the other Big-3 IRS chassis tooling programs.
