Chilton's and Motor's Manuals

[Dualfuel]

I have boxes of Chilton automotive manuals and Motor's Manuals from 1988 and back. Here in Michigan, those cars have all rusted out long ago. I find that I only have a 1979 Fairmont left from that era...I collect trucks. So....I would give away these manuals if you pay for the shipping...my trailer is too small for me to try and keep these any longer...so I am considering throwing them on the burn pile...I hate to do it but I just can't use a car out here any more....and there aren't any left regardless...perhaps you fellas to the south and west could use these books? I need a space to sleep so these boxes have to go!
Looks like the big manuals can go in the 12.35 usps priority boxes...If I have to hunt for boxes and label them, then it probably would be better to burn the manuals...
BPJ
Thoughts?

[SteveU.]

Same problem here BPJ
I am spending this winter going back through 50 years accumulated boxes of publications, books and magazines.
I send off for free to anyone anything I think they might even be remotely interested in.
Still be at least 10,000 pounds of old service manuals, parts manuals, math books and trades magazines go to go woodstove by-by this winter.
Some box I'll get down to will have a 70's airbrakes system parts manual in it I remember having a lot of 30's to 60's train brakes stuff in it. Who'd even want it? Same was said to me back in ~1976 when I saved it out of a dumpster.

Sigh. It's like buring children isn't it?
Steve Unruh

[Jens]

If you have a local 'freecycle' group, you might be able to pass old stuff along to someone who can use it. I have a hard time throwing anything out but if I let it go through freecycle then I just 're-home' the stuff and don't feel so terrible about throwing something out.
http://www.freecycle.org/

[Thob]

Try putting a few of them on ebay - $0.99 starting price plus shipping ($15 to continental US?).  See if any of them sell, then go from there.  Somebody out there might really, really want one of those manuals.

Do you have a used bookstore in your area?  We have Half Price Books around here, and they will buy books from you.  Take a few in, they look them over and give you a price.  You never know until you try!

[glort]

My uncle has a HUGE library of manuals. The family Business was Busses and coaches and he has them going back to stuff his father who was my Grandmothers elder brother collected.
Basically he has the end wall and half a side wall of a large double garage all done in shelving to store them all and there isn't any space.
My aunt says when he goes I'll be getting a phone call to come get whatever I want from his massive barn type shed and workshop because my cousins aren't interested in any of it.

The books are a huge resource but as said, who would want it?  The amount of people that would still have an Albion bus Chassis for instance which is something I know he has could probably be counted on one hand.  Much the same for all the other books.
I think the hardest part will be getting rid of this stuff knowing how much he treasures it.  I have tested him out by looking for what he has then casually mentioning something about it ( " I saw one of these on the internet") and asking him something about it. Inevitably he will go to the shed and look for the manual very close to where it is and find it in about 15 seconds tops.  Sometimes he catches me out by looking in what I think is the wrong place and pulling out another manual on the same thing then going and pulling out another one or 2 including the one I spotted from completely different place in the shed.  My Aunt says his hearing and memory are getting worse all the time but there is some part of his brain that's still operating at genius level I reckon.

I very much doubt a librarian could find something quicker with numbered books but my uncle just has his own system that seems to work very well for him.

Maybe I could ask the vintage machinery mob if they were interested in these books? They would no doubt be a treasure for someone like my uncle but for anyone else, it's really difficult to think of a reason to keep them.  I might hang on to some of the older ones because I have a thing for 100 year old books no matter what they are.

Of course the garage/ barn that Can hold 4 full size motor coaches PLUS the workshop area off to the side and The Mezzanine is going to be something else again.  There is a couple of vintage tractors in there plus one round the back as well as a'50s era Truck.  The amount of tools, assorted machinery and even the amount of things like drill bits which I'm sure no man could move in 3 trips is really going to take some going through.

[Dualfuel]

Hey, thanks for all the input guys...I do appreciate it...if you hadn't guessed already...I simply don't have the resources to give this stuff away...I have to sell it or walk it over to the burn pile, because of the time and fuel it requires to haul it to somebody who might be interested in it...my god! I mean I haven't seen a Vega, or a Monza around here in 20 years. It really is like burning children, but the kids gotta go so dad can put his cot somewhere.....I'm in a 10'X50' trailer with 2000 books...and I cannot part with the thermo, ME handbooks, ChemE handbooks, or the Industrial Chemistry volumes....so the books about Buick Apollo's have to go!

[glort]

What about putting them all in boxes and then putting an ad on craigslist?

"Come pick them all up  and take them away".

Someone may save you the effort of burning them.

Maybe that or make a call or 3 to any loca old car or machinery clubs?