Classic Car Library keeps the factory literature for classic cars and trucks where the people who still work on them can read it: service manuals, owner’s manuals, parts catalogs, wiring diagrams and service bulletins, from the late 1910s through the early 1990s, open in your browser page by page.
Why the library exists
Every manufacturer once printed the books that explained how its vehicles were built, adjusted and repaired. Those books were written for dealership mechanics, and they are still the most reliable source for the cars and trucks they cover. Decades later, the originals are scattered across swap meets, estate sales and private shelves, and more of them disappear every year.
Classic Car Library is a foundation dedicated to keeping that literature available to the enthusiasts, restorers and mechanics who still need it. Whether you want a single torque figure, a wiring diagram or a shop manual to read cover to cover, the goal is the same: the right book, open to the right page, in a few clicks.
What you will find here
- Factory service and shop manuals covering engines, drivetrains, brakes, steering, electrical systems and bodywork, with the specifications and procedures the dealers used.
- Owner’s manuals with operating instructions, maintenance schedules and the details of how a car left the factory.
- Parts catalogs and parts lists with exploded drawings and the part numbers behind them.
- Overhaul and unit repair manuals, assembly manuals, body service manuals, service bulletins, lubrication orders and labor time guides, along with accessory catalogs and installation instructions.
- Component literature for the carburetors, transmissions, brakes and electrical parts that were fitted across many makes.
The collection is strongest in American makes such as Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Ford, Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler, and it reaches into trucks, military vehicles, farm equipment and a number of British and other imported marques.
How it works
Every manual has its own page with a description, the make, vehicle, model years, manual type and publication number, and an online reader. Longer manuals list their contents, and each substantial section has its own page with a summary of what it covers and the pages it spans. The reader opens straight to that section, and a search box finds words inside the manual and topics across its pages.
You can start from the library index and narrow it by make, model, year and type, or browse the make and vehicle pages, each of which opens with a short overview and gathers the related manuals in one place.
How the books are prepared
Each manual is scanned from an original, cleaned up, and read through so that its contents can be described section by section and page by page. That work is what lets you search inside a manual, jump to the chapter you need, and find a book by the vehicle it covers rather than by guessing at a title. It is slow, careful work, and it is ongoing: manuals are added as they are prepared.
Take part
The library grows through the people who use it. If you have original manuals, catalogs or bulletins that are not here yet, spot a mistake in a description, or want to help in another way, the Contact Us page explains how to get in touch.