AIM?

[lakeholme]

Marty,
If GM dealers can offer copies closer to the original, let us know. My 68 loose leaf is fine, except for some of the notes. Btw, mine is a little over 10 years old.

[IZRSSS]

Will do...this might take a while...

[JohnZ]

I'll t-phone a local GM dealership today to see if these (originals) can still be purchased.

Thanks Kurt.

GM dealers won't have it - they never used it, and it wasn't available to them; it was only used in the assembly plants and at Engineering.

[IZRSSS]

I contacted two local GM dealers. Both suggested I give Helm Inc. a call. Unfortunately they are closed for business on weekends. Their phone number is; 1-800-782-4356. I will try them again on Monday.

Not sure if its true, but according the guys I spoke to, this company made and/or printed the AIM's for GM. Any truth to this?

[bertfam]

Look in the back of your owner's manual and you'll see that HELM, INC was (and still is) the original publisher for service literature for GM (as well as other companies) cars and trucks. Shop manuals, owner's manuals, overhaul manuals, service manuals, etc... However, I don't believe they have anything for the first genenration Camaro any longer except the shop and overhaul manuals.

Ed

[IZRSSS]

Found it in the back of the OM, just as you said. Very cool. Are they still located in Detroit Michigan?

Even though they probably do not carry 1st gen AIM's, I would still like to talk to them. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky. At the very least, I would like to see which source or sources they recommend.

Thanks Ed

[KurtS]

Helm never produced it and won't know about it.
I saw *the* originals that GM had on-file in their archives.

[IZRSSS]

Can someone please tell me how I can tell the difference between a original AIM and a copy?

[bertfam]

Marty, they're ALL copies. The original is/was owned by Chevrolet and never released to the general public. Some copies are better than others and as a general rule (but NOT always the case), the bound versions are usually better than the three ring versions.

Ed

[IZRSSS]

A friend of mine who owns a dealership claims he can order me the original AIM's. It makes perfect sense there is only one original and the other as you say are copies. I guess what I'm asking is... what should I look for in a better than mass produced copy? Is it simply a matter of bound vs ring versions? And...are there copies that were made specifically for the two assembly plants that some dealerships still have access to? If this is the case, is there something printed on these that will identify them as such?

Thanks Ed

[bertfam]

A friend of mine who owns a dealership claims he can order me the original AIM's.

I highly doubt it. Yes, he can get you one from the same places we all get them and then jack up the price to sell it to you, however, if he can get an authentic GM copy, let me know!! I'll be second in line! Have him order one for you and see if it's any good or not. How much does he want?

As far as I know, there was only one manual used at both plants.

Ed

[IZRSSS]

Ed...PM sent.

Incidentally...if these are authentic, you are 5Th in line; Kurt, John, Phillip, me, and then you.

[BlackoutSteve]

..and then me. 

[IZRSSS]

Need some help putting some meat on this bone...How do I know if what is being offered to me is a authentic GM copy? Is there a printing company, font, certain paper, hardback cover or anything that sets these apart from your run-of-the-mill eBay $20.00 copy?

[JohnZ]

Need some help putting some meat on this bone...How do I know if what is being offered to me is a authentic GM copy? Is there a printing company, font, certain paper, hardback cover or anything that sets these apart from your run-of-the-mill eBay $20.00 copy?

There are NO authentic GM copies - those only exist on microfiche in the Chevrolet Engineering archives. What we have today are copies of copies of copies of Assembly Manuals that were left behind when plants and offices closed. Although each year Assembly Manual for each carline has a GM part number, they were never available through the GM parts system; they were only sent to users through internal Chevrolet distribution channels that needed them. Anyone who claims otherwise is pumping smoke and mirrors. I worked with the AIM's every day for many, many years.