Altered
AMCs
"I would rather
see 100 Chevy powered AMCs than see one more AMC in a salvage yard." (me:
1997)
We are beginning to see more and more altered AMC vehicles. As time goes on,
we will see more and more of them. I like to call them "Cuban cars" as
the Cuban people have wonderful old cars, but none of them are stock, many
powered by whatever they can get ahold of like Soviet Lada engines for instance.
But
I think this goes both ways here. I can imagine the heart attacks if someone took say a 57 T/Bird and dropped in a
AMC 401, or a 63 Vette with a AMC 360. There would be people on both sides of the fence harping! I give Dane (who put a
Buick GNX turbo 231-6 in his 69 Big Bad Green AMX, it turns low 11's) a 10 for being creative, but I like to custom my cars, even though I do however
keep the drivetrains AMC.
Here are three I currently own 'that AMC never built'.
But as I have said before, some people know how easy it is to build a 350
Chevy, and parts are available on every damned street corner, many items
that is why they do it, possibly their budget, who knows. And a few months
ago there was talk about AMC pistons being impossible to find, that could be
another factor. Who knows what goes thru people's mind when they create
something like the Len Legere's 71 Mistress, or the Buick powered AMX, or
Spacer Pacer, or just alter a AMC to their own specs. Some are visionaries
marching to the beat of a different drum: Dick Teague, Darryl Starbird, Ed Big
Daddy Roth, George Barris quickly come to mind who "changed AMXs".
Len Legere's Mistress:
Dane's Buick powered AMX:
Or the Banacek AMX (also known as the AMX 400)
I've said it a million times and wills say it again. Sure, we don't have to
AGREE with it. If you don't think I grimace at the thought of possibly my
low mile 71 Matador being bought for nothing more than a donor car for a
damned Rebel Machine think again. I do not care whether it would work or not, or
what would fit or not, or whether the body style is identical or what would
fit or not; that would be the buyer's problem. But I do need to move the
vehicle, along with several others so I will drop my AMC
what-passes-for-morals about who I sell a car to and for what purpose. In
the past, if I thought the car would end up a parts car or a donor, or be
ratted to hell by a kid, I would reconsider the sale, even with money in
face. I don't no more.
As for a altered car, I would rather see a DOZEN non AMC powered AMCs still
on the street or cruise night than see just ONE in a salvage yard. It's real
people, and every day it happens, whether we know, care, agree or not, many
cars are simply lost and have outlasted their usefulness and are put out to
the great AMC Heaven. We can debate it over and over about the pros and
cons of altered cars, parting one out, restoring one to whatever fancy;
stock, non stock, altered, non altered, concourse to K-Mart paint can. Some
are solid cars that need little, others are skeletons of their former
selves. And with a lot of the legislation passed by municipalities, cities,
counties, and states in the past 20 years, it has made it that much harder
for junkyards and even individuals to save what they can. Granted, you don't
want to live next to someone with a dozen old cars in their front yard
either, but there are alternatives to that like storage or land. We have
went thru that repeatedly on the list here about individual property rights
and how sometimes they get trampled. You can pick up a publication monthly
like Hemming's Motor News and the back pages are filled with constantly
changing Senate rules,
tons of environmental legislation, SEMA battles, and so on in the name of the
old car hobby. And while we talk and argue more cars get crushed, or the
apathy that exists out there in the old car hobby sometimes (not just AMC)
just either quietly watches the cars fade away in places like PYP, or watch
owners let them rot to hell for whatever reason, or in some cases, a car
here and there is saved, but at what costs? How many people remember that 65
Classic convertible I posted about at the PYP here in Houston? It was
someone's abandoned project, it had new trans, new seats, tons of new
parts, but for whatever reason, it ended up there. That was a rather unique
and rare piece of auto history, only 4953 made, of which a fraction remain
almost 40 years, count them, 40 years, later. But not a lot was pulled off
the car, just mostly cosmetics, no one pulled the convertible unique items
days before it was crushed like top frame, electric wiper setup, hood,
railroad track looking chrome, windshield, even reupholstered seats went bye
bye with it. How about the rare factory Big Bad Blue 1970 Hornet two door that
was also being restored...had new seats, carpet, interior, chrome dress up kit
on the engine, and also ended up at Pick A Part for whatever reason! This was a
really rare car! Like the Classic above it, both are now only a damned memory,
and a few parts I pulled off them are all that remains of those two proud
vehicles. Again, I would rather see either stuffed with a cookie cutter
sheep 350V8 than see the fucking car gone forever. And I have watched over 8000+
AMCs crushed at junkyards in Houston since 1983. How about Cleveland? Phoenix?
St. Louis? Dallas?
Go ahead and count them.
They are gone.
Think all AMC's are collectible? And "bringing big bucks?" Then go
look thru the Shut Up & Drive Lists here at cars that have been for sale,
over and over, some even listed free. Tow it away. Better yet, for those who
think "cars bring big bucks on ebay" there is a file on my site here
for that too called
AMC
Ebay tracking Sales; then go over to Ebay
and look at prices
on everything there, all AMC and Rambler models......
So why bitch about someone's preference on a engine? Are NOS and reproduction
parts growing on trees for a classic AMC anything? So we have a number of new
reproduction products like aluminum heads, intakes. Big deal, not everyone wants
to buy them. I'm sure they are great products. AMC used a variety of engines in
a variety of their cars thru the years like 70-71 Buick V6s, Audi 4cylinder
engines in the late 70s and GM four cylinder engines in the mid 70s. This saved
AMC a lot of money from having to produce same.
Chances are most of us love four door and wagons. That don't mean that
someone else who needs a fender is more likely to use a wagon or four door
as a donor car than as to restore it to it's former glory. However it
usually means due to collectability, resale value or perceived lack of it,
chances are it
will get parted out. I recently found in a Texas junkyard, a
right hand drive US Mail Ambassador. Yup, 232, few options. Most of these
although rare, were simply disposable and junked many years ago, surprised
to see one left at all!
Six cylinder powered Ambassadors? I have owned about three of them,, real nice
too. But these cars seldom stand the test of time. Same with six cylinder
and 290 and 304 Javelins. Most are cannibalized for bigger brothers. I
mentioned in a conversation with a fellow just the other day that I estimate
about 300-400 70 AMXs still exist in any condition. So you can count 10-20 in
your area, I can count 10-20 in my area that have been bought, and parted
out, and only remain on film. My estimate only, hope I
am wrong. But the 70 has the highest rate of cannibalism due to many of it's
unique parts that are not reproduced and impossible to find. I mentioned a
friend of mine who parted out a 70 AMX Big Bad Green in AR two years ago. He
needed some of the parts for his other 70 AMX. That old 70 BBG was one of
about 74 made in 70 I told him. He said that he could not find parts like
grill and rockers for his and he already had this car, which was hit, not
bad, but hit in the 1/4 PS. So he saved what he could and hauled the rest
away. He was ok with parting it out to get the items he needed and haul away
the rest as opposed to taking only the parts he needed and selling the rest
to someone who might be able to bring it back one day. There seem to be more
getting parted out than saved, but maybe since people call me looking for
parts I can make that assumption but hard not to when some folks have 2, 3,
or more AMXs and are using most of them for parts to fix just one in a
effort to save money, or just because of the luxury of having a parts car
around. You tell me. I don't know, I am only going by the amount of people
who e/mail me and call me and who have told me they have parted out
something some of us might think is restorable or fixable.
So
how many are left?
I got this letter from a well known east coast AMC Vendor a few months ago,
and while I was not shocked, it also shows the fate of a ton of AMC vehicles
that people cannibalize for either just the drivetrain, or body/interior:
>"I haven't
> quite had the amount of cars you have gone through but
> since the east is so tough on bodies I have parted out
> over 100 68-70 AMX's alone, most either wrecked beyond
> repair or chopped up dream with so much missing
> it wasn't worth putting back together or rusted beyond
> belief. And I must say 80+% 290/343 cars, which I
> guess is a good thing to see most 390 cars are
> survivors. " He's on my vendors list and a rather nice fellow to deal
with
I may add. But I found it odd that he would actually admit to something like
that. Sure, it is his property and we have went thru that over and over
again here on the list. And no, you can't have his info to flame him, even
though some of you will really disagree with his policy. I don't fully agree
with it either but hey, it is his stuff to do with what he wishes. If I had
never had that conversation with him I would have never know about this much
carnage. Just like I mentioned way up above about places like PYP. Unless
you have seen it up close and personal, you can't even begin to comprehend
the sheer frustration sometimes, knowing you can't afford everything in
there AMC to save for another day as it will never be reproduced, or knowing
no matter how many damned people you call and write, if they don't need that
one item, they won't bother to get anything else. And not to mention those
who will gladly smash the whole dash out of a junkyard car only to get a
tiny 38 cent bulb from the instrument cluster they could have frigging
bought at a damned Auto Zone!
I took heat years ago for parting out a rusty 70 AMX that had sat on the
ground near Beaumont, TX since 1983 when the owner had rebuilt the engine,
and after about 1000 miles it started fouling plugs and he parked it. And
there it sat until it was no longer restorable like most of the cars you see
sitting up at the CARS
IN BARNS website. I bought it when he finally
decided to sell in 1998, and decided it was too far gone to even attempt a
restoration, stuff like 1/4 panel separation, floor had stayed back in
Beaumont, and so on. But no mention of the many people who have parted out a
slew of cars then, and now, whether a vendor, a national chain like Pick A
Part (where I have seen over 8000+ AMCs crushed since 1983 here in Houston
alone) or even individuals. Think about the AMC Vendors on my Vendors List who
are indeed parting out 10, 20, or even 150+ AMCs that some of us deem 'collectible' or 'restorable'. I guess they don't
want to hear any whining, only the phone calls from those who need parts off
it. Ah, supply and demand. I'm on the fence on this one as while I do part
out some cars, like the two 68 AMXs currently, and a 68 Javelin too.
Think all AMC's are collectible and worth saving, maybe you
have not seen the
"AMC
Cars In Barns/Rotting Ramblers" file on my site
yet.
I also like to save them from the crusher, even if it means
sloshing 50 lbs of bondo on them and painting them with a brush in the rain,
someone out there on a limited budget, or who might see past that mess,
might decide to buy it, either drive it daily or attempt to bring it back
around in whatever shape, form, or fashion it might take once in their
possession. It might end up pink with a hemi. Speaking of hemi, I just got
off the phone with a lady in Florida who her husband was looking for a few
parts, and their 69 AMX actually does have a hemi in it. I would like to see
that considering I have joked about that setup for years! There are in
Palmetto, FL.
How about the folks everyone knows that have cars that sit up? Surely you
know some one in either your city, town, local AMC club, don't lie, I got my
eye on you heehee...They won't fix them and they won't sell them, just AMC
flowerpots and catboxes until the vehicle is too far gone. I could tell you
dozens, no, hundreds of them, and their stories but it would crash the
server, heehee....again, I guess everyone here know my stand on this, don't
have to agree or disagree, but if you do, that is alright with me. I would
rather put them on the road for another day personally regardless of whether
AMC powered or not, but also realistic to see that not all will, can, or
should be saved. So hopefully we can just admire those AMC & Rambler
vehicles we see that are altered. When you come to think of it, most of them
are altered in some form or fashion anyhows, could be chrome rims, a hood
scoop, Holley intake or carb, non original engine for that year, Ford 9",
turbo, valve covers, or pink carpet. If you have pink carpet, don't park it
near me though. There was a big hullabaloo at the Berlin CT AMO nationals in
2000 as several people with Chevy powered AMCs were locked out of the
showfield, and one sweet AMX had a nasty sign on it because of that. I
believe they changed the rules somewhat or relaxed them for Houston in 2001
though. I hope most national clubs will relax their rules a little on
something like this or risk alienating people in the future when more and
more cars might indeed be altered due to lack of parts needed to keep it AMC
powered? But I believe in building a vehicle to one's own tastes, and
hopefully there will be some room for everyone come show day on the
showfield if it is a AMC. So in other words, if it is YOUR car, built it how YOU
want, as you will be the one restoring, racing, driving, fixing, insuring,
showing it, so don't lose focus, just have fun with it.
And as I said at the top here and have said for many years:
"I would rather see 100 non AMC powered AMCs than see one more fucking AMC
crushed because no one took a chance on it, and wanted to fix it up."
Eddie Stakes
