Serving the Northeast Ohio AMC enthusiast since 1991

Volume 14 Number 1 Jan.-Feb. 2005 American Motors Ramblings... Scott Campbell

Ah, January, coldest month of the year. Yesterday (January 13th) was 66 degrees and it seemed like I should've been driving the AMX or at least working on it! I hope that everyone sur- vived the recent heavy snows and ice storm with no damage. Several barn rooves here in Medina County caved in from all of the weight, luckily mine wasn't one of them! In this issue you will find the annual North Coast AMC member roster. Please note that if an "04" is next to your name, your membership expired on December 31st and without your $10.00 renewal this will be your LAST ISSUE! If you have already renewed since this issue went to press on January 15th, here's a big thank you! We've got some great stuff coming up, so please join us again, won't you? One thing that's coming up is the 4th annual Great AMC Day which will be held on Friday, June 17th at Norwalk Raceway Park! Sue has covered this event when it was held at National Trail, east of Columbus. Now it has moved into our own backyard, so reserve that vacation day right away! This will be a great oppor- tunity to see some serious AMCs blazing down Norwalk quarter mile. Even if you don't want to race, bring out your AMC to support this event. It should bring back memories of the old AMC Bracket Nationals hosted by AMC of Cleveland (our club's Yours truly at Norwalk in 1984. This same AMX (now tur- predecessor) back in the and quoise) will return in 2005 for GAD IV. Nasty Nash heats up the skins in the far lane. '80s. Contact Information... President/Treasurer Advertising Director Newsletter Editor Scott Campbell Dale Veverka Javlynn Sue Leair 5340 Columbia Rd. 6934 Brookside Rd. 4904 Edsal Dr. Medina, OH 44256 Independence, OH 44131 Lyndhurst, OH 44124 Phone: 330-725-3824 Phone: 216-524-5977 Phone: 216-381-7859

West Side Coordinator East Side Coordinator Shaune Zavertnik Don Moyer 1254 Catherine Dr. 9027 Lakeshore Blvd. Brunswick, OH 44212 Mentor, OH 44060 Phone: 330-220-7264 Phone: 440-257-5615 Deadlines... March/April newsletter - March 1 May/June newsletter - May 1 Welcome New Member! North Coast AMC extends a warm welcome to new member Jim Snyder of Brunswick! For those of you who don't recognize the name, Jim is the former owner/driver of the famous Nasty Nash '71 Hornet SC360 drag . Jim currently owns two 1970 Hornets, one with just 4,500 original miles! Welcome aboard Jim, and keep us posted on the build-up.

Get AMX-Clamation! sent via Email! Please forward your request to Javlynn Sue at [email protected] Rebel-Its not just a car its an adventure Dale Veverka A return from this year’s wonderful fall AMC get together led me to the latest occupant of our garage. A message awaited me on my return home. The message from my mother began, “You aren’t going to believe this…” She spun a tale of visiting her friend. It just so happens that Amy’s big bad orange AMX is stored in this lady’s garage. It turns out that the garage happened to be open and a roofing crew caught a glimpse of the AMX. Before the ladies could shut the garage door, the whole crew was checking out the car. The boss told mom that he had lost his storage for a REBEL with 55,000 miles. He said it was available for a reasonable offer. Hemmings Muscle Machines featured a red, white and blue 1967 Rebel that was a prototype for what was to become the “Rebel Machine.” My first thought was wow that is really neat but, where can I put another car? (The previous week, we bought a 1982 Concord wagon for Amber, so space was at a premium.) I began hoping that the car would be a 4 door or maybe a 550 6 cylinder. I decided to walk down to where the roofers were working and interrogate the owner to hear the words that would kill any deal. Those much anticipated words never came. The owner said he had purchased the 1967 Rebel SST from the original owner in 1999. The SST sported a 290 with an automatic. It turns out that the car was used by the original owner’s wife to shop and go to church until she passed in 1982. It had been undriven and garage stored ever since. I set up an appointment to take a look at the car, still half hoping that it would be too rough to seriously consider. As Rick and I walked up to the car it became obvious that the owner didn’t even know the year of the car. I first spotted the side marker lights and a quick glance at the grill confirmed the car to be a 1968. It even had a pair of the original bias ply tires hiding behind the full wheel covers. (A 1968 290 Rebel 770 was the first eight cylinder car my dad bought. His shopping for this car at Bob Kay AMC in Bedford led me into the show room for my first glimpse of an AMX - see NCAMC Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 3 1992) A deal was struck and pick up arranged. We loaded the car on the trailer with only the minor aggrava- tions of frozen brakes and a balky . The white coupe has a near perfect vinyl roof and like new interior. The body is complete and super solid because the original rustproof tarred up anything that couldn’t run away. Now if I ever finish the Javelin, maybe I can start this one.

Snow Ramblers! -Javlynn Sue One day when my family was recently going through grandma's photos, we came across these two pictures. Taken in the late '50's or early '60's, these images depict a familiar winter occurance all too typical in Kirtland, Ohio where my grand parents lived at the time. The excavated Metopolitan belonged to Grandpa, while the snow entombed Nash was my Grandma's.

Classified Corner Dale Veverka Winter seems to be a perfect time to sit back and take the time to enjoy the coverage that a number of magazines have lavished on our AMCs. Hemmings Muscle Machines was on the AMC beat since its inception. Other old favorites like & Parts and Muscle Car have knocked the rust off a number of historical articles and have developed features and even restoration "how to's."

The January 2005 issue of HMM features a "Project AMX" article. Believe it or not we are not talking about a 2 seater or a wide body Javelin/AMX but rather a 1979. The four pager includes over a dozen pictures. Subtitle is "Initial

Assessment of a 1979 AMX" so it appears that we will be treated to future articles. The author purchased his car for $725 on the internet. He is planning to cosmetically restore it on a budget, being brave enough to spend his own money yet foolhardy enough to find assistance from the best that "a few cold ones" can buy. We shall see. Cars & Parts for January 2005 has classifieds for a 1966 Ambo for $1500, a four door with 81,000 miles. A more notable offering is a 1967 Rebel SST for $4950 OBO. The car is from an estate and is well loaded for its day with a 343, auto and power brakes and steering. Hemmings Muscle Machines for February 2005 provides a historical visit back to 1979 in an article entitled "AMC Invades Germany". In October of 1979 B.F. Goodrich sponsored a pair of "Team Highball" AMC Spirit based AMXs. The cars were the only American cars entered in the Group One 24 hour endurance race at the Nurburgring, West Germany race track. These cars finished first and second in their class (25th and 43rd overall in a field of 120 cars). The car's current owner purchased one of the cars from an ad in a Detroit local AMC newsletter for a mere $1400. The car was short its original drivetrain, but the complete restoration should be completed by June of 2005. "The top ten collector cars of the future-2005 Sleepers" is an enlightening article in the Feb. 2005 Hemmings Motor News. The 1981-1983 AMC Eagle SX/4 with its 4 wheel drive and sporty styling is a hint of what many cars are today. About 30,000 liftbacks were produced, but certain folks might enjoy the 6,100 car run of SX/4 Kammbacks (Gremlin clones). The price range is $3,000 to $5,000, but the biggest challenge will be to find one that hasn't been abused or road salted. On the auction front, a 1957 Nash Custom in #4 condition sold for $10,900. The author is chagrined that the car seems to have sold for two and a half times its worth. Despite its 327 engine, the car's damaged dash and deteriorated exterior makes this a real challenge for the purchaser. Classifieds include a quartet of Americans, a 1967 Ambo convertible (1,269 produced in this last year), a pair of Gremlins, a "Green Hornet", a California '70 Ambo DPL wagon, a 1975 Pacer with 45k for $4,500, and a solitary 390 AMX (1969-auto that "runs well" for $6,000) all looking for a new home.

Please support the fine people that support your club. Tom and Wendy at Radiatorwerks have reenlisted for a third year. Rick at Transmission Kings would like to help you, too. For Sale 1969 AMX, 390, white with red stripes, red interior, 146K miles, one owner car appraised at 16k and 17k, must be driven to be appreciated. Asking price??? For more information please call (419) 868-1739

Eagle hood, same as 1977-78 Gremlin, also Spirit and Concord. Excellent used condition with no rust. Asking $50.00. Also have nice used Eagle wagon/Concord/Sportabout rear hatch, no rust. Scott Cambell (330) 725-3824 or [email protected]

'73 Hornet - parting out. Call with needs. Gary Steely (216) 749-4387

Wanted Info about 1968 Rebels, Copies of old articles, sales brochures, what have you? Dale Veverka (216) 524-5977 [email protected]

Pacer coupe BLUE interior plastic pieces, faded OK but cannot be broken, cracked or otherwise deteriorated. Also looking for NOS "PACER X" door decals, excellent right taillight assembly, and many other parts! Please contact Scott Cambell (330) 725-3824 or [email protected] 5340 Columbia Rd. Medina, OH 44256

Circa 1974-75