Re: [AMC-List] first cars

["Jim Blair" <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

First car I drove was my mother's 5? Nash (can't recall the model and have 
seen only 1 pic of it in recent years) that my little brother came home from 
the hospital in. (I drove the farm truck since I was 12 and the tractor 
since I was 6, but they barely count as anything but practice!) Dad was 
scared I'd hurt myself (or someone else) in it so he traded it in on a '74 
Fiat 128 for my mom.
   I wasn't particularly fond of that car as I had to do all the family 
vehicle maintenance (my father tried but he was all thumbs) and things were 
so tiny and needing attention so often. (especially the shifter due to the 
trans mount tearing off from my younger brother's diriving) I finally 
figured that out and used a turn buckle to keep the front frame from 
spreading apart each time he shifted (common problem I later found out when 
I started messing with X/19s) and tearing up axle shaft tripodes.
   When I moved out of home at age 14, I had a beat up '69 Ford pickup and a 
'63 Vauxhall Victor (that my now ex-wife totalled before we even started 
dating) I got sick when I was about 16 (poisioned) and moved back home till 
I was 17 (when I got married the first time). My first legal for me to drive 
(license, insurance and the whole nine yards) was a Mazda RX2 that I dropped 
a chunk of change into and raced every chance I could get. After putting the 
stock engine back in, I swapped it with my father in law for his '66 VW van 
(since I was just starting a family and most of my ex's 6 sisters had moved 
out on their own already)
   When I got rid of the VW van (a piece at a time after the frame broke 
while 4 wheeling) I got a Hornet wagon and the collection of vehicles in the 
back yard started taking off. When I was divorced 10 years later, I had 
accumulated most of the Mopars and AMCs I could in my area (plus an AMC 6 
powered IH 4x4 pickup)
   After the split, I gave a couple of the leftovers (that my ex couldn't 
sell for beer or whatever) to family. My ex-wife's mother's (who recently 
passed) green frog Astre that she bought for $50 at a yard sale had fallen 
apart from rust, so I gave her a purple Gremlin the day I got it. (I never 
even got to drive it! LOL!) It took me a bit to cure the Presto-no-lite 
ignition system (I retroed it to points after the third ignition box) but 
she enjoted the heck out of that car till she retired. (then the car got a 
yard sale workout!)
   Now I am finally settled on the Jeeps with AMC designed motors. Never had 
a CJ (of my own, but I have worked on quite a few of other's rigs) but I 
hope to keep driving my Mj and FSJ for some time to come. Maybe add a Pacer 
wagon to the stable later. Right now I have a new house to build with built 
in garage and parking for three vehicles inside with a lift so I can 
continue to do my own repairs till I'm no longer able to pick up a wrench.

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