Wasn't there another aluminum six floating around out that way? I know Joe has one that is siezed, but an aluminum six in that little American would just be beyond cool!!! I never really had any problem with the crashbox trans. The more you drive it the easier it is to gain a feel for it. I clanged mine into gear quite few times and never seemed to hurt it. You just have to find the right "spot". -- Mark Price Morgantown, WV 1969 AMC Rambler, 4.0L, EFI, T-5 -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx> > On Mon, 16 Apr 2007, Sandwich Maker wrote: > > > i've wondered if a ford 200/250 would fit. the 144/170/200 as late as > > '66 or '67 were teamed with a tranny that looks a lot like [and i'm > > pretty sure is] a t96 - little peanut 3sp, 4 bolt top cover... it > > must be longer than the 196, but maybe not -too-much- longer. but > > assuming you get this far, you couldn't use the australian/argentinian > > 12-port head; the head would fit but the intakes are very wide. > > > > even if it fit, the 250 would require a tranny swap, because it has a > > different bellhousing pattern than the 200 and was never teamed with > > anything remotely like the t96. > > Yeah, but this car is funny, to me. On a car like my Hornet, > I had no hesitation upgrading anything I saw fit to. On this > American, it would seem a crime. > > It's not monetary or historical value, it's something else. > I think, the Hornet is more or less a "modern" car, where the > American is definitely an *old* car. The 63 Classic is somewhere > in between. > > They were designed for different worlds; the Hornet, for a world > pretty close to this one. Lifestyle marketing, mechanism hidden > away from the owner (the Hornet owners manual tells you how to > turn the knobs, only; the 63 says how to adjust the carburetor!) > The American (really a 50's car with 60's fenders) looks like > a 40's car mechanically. There's simply no "stuff" between you > and the running gear. The Hornet, much more padding, insulation, > plastic and styling. > > Cars like the American are like time machines; it's almost a > different thing than a modern car, and I'd hate to ruin that > with a revvy motor with a brainy automatic. I'll never put a > stereo in it, I cleaned up the hybrid tube/transistor radio. > > Driving it in traffic (for just that one day so far) requires all > this intimacy with the thing, non-synchro first means you have > to think about exit strategy at a busy 3-late traffic light, > but when you're cruising on a long flat road you can mentally > and audibly count all the parts between the spark plugs firing > and the rear tires turning. Now THAT is driving. > > The Hornet, click the key pull the shifter go, totally turn-key. > In 15 minutes I'll drive 45 miles with the windows rolled up > and the stereo ruining the rest of my hearing. > > My classic, very 1963-modern (unlike the primitive American), > it gets driven differently too, it's instant calmness, slow-ish > but smooth, soft and springy, long-haul oriented comfortable. It > runs absolutely perfectly all day long at 60mph, speedo needle > straight up. I wouldn't wreck that either. (Though A/C sure is > nice, I did agonize over the downside that it makes you drive > through the desert with the windows rolled up, seriously. It > totally changed road trips.) > > We get to do all this with metal we scrounge together. To me > it's what cars are all about. > > _______________________________________________ > Amc-list mailing list > Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx > http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list