Today's Drive (Blog)

[JOE FULTON <piper_pa20@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

There are other AMCs in daily use, I know.  They are
few but still there.  Tom Jennings in LA updates us on
the performance of his "new" Hornet in a 50 mile
one-way commute and has gone far and wide in his 63
Classic wagon.  My friend Shelby uses his Pacer wagon
with the fuel injected heart of a Jeep six and another
friend Jim uses his 73 Javelin daily.

I'm not working every day since being laid off, but do
infrequently retrace my old commute to Gilroy to
consult for my former employer and do some employee
training.  Today was one of those days.  A beautiful
central coast day with the blue sky and morning sun
above and the huge oak in my yard starting to drop
brown leaves.  The leaves never turn golden, just
shrivel from green to brown and litter the yard.  My
little ten year old gum will display gold and maroon
leaves in a few weeks and be bare for about four to
six weeks this winter before showing signs of a new
growing season.

The little blue Spirit sits at the curb waiting.  I
have only used it for local trips to the hardware
store and grocery during the past couple of weeks.  It
needs a bath and the paint has thinned on the roof,
showing a reddish primer underneath.  I am fond of
this little car, since I brought it back like the
Phoenix from a stone dead two year silence in 2003.  I
learned a lot while reassembling the little Iron Duke
and rebuilding that complicated Varijet Rochester
carb.  After several failed attempts due to a machine
shop error and my own ignorance, it finally was
running.  I have continued to solve problems over the
past months and it runs smoother and has more power
now than it ever did before in my ownership.

But even after much tinkering and tuning, and
installing a new choke pulloff mechanism, the car is
finicky on cold starts.  Just one firm slow press on
the accelerator to set the choke...ususally is what it
takes.  Today that didn't work, and it started lean
and died once after a few seconds.  After a restart I
let it idle and warm just a while.  After about 15
seconds I can slip into drive and the rpm comes down
as the torque convertor builds pressure.   This car
has always done that.  It doesn't lurch into gear like
other cars with torqueflites.  It glides into it
slowly.  Perhaps the torque convertor has to fill.  A
problem in the valve mechanism of the tranny?  I don't
know.

By the time at I'm at the first traffic light down the
block, the engine has warmed and settled into that
sorta choppy but smooth really four cylinder idle. 
The dwell tach said 700 rpm at warm idle when I last
tuned it and I imagine that's what it is today.  The
light turns green and we're off to join the U.S. 101
north.  

You have to pick your spot.  This car doesn't have any
instant acceleration for merging.  Sure, at low speeds
the tranny will drop a gear when you floor it.  The
noise level increases much faster than the speed
though and it takes good judgement for a smooth merge
onto a busy freeway.

Today I'm babying the accelerator to maximize economy
because the fuel tank is only one quarter full.  When
it drops below one eighth of a tank it can sometimes
die due to, I think, a poorly adusted fuel gauge or a
hole in the fuel suction pipe which lets the pump suck
air.  At any rate, if I conserve fuel, I am pretty
certain I can make it to Gilroy and then fuel at a
truck plaza before continuing to work.  It's where I
used to fuel up when I was working steady, and habits
die hard.

There's nothing to do really but pay attention to how
the car is driving.  The radio doesn't work, so that
removes the only common distraction.  I watch the
traffic around me and am not at all impatient when I
get behind a BFI garbage truck struggling over the
pass north of Prunedale.  I wouldn't have the power to
pass him easily on that grade anyway.  

The road has recently been resurfaced and is about a
smooth as any California highway in my area.  It's
just me and this little machine.  It's amazingly
rattle free.  New outside beltline "whiskers" in both
doors keep the windows from rattling.  

After cresting the final grade north of the 156
turnoff I accelerate to 65 on the downhill side and
set a new pace for the final six or seven miles into
town.  The car works through the slight roughness
between 55 and 65 mph and takes on a new character
above 65 mph.  There is more noise but the engine is
not straining and exuding a confidence that it could
run like this all day.  If it weren't for the fuel
situation I would take it above 70.  Gotta be
conservative about that fuel though. 

Most of the traffic continues to pass us, but slower
now.  The car holds the road well in the no-wind
situation but can be a bit of a handfull in a
crosswind.  The new KYB front shocks have reduced the
body roll and turns and have also stiffened the ride
somewhat.

Finally we make Gilroy and pull in to the plaza for
fuel.  I don't fill it, just add 10 gallons.  I'm in a
hurry to get to work.  The restart is smooth as are
all warm starts.  The new battery cables and starter
have really improved that.  The starter doesn't drag
like it used to either.

A few minutes later I pull into work and idle a moment
before shutting down.  It's good, this little Spirit. 
It's nondescript and I wonder how many people even
noticed my 25 year old AMC or knew what it was during
the drive.  I proud of what I learned in putting this
car together.  I'm thankful for those folks in Kenosha
long ago with bratwurst on the breath.  I have seen
many cars in as good or better shape in the junkyards.
 All they needed was for someone to care enough to
give them a few more years on the road.

Joe Fulton
Salinas, CA