Re: Re: re re re re re re re oh wait wagons

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Here's my quick, informal, pragmatic daily-driver biased, sloppy  
summary of AMC wagons.

Not very many two-door wagons in AMCs history.

AMC generally maintained two product lines: big car, little car.

Little car, 01 series: 1959 on, Americans, then 70-up Hornet,  
Gremlin, Spirit. AMX is sort of a "little" car for some parts.

1959 (?) begat the American wagon. Very, very cute, popular w/ 
hotrodders, few engines but the two different 196's (L-head,  
overhead) fit the tiny compartment without deep metal hacking. Not  
too common, getting more expensive. 59-60 (58-60?) are the "bathtub"  
americans (Nash-looking); 61-63 are the 'breadbox" americans (boxy  
but nice). Bathtubs are more popular, but the breadboxes are quite  
nice, actually, I prefer those. Same driveline mostly, parts  
reasonably available still.

64 redesign; modern looking-ish. I think the modern 232 fits it.  
First year you can think about putting in modern driveline without  
cutting. 65-69 Americans more modern, plainer, but very very  
handsome, basis for SC/Rambler etc then AMX and Gremlin et al through  
The End.

01 chassis always had Hotchkiss rears, but the rear axle design ("big  
nut") is Unpleasant, but easily swapped with modern.


Big car, 10, 80, 40, etc series: everything else. Ambassador, Classic.

Before very approximately 1960, Ramblers are "old cars", Nash  
inheritors. Parts can be very hard to find. Production numbers were  
low (AMC was new). The big car wagons are very baroque; angles, quad  
headlamps, complex chromie grilles, three-tone paints, bizarre  
interiors (love those). Very odd and 50's-looking today. Love 'em or  
hate 'em! Nash 6's and early gen1 v8s, antique transmissions.  
Definitely pre-modern cars (63-up I call "modern", eg. dual braking,  
seat belts, full flow oiling, etc; some of these available earlier  
obviously). This isn't a complaint or quality judgement; but cars  
that old can be scary as reliable daily drivers due to parts  
availability. YMMV.

60-62 are odd years; some nice styling. Many one-year items  
(suspensions, interior). Torque-tube drive; solid, reliable, hard to  
find parts for, difficult to retrofit modern. 63-64 redesign,  
somewhat more modern, same torque tube, but modern engines and trans  
fit. Some parts hard to find but many cross.  Don't let torque tube  
scare you if you just want to drive it, but it does complicate some  
work.

Early-mid 60's big chassis aren't that big; 108" wheelbase, my 63  
weighed 3150 actual, driver, gas, junk, etc. 55" track.

After 1965 I lose interest, I admit, so I can't help there. Except:  
72?-up small car wagons are too often overlooked; reasonably light,  
same parts as non-wagons, not all that roomy inside but a nice  
compromise. There was no small chassis wagon for 1970.

I love wagons.

Hope this helps.