RE: Anything for sale? Gremlin gotcha's...

[Jerry Casper <gremlingts@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- "Scott G. Goss"  wrote:

>  On another note, is there
> anything in particular I should pay close attention
> to while checking
> these cars out? I mean, are there certain hidden
> areas to check for
> rust, parts that if bad are hard to find ...Any
> buyer-beware advice for an
> AMC newbie?


  Hi, Scott, welcome to the world of Gremlins. Yes,
they have their Gotcha's, so let me prepare you for
some -

- Rust-free - Most Gremlins AREN'T, they typically
start showing around the wheel opening lips, then on
the rocker panels inner and outer, and the door
corners. If you hope to find a rust-free one, you
better plan a LONG trip either Texas, Arizona, or hope
you find one parked in a garage by a little old lady
who...you get the picture. You probably won't find any
rust-free models on the east coast except for
super-rare garaged cars. 
  That said, look UNDER the car as well, rocker panel
area, front sub-frame in front of engine, etc. I've
got a '78 GT Gremlin that is rusting around the hatch
hinges on the ROOF..it was an Ohio car, though, so
probably salt related. Floorboards rust out, so look
under the driver's feet area. 

Mechanical - Don't be surprised to NOT find a low
mileage car, so expect some issues. Engines aren't a
big problem, but automatic tranny parts are getting
harder to find, my '70 Hornet was a bear to find a
Torque converter for ( Hornet and Gremlin are almost
identical mechanically ). It cost me in northern VA
over $1,000 each to rebuild the Hornet trans, and a
'79 Pacer auto trans. So be aware that it can get
expensive and time-consuming for repairs and to find
the parts. 
 Note - Yes, Gremlins got 4-speed transmissions,
mostly after 76?, my orange '78 GT has one ( not the
rusty blue Ohio car GT ). Some of the custom Gremlins
did get 4-speeds. But expect either a 3 or 3
w/Overdrive ( rare, too ), I think most 4-speeds are
'77-78 year mostly. Also, I've HEARD the 4-speed is
weaker and can break more than the old 3, but not sure
how reliable that info is. 
  Trim/bodywork - This is the hardest area to find
parts for, because if you have a bad fender or door,
you need ANOTHER Gremlin ( or sometimes a Hornet ) for
a donor, so parts for the body can start being a pain.
If you're lucky to find a car, you may need to keep
looking for a donor car for parts, too. But I've found
that once you have one, more tend to pop up later. :)
 Seats are an interesting item, since I have eight
Gremlins ( yes, I said 8 ), many of the seats changed
frequently. '73 is a unique year for buckets. '72 you
could get Javelin buckets. 
  Rare and hard to find parts are the grilles.
Actually, the '74-76 grilles are fairly easy to find,
the early 70-73 and '77-78 are tough. Bumpers are hard
to find, too. and cost to ship. usually don't go bad,
though.
  Items to watch out for - vacuum windshield wipers.
SUCK big time. Hard to convert to electric, since you
need a donor car, the arms are different from vac to
elec, I think the wiring harness is in the car though,
a plus. But still, a donor car needed. Vacuum wipers
STINK big time. If you wont' drive it much in the
rain, no biggie, then. 
 Heater cores - been hard to find, but found someone
on Ebay selling them, I bought one for my '70 Hornet,
early/unique design. So they may not be too bad at the
moment. 
 Radiators - generally not a problem. But they're old,
if you get one with the small core, could have
overheating problems. They made a narrow and
full-width radiator, full is much preferred. 
  Radios - suck. speaker placement stinks, too. But
typical for that era car. :) It can be overcome. 
  Suspension - some parts can be hard to find,
generally the common parts can be had. Brake drums are
hard to find, though. And get expensive. Disc brakes
are more plentiful parts wise new or rebuilt. 
  Carbs - suck. Plain and simple. But they're
available rebuilt, but they aren't great, I rarely
have a Gremlin that idles sweet. Biggest weakness in
the engine compartment. 
  tail light lenses - are available used, but can get
pricey. Same with side marker and front turn signal
lenses.
  
  Well, that about sums up my advice this time around.
Hope it hasn't scared you off. But it won't be an easy
thing, if you have a hard time finding one, you may
have to wait awhile, or advertise to find one, or go
further. I could tell you some stories about people
who looked for a few years before finding anything,
then started finding more afterwards, but that's
another Email. LOL. Don't hesitate to ask any more
questions, Scott. 

- Jerry Casper -
northern Virginia resident
 
 
I don't think any Gremlins came with 4
> speeds, however I
> could be mistaken about the '78's.
Kim Bueler 

Yup, you're mistaken, Kim. My '78 GT has one, and they
were out even earlier, too, I think. Custom Gremlins
could get a 4-speed. Check the Standard Catalog of
American Motors to be sure. I did recently, sure I saw
that in there that Customs could get a 4-speed trans. 

---------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Casper , owner of 16 AMCs 
7 Gremlins / 2 Javelins / 1 Hornet / 1 Pacer
3 Matadors ( 2 coupes ) / 1 Spirit / 
1/2 Eagle
1/2 Jeep Wagoneer

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