Re: New AMC book.... what would you like to see??

[farna@xxxxxxx]

I think there are some disconnects here. A "restoration guide" can't be a "one book covers all" volume. Not unless you take one year, one model, and do a complete bolt-by-bolt tear down and assembly -- everything. Well, you can get by without tearing the engine apart (internals, anyway), definitely not the transmission or rear axle. But everything else would have to be picked apart. The guides out there now are GENERAL guides, things to get one started with the process of finding the little details. It IS NOT a substitute for a factory service manual, but a supplement to it. 

A guide should help one get started and decode initial information on a vehicle found, and offer guiidance and direction, general information so one can spot the aftermarket additions and modifications. Then once a car is narrowed down as a candidate for restoration by the individual, the specific TSM and sales flyers can be obtained. Those last two sources are essential for any accurate restoration. Yes, I know there are occasional mistakes in both, but I don't think anyone will argue to point that they are the most needed. T

Matt, you're perfectly correct -- a true guide that would eliminate the need for any additional information would be way to much to tackle -- that's why there really aren't any, not for any relatively modern (post WWII) cars that I know of. I do seem to recall one for a Model T Ford, but that's a simple automobile that was virtually the same for its entire production run -- minimal changes compared to say the 64-69 American body. But if a guide were made for each individual body, the longer running series would need to be split. Such as the Series 01 split into four distinct groups: 58-63 American, 64-69 American/Rogue, 70-77 Hornet, 78-83 Concord. A cursory overview of things like emission systems might be a good idea because that would indicate what mods were done over the years, especially since the systems are often removed r butchered. Intricate details, however, should be left to the TSM. 

--
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Independent 
Magazine" (AIM)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AIM.html
(free download available!)

original message--------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2005 21:42:22 -0500
To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx
From: Matt Haas <mhaas@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: New AMC book.... what would you like to see??

Starting with the mid-60's, the books would have to get pretty big to cover 
everything for a particular body style the way you have them broken down. 
There were lots of changes made due to safety and (especially) emission 
regulations (particularly with 67 and up Rebel and Matador). Some of the 
stuff would be easy to cover (like you have to have shoulder belts and a 
dash mounted VIN if the car was made in January of 1968 or later) but think 
about how different the emissions systems are between a 1967 Rebel and a 
1978 Matador or how about the differences between a 1970 Hornet and a 1988 
Eagle?

Matt


At 11:00 AM 12/9/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>" From: Matt Haas <mhaas@xxxxxxx>
>"
>" I'd like to see restoration guides as well but to do those justice, you'd
>" have to focus on a particular car and probably even have to break things
>" down by body style since there are some major changes that happened over
>" the years.
>
>i think it might make more sense to organize them along body-shell
>lines - eg. 63-6 classic/ambo, '64-9 american, '67-'78
>rebel/matador/ambo, '70-up hornet/gremlin/concord/spirit/eagle, pacer.
>i guess you'd separate '68-'70 jav/amx and '71-4 jav into two volumes,
>and one for '50-'63 rambler/american, but i don't know enough about
>the other older cars.  imho for the met it would make sense to also
>include similar austin/mg/etc cars.
>
>select for commonality, minimize duplication and workload.
>
>Andrew Hay