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

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

> On December 12, 2005 Tom Jennings wrote:
>
> > I'd like to see (you DID ask!) is, technical rundown of the
> > developmental history of the car lines. We do this sort of thing for
> > motors all the time: Speaking of the 8's, the gen1 cam from nash,
> > begat N subspecies; gen2, inherited bellhousing flange, lifters,
> > improved on X Y and Z, gen 3 built on that, parts interchange, etc
>
> Not a problem. I pretty much did that in the last book, though can do
> much better I think. What I did was go through each line and mention
> most of the subtle changes, and what "basic body" (floor pan/side/roof
> structure -- the only welded panel that usually changed much was the
> quarter panels, with a few exceptions like the 61-63 American) the  
> cars
> were based on. For the longest time I thought the 56-57 Rambler was a
> unique body, but after finally purchasing a 56 TSM I discovered it's
> not! The 56-57 floor pan is almost identical to the 58-62. The trunk
> floor is different, as are the sides and roof. So the 58-62 is not  
> based
> on the 56-57 "basic body", but is based on the floor pan. The 61-63
> American is the only other extensive body remodeling, but it still
> retained that basic body, though every attaching panel was changed
> (let's see... floor pan stayed the same except for modified trunk  
> floor,
> door/glass frames and glass remained, inner wheel wells remained --  
> the
> humps!, and some related bracing... that's about it... everything else
> changed). Is that what you mean???

Yow -- yes!

> > There's a little bit of this sort of view in transmission
> > interchange. Italian car nuts do this with body design. I want it for
> > all the other mundane stuff! Electrical; seats; brake systems; bumper
> > systems; chassis stampings...
>
> Now THAT is a tall order!

Well, to be honest, only a few systems need this sort of thing.  
Brakes, for instance. I tried, and failed, to compose a document  
covering brake system components used by year and by chassis. I  
simply don't have the data; at a minimum every year parts catalogs  
and TSMs. Parts catalogs seem very hard to get, people hoard them and  
they don't get reproduced.

(I have a copy of 1963 rambler parts catalog I'll share with anyone  
for copying + postage cost.)

> Trunnions and ball joints is done. The rest pretty much follows basic
> body.

Great!


> > A giant taxonomic branching tree of parts groups. Say, a factory
> > parts catalog breakout, with dimensions. Make me a Flash animation of
> > the front suspension upper assembly stamped sheet metal insert (that
> > goes into the inner fender, and holds the upper arm), with
> > dimensions, so that I can see how the 62 differs from 63-64 differs
> > 65-66, 67-69, 70-up...
>
> Now you're just going overboard!

(Well, you asked what I WANT, not what I REASONABLY WANT :-)


So where can I get a copy of this book you've already done?