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

[farna@xxxxxxx]

Tom, I was originally going to send this to the list, but decided to send a very abbreviated version to the list instead. Read this and tell me what you think...


Well, the one I already did (the 1991, and only, edition) has a few gaps and errors. The grammar and such is adequate -- most people won't notice all the grammatical errors because most are common enough that they make them too, but I do. I cringe when I read some of it now because I'm used to editing and they stick out like a sore thumb! So it needs a good edit before it could be printed again. I've considered doing just that -- edit and publish with just the information gaps filled and a few errors corrected -- but I'd like to really do more. What a dilemma! I could get an edited version out in 4-6 months, but I'm not sure I'd be satisfied with it. My main quick reference right now is my personal copy -- with lots of notes in some areas filling in the gaps as I've discovered them. I can answer 50-60% of the questions I get with that book -- the others are more detailed and/or model/year specific enough to require the TSMs. Which brings me back to the fact that you really n!
 eed a TSM to restore a specific car, but not for general reference. 

A "new TSM" could be printed that would cover a wide range of cars mechanically, just leave the body data out. It would only be the size of one of the last TSMs (around 500 pages) -- a lot of the data remains the same for say all 199/232/258 sixes, just specs are different. Hmm... this is a new idea... reprint a TSM sans body data, but include the differing specs for several years... that might be a future project! But that would essentially be an edited copy of a TSM. A body volume would be a bit harder, but one covering say a 10 year range would be about the size of a mechanical TSM... maybe only 250-300 pages if just the TSM data was used. But then I'd have to disassemble a few TSMs for scanning, but not all. Scan one with the most common data, then type in the spec pages needed. Doable, but you end up with a $50-$70 tech reference.  I might be on to something here...

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

Original message-----------------------------------

From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: New AMC book.... what would you like to see??
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 13:40:27 -0800
To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx


> 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?