Review of new AMC references!

[farna@xxxxxxx]

> A week or two ago Larry Daum mentioned two relatively new AMC reference
> guides: http://www.pahbooks.com/Decoder.html, and those put out by the
> AMC Rambler Club http://www.amcrc.com/guide/guide.html (also see the
> intro on the main club site: http://www.amcrc.com). I now have copies of
> both, and thought I'd send this little review out to the list. It will
> be printed in the next issue of AIM as well.
> ----------------------------


There are two relatively new resources for AMC enthusiasts on the market now: PAH Publishing?s ?American Motors 1967-1974 Decoder Manual? and Brian Yacino?s ?Rambler Guides? sold through the AMC Rambler Club. Since I?ve also been working on a decoding guide for some time, I thought it would be interesting to see these.


American Motors Decoding Guide
My first reaction was not good. But then I know I have a biased opinion ? this booklet is most similar to what I envisioned printing myself. So I took a step back, put my bias aside, and took another look. 
Okay, it?s not junk. In fact, it?s a reasonably good reference. All the critical numbers are pretty accurately decoded ? VIN, model, paint (color names listed with codes), trim, engine ID, and rear axle ratio. There are even casting numbers for the block and heads listed for most engines, most years (with a few exceptions). Production is shown, but is not the generally accepted numbers for some models, most notably the 67 and 69 American. Javelin and AMX numbers seem to be from accepted sources. I couldn?t correlate the American numbers with any source, I don?t know where they came from. 
So it?s a decent field guide to take with you to a salvage yard or auction/sales lot for decoding numbers. Each year is handled separately, making it relatively easy to find the information quickly. There are even line drawings of each model. While not very detailed, they do show most changes in overall design.
That?s the good stuff, now for the criticisms:
1. The perspective in the short history is a bit unusual. Not totally inaccurate, but it?s obvious that the author had no previous knowledge of AMC history. It?s obvious that this was a research assignment ? there is no ?passion? for the make. 
2. There are a few glaring errors in the text. For example, there?s a short one or two paragraph ?Model Spotlight? at the end of each year section. The first sentence of the last paragraph under 1970: ?Mark Donohue models came with a special 360-ci power plant that featured thick walls.? This wasn?t well researched! That myth has been ?busted? many times and should have been easily caught if more than one source was used for research. There?s a mention in 1971 that ?...government regulations on horsepower ratings caused the to tumble down sharply.? Is this even an avid car hobbyist? Government regualtions had little to do with the power ratings ? there was a change in the way power was rated by the SAE, not the government. I was unaware that the first and third runs of SC/Ramblers all have ?00? as the paint code, and all second run have ?SPEC?, and that some early models did not leave the factory in Frost White. In fact, none of that can or has been confirmed to the best of !
 my knowledge.
3. Two numbers aren?t even mentioned: the body number and the final assembly sequence number on the bottom of every AMC door tag. Does the author even know what these numbers are? There is no real decoding for them, but they should have been defined. 
As stated before, it?s a relatively good field manual if you can get over the slightly skewed (in my opinion) and sometimes erroneous historic text. For $10.99 plus around $5 shipping and handling (depending on location ? sent via priority mail), it?s not a bad handy reference for the years covered. My advice is to buy it for number decoding and ignore the rest.
The booklet is all black and white except for the cover. Covers are card stock with a red wire spiral binding. Size is 5.5"x8.5" with 76 pages, not including covers. Order on-line with a credit car at http://www.pahbooks.com/Decoder.html, or write PAH Publishing, 711 Hillcrest St., Monett, MO 65708; phone 417-236-0077, 9-A.M. to 4:30 P.M., CST.

 

AMCRC ?Rambler Guides?
I can?t praise these things enough! They go way over anything I?ve ever considered printing. Not only do they have all the published specs for each model, torque specs for minor maintenance items (everything attached to the engine except the heads) and interchanges for things like air and oil filters are included too. For the later not only what other vehicles used these (some of them are also long out of production), but the aftermarket part numbers for several manufacturers are listed. 
You simply CAN NOT get a better guide for your Rambler than one of these! I?d rather have one of Brian Yacino?s booklets in my glove box than the owners manual! Think of it as a mini TSM (Technical Service Manual). It?s just not convenient to carry a TSM with you all the time, but this is no bigger than the owners manual, but better.
The story is that Brian made one up to carry in his own car, and when local Connecticut AMO members saw it, wanted one for theirs as well. So the original book received a few embellishments and research was done for other years and models as well. What he ended up with was a set of nine booklets, each covering every model for one model year, 1960-1968. These booklets are printed with several full color photos and even a full color representation of the paint chip page for the covered year.
I had only one minor criticism, and that?s really a pet-peeve and it?s nit-picking! It?s almost like I just had to find something to criticize! So what was it? Well, all the Series Numbers and what model they represent are listed, but the list is titled ?AMC Model Number Designations? and doesn?t use the word ?Series? anywhere in the book (AMC called them ?Series Numbers?). I told you it was nit-picking!! 
There is a LOT of information packed in these small booklets! Price is very reasonable at $12 (non AMCRC members, members pay $10) plus $1.50 shipping ($2.00 for Canada, $3 overseas) each. I suggest ordering one for every year covered that is owned, plus one for any car you may be seriously interested in obtaining. I can?t wait to see if Brian continues to research and produce versions for later years!  
Brian?s booklets are folded and saddle stapled, 34 pages . They are printed ?on demand?, meaning they are run off of Brian?s ink-jet printer as needed. It takes about 30 minutes just to print one out, then it is assembled, stapled, and folded by hand. So it may take 3-4 days after the order is received before the book is sent out. I got mine within 10-14 days of placing the order on-line. The cover is photographic quality card stock, interior pages standard 20# sheets. 
Printing like this is time consuming, but the only affordable way to print small quantities in color. I have to admit, the color is part of what makes these books. Without color, the paint chip charts, though not 100% accurate (because of differences in ink vs. paint), would not be possible. There is liberal use of color throughout the interior of the book to make it a bit easier to distinguish between models and read tables. I?m so used to reading black and white tables printed in AIM that I didn?t even notice this at first, but it definitely makes the tables easier to read. 
Order on-line at http://www.amcrc.com/guide/guide.html, or by mail at AMCRC, 6 Murolo Road, North Grosvenordale, CT 06255-1814. Shipping prices quoted above is for up to two manuals. PayPal payments or credit cards are accepted on-line only. 


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