Re: [AMC-List] 68 Rebel Convertible Questions

[Matt Haas <mhaas@xxxxxxx>]

I'd try the speedometer cable first to fix the needle problem. My 68 
American had that exact same problem when I got it and it was solved 
with a new cable.

Your shimmy may be nothing more than out of balance (or bad) tires. 
Drums can also be out of balance but that's not as common, you can check 
for this by looking at the lip around the outside edge of the drum to 
see if there's a spot where a weight used to be. Bad shocks can also 
contribute to this and will make vibration from out of balance tires and 
drums more noticeable.

Matt

farna@xxxxxxx wrote:
> 1. Speedo needle: More than likely it's just a bad cable. Make sure there are no kinks or tight bends in the housing first. Then disconnect the cable at one end and pull it out. Inspect closely. If it looks good, put a light grease (spray can white lithium) or oil on it and reinsert. If that doesn't at least help consider getting a new complete cable before condemning the speedo head. Cheaper, easier to find, and is most likely the problem. AMC vendors such as APP (www.amclives.com) can help, but it should still be available. Check specialty speedo shops too. If it's the head you'll need one of those guys to fix it, or buy a used replacement.
> 
> 2. The shimmy is most likely caused by worn bushings. The strut rod bushings are the most likely culprit, but you need to chekc all the bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, and idler arm bushing. If you just want to throw parts at it the idler arm bushing should be replaced first, the strut rod bushings second -- unless the strut rod bushings are obviously bad, then them first. 
> 
> ---------------------
> Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:48:45 +0000
> From: John Eckersley <john.eckersley@xxxxxxxxx>
>  
> Pretty new to AMC, but not to old cars.  I recently bought a 68 Rebel 
> convertible.  We were blessed with fine weather at the weekend so I took 
> it out for a drive.  I have a couple of faults/niggles and if anyone on 
> here has advice/experience, I'd be glad to hear it:
> 
> The Speedo needle dances around all over the place - at about 60 MPH it 
> is flicking wildly between 15 and 90.  The odometer works fine (at least 
> it turns round and I reckon the numbers are about right for the miles I 
> covered).  Logic suggests to me it's the speedo head at fault but my 
> ex-wife's logic always seemed somehow different.....
> 
> BTW I have bought a little gizmo that measures speed very accurately 
> using GPS signals - but I need to repair the "proper" speedo.
> 
> The other thing is a sort of shimmy that shakes the whole car as I pass 
> through about 40mph. It seems to be coming from the front end.  If 
> anyone's experienced this I'd be glad to hear about it.....
> 
> Thanks
> 
> John E
> 
> --
> Frank Swygert
> Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
> Magazine (AMC)
> For all AMC enthusiasts
> http://farna.home.att.net/AIM.html
> (free download available!)
-- 
mhaas@xxxxxxx
Cincinnati, OH
http://www.mattsoldcars.com
1967 Rambler American wagon
1968 Rambler American sedan
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