I've been working on a "field guide" for AMC number decoding for some time. I finally found the time to lay it all out while I was in Afghanistan last summer, and made the final touches over the winter. I sent the draft to a couple well known AMC people and got some helpful comments, including a couple omissions. I decided to wait until Kenosha to unveil the new book. It went over well there, I sold quite a few copies. Not as much as I'd hoped, but people tend to save their cash for things they can't get later and take a business card for those they can -- I'll be getting orders from the show over the next couple months. "The Red, White & Blue Book" is 66 pages with all the available info needed to decode all serial, VIN, and body plate numbers from 1955-1988 AMC related cars. VIN info is included for Jeep as well. There are some areas, such as trim codes, that can't be fully decoded for every year. I simply don't have and couldn't find the info. If anyone has it I will gladly add it to this "field guide". The table of contents is below: Introduction - page 4 Series Numbers - page 6 Serial Numbers 1955-57 - page 8 1958-66 - page 10 Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) 1966-67 - page 11 1968-80 - page 14 1981-88 - page 15 Check Digit: 1981-88 - page 18 Unit Body Identification Plate & Door Labels 1955-59 - page 19 1960-67 - page 20 1968-76 - page 21 1977-88 - page 24 Door Labels - page 23-25 Body Number - page 26 Model Number - page 28 Trim Number - page 31 Paint Number - page 34 Final Assembly Number - page 39 1961-66 Canadian Unit Body Id Plate - page 40 Engine Serial Number: 1955-59 - page 42 Engine Day Build Code - page 44 Engine Under/Over Size Code - page 48 Engine Casting Numbers - page 49 Engine Colors - page 55 Production Numbers? - page 56 Resources - page 58 Visual Engine ID Guide - page 62 Note that production numbers are not included, "Production Numbers?" is a short article giving my personal view of production numbers in general. "The Red, White & Blue Book" is $15 USD, shipping included. Canadian orders add $1, Overseas $2.50 to cover additional shipping. The book has color cardstock covers with a plastic spiral binding. It's a handy 5.5"x8.5" size, and the spiral binding makes it easy to lay open or double over. It seems like a lot for a small 66 page booklet, but it covers a lot of raw data. The only way to get that data is to amass a collection of TSMs and parts books. Even those only interested in Javelins need seven TSMs and a couple parts books to get all the info -- that would cost $500-$700. You'd have more with the TSMs, but a lot of redundant info. And those wouldn't help identify much outside that seven year range. I've not only spent thousands on TSMs and parts books, but many hours over the last 10 years compiling the information into an easy to use volume. ------------------------------------ I also have two parts books now on CD-ROM -- 1960-65 and 1967-72. It took about 24 hours just to scan the 60-65 book in! Both books are broken down into Group Number sections. The Alphabetical Index is a separate file. Find what you want in the AI file (which is broken down by group number, not page number) then go to that group section. Both books have part numbers and illustrations, and are of the original AMC manuals as published. I've also included some bonus material on the CDs, including a collection of photos I've collected over the years. These CDs are $22 USD each including shipping in the US. Add $1 for Canadian, $2 for overseas shipping. ------------------- Finally, Ralph Ausman is letting me sell some of his outstanding AMC-List Archive CDs. Currently he's got everything archived from 1997-January 2007. He doesn't just save the list messages, he uses a customized search engine (included on the CD) to sort the messages. It's use is similar to an internet search engine (like Google), except it only searches the CD. You do have to read through a thread to get all the info, but it's very interesting to see all the discussion points and opinions on how to fix something or just general AMC trivia. If you haven't been on the list for long, or don't have fast internet, this is definitely the way to go! Many subjects have been discussed time and again, it's great to see how information progresses over time. These are $25 including shipping in the US (Add $1 for Canadian, $2 for overseas shipping). ------------------ To order any of the above: 1. Send a PayPal payment to farna@xxxxxxxx State in the notes what you want. 2. Go to http://farna.home.att.net/purchase.html. Use a credit card by clicking on the PayPal button and entering the amount of purchase. Put what you want in the note/message area or send me a separate e-mail. NOTE: You don't need an account and won't be bothered by PayPal -- I pay them to process credit card orders. 3. Send a check or money order (drawn on a US bank or an International Money Order) to: FARNA 147 Tom Moore Road Leesville, SC 29070-7140 Don't forget to include a note saying what you want! It's always a good idea to make a not on the check also. -- Frank Swygert Publisher, "American Motors Cars" Magazine (AMC) For all AMC enthusiasts http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html (free download available!) _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list