Re: [Amc-list] Link to pics of the '65 Rambler American 330

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Umm, again, what Russ and Joe says :-)

I had to make a mental shift over the last few years about these old iron 
things we wrench. Basically, in the back of my head, I was still thinking 
of these various 1960's cars pretty much as I did in the 1970's, 1980's, 
... old, but hey, these aren't Model A's! They're pretty much familiar iron 
that I basically grew up with, whatsa big deal getting one running?

40 years is what's the big deal! We all know they're not "just old used 
cars" but sometimes we're tempted to treat them like that; put air in the 
tires, gas in the tank, new battery, drive it off. That worked fine for 
most of my life...

...only now the things really are antiques, and we're turned into our 
fathers and grandpa's :-) wrenching cars that nearly no one alive today 
even has any idea what they are! Tuner kids, smart as they are, would 
barely know how to open the hood. (And vice versa...! )

Cars from the 1960's and 1970's are antiques, and the damnedest things wear 
out after 40 years, about four times over their design life. Without a 
documented or at least known maintenance history, it's a total crapshoot if 
the thing will drop dead on the highway or vomit internals onto the asphalt.

It also makes it much more fun when you get over the hump of reliability. 
Cherry bodies and clean interiors make the job a lot easier, but it really 
pays to start out with a "reality adjustment" before you start, like, who'd 
expect that the !@$$!! GAS TANK! would take more work than a valve job to 
accomplish?! That sort of thing...

Don't let unwanted surprises bum you out. The body and interior look great, 
and that's a spectacular find. Driveline and chassis are usually pretty 
straightforward.


It's totally worth it; nobody but nobody (well, except us) drives these 
things around, and you get to drive something meant for a world that didn't 
need cupholders. The vent windows on my American are hinged waaaay to the 
front; fully open they stick out about 9" and scoop in a hurricane! A hell 
of a nice way to drive on a warm day! Screw tinted glass, A/C, GPSs, and 
entertainment systems. My 195.6 and Twin Stick IS an enterntainment system!

(Though I might add A/C later... :-)

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