Re: [Amc-list] steering wheels!

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

-- Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> I'm afraid Mark is 100% correct on this one! Not only is the 63 American
> "the end of the line", most parts date back to 1950!

This is why I increasingly like this chassis. I've always liked 40's/50's 
cars except for their size -- they're just too big. I've wanted a 50 
Rambler for "ever" but they're museum pieces basically, and though I've 
never looked hard for the Nash Rambler in the middle years they're pretty 
rare.

> When they
> reintroduced the 55 Nash Rambler as the 58 American they literally pulled
> the old body dies off the shelf, slightly modified them, and continued
> where they left off in 55!

So conversely the 60+ Americans are a good source of parts for the 50 - 
55... that's nice to know!

My 63 American is really really well made. Sadly, better designed than my 
70 Hornet. The later cars have definite improvements but the quality is not 
as good.

> Although the car was completely restyled cosmetically in 61, almost all
> of the "skeleton" unit body and mechanicals still dated back to 1955! It
> was quite a feat from Ed Anderson and team to change the appearance of
> the car so much while replacing only 50% of the sheet metal. EVERY
> outside panel was changed, but the only major structural panel to change
> was the firewall! All glass area is identical from 58-63, and I'm
> reasonably sure that interchanges back to 1950 as well. In that respect i
>  t's an amazing little car, few since the Ford Model T had used basically
> the same chassis and engineering for as long as 13 years back then!


... And it's Nash quality. I'm no expert, but it seems that Nash suffered 
in the technology department, but quality wasn't an issue. It's very, very 
nicely made; simple and low-tech in places, but pretty much everything is 
carefully assembled and welded, little spatter. I did find one dubious weld 
in the brace that runs from the rear shelf to the floor pan behind the rear 
seat; the bottom weld burned through instead of bonding on one side. I 
re-welded it and put a spot of RTV on the very small hole.


> The
> only one I can think of off the top of my head in modern days is the
> Volvo 240 series, and it dates back to the 60s 1xx series. Of course
> there were fewer big engineering changes from the late 60s through the
> early 80s than between the 50s and early 60s.

The Hornet:Concord (1970 - 1988) has got to be one of the longest...!
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