Daytona Practice & FRIDAY the 13th 'a Learning' -

["Brien Tourville" <hh7x@xxxx>]

Date sent: 13 Feb 2004 16:00:44 -0000
From: BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [BaadAssGremlins] Digest Number 234
Send reply to: BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 00:07:31 -0000
From: "lumina333" <lumina3@xxxx>
Subject: Re: GremlinTime

Rod,
This 'gal' is behind your decision also. I came VERY VERY close to 
going w/a Chevy 350 in my Gremlin; was fortunate to find a useable 
AMC 360 or else I would be in the "other" category also. In fact, if 
this 360 block isn't good, I will probably go with Chevy. As much as 
I love the AMC line, I would rather save one from the crusher using 
another line's engine than see the car wasted. I did a STOCK AMC 
restore job on my last project car; this one is going to be for fun, 
so I am not going to be worried about finding the perfect NOS items 
for the Gremlin. I wish I could save all the AMC's I saw in the 
junkyard, including the 4 cute Nash Metros (1 convertable), but have 
not the funds nor the room.
Personally, I would like to see more discussions about matching up 
different tranmissions, rearends, and engines in AMC's. However, I 
feel sheepish about posting such requests, fearing that I will offend 
the AMC purists among us. -Lu-
--- In BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "hemmigremmie" 
<hemmigremmie@xxxx> wrote:
> Thanks for the support fellas.
> I still sometimes feel like an outcast, but everyone here has been 
> nice, so no ill feelings to you guys, I was refering to the 
> Gremlintime group.
> No selling here, I have been working on this toy for almost 2.5 
> years or so. Check it out in the photo section. Mine is listed 
under 
> Hemmigremmie's album.
> I just started my supercharged engine buildup for it. Let me know 
> what ya think. Rod :)



================================================
I've the Daytona Practice showing on my 5" Color Phillips TV -
parked next to the Dell Screen - wish I lived in Fla. during the
Winters !

D, Waltrip lost a lelf rear & took in the wall - (heh-heh........go 
Jr. ..........)



Anyway .................

I'll create a Folder for : 

AMC IN JUNKYARDS

on the B/A/G site . 



PLEASE ! Should you know of - or locate - or pass on the
road - places that have AMC cars - PLEASE ! Post the
God Damn Address or NAME - anything that will give another
owner a chance to locate a car or parts !

Mobile Crushers have wiped out Northern Yards - 0 AMC 
are left in my area - which once was a Gremlin Stronghold .


Save an AMC Engine :

My Interest in 'Promoting' using AMC power in an AMC vehicle
began way back when Street Rod Builders began using the
Chevy 350 in Everything they built : Ford / Mercury / Lincoln
etc. Dodge / Plymouth ...... can you Imagine ...... a Plymouth
with a Chevy Engine ? Creme Broulei' and SPAM chunks !


Chevy Powered Street Rods :

Custom Car Shop Builders promoted this 'concept' :

This was a 'selling point' concept as the drivetrain was super
available and buyers of a '49 Merc Custom would feel safer
having a motor that any Chevy Dealership could service .

"Yep ....... you could be 'Crusin' in Bejing - Tieneiman Square
and get this baby a 'Tune Up' ................."

More to the truth - it was a very cheap powerplant that
kicked out HP and cost next to dirt > so more profit .

Some 'Marque' Clulbs went thru changes - since many
older Clubs were Purists - a Merc Flatty in a Merc Coupe .

So don't think that "Anti-whatever" in an AMC is just Unique
to our Interests - 'cause that ain't the way it wuz or IS !

This goes Waaaaaaaaaaay Back and covers all Areas !


At shows - this 'concept' also carried over to the 
'Comraderie' of car owners - all their cars being
Chevy Powered . 


I never warmed to this concept - since going to shows to
see vehicles you wouldn't see normally - only to have
a Camaro engine staring back at me - in a vehicle I knew
damn well that had plenty of speed parts made for the
original engine of that time - was / is a dissapointment .

Knowing that somewhere - an Orignal Engine is most
likely rusting in a pile /scrapped or in a Donor Vehicle
that will sooner or later be scrapped - losing an opportunity
to create a 'Class Act' - is something worth 'Educating About' .


Case in Point :

A Lincoln V-12 Zephyr - always a Favorite of mine -
just went thru that Auction shown on TV
a week or so ago - Barrett something .

The Customizer / Builder had kept the Orig. engine -
a V-12 - and snotted it up with a few nice parts - added
some chrome - and the Bidding Price went Ballastic !

We're talking that 100K 'magic mark' folks - so that 
vote for Originality was Voiced loudly .

Narrators did comment on the Chevy Engine in "Build"
vehicles - expressing their personal dislike - and noting
that should this particular car having had that same
'Generic Chevy Transplant' - the bidding would have been 
one quarter of the final selling bid .

".......Nuff Said..........."

As for AMC - and 'Our Thing' - , 
we're a bunch of 'Street Survivors' - not
the High Rollers building for the Arizona Auction Crowd -
so we build for ourselves - as parts and price opportunities
present themselves - that 's the Real Deal .



There are owners whose engine backgrounds extend 
roots long ways back into GM so that Brands Powerplant
seems a Natural for them - so be it .

Others had that GM sitting in a friends shop or a corner
of their shack - ready to go - ........ another natural move
in their mind - low buck - low effort -
so - good to go .



For those who have the opportunity to decide :



Keep the AMC powerplant in the AMC body shell .


No - I'm NOT knocking anyone - it is a "Learning"
that List / Cllub membership for a particular 'Marque'
pass along to others involved with their Projects .

There are still 401s' / 360 engines sitting & ready for
a 'Freshening' - if you at all can - make the Effort .


So you check Lists online - ask List folks for help
to locate one - spend a few bucks on shipping ......

but your end result is well worth the exercise & learning
curve .

I knew MoPar when I started with AMC - in a '72 Blue / 360 
Cowl / 727 AMX . 



That 360 is a Brutal Engine - the crank is 12 lbs. Lighter than
a Forged 401 - a mildly shorter stroke and loves to make Revs.


A Fantastic Street Engine would be a 4 bolt 401
block with a 360 crank . Ultra-Lite Motor - a certain
Rev-Master .

Under 6,500 RPM - you really don't need Forged / Heavier Crank 
and I doubt your shop could pare off 12 lbs. of weight from a
390/401 unit without Buckets of Cash available .

I blew out both rear leaf springs during a 'Punch and Go' over
on Rte. 17K . - rode home riding on the rear - 'Buck-Board' style
@ 10mph. 

The Blue AMX is History - Death by Corrosion - .

Now I have a Blue Eagle Kammback Coupe -
a car I looked nearly 7 years to find .

It is a 4x4 '77-'78 Gremlin made in 1981-'82 .

I'll post some .jpgs under the "Greetings from New York" 
Folder - just for what it is .

It is still 'All Original' - but - that will change by my
losing the entire front wheel drive system of
CV shafts and front Diff ./ front Driveshaft / Transfer
Case - and planting an AMC EFI Turbo PowerPlant 
under the Bonnet . 

Engine is currently a 'Work in Progress'
- boxes of parts stacked in my Apt. 

Nog the Kat has set up shop on the huge
shipping box containing the entire EFI 
parked infront of the Window .



Summer is Body Work and the Trans Build up -
which for this Street Machine is the Internals of
a MoPar A-999 TF from behind one of their V8
engines - inside an AMC Trans. Case .



Turbos : 

Bart jest''Luuhvs' Turbos .........
calls' 'em 'Hair Dryers'........... :)


/ Easy / Huge HP increase for Cheap :

Wanna Go Real Fast for cheepie ?

Read up on these Groups !


Yahoo Groups has two great Turbo Sites :

One for Carbed engines : www.blowthruturbo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
and :

jyturbo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



The jyturbo guys yank junk engines & add junkyard turbos
to pull 600HP for dirt cheap - some of their List members
are "Borderline" ...... a great group to join .



I will say that for AMC engines that want to convert to EFI -
that the GM '90 - '91 system off a Camaro is a shoe in !

VW has screw in Injector 'Bungs' for manifold conversion 
according to one source . Hell - you could convert an 
old Edlebrock dual quad Cross Ram if you so wanted !


So - Point is : AMC - save the car / save an AMC Engine .





Snow is still deep here in the New York North - Ice is keeping
things chilly - and I heard it is in the 80s at Daytona :)

The IROC thing is just beginning - and I'm short on Vanilla Coke -
so heading out to the Convienient Store -



Later !



Brien.
NEW YORK