It all came together Saturday at the AMO SE Regional show in
Atlanta, GA. Well almost...... ......Friday I spent the day getting
the Gremlin ready for the show and left around 4 pm. The alternator
light stayed on the whole way, but was charging fine. Also, the fuel
gauge and tach gauge decided to quit on me. Anyway, I took off for
Atlanta and stopped at LaGrange, GA for supper and gas. Checked
under the hood, all looked fine. The alternator belt was a little
loose, but I didn't think it was too bad. Got to the show hotel
around 10 pm. That's when things went wrong. The lights dimmed and
the dash lights went out. I managed to get the car into a parking
spot before turning off the key. Looked under the hood again and -
NO alternator belt! It was completed MIA. Thank God I had packed an
emergency kit for the trip which included a spare belt. Saturday
morning, the day of the show: got up at 6 AM,
showered and ate then
went to the parking lot. The Peach State AMO club was setting up
their booth on the show lot so I talked to one of the members. They
had a starter box and loaned it to me. I got the Gremlin started and
parked in on the show field. Then I unloaded all my tools and put a
blanket under the car. Put the new belt on and started the car
again. Jeff Barfield and my son helped me out. Let it idle while I
tried to detail it as best as I could. It all paid off when awards
time rolled around that afternoon. I won the spark plug changing
contest, the "Golden Hook" award, the "Hard Luck" award, and the
Gremlin took a Silver AMO Award in the show. Along with all that
went a trip to Road Race Atlanta to work with Team AMX in December,
a gift certificate to RockAuto, and a copy of Frank Swygert's RW&B
book. What a wonderful AMC day it was! There were 2 Gremlins, 2
Pacers, 4 Spirits, 3
Jeeps, and the rest were Ramblers, AMX's and
Javelins. Best of all, I met so many new people, traded email
addresses with fellow AMCers and promised spare parts to others
(wish I would have had room to take my spares). It was great talking
to fellow AMCers and comparing notes. Everyone was friendly and
helpful. The alternator light stayed on the whole way home too, but
it was putting out the correct voltage, so there must be a wiring
problem going on. The only car part I bought was a NOS turned
aluminum bezel overlay for a hornet gauge cluster. I am going to try
to find someone to reproduce it. I also met a lady who is
reproducing every emblem that AMC ever made. Even if it is plastic,
she is reproducing it in metal. I will be sending her a "Gremlin
Man" to start reproducing. She had some awesome stuff! See photos in
my lumina333 folder. ~Lu~
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