It sort of fell off map like many AMC "big" ideas out there. The AMC
landscape is littered with good ideas you know: AMC Unity Council, AMC Council
of Clubs, AMC Magazine (this one baffled me and still does, the guy spent
$10,000 of his own money to do glossy magazine, everyone said 'oooh, count me
in' or 'sign me up!' and few did, then he had display at biggest AMC event in
history in Kenosha, he needed to sign up 250 subscribers to make magazine
float. He had magazines laying out, people walk by booth, pick one up and when
he would say $2, they gently put it back down in ultimate fit of Rambler
Mentality, needless to say guy went back to NY, closed up shop and took major
loss.) Yikes. Don't forget a 'All AMC Meet' with all the clubs co-operating
together on same field, this was tried a few times, but ended up being like
little roped off areas, so had to choose your legion to Zod with who you went
with, so if you went with one club to have your car
judged, you
pissed off other clubs for instance. Sort of like having different restrooms
for different peoples in 1940s/50s, everyone has same color doo but have to go
to different room. It was like this unfortunately and created some ill will at
what was supposed to be largest AMC get together in history.
A
case could be made for Mitchell's old AMCWC, at one time really big before
imploded due to all the darned vendors, businesses, chapters and individuals
leaving, so guess that falls into 'amc stuff that didn't work' class. Or
failures. Or going to the dark side without light sabre, there is whole file
on my site dedicated to that cesspool failing:
http://www.planetho ustonamx. com/stuff/
good_riddance_ amcwc.htm
I'm sure some old soviet toothless
ladies in Siberia are having fond memories about Stalin too. Oh, he was dreamy
with that big mustache.... .sure he only killed 20 million people but he
looked so nice in that overcoat!
http://wiki. answers.com/ Q/How_many_ people_did_
Stalin_kill
The amxfiles is another case in point, at one time
was the place to be on internet, occasional few wars but nothing that could
not be solved. No longer there, buy owner Jim Stone sold his AMX and moved on.
The site is still up, but most of the stuff on it consists of abandoned files
with dead AMCers on it. Created in 1996, died in early 2000's finally domain
name expired in 2009 so gone too. Go google it and leachers will direct you to
their site, nothing to do with AMC just create traffic.
The
original amc forum also had problems with someone threatening to sue the forum
owner, so he shut it down, there is file somewhere on my site about that
debacle. The scab, 'new' theamcfoolum. com site no one goes to, (one guy on
Car Craft was gloating he signed up 140 times at college computers, I guess
that is like voting for your favorite MLB All Star when they want you to plug
ballot box!) and Fran's site changed names but still comes up amcforum so
confusing to say least.
I could go on here, as it is hot
outside, so decided to try to answer a few emails. The last I heard it was
shipped back to MA where it originated from You know, the original intention
was to have it done and ready by 2001. Sometimes we are rambler slow,
sometimes rambler slow without rims and tires. But a number of people donated
things, and along the way, many places did great job on it, as the donated car
ended up being a turd to begin with (rough car with frame/unibody damage if I
recall) so tons more work needed to bring it back to life. I think the
original intention (gee was it really a decade ago?) was to have different
chapters take the vehicle, and do work to it, might be big job, or small job,
as long as people contributed.
The problem with that was it
bacame a 'rolling pick a part' and all sorts of rare parts suddenly
disappeared. The new in box mufflers, nice tail light lenses and housings I
donated never made it to different city for instance. I did later sell them a
set of new ram air trim, but donated $200-$300 more new parts about 4-5 years
ago, no telling if that stuff was used or ended up on someone elses' car or
ebay, craigslist though. Frank Swygert of AIM magazine tried to co-ordinate
efforts but people got pissed off at him thinking he was either taking over
the project or profiting from it, whihc I believe was neither. The backlash
from that was no one wanted to get involved with it anymore! It ended up in
Kenosha, but no clubs would take it, sort of 'who needs the bullshit'
associated with it if they had it too long, or something came up missing, or
didn't tweet updates daily like damned corpse flower here!
I
think what bothered me personally about this project was two things, one was
the lashing Frank took years ago with it from bunch of idiots posting
anonymously on the forum of the week site. The bigger thing was that with all
these chapters out there......few got involved. The car only been to handful
of states
http://www.mattsold
cars.com/ charityamx/ map.html
I would have though that people
would have jumped at the chance to help on this project. At one point I
believe the car almost got 'evicted' from a shop as was taking up valuable
space the shop could have used to actually make money with customers. If not
for making stops in Houston at the aMO nationals in 2001, then onto San
Antonio where the Alamo AMC club did great job getting it running.
Will
always remember the enthusiasm and smiles when it was driven off the trailer
at the 2002 AMC SW Regional. Update! Can add Alamo AMC to 'stuff that didn't
work' as the whole club cratered several years ago. Now AJ is trying to
resurrect it, and I wish him success. Update! Hell, the big, successful AMC SW
Regional meet cratered after I quit sponsoring it and severed ties with local
aMC chapter after the national here! Google 'amc assholes' and well, even if
you in Nepal or Tasmania or hiding in rabbit hole in Fallauja, Iraq can read
about it. Too bad on all fronts.
I don't think that this old
'charity amx' falls into the 'amc stuff that didn't work' class though. It's
still out there, but has long since fallen off anyone's radar for a variety of
reasons. Maybe when finished in Y3K great, great grandkids will say 'I
remember that in Y2K' perhaps. Like seeing those heads in jars of Nixon and
celebrities on Futurama.
Anyways, if anyone still reading, here
is link
http://www.mattsold
cars.com/ charityamx/ index.html
Eddie
Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@ planethoustonamx .com
www.planethoustonamx.com
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