Decision time - Gremlin GT NOT making the trip... :(

[Gremlingts@xxxx]

 Well, I went out this morning, got the exhaust rehung up out of the way ( 
it was mounted too low in back ), then tried to get the brake drum off. 
Wouldn't budge, so went to start the car, to turn the rear wheels in gear ( 
it's on jackstands ), and a horrible sound started up - a lifter was making 
alot of noise, and the motor was running rough. Damn! Ran perfect last night 
when I shut it off. I check the oil, it was low, so added a quart. Still ran 
crappy, though, the noise did settle down a little. An engineer friend of 
mine drove up not much later, and listened to it (he's doing flow-bench work 
on AMC 6 motors, btw ) and he said it's probably just a piece of sludge 
broken loose, and use some Motor Flush on it. I will, but after this, I think 
I'm better off just taking the gold '74 Gremlin, it's been a trooper, and I 
know it better than the GT, as I had to drive it for 3 weeks to work when my 
Toyota truck was down for major repairs last month. So, better to have the GT 
safely at home, than have it break down enroute to Kenosha, no matter how 
much I'd like to take it! Ah well, that's life. I got the gas tank drained 
finally( WARNING - PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT FOLLOWS ), I went to Trak Auto and 
found they had a nice 1.5 gallon gas can with a vacuum pump mounted on it, 
instead of the usual "wet pump" type that usually goes bad. I"m IMPRESSED! 
The pump mounts into the plastic can on one side, the normal spout on the 
other. Pretty slick, and it works too! :D It cost $15 ( reduced, apparently 
they're going to stop selling them ), it's called Gas Vac. Has a hard plastic 
translucent white line, with a one-way valve on the end you stick into the 
gas tank, and a plastic tube you stick in the gas door opening to hold open 
the flap, and guide the line with. All in all, one of the BETTER items Trak 
has ever carried! I may buy one for my aunt's farm, it's a pretty nifty 
device to have, and can double as a gas can, too. 
Anyway, I got 5 gallons of high test gas in the car last night. Thought I 
was going to get this car ready after all, it was going so well yesterday. Oh 
well, like I mentioned, I'd rather not risk having it drop dead on me on a 
long trip, so I'll be driving my gold Gremlin with antique tags on it. That 
one can still fail, too, but it does have many more miles on it of test 
driving, so I'm much more confident with it now. The brakes are new, the 
tires are good, and the AM radio even works ( nothing in the GT now ). And, 
the A/C didn't work in the GT ( no surprise there, I guess ). That should 
make my trip preparations much easier now, I won't be rushing around like mad 
trying to get an unknown car ready for a trip into the unknown ( actually, 
I've been up that way to Oshkosh before, and thru Chicago, so I have been 
thru the area a number of years back ). Well, guess it's time to get moving 
on the gold car, it needs an oil change, and check the air in the spare, then 
it could use a bath and a wax/buff job. I did a spot on the hood, it took the 
old crappy oxidized paint off, and looks great and beads water again! I may 
actually try to do that tonight, after the sun goes down. Or tomorrow night, 
actually. Got alot still to do today. So, that's all, look forward to seeing 
some of you up there. Au revoir for now,

Jerry in Virginia ( for a few more days, anyway )