The Gremlin Times, Issue #1, LONG!!!

[Paul Gable <pdgable@xxxx>]

Hi there Gremlin lovers,
I think that because of the fact that I started this list, I will begin
writing a weekly "newsletter", so to speak, telling some news about the
status of the only Gremlin-only club currently in existence. I thought
the best place to begin is to tell y'all how many members we got so far.
We have 26 members so far!! I'm pretty happy about this. We still have a
way to go to equal the 200 or so members of the Pacer club that CHARGES
to allow people to have the privilege to be a part of the club. I am not
really criticizing this organization as I realize this is not a Internet
club and it costs money to send out newsletters through the mail for the
members.
I have really enjoyed reading some of the great stories that you
folks have sent regarding your Gremlin history and experiences. In the
last couple of weeks, I have received letters from some Gremlin lovers
who are not members of the list but have some great stories. I will be
sharing all of these stories in the Gremlin times so I don't hog all the
fun to myself.
Here is a letter from a guy named Leonard Uptegrove who entitled his
story,"I miss my Gremlin." Here it is:

Wow! I just found your website/webring and boy am I glad! Ibought
a new
'74 Gremlin (232? w/buckets, no X pkg..darn...and all the usual stuff.
This thing carried me everywhere........through college, on my first
date
with my wife, and never let me down.

The two best Gremlin memories I have are #1, freak ICE STORM (we get
those
a lot in Missouri) while I was in college. The dorm was closed down the

day before the Thanksgiving vacation was to start...there was nothing to
do
except try to make the 125 mile jaunt home (SW Mo. to Central
Mo.).......no
interstate, just windy country blacktops. My red bomber cruised the
whole
way without messing a beat. Those skinny 14" tires kept me going past
tons
of folks who were in the ditch on each side. Dependable don't you
think?

The other great one is when I was working the midnight shift...last one
before vacation....and when I got off at 6:30, I immediately went to my
apartment, loaded up the red beast and took off to Spokane (yes, to see
a
girl). Now this was a great trip full of beautiful sights, but I was
too
anxious to see what I thought was another beautiful sight at the other
end....so I only stopped for gas. I hit Kansas City in the middle of a
torrential August downpour, and made my way north. The trip across
South
Dakota was one of the most scenic and "fun" trips I can recall. I made
Rapid City just as the sun was setting (awesome sight) and I recall
listening to some station which was broadcasting ads for the upcoming
Three
Dog Night reunion tour concert (1981) later that evening. As I
proceeded
on, I stopped for gas late that night...early morning?... in Sheridan,
Wyoming and grabbed a cup of coffee to go. That little AM radio was
able
to pick up lots of great all night stations that we just don't get a
chance
to hear anymore ....those old CLEAR CHANNEL all-night DJ's if you
remember.
It was a beautiful sight.....the sun coming up in that great expanse of

glass in the rear as I entered Livingston, Montana....still, no stops
other
than gas/coffee, and I've now been driving alone for 24 hours, after
being
up all night before that at work. Well, somewhere in Western Montana, I

guess I lost consciousness..................fell asleep (I now sleep
with a
Bi-Pap machine...having been diagnosed a couple of years ago with Sleep
Apnea...something they didn't know about in those days)...anyway, my
next
conscious memory is waking up to a car horn. As I looked around, I
realized I wasn't moving. I had traveled until I ran this economical
beast totally out of gas, and was near an underpass in Cour D'Alene,
Idaho.
I had slept and driven for hours.....After hiking to a gas station and
filling up with a spare can, I continued to Spokane for my 'vacation'.
On
my return trip, I was aghast! When I saw the road which I had "slept"
through it really shook me to my bones. This segment of road was hours
of
VERY MOUNTAINOUS terrain with great drop-offs, and not too many
guardrails.
At one point, I pulled over and and just stared and stared and
stared...you see, it hit me of what might have happened if I would've
gone
over the edge..........and dropped down, down, down...you get the
picture.
To this day, I thank that little car for being so "roadworthy" that it
almost was able to drive itself and stay in those slight depressions and

grooves in the pavement by thousands of cars/trucks passing over it. I
know that this must be the answer, because, (as I said earlier) I have a

sleep problem and have more than this instance of being asleep and
continuing to function..ie: drive.

Alas, after buying other new cars, it seemed impractical to keep the old

red bomb around.....after all, my wife (married finally in '86) kept
making
fun of it. So I sold it. I saw it a few months later with the front
right
side caved in where it had finally met it's sad fate.

I miss that car terribly.......have always regretted selling it......and

would like to find another one to restore. Your website and webring
have
given me hope of doing just that.....thanks and keep up the good work!
I
noticed an AMC show....are there many AMC 'nuts' like us out there?
Any
other gatherings?

Leonard


LUptegrove@xxxx
I really enjoyed that letter, Didn't you? Here is another Gremlin lover
out of Winsonsin who has a question about wheels and tires.

I just bought a '74 Gremlin with 40,000 miles. It was purchased from an
estate and the car had been garaged for the last 15-20
years. It has some minor rust in the rockers and around the rear wheel
wells but other than that it is very solid with a perfect
interior. It's a stripped model with power nothing and a 232 6 and
auto. I'm going to fix the rust and repaint it and was going to put
some wheels and tires on it. Do you know what size of tire will fit in
the stock wheel wells. I want to go as big as possible
without rubbing problems. Any advise on style of wheel would be
helpful. I would like to use a fancier stock wheel if I can find
them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

John Gustafson
Wausau WI
Phil is another Gremlin lover:

Great website. I have had it in my fav's for a while now. Not many out
there
that care for the Gremlin. My 1st. car out of High school was a 72 X
304,
3-speed. I couldn't afford a Javelin w/360 or 401. I found out quickly
that
my Gremlin wasn't that much slower. I bought it brand new, ordered it in

April 72 and it finally arrived in June. It was a long wait for an 18 yr

old. but well worth it. Well to make a long story short, I had to sell
the
car in late 74 because I was getting Married. I bought a new 74 Matador
coupe in Jan 75, left over. In 78 I found my dream car, a 69 AMX 390
4-speed, I restored it, and it was a blast. In 80 I bought a new Eagle
Wagon, kids are on the scene by now, 3. By 85 I had to sell the AMX,
about
6mos. before the muscle car market took off. Which is why I don't mess
with
stocks or gamble. In 88 I was looking at a local paper here in St.Louis
and
came across a 73 Gremlin 304. It had been stored for 8 yrs in a garage,
and
it ran like crap. I paid $650 for it and when I adjusted the point gap
it
ran like a champ. As of today, it has a Edelbrock R-4B intake, and 4bbl.
A
B-W T-10 4-speed from a 69 AMX. Duel exhaust, been repainted the
original
Fairway green met. no stripes, I think I'll keep it that way. Sleeper.
In
the nest 4 weeks I'll install the carpet and finish the interior. I
guess it
is possible to go home. This thing is faster than my 1st Gremlin by far.
I
give Camaros and Stangs the fits. I hope I haven't bored you. Like I
said
it's nice to find someone who appreciates these cars. Later, Phil


Isn't this fun? I love when people compliment the little work I have
done for the Gremlin hobby.

Hi, I met you in Kenosha and you took pictures of my white 73 Gremlin X
and put them with a nice description on your page Gremlins at Kenosha
98. My son and I really went nuts when we found our car on the internet!

Thanks, Gremlintime is the best! After we returned from Kenosha we
pulled out the motor, cleaned and repainted the whole mess and added the

headers we purchaced at Kenosha. Now with dual exhaust and short
glasspack mufflers our car is quite loud and makes people look. We went
to AMO 99 at St Louis and it was really hot just like your trip to
Colorado. We placed with a bronze at Kenosha and again at St Louis.
There where about 6 or 7 Gremlins at St Loius, one way from Arizona won
for driving farther then anyone else. My family and I also plan to
attend AMO at Kenosha in 2002 and hope to see you the again. Keep up the

good work on Gremlintime.
Here is Todd in Indiana:

I looked through your internet page and enjoyed the heck out of it. I
had a
new 1972 red Gremlin X with a 304 V8 and a 3 speed stick. It gave the
350
cubic inch Novas a run until I hit 3rd gear and ran out of carburetor.
It
had a 3.54 rear end. I was working the evening shift the day my wife and
I
got the car. It had around 5 miles on it when we picked it up and we she

picked me up after work it had a hundred miles on it. She said just
giving
friends and relatives rides around town. It had the black interior with
red
inserts. we really enjoyed that car.

We had it a year when my wife informed me it rode a little rough for her

while pregnant. We traded it in for a 1973 Hornet with a 360 engine. It
was
blue with white letter tires. the Gremlin handled better but the Hornet
did
ride a little better.

We bought a 1969 blue AMX in November of 98. I am AMCing again.

Todd Harrington Lafayette, IN


To wrap up this action packed issue of the Gremlin Times I thought
that I would start a brief discussion about what you all would like to
see added to Gremlintime to make it a better site for people interested
in the Gremlin. I don't have as much time as I used to to put into the
site but I really feel that with your guys' suggestions, we could make
Gremlintime THE site for Gremlin info. I consider myself the Larry
Mitchell of Gremlins and I'd be glad to put some of that knowledge on my
page but I would like to know what kind of stuff you have wanted to
see. All suggestions will be seriously considered.
Peace until next week
Paul