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Jim's 1968 AMX
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This is my pride and joy. It was in and out of the shop a bunch of times after I bought it in December 1994, but since then I've had more luck with it and I've been trying to do more work myself. So far I've installed a cassette deck, replaced some trim, done some minor electrical work, installed new valve covers and gaskets, and replaced the fuel pump and other assorted bits and pieces in a fruitless search for either a fuel or vacuum leak. A carburetor rebuild only made things worse, so I installed a new Edelbrock Performer, which didn't cure the rough idle but got rid of the entertaining gas leak.
As of this writing the car has been mostly healthy for a good long while. When I first got the car it was kind of a regular at Tony's:
- $1023 for new muffler, new master brake cylider, new sockets for the taillights, and a load of work on the heater (this was so it would pass Virginia inspection--can't drive without a defroster).
- $205 for new alternator, plus a tow (the night I picked it up after a week in the shop for the heater, etc., it decided not to start anymore, plus the elaborately refurbished heater wasn't working).
- $61 to fix the choke and for some lightbulbs in the dash, which suddenly went dark after the second visit to the shop.
- $67 to put in a new tranny oil pan gasket and a few quarts of fluid.
- $540 to replace the starter and ring gear.
- There was a nice long hiatus before I blew out another transmission gasket. This time they had to remove the whole damn thing, and it cost me $269.
- Finally, when I tried to install a new thermostat, I sheared one of the bolts instead, so I ran up a bill of about $70 to pry the thing apart and retap the threads. That'll show me, huh? No way, no way.
The picture on the left shows yours truly taking a break from shoveling snow after the 1996 blizzard to pose in front of my snow-covered steed. At the right you can see the car's cool dash (before I installed the tape deck), featuring several shades of red.
The picture at the top of the page isn't a great likeness of the car, since it doesn't usually wear a thick coat of snow. But it's my favorite picture of the Beast. A few things have changed since I first put up this page:But seriously, it's a wonderful car, because:
- The missing piece of chrome around the grille is no longer missing.
- The whitewall tires have been replaced with white-letter tires, which are cooler looking but no more accurate (it should have redlines).
- The worn-out, cruddy rims have been replaced with chrome mags.
- There used to be a chrome circle on the driver's side "C" pillar. It fell off many moons ago, never to be found again.
- It's 10 years younger than I am but it qualifies as an "antique" in many states, which gives me no end of valuable perspective.
- It's red.
- I've wanted one of these since I was about 13.
- Less than 20,000 of these cars were made, and probably less than 10,000 still exist. Mustangs may be more popular, but you can hardly turn around without bumping into one, so who cares?
- It's a little 2-seater with a pretty big V8 engine (it moves like heck).
- It makes a wonderful rumbling sound.
- When I was a kid, I loved American Motors. For those of you too young to remember, American Motors used to be the smallest car maker in the U.S. I always rooted for the underdog, and there's never been a dog more under than AMC. You never knew whether they'd survive another year, but somehow they trudged on until Chrysler swallowed them up in 1987. They made some mediocre cars and some downright baffling cars, but they also made some great ones. When you're an underdog, you do what you can. You'll probably fail in the end, but if someone remembers you fondly, it's worth it.
- It has trunnions.
I'm not sure what's in store for me and the AMX. New rear springs come soon. The upholstery on the driver's seat needs work, and I could use a new steering wheel. Thanks to a kindly anonymous driver who ran into the car while it was parked it needs a new quarter panel on the driver's side. If I get the body work done I'll also get a desperately needed paint job; then maybe I'll put back the white stripes that were obliterated the last time it was painted.Recommendations for good body shops and mechanics in the Northern Virginia area are always welcome.
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