65 American RestoMod

[ramblinfsj]

Hooo boy.  Hopin it wasn't a rattler...  Just saw a big king snake in my yard the other day, I put him out carefully by the canal, they eat the rattlesnakes, you know.

Nope, it wasn't a rattler. My friend said it was a Garden or a Garder Snake. They're harmless if you don't count them dropping on your back a scaring the bejesus out of you. A guy I know got bite twice last week by a rattle snake. He's ok but it's sure a reminder to look real good before you start picking things up.

[ramblinfsj]

Alright! I finally got my shifter finished and I took the Rambler on it's maiden voyage out of the driveway. It was a great feeling even though driving it let me know that it needs some front end work and possibly a swaybar. I was grinning from ear to ear. Even though the front end needs rebuilding, it road really nice. I also have to get use to the steering. I have to turn that wheel alot to make a turn. On the down side, besides it needing front end work, the tranny has a growl to it. It operates fine but when it's in first gear it kinda growls. Once it shifts it to second, it goes away. I don't know. I'll drive it for a awhile and see what happens. Now that the shifter is in, it's time to lay some carpet (once it stops raining). I had double the excitement this weekend. Not only did I take the Rambler out on it's maiden voyage, Saturday I went and picked up a 1984 Jeep J-10 pickup. I bought it for $150 sight unseen. It's only $150 right? We went and got it and after looking it over, I think a $150 truck is what I got. There is a lot of parts missing but I didn't care because I've always wanted a J-truck. It has no drivetrain, the rear window is gone, the taillights are gone, the grill gone, the headlights and buckets are gone, and no telling what else. On the positive side, it has about a 4" Skyjacker lift kit, the interior is all there and looks pretty good, it's the shortbed model, and has the wide-track axles. If anything, the Skyjacker lift kit was worth $150. I'm going to try to locate a dirt cheap, running Grand Wagoneer to transfer all the parts over to the J-10. I'm excited about this project and I'm dying to get started. I just stand back and look at the truck and just think how bad to the bone my new truck looks.
Back to work on the Rambler!

[Route 66 Rambler]

Awesome job, ramblin', now you're ramblin', keep on ramblin' etc.    That is a great feeling.  Like you said, the lift kit was worth the money, and pickups are easier than cars to put back together anyway.  You've already got the hard part to find.  GW might solve a few issues and get you ridin' in true TX style.  GOT to have truck.

[ramblinfsj]

and pickups are easier than cars to put back together anyway.  You've already got the hard part to find.  GW might solve a few issues and get you ridin' in true TX style.  GOT to have truck.

That was my full intention in buying it. I need a truck and I'm a Full Size Jeep Guy so it only made since to get a J-10. No doubt finding a J-10 period was the hard part. I've only seen maybe a half dozen around here. Just having a running Wagoneer will provide probably 90% of the parts I need. I just found a rear window at BJ's Offroad for a real good price but I just can't locate a seal. It will be a fun project but the Rambler is priority number one.

[IowaEagle]

A non rusted out J truck rolling shell is a good start.  Great to hear the Rambler is back to ramblin'!

[ramblinfsj]

I started on the carpet install but I came up short on padding so I have to locate a small piece. The padding on the front pans and back under the seat is in so I can at least put the front section of carpet in. I've never put carpet in a car before so I'm kinda scared that I'm going to mess it up. I also have to pull my new shifter out to put the carpet in after I just fought with it to get it installed. It's a little tough to get my hands between the tranny and the floor underneath the car. Oh well, it's got to be done. In between doing the carpet, I've been searching for another FSJ to piece my newly acquired J-10 back together. I've been getting info about the J-10 on the International Full Size Jeep Forum and a fellow FSJer told me about a complete J-10 for sale across town from me for $250. I went and took a look at it and it wasn't a bad truck at all. It had it's problems like a blown motor and some rust but it's diffinitely fixable for me to have a useable truck to haul things with. So I'm going to buy it. I have a buddy with a used 304 that he will sell me for cheap and I'll put that engine in. The only other part I'll need is a 304 to 400turbo flexplate to have it running. I'm sure I'll have to do other little odds and ends but I'll have a truck. A Full Size Jeep Truck that is. Of course doing this, I'll still have to find parts for the other J-10.

[Route 66 Rambler]

It's becoming an embarrassment of riches down there in Tejas...

[ramblinfsj]

Believe me, it has nothing to do with riches. I'm just good at finding cheap junk that's easy and cheap to fix. The Classic and the AMX isn't included in the easy and cheap category. That's why I have really started on them yet. The American has been a relatively cheap project. The engine and tranny didn't cost me anything because I got the donor Postal Jeep for free plus many other parts off the Jeep went straight to the car. My friend build the driveshaft for free. The carpet, distributor, and the wheels have cost the most (About $200 for each). Once it's time for paint and upholstery is when the final cost is going to go drastically higher. The American is definitely the definition of a Budget Build.

[ramblinfsj]

I don't think I ever mentioned this but my biggest goal with the Rambler was to have it driveable and legal by August 9th of this year. Why August 9th? That is the date of the biggest car show and cruise night in West Texas. The show is called "Summer's Last Blast" in Vernon, Tx. Last year was my first year to attend the show and I was so excited by the cars and trucks there that as soon as I got home, I started the resto of the American. It is almost a full year since I started the resto and I'm a little disappointed that the Rambler is not ready for the show and cruise. Although I'm a little disappointed, I'm very happy with the progress especially since I'm on an extremely tight budget. I'll be there next year for sure. Even though this one goal wasn't met, 2 dozen other smaller goals on the car have been. I'm happy.

While I'm typing I give you guys an update. All the carpet is in! I thought somewhere during the install, I would screw something up and totally ruin the carpet but I completely surprised myself and didn't screw anything up. The install was a bit tricky in spots but it laid down great and looks good. Big thanks to Mac McCoy who sold me the COMPLETE carpet kit and for including a DVD on how to install the carpet. Without Mac's DVD I wouldn't have known where to start. I'll post some pics of the installed carpet later.
I took the front wheels off to have a look at the brakes and boy that turned into an ordeal. The brakes were fine but I, for the life of me, could not get the drum to separate from the hub. After hammering the wheel studs loose from the drum, my buddy and I figured out why it was so hard to separate the two parts. AMC put the hub and the drum together and then mushroomed the shank or "knarl" of the stud to keep the drum and hub together. Seemed very stupid to me. So my buddy had to take the hub with him to work and press the studs out. In doing that, it wollowed the stud holes out on the hub to where the knarl on a replacement stud would be to loose. I searched auto zone's wheel stud bins for a stud with a bigger knarl and found nothing. By chance I found a set of 5 Moroso Racing Wheel studs online with the knarl size that would work. I had to go to two different race shops here in town to get two 5 piece packs of studs. I dropped them off to my friend at his work and he drilled the holes a little bigger and pressed in the new studs. After that whole ordeal, the hubs and brakes went back together without a hitch except for going from a 7/8" long wheel stud to 3" wheel studs. Not a problem though. My grinder with a cutting disk on it took care of that. The cool thing about the whole ordeal is that I needed longer wheel studs anyway for my Centerline wheels because with those wheels and factory 7/8" long studs, I could only catch about 2 threads with the lug nuts. Not anymore.
The next item to address is the driver side trunnion and all the bushings. While the wheels were off during the wheel stud thing, I figgled things around and looked at bushing and stuff the best I could and I may get lucky with the driver trunnion. It looks like the horizontial trunnion bushing is worn out but it appears (for now) that the trunnion housing around the bushing is in good shape. Hopefully all the front end needs is bushings. I'll know for sure as soon as I get the spring compression tool from Garryjav.
That's where I'm at now. Most of my attention in the past week has been directed toward finishing the gear swap in my Wagoneer. The AMC20 has a new set of 4.56's and is back under the truck. Now it's time to hit the front axle.
Oh, I also found the source of the leak that caused the trunk to rust. It is the taillight to body gasket. My buddy poured water around the rear of the car while I was inside the car looking for the leak and sure enough it pours in from both gaskets. I'll be ordering those gaskets from American Parts Depot shortly. Now, its on to the Vernon Car Show this weekend without the Rambler  :'(.

[IowaEagle]

GREAT!    Get lots of pictures of anything AMC Heritage related.

[ramblinfsj]

Wow I haven't posted anything in almost two months. There is a good reason for that too. I haven't done much. About the only thing that's been done is me putting in new taillight to body gaskets from American Parts Depot. That took all of 15 minutes. I did send off the paperwork to International Title Services for them to get me all the paperwork I'll need to get the car titled. I've got all the paperwork back and will be going to the DMV soon to start the title process there. Texas isn't the easiest place to title a vehicle if the original title has been lost but I got to do it. Hopefully it goes smooth. I've been sorta shopping around for an upholstery shop that will redo my seats and not stick it to me. The first shop I talked to wanted at least $700 to do all the seats. I think I can find someone cheaper. As it goes now, I'm consentrating on getting the car titled and then I'll hit the mechanical stuff again.

[IowaEagle]

We all need a break once in a while.  I have been slacking off on the SX/4 which had resulted in the benefit of my driving the Concord more.  Our guest from Holland who was here for the recent AMC Eagle Nest Meet said to me in private after having ridden in all of the Eagles that were there, that the Concord was the quietest, best riding AMC in the whole bunch.  I will have to agree.  Even 29 years after she rolled out of Kenosha she still purrs down the road in comfort.

[ramblinfsj]

I don't want to take a break but money dictates that. I went to the DMV this morning to get the title for the American and everything went smooth until they asked what the weight of the car was. I didn't have a clue so I have to take the car to be weighed and then go back and present them a weight slip showing what it is. Some of the things the State of Texas makes you do is ignorant. Will the tag on the door jam say what the weight of the car is? If it does, I'll get a rubbing of the stamped tag and present that to them. The reason they want the weight is because when I sent the paperwork to International Title Services they registered the car in Alabama and when an out of state car comes into Texas, all the proper info must be proved.

[ramblinfsj]

Ok, I finally got some pictures uploaded. I borrow my buddy's camera to take pictures and he's been have computer problems. He bought a whole new computer that runs Windows Vista and the old one was XP. The Kodak EasyShare program was not compatable with Vista so he finally figured out that he had to download a program so the Kodak will work with Vista. In other words, I got pictures.
These pictures are from when I got the aftermarket shifter where I wanted it and installed. The shifter is a cheapy universal from JC Whitney but it actually ended up working really well. I had to put my ratty old seat in to make sure the shifter cleared it. The cool part about the shifter is that it came with a template that you tape to the floor and cut and drill from there. You can also see the CoolIt Mat on the floor pan.




The next picture is the Aftermarket throttle cable I picked up from Auto Zone for $25. Nice, easy to install kit.


And now the pictures of my carpet install that I'm really proud of. I have to give Mac McCoy another shout for making such a nice carpet kit. Thanks Mac.




In the past few days I've been tending to the brakes. I have to put alot of input into the pedal to get the car to stop and I found the master cylinder had so much corrosion inside it that I'm surprised the brakes worked at all. I went to Auto Zone and to my surprise they had a reman'ed master cylinder on the shelf. I an waiting to get the car over to a Peanut Gin just down the street so I can get the thing weighed and get a Title. There's only one problem, there is a motorcycle in the way of me getting the car out of the shop. Another friend (who I actually got the American from) has his custom Honda in my shop and me and my buddy with the Pinto Project are trying to figure out the messed up wiring. It's about half torn apart and up on a motorcycle jack. It's par for the course for me. Somebody is always in the way. It's a pretty cool looking bike but somebody needs to be shot for wiring like they did. Here's a picture of the bike if anybody cares.

[Route 66 Rambler]

That carpet install looks really clean, and the shifter looks right at home in the spot it's at.  I sympathize on the DMV thing.  Sometimes it can take longer for that than to get the whole car up and running.

I used to work as a designer/machinist at a place that built custom bikes, I think I have seen pictures of that bike pinned to a wall over somebody's desk...  We did nothing but Harleys and other big American rigs, but a lot of guys with Euro and Japanese bikes would come around for custom frame or billet work.  I don't seen any of my stuff or anyone else's on that one, but we had thousands of pictures from runs, shows and meets that we promoted at.

This Rambler is going to be one cool little ride.  Nothing cooler than an American, in my book.
mike

[IowaEagle]

Getting closer and closer.

[ramblinfsj]

Cool the Forum is back up. Like I said above, to get the title to the car I had to go have it weighed. Well I got tired of waiting to try to round up a truck and a trailer so I called up a friend to help me bleed the brakes so I could drive the car to the scales. The scales are at a peanut gin about 4 miles away and with me living in the country, I can take backrounds (i.e. No Cops) all the way there. My friend came over, we bleed the brakes, and the Rambler went on it's actual for real maiden voyage. The car did absolutely great. It had great power and handled those old dirt roads without a problem even though the frontend needs work. I really learned the difference between power disc/drum brakes and non-power four wheel drum brakes. For some reason my gauges quit working but I figure that out later. It made the trip to the scales, weighed out at 2640 pounds, and off we went the cruise the little town I grew up in. There's only 4 north to south roads and 4 east to west roads in town so cruising didn't take long but I had a blast. The next Monday I drove to the Title and Registration Office and after about 45 minutes of the clerks trying to figure out what to do, I am the titled owner of my '65 American. One of the clerks asked me if I was trying to title a boat . What was bad is the clerk is old enough to known what American Motors is. Oh well, I don't care. The car is is now legally mine. Next up is to take the wiper motor apart and see if I can fix it myself. That's the only thing left for it to past state inspection.

[IowaEagle]

Congratulations!  A boat?  My Concord was registered as a camper one year.