Flatbed Time Again

I woke up the other day ready to take her for a drive and the breaks felt hard. Upon second look the rear cylinder of the master was near empty with a puddle of fluid on the garage floor.  Damn blown rear wheel cylinder after 80 road miles?

Today was a scheduled tow but when I went to start her no joy.  Out of gas?  I know the fuel gauge is out but I've been keeping track of fill ups and mileages so there is no way I'm getting 2 miles per gallon.  9-10 maybe.   So I ended up with  a dead battery adding insult to injury.  The saga continues.

When I mention the "Saga" I think most people (girls and guys) realize a lover affair with a classic muscle car is a constant struggle between the love for the car and the on-going problems.

Today's Punch List:

• Fix Brakes - pressure differential valve
• Remove 2nd Fuel Filter
• Install new high CCA battery
• Adjust carb?

Seats Finally Installed - Happy New Year!

Well its been a long road to choosing what color to finding the right shop to do the work on my 69 AMX.

old seats

I've always wanted the black or charcoal interior, instead I have saddle.   My wife likes the saddle plus its the original color so we are sticking with it.   In high school, my 69 Javelin SST had the red interior.   At the time, I was happy to have such a cool hot rod it didn't bother me at all.   I'm happy with the saddle.

These seats were trashed when we acquired the car.   The foam had disintegrated and the cloth was barely holding the springs back.

We decided to go with the original color and use vinyl since that what it says on the door.   We did one customization by adding black piping to the seats.   I have a feeling this will tie in nice when we replace the door armrests.   I believe the reproductions only come in black.

Anyway, we purchased the seat foam from Legendary Auto Upholstery and a local upholstery shop run by Enrique Auto Upholstery  did the seat covers.   He did a great job as you can see below.

We opted not to change the carpet during the install.   Instead, we'll wait until we get to the point

new seat foam and custom covers

when we are going to paint and strip the car completely adding padding below the carpet.   My wife says it's as loud as the time we went skydiving at 10,000 feet in the smallest plane ever.

Gotta laugh.

Onward.

Upolstrey Time Finally

It took a while to get the seat foam in from Legendary Auto Interiors and connect with Enrique at his
shop.   We decided to keep the factory color: Saddle to keep it matching.  The carpet is in pretty good condition so we are not replacing it during this interior refresh.

Exciting progress.

Restoring Seats Pending Install

Yes, it took a while to get the parts here but www.legendaryautointeriors.com came through again.   Their main order control employee was at SEMA instead of manning his post at the order desk.  No worries, a SEMA trip is worth the backlog of orders.  :)

Anyway, my seat foam has arrived.   I've got to pull the seats and get them over to the shop to be recovered and the springs repaired.   I've got to say driving her will be much more fun once you aren't sitting on the floor.

Onward.

AMC Fanatic

Coming Home Not Repaired

I get it.

Really?  I knew what I was getting into but come on!

We've replaced the gas tank all of the lines, sending unit, fuel pump, rebuilt the carburetor and still the fuel gauge is non-operable.

Wait, I forgot to mention we had to remove and replace the instrument voltage regulator.  If you forgot about that part, me too.   American Parts Depot just happened to stock this hard to find part for the everyday low price of $75 bucks.  Still no joy.

I'm picking her up tomorrow to take a break and order a replacement gauge.  Yes, American Parts Depot has that part for $75.  Wow, how did you guess.

The good news is the transmission seal is fixed and I've got wiper blades so I can start testing moving forward with cleaning up the interior and checking out the electrical.

Onward

Feels like a Porsche? Yes. 1969 AMX - /Big Muscle

This guy built a bad-ass 69 AMX but without the stock engine, trans or rear-end.   Not exactly what I would call stock but still a cool ride.

At the DMV

A funny thing happened at the DMV the other day.   I was standing in line with the rest of humanity

AMX Racer

then realized that the DMV was about to issue me new license plates with no smog for a race car.

If you haven't driven a 69' AMC AMX with a 390 + 4 speed you more than likely will not get it.    This car isn't make for cruise night or a trip to the supermarket.   Two seats, short wheel base, big engine and the need for speed.   It's a fracking "race car."

She could have yellow with black stripes, or red with white stripes.  Either way you slice it, she was made for a track.   I remember the literature stating that once the engine is broken in, you can take it right to the track and race it.   It's true.

I don't know what I was thinking when considering her for a daily driver in potential traffic.   On the way to the DMV, my wife and I ran into stop and go traffic.  "Ellie" was not happy sitting in first gear just idling.  Not a fun ride.

When the DMV handed me my plates, I smiled and ran outside to install them and drive my race car legally on CA streets.

The saga continues.

Back at the Shop

Well it didn't last.   She spent the morning getting new temp plates at the DMV only to find herself

back at the shop with a rear transmission seal leak.

I knew one we stabilized her and took her out driving her not super hard but putting her through the paces it might cause more issues.   We revamped the brakes taking care of any safety issues so it was more of a dry run.    The reality is I've been nursing her not taking her over 60 mph and not shifting hard or accelerating quickly.

I let Jon at Sounds of Speed do that while I listened for issues.   We are still working out the issues and are not done by far.    The engine "tick" is getting worse so we are pulling the valve covers to take a peak.

The fuel gauge and temp gauge also stopped working after a new gas tank and sending unit.   The 68-69 AMX- Javelin use an instrument regulator that American Parts Depot carries which is incredible.

An engine/trans rebuild is on the horizon but I rather put it off to save a bit of $$$$.   I estimated a good chunk to get her up and running and we are just about there without touching any interior issues.

The driver seat is freaking trashed.   You really feel like you are sitting on the floor.   The doors need serious alignment and the passenger door doesn't lock.   I think most of us know the problems with the doors locking and the windows falling off the track.   My Javelin was a prime example costing me $500 bucks to get a body shop to fix it 28 years ago.

Onward.

Sounds of Speed - Shop in Santa Clara

If you have a classic or muscle car and are looking for a master mechanic, look no further.   Check out Jonathan and Mitch over at Sounds of Speed in Santa Clara, CA.

They treat your car like their own.   Detail oriented and will always give you the best recommendations based on the research they do for your collectors car.   Parts sourcing, installation options and upgrades.

Jon is currently working with me to restore my 1969 AMC AMX to it's full glory.  We started getting it stabilized and completing all safety repairs then moved on to getting it running to become a daily driver.    All this in preparation of a engine & trans build.    She's running pretty good after sitting for years.

Sounds of Speed

2555 Lafayette St. #104

Santa Clara, CA 95050

408-987-9553

I highly recommend Jon and Mitch.

Thanks

AMX Fanatic

She's Home!

First, I want to thank Jon from Sounds of Speed for the work he put in on "Ellie."   He really treated her as his own from recommendations to the excellent quality and craftsmanship of his work.


There are a ton of mechanics out there - Jon is an artist who loves cars.   Who better to work on this classic 69 AMC AMX.    If you are in the Greater Silicon Valley or SF Bay Area please consider Sounds of Speed off Lafayette in Santa Clara as your go to for your classic muscle car or your new 2016 Corvette.   They have you covered.

Sounds of Speed

2555 Lafayette St. #104

Santa Clara, CA 95050

408-987-9553

Interior, carpet and weatherstripping next up.

Interior, carpet and weatherstripping next up.

Reclining Seats

There are a few places that have replacement seat covers but they don't match exactly.  We are going to check out a local custom shop to check out pricing.  The other question is to original vinyl or upgrade to leather.

The other cool feature is how the seats lay all the way done. How cool is that?

New Very Cool Brake Lines

If you are restoring your muscle car and don't want to go with OEM or stainless steel brake lines http://store.fedhillusa.com/ who makes a very pliable anodized brake line that will pretty much last forever.  Well not really but the original lines lasted 46 years so these new lines will more than likely outlast Ellie.
there is another option.  My super master mechanic Jon turned me on to

We have been restoring systems one by one with stock parts based on today's standards.   I disappointed in the brake pads and shoes that are available.   I'll have to look around for a better set than I purchased.

Onward

Period Correct Wheels

One of the coolest parts about old muscle cars are their wheels and tires.  Each have their own unique

style whether it be Rally, American, Cragar or other period correct wheels.

My 69 AMX or Ellie has the perfect wheels and now the correct center caps.   American Parts Depot happened to have OEM replacements in stock.

She is coming together slowly but on schedule.   We've made great progress over the past four weeks finishing with a complete brake overhaual including new brake lines, master cyclinder, and booster.   We did go completely stock with all new front rotors, calipers, rear drums and cyclinders.   Everything new.

I posted earilier about next steps, I'm looking forward to getting the seats done.

Stay tuned.

AMX Fanatic

Three Weeks and Counting...

We've got a bit more work to do before "Ellie" comes home and we start our adventures together.

rear brakes before

So far we've completed the following:

• new gas tank and fuel pump + all new lines
• rebuilt Edelbrock 610 CFM Carb
• Complete tune-up including wires
• new starter solenoid
• new master cylinder and booster
• all new rotors and drums including calipers, wheel cylinders + all of the trimmings
• my choice of pads and shoes were limited.
• new hoses and  belts
• new KYB shocks in the front and Gabriel High-Jackers in the rear
•  all new exhaust from exhaust manifolds back including Magnaflow mufflers

That should get her back on the road.     Next, I've got some work to do on the front seats which are trashed.   I'm not sure I will do the carpet this time around.   The interior is saddle which is Ok, but I rather have black.

The original seats are vinyl but I may replace with the OEM leather replacements.   I haven't seen the quality yet so I'll need to decide soon.

That's it for now.   Onward.

Next Stop New Seat Covers - Vinyl or Leather?

The original seats in "Ellie" are vinyl noted on the door markings so I am leaning towards purchasing the OEM replacement  vinyl covers and sticking with stock.


The vinyl seat covers are $1,000 cheaper which is important when it comes budgeting for other items that I need to get her going.

I'm still considering doing the carpet but I'm afraid once I pull it up the project will cascade into a bigger project.    The current carpet is in good condition with no stains and doesn't smell of smoke.  Findig a non-smoking car was a big win.

I've found a place in Santa Clara that does a lot of classic cars upholstery jobs.   Two weeks to go.