Project Survivor: 1968 AMX

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   Project Survivor: The 1968 AMX that lasted through time and the Santa Rosa Fires

The Car:

It is a rough "patina" 1968 AMX Tahiti Turquoise with a 390, M12 transmission, and nearly stock except for a aftermarket steering wheel, headers, and interior sprayed black (A child of the 70's). The rear end had been replaced with a 3.54;1 Twin Grip at some time, but that is an AMC part. It was known to have some run/motor problems at the time of purchase including a mystery knocking noise that would come from the motor from time to time. I never witnessed it. It was also but a few blocks away from the total destruction of the Santa Rosa Fires. the car was actually licensed & insured! It was the only car I looked at that did. This was a major selling point, and lack of rust was another. The car survived time and the fires. 

The Trek Home:

The car was 138 miles from my home, and I was going to drive it back. The former owner said it wouldn't make it, but AAA requires the car to fail before towing. I started the trek not knowing when the hook would be needed, but hoped it wasn't to be on a bridge crossing the SF Bay. I didn't want to be "That Guy" that caused all that traffic. I filled the tank and headed out. In about 40miles the fuel gauge started working and showed the fuel to be getting low, as poorly as the car ran & a 3.54:1 gear it was possible it was getting ~2mpg.  I pulled off the freeway for fuel and low and behold I was only able to get 2.5 gallons in. What a relief until I tried to start it. The motor would barely crank, and I spent some luck there and got it started. It was found later the real problem is starter heat soak from the headers. The greatest thing happened on the journey in bumper to bumper Bay Area Traffic people were really digging this old patina AMX! I even had a couple in a Prius roll down the window to tell me how much they loved the car. I couldn't have been more shocked if the motor had fallen out! The last 60 miles were in the dark, and I checked the lights before departing, so that was okay. The dash lights didn't work, but that didn't matter as the none of the gauges worked anyway except for the phantom fuel gauge that drifted in and out. The previous owner had a oil pressure, water temperature, and tachometer which saved a lot of stress on the Trek. The oil pressure was excellent 40-60psi, the water 180-185F, and the tach gave me an idea of my speed. Maybe the motor was just running poorly? I hoped, but that story later. I figured it may have been just loaded up, so about 10 miles from home I hopped on it and mountains of black smoke billowed out the back & it pinged like mad so I eased off some. I tried 2 more freeway tuneups and the motor started running better. Things were starting to look good. Then generator light started slightly glowing the last 5 miles, but over a few more hills & I will be home. It made it and I let a good friend who followed all the way in my other car take the car around the block as a thanking gesture. After that I tucked it away in my garage. It was quite an event. Actually a big relief to have it home! The troubleshooting would start the next weekend.

The Build Plan:

I want a great running driving street AMX that I can easily cruise and take on long distance trips, but I will occasionally Autocross & go to the Drags. The race stuff is much less important to me as I am a retired NASA Racer and Autocrosser. I have 4 Championships and 2 Track records to my name, and I am done with Competitions. It was a great run, but now it's done. This is my Racing Retirement Toy. I wanted a good "patina" car because I don't want the car to be too nice to be comfortable. Rock chips will just add character, and door dings won't be a huge disaster. This car will only see a trailer if it breaks. 

To implement this plan I would like to:

1) Improve the freeway cruising.
2) Have nice smooth motor operation. Nothing radical.
3) Tighten up the suspension a bit, as I am not a fan of the 60's soft sloppy feel. 
4) Make the interior more comfortable (change the seats), and clean it up some.
5) All the little electrical items working (gauges, turn signals canceling, locks, etc...)

Regards

Don