Truly the great American holiday
That glorious summertime festival known as the 4th of July is the most American of holidays! We have parades, cook-outs, baseball games, days at the beach, and picnics in the park! Whatever it is that you are doing, I hope you have a great time!
Fly the flag, and don’t forget that this day is about freedom and the sacrifices millions have made so we can have it!
Take a moment to remember and honor them during your day. And tell your kids what it is all about.
As summer is in full swing now, the weather is getting hot (and humid) and there is always something to do outdoors. While you are cutting your lawn, painting the house, and doing all those summertime maintenance chores, don’t forget to make time for the automotive happenings that are surrounding us. There are so many events to attend, or just plain cruising in your favorite car! Get out and enjoy it. My son Rocco is only two years old, yet he is a car fanatic already! (Since day one basically) I guess it’s in the blood as they say. He makes sure I spend time with the cars! That is his first sentence when I come home from work each day. He says “Me me Charger!” Which means “I want to see, touch, and get baby fingerprints all over the Charger!”
Every morning, several times during the day, and when I come home; my wife and I have to take him into the garage to see the Charger. Otherwise he never stops saying it! He knows the engine and many other components of the car by name already!
That’s my boy!!
I am sure many of you have toddlers and kids who are into your cars. It’s a great feeling isn’t it?! Just keep an eye on them! One wrong slipup and there goes that $10,000 paint job! I am also trying to teach Rock not to step on the consoles. Good luck!
You will no doubt realize as you read, that this Newsletter is gigantic. It is by far our biggest and most feature packed issue to date! We have six guest writers featured! Plus a list of advertisers who are offering you some nice deals, cruise night updates, breaking website news, new club and advertiser listings, The Archive, and my usual introductory and closing editorials.
So take some time, relax with your favorite beverage, get comfortable and enjoy!
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This
month we have made the most significant changes to the website since we first
launched last fall. We are pleased to present them to you and feel that they
will enhance the website, as well as benefit all of the car enthusiasts who use
the site.
To
begin with, the PARTS ad section is now FREE
to individuals who want to list and sell their parts! You can place ads for all
your extra stuff at no charge!
Businesses
and dealers will still be charged a modest fee as before. Spread the word to
everyone you know! Now is the time in mid-summer to advertise your surplus!
We
have also incorporated two new sections onto the main page. You will
undoubtedly notice two new graphics under the main blue boxes. One of them is
an open book, the other is a flashing newspaper.
Clicking
on the “open book” link will take you to a page we have titled “The Word”. The
text on this page will change frequently and is meant to give you something to
think about. Read it slowly, and give each message some thought.
Clicking
on the “flashing newspaper” graphic will take you to our newly created
“Newsletter Archive”! Many people have asked me how they can re-read or get
access to previous editions of the Newsletter. This link provides continuous
access to them. In addition, there is also a cross-reference list of articles
and features by author and subject! How about that!?
You
can now search for your favorite scribe or story and read it anytime you like!
We
hope you enjoy and make use of these new features. They certainly will enhance
the website and provide more for the collector car community
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Cruise Night location
updates:
TUESDAYS: McDonald's. 98-01 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills, NY.
TUESDAYS: Theodore Roosevelt Park. Larabee Ave. Oyster Bay, NY
WEDNESDAYS: Long John Silver's/A&W. Union Blvd, South of Sunrise Hwy. West Islip, NY.
FRIDAYS: Huntington Shopping Center. (Toys R Us) Route 110. South of Jericho Tpk. Huntington, NY.
SATURDAYS: Sonomax Station. 278 Greenpoint Ave. Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.
SATURDAYS: Kohl’s. Corner Grand Blvd and Commack Rd. Deer Park, NY.
More Cruise Night updates as they develop in the next Newsletter.
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We
would like to mention more car clubs that have listed on the site recently. As
the hobby continues to grow and bring in both older and younger enthusiasts,
there is no shortage of clubs and organizations to fulfill anyone’s tastes.
Some of these clubs have been around for many years, while others are
relatively new start-ups. Check them out in our CLUBS section!
Also,
remember to check our EVENTS section for show, cruise, and event listings! As
of this writing over 275 events are listed for the car season!
If
your club and events are not listed on Long Island Classic Cars.com get them
listed soon! People are making their plans on where to go and what shows to
attend. Don’t be left out or late to the party!
MG Car Club - Long Island Chapter. Long Island region of the national and international MG club. Established in 1956, they are an active and growing club with over 250 local members! All are welcome. They have cruises, rallies, shows, parties, and other events.
Creative Style Auto Club. A young and fresh club that encourages just what
the name says: “Creative Style”
The club is open to all American and foreign cars and trucks. They meet weekly and also are a very active club when it comes to cruising and attending events.
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We would also like you to take notice of these new advertisers on Long Island Classic Cars.com. They can certainly help you with your vehicles and provide services that you may need.
East Hills Chrysler – Jeep – Dodge. Located on Route 25a (Northern Boulevard) in Greenvale, NY, they are a full service 5 Star Chrysler dealer. They have many of the newest and hottest performance vehicles from Chrysler Corporation. They also have a 14 bay service facility, and an in house parts department where you can get the latest mods and upgrades from Mother Mopar! See their hot cars for sale on LI Classic Cars.com. With over 30 years in this location, they are certainly one of the highest quality and most reputable dealerships on Long Island! Tell them Long Island Classic Cars.com sent you for special discounts! (Ask for Pete in sales as your liaison for discounts)
Vehicle Appraisers Network. Dave Smith is an accredited appraiser of the International Appraisers Network. What that means is that his services are reliable and accepted by major members of the collector car market. If you need an appraisal of your car, or an experienced and accurate assessment of a specialty or classic vehicle that you are considering purchasing, Dave is the guy you should call upon. Don’t make that purchase without a professional appraisal! Spend a little now to save thousands later!!
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Here are some special deals and offers from some of our advertisers! With Summer here and everyone fine tuning their vehicles, we thought it would be a good time to re-acquaint you with what these folks offer when you mention Long Island Classic Cars.com.
All of these businesses below advertise on Long Island Classic Cars.com in the underlined section of the website.
Let’s start with TRANSPORTATION.
When you buy that new car or sell one of yours, Phil at ABRO MOTORSPORTS is offering special rates for those who mention Long Island Classic Cars.com! He has all new equipment, fully enclosed, insured, and door to door service by the owner himself!
Call him for a free quote today!
How about PARTS for your springtime freshening up?
The folks at A&M AUTOMOTIVE HARDWARE have all the auto body supplies, hardware, and specialty tools you could need. They are giving 10% off when you mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. They also carry the Wizard product line.
Call or go to PARTS AUTHORITY. They have everything automotive and locations throughout the area! They are giving 10% off to all who mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. Get your repair, maintenance, and performance parts all in one place!
How about some NOS, reconditioned, or used parts for your Chevrolet vehicle? Don at EAST COAST RESTORATIONS and RESTO TRIM is offering 10% off now through the end of May when you mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. Minimum $100 purchase. He can give you the parts you need, or refurbish yours to showroom new condition! Don also does beautiful work on vehicles. Stock, modified, or custom, he does it all! Just don’t wait…this offer ends soon!
If you need Mopar parts, HERBEE DODGE is giving 5% off when you mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. Whether you need resto, performance, or daily driver parts, call or visit them. They are a great bunch of guys in the parts department! Ask for Bob or Ronnie.
Another place for Mopar is EAST HILLS CHRYSLER. They are also offering 5% off on parts and service! (When you call or visit, ask for Pete in the sales department as your liaison for discounts.)
It’s SHOW TIME! Whether it’s for the “big event” or just to keep your ride nice and sparkly, Rich at BDR ENTERPRISES is giving free shipping on Formula 113 Wax for the 12 ounce bottle and also for the 22 ounce bottle of Bead-X Detail Spray. This is the now famous “stuff” that the local guys are using at all the car shows and cruise nights! Don’t forget to wear your sunglasses!
More GM stuff you say? DAVE’S GM PARTS is also offering 10% off for all who mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. He has three (3) warehouses full of parts! Dave also owns and operates BANNER ROD & CUSTOM. I have seen his work and man his cars are scary fast! He performs surgery on all types of cars, whether you want repairs, fabrications, customizing, restorations, engine or chassis building, paint and body, dyno-tuning, and more!! Again mention Long Island Classic Cars.com for 10% off any work! That can be a monstrous savings for restorations and custom work!
Need some RESTORATION or REPAIR?
Try AL & SELWYN. Paul is a serious pro at classic car and performance mechanical work. He takes great care with your vehicle and has a true interest in the art. He offers great prices and service to begin with, but mention Long Island Classic Cars.com for a nice discount.
You don’t have to be nuts to be CAMARO CRAZY. But you must be nuts if you don’t visit Anthony and Ken for your Camaro and other muscle car needs! These guys do repairs, restorations, and custom building of all kinds of cars. They are offering 10% off on all labor costs for any kind of work when you mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. Sweet deal!
BARNWELL HOUSE of TIRES offers a nice 10% discount to folks who mention Long Island Classic Cars.com. They do all kinds of front end, suspension, and mechanical work in a very neat and modern facility. They also can “hook you up” with a new set of stickies for your vehicle at a great price!
Paul Rawden who sells and restores vintage license plates is now also offering a duplication service. If you have one good plate and the other one is damaged or even lost, Paul can duplicate the good one for you so you have a full set again! How about that?!
Warm weather means top down cruising! Just in time, Jim at PHOENIX AUTO INTERIORS is offering 10% off on convertible top repairs and replacements! Just mention Long Island Classic Cars.com and he’ll have your car ready for the road in style!
And what’s better than driving with the top down and the radio on?! Nothing if you ask me! The problem is most of us don’t have a good working radio and speakers. Robert at ELLIOT’S CAR RADIO can fix your “box” and speakers and have you driving and singing along with the music. (Hopefully that’s a good thing.) He is offering free shipping on your radio purchases and/or repairs for the month of April. Just make sure you tell him Long Island Classic Cars.com sent you!
While you’re parked or driving, THE REFELECTED IMAGE can ensure that you properly see where you are going and what’s around you! They are offering 10% off on all mirror restoration, customizing, and re-silvering! What that means is simple: if your rear or side view mirrors are cloudy or gray, they can make them brand new again! They also create stock and wild custom etchings and graphics for any kind of ride!
AAMCO Transmissions in Massapequa and Garden City Park are offering a generous 10% off of tranny repairs or servicing! When you think what rebuilds cost, this will be a substantial savings! Ask for Ken, he’s the owner, and be sure to mention Long Island Classic Cars.com for the discount!
Want some collectible or show stopping AUTOMOBILIA?
Alan at CARZIGNS is offering free shipping on all custom made signs for your pride and joy! These are the highest quality show signs out there and he offers a design service that no one else does! Put your orders in now for the show season!
Just make sure to mention LI Classic Cars.com for the free shipping! (By the way, his design service is outstanding! I know, he did a beautiful sign for my ’69 Super Bee that you may have seen at the shows.)
How about these great deals!! Just don’t wait folks, some of these
offers are for a limited time only!
Brought to you by Long Island Classic Cars.com
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GUEST WRITER(S) COLUMN(S)
Once
again we welcome Tom Sebastian. Tom is a guy who has a vast knowledge
about cars of all cultures. In addition to that, he has owned many of them and
still collects today. His current article lambastes some of the complacency in
automobile corporations of the past century. I think you will enjoy it.
Marty Himes column returns this
month and he tells us about Dexter Park. Dexter Park was a racetrack in Queens
that was built around an existing baseball field! This was back in the mid
1950’s. Imagine trying to do this today with all our zoning and “noise”
ordinances! Ah…the good ole days. Check out this interesting story!
Lou Refano continues his feature
on Independent auto makers with part two of his series on American Motors. Lou
is getting a well deserved reputation as an informative and knowledgeable
writer. We thank him again for his illuminating and well written contributions.
“Rich’s Tech Tips” heats up with another timely article about cooling down! This feature is sure to be of interest to all of you,
especially at this time of year! Follow Rich’s advice and you won’t “blow a
thermostat" this summer!
In
the “My Car Story” feature, Robert Beroza tells us about his beautiful 1960
Corvette and how he came about getting it. And Mitch Drenckhahn speaks
fondly of his street, strip & show 1987 Corvette. Two diverse tales of one
of America’s best loved cars!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tom Sebastian
Tom goes from this…
…. to
this! 
006 ¾
Ok... So it wasn't a
full-fledged, 007-class vehicle. Not
yet, anyhow. But none other than Ian
Flemming, author and creator of James Bond, would argue that point with you.
As much as that gentleman
wrote of the glories of the Aston-Martin, his own choice for the British
highway system was a black, Studebaker Avanti.
So what did he see that almost everyone else on this
side of the Atlantic missed?
Why is it that when this country gets even close to
producing great, innovative machinery for the road, the thing dies? (Excluding some very credible engines, that
is.*)
Alas, it’s the same impulse
that let Deusenberg, Packard, and Auburn Cord fade away and end up in odd
corners of Leno's garage. That very same Zeitgeist that let the likes of good
old, ‘My Way or The Highway’ Henry Ford, the GM boys, and Walter Chrysler
provide such bountiful shelter for junkyard rats was let loose once again on
the automotive world in the beginning of the 1960's. This time the unwitting target was
Studebaker. How dare they introduce
artistry into automotive manufacturing!?
We were always a mass
culture before anything else. A friendly
lot, but otherwise a bit on the dense side when it came to the arts. Originality -- an American feature for sure
-- always seems to get lost in the mass rush for security, standardization,
complacency, and of course, the bottom line.
The basic inventor (whose novel innovations are often stunning from the
get-go) eventually succumbs to the easy, supply-side charts of his new
MBA hirelings who had nothing to do with the product in the first place,
and yet, somehow, manage to go on and completely ruin the original concept. (Ford was one of the few innovators who
didn't need MBA's to do it. He
practically invented the bottom line when he devised the assembly line.)
But Studebaker was of a
different breed. And Studebaker’s last
President, Sherwood Egbert, would've been the last man on earth to utter Henry
Ford's immortal dictum to his production team:
'Make it any color you want, so long as it's black!' And that, of course, is precisely why he was
Studebaker’s last president. In American
automotive history, the best businessmen finished first, and were not
necessarily the best carmakers.
Studebaker - like Kaiser,
Hudson, Tucker, Franklin, etcetera, etcetera before it -- was at the end of its
run when the idea for the Avanti - a last-ditch effort to save the company from
an inept public that was always too price-conscious for its own good – came
into being. But a smashing, artistic
rendering of all that the car could be - a rolling exclamation point of
visionary excellence - might... just might, awaken a deadpan public, caught in
a Stepford-like trance, single file, one generation after another, succumbing
to the planned obsolescent nightmares that came out of Detroit, year after
boring year.
Everything that was good
from those folks - the development of the fabulous 327 small-block Corvette
engine, Shelby's grand entrance at Ford, the Mopar experiments at Chrysler -
great innovations that could and should have stayed on line, came as a result
of great in-house fisticuffs with the artists, racers and visionary engineers
losing out almost every time to the MBA's who knew not transaxle from drum
brake. We were lucky to have seen what
little of the good stuff that we did!
And all because those MBA's
knew the bottom line, and, dear reader, they knew YOU!
“Drop the price for the
short term then sell the family 10 to 15 cars in their lifetime!” “Change the style every two years, add
innovations one at a time, drive the word, 'Chevy', 'Ford', or 'Dodge' into
that part of their brains where they salivate like wind-up rednecks - and just
keep 'em comin' to the showroom floor!”
(I swear, these people must have been laughing at our parents in the
same way that the ENRON execs were caught laughing at us. Think what you will of the Japanese Car
Invasion of the early ’70’s – these guys saved Detroit from themselves!)
OK, so ol' Sherwood
obviously hadn't a clue to these effective sales techniques and really showed
it when he went after Raymond Loewy, an internationally renowned artist, of all
things, to design the Avanti. The guy
who gave us the design for Air Force One; the fabulous, original red,
over-the-counter coke dispensers of our youth (currently right up there with
Wurlitzer juke-boxes on eBay); and some of the more fantastic, streamlined
locomotives (before Mc-Amtrak took command and ruined what was once the premier
train system of the world).
This guy!? The one named the world's premier design
engineer and placed on the cover of Time Magazine (Oct. 1949)? The one who designed the dazzling, one-off
prototype of the BMW 507 Roadster? To
design an American car? Where the hell
did Egbert think he was? In Europe where
the likes of Pininfarina and Giugiaro were sculpting collectibles right off the
shop floor?
No chance Senor Egbert! Not here you don’t!!
And here he didn’t.
‘T'was a noble failure, but
a grand one. Good-bye Studebaker.
But this fabulous,
wild-from-any-angle, piece of rolling art is still among us, reiterated every
few years by start-up impresarios who cannot leave this timeless design
alone.
The hour-glass shape of the
body came from Mr. Loewy’s first-hand experience with the sensuous curves of
the Coca-Cola bottle; the preference for an above-the-window control-panel from
his experience with Air Force One; and the grill-less front-end from his sense
of the sublime.
Had more development money
been put into this thing... Who knows!... America's first Aston-Martin? America's - and the world's - first Super
Car?
The common notion in Europe
these days is that America is the only one of the great car manufacturing
nations that never lived up to its potential.
The standard joke is that this crowd (you and I) wouldn't know a great
car if it jumped up and bit them in the arse.
The Avanti was such a
car. It jumped higher in design
originality than anything from Italian design engineers - reputed to be the
best in the world, and it bit hard at Bonneville.
From the get-go, this car
was breaking land speed records at Bonneville... Just under 170 MPH -- in the
early 60's! It was deemed the world's
fastest production car, shattering some 20+ speed records in that year
alone. And there were some back-alley
boys who continued developing the car on their own, matching the hefty F-50
Ferraris, Mercedes, and McLarens of today by reaching 200 MPH some ten years
ago!
We'll never know what might have been because
Studebaker went “sayonara” at the end of 1963.
America just wasn’t ready for Prime Time.
The originals are still the real investment,
especially the R models, which are equipped with ever more powerful Paxton
superchargers as the numbers rise. The
R2, R3 and - if you can find it - the R4 version with twin Paxtons on board
should make your trip to the grocers a real hoot. (There's even one R5 out there somewhere, I
am told.)
You might have better
chance, though, getting hold of the next version that came out, the Avanti
II. And, because this one uses the less
complicated, easier to replace GM driveline, for sure you would have an easier
time on the maintenance end of things.
(Voilà! Score one for mass
production!)
Even the snootiest of
Europeans cannot gainsay Detroit its due when it comes to cheap
horsepower. The V8 really was ‘an
American thing’ - our gift to the world
(well, after Bourbon, of course).
Now I am not one to put 350 Chevy
engines in everything under the sun. (We
all know people like this, right? They
lift a perfectly good 4.2 engine from an XKE -- thereby ruining its
collectability and replace it with the Chev.
Huh? What's up with that?) But a bona fide factory repro is something
else again.
So, if you’re looking for
one of these stunning automobiles, do check out Avanti II. It was done in limited numbers and in a
factory setting. Since Studebaker could
not stay around long enough to perfect the thing, the Avanti II boys - Leo
Newman and Nathan Altman - did the next best thing by powering that beautiful
design with the most reliable drive train on hand. They took over the factory in 1965 and
continued to 1982, so you do have a few good ones to choose from out there. (Though some aficionados rate their 60's
models the best.)
Mine was - soon to be is, I
will have another soon - the best (of course!).
A 1969, Hurst 4-speed with the great, 327 Corvette engine. 350 HP of glorious, straight-ahead harrumph! So you want to take something truly unique to
tool around Europe? Take this!
An avid group of wealthy
Swiss Avanti nuts, residing on the upper-crust coast of Lake Constance, know
what you should know: This thing
rocks! And these are guys who can afford
anything. The Europeans are dazzled by
it (even the Italians). Their
letterhead is great: A black Avanti in
silhouette being stopped by a fully-extended parachute on the Salt Flats of
Bonneville.
I'm telling you... One of
these will get you far more serious, interested looks than anything coming out
of Detroit, Stuttgart, Bavaria, Britain, Tokyo or even Maranello today. Who even cares when someone shows up in a
Mercedes these days? Believe me, next to
this Mona Lisa from South Bend they are all a big YAWN!
*There are 3 American V8 engines that
are collectors all on their own. Many of
these found greater honor and glory in combined efforts with European
manufacturers, who took better advantage of America's one, true, automotive
gift than we did and gave us some startling examples of Euro Show + American
Go. I would add this critical
addition: They also gave us far greater
handling capability. Without the Alpine
challenge, American builders were content to focus on straight-on,
down-the-highway power. With highways
that went thousands of miles in any direction, who needs to turn ...or even
brake in any great hurry!?
First of all, there is the
small block, Corvette 327 - and only the Corvette 327 version – the engine that
was better than most of the cars it was put in -- the Avanti, the Bizzarrini
and a few others excepted. (But who
wouldn’t kill for the first Corvette that carried it? Even GM has had its victories over the MBA’s.)
Then there’s the fabulous
Ford 351 Cleveland engine. (Not to be
confused with the more common, Windsor, version and, certainly, not the truck
engine.) Now this is real cache. And with gas ports as big as Arnold’s biceps,
bring your travelers checks to the gas pumps.
I suppose its greatest platform was and is in the Detomasso
Pantera. One look in that mid-engine bay
will stop you cold. (When Mustang
finally got access to the engine in the early 70's, it was in the worst body
type imaginable for that model -- compared with the earlier, spectacular
coupes).
But for my money, hunt down
an Iso Grifo -- a rare enough car as it is, but when powered with the
Cleveland, a real find!
And, if you want something a
bit easier on the wallet and still unusual -- and that's what we're all about
in the collector game, isn't it? Cheap
now, expensive later? -- go for an Italia Intermeccanica with that engine. (Say what?
Oh... Now he's giving us homework.)
And, of course, there’s
Chrysler's legendary Hemi which is the only one of the three that always came
in American packages you could live with and, with the money they're bringing
in at the auctions, die for today! The
Dodge Charger comes most immediately to mind, as does the original, Chrysler
300 series. And then there was
Cunningham in his classy, Le Mans racer (for which, I would consider donating
an arm).
On the Euro end of the
spectrum, the gorgeous (French) Facel-Vega used an early version of this
engine.
OK, the 409 and GTO 389’s
were no slouches either. But still, I could not put them in category of the Big
Three listed above. They just didn’t
ripple out through the American & the world car cultures as did these
others – a few memorable Beach Boy tunes touting their glories or not.
By the way… It’s just as
easy to pick up two when I go shopping for my next one… (tmoore3us@yahoo.com)
Next time! – And what car
would Steve McQueen really not like to see in his rearview mirrors on the
streets of San Francisco???
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
INDEPENDENTS’ DAY...PART 2
American Motors Javelin & AMX,
1968-1974
by Louis Refano
Last month I mentioned how
Roy Abernathy, CEO of American Motors, was on a mission to change the image of
the AMC Rambler. Ramblers were nice,
tried-and-true, economical cars, without much pep. The competition, meanwhile,
was heating up the horsepower race, and by the mid-60s, "pony" cars
became muscle cars and you could buy a new car ready for the race track right
off the showroom floor. Factor in the young thinking, feel good, "groovy"
'60s culture and by comparison AMC definitely needed an image boost.
Ford had its Mustang. Pontiac had the GTO. AMC's first pony car offering was
the......Marlin. Hmmm, doesn't quite
conjure up the same kind of fond memory huh?
Well, the original idea was pretty good. Richard Teague designed a show
car in '64 called the Tarpon. It was a
Rambler American coupe with a stylish fastback roof and hardtop windows. It was sharp looking and plans were made to
bring it into production. Unfortunately,
by the time it hit production as the Marlin, it lost something in the
translation. The 106" wheelbase was
lengthened to the
112" Rambler Classic
chassis, and it lost some of its sporty flair and its design unity,
particularly from the front 3/4 view where the side windows just didn't seem to
flow together with the overall profile.
One automotive writer said it had a "whale-like" look.
Roy Abernathy had wanted
this car to bring young people into the showrooms, but evidently most young
people found their way to Ford and Pontiac dealers. In three years the Marlin
sold around 17,000 units. The replacement, however, would do much better.
After the slightly strange
Marlin, AMC stylist Richard Teague created one of the all-time greats. In 1968 AMC introduced the Javelin, a sleek
and sporty car with a modern pony car look.
At last, AMC had a young-looking, exciting car. The Javelin was offered in base and SST trim. Surprisingly, the standard engine was a 232
cubic inch six, but optional was a 290 two-
or four-barrel, or a 343
two- or four-barrel V-8. In mid-year a
customer could order a 390 V-8 with 315 hp. The car was also available with a
full vinyl top, though in this writer's opinion it certainly didn't need one. The '68 Javelin found 55,124 buyers. Its base price was $2,587 and with the
optional 390 motor, it did 0-60 in 6.9 secs and the quarter-mile in 15.2 secs
at 91.9 mph. (Below is a picture of a
’68)
Some really sporty options
were available on the Javelin. The
"Go Package" was available with the 343 or 390 and offered dual
exhausts, heavy duty cooling and handling package, redline tires and Twin Grip
rear differential, among other items. In
'69 a "Big Bad Paint Package" was available, with a choice of three
wild colors: Big Bad Blue, Big Bad Green
and Big Bad Orange (An orange car! Where
have those gone?). When your Javelin had
one of these paint schemes you also got matching painted bumpers and bumper
guards. In '70, the steering wheel was
changed to a "Rim-Blo" design; seats were changed to high-back
buckets in standard vinyl, with leather or corduroy optional. Front suspension
changed to a new ball-joint setup, patterned after the '68 Mustang. A '70 Javelin with a stock 390 could cut 
high 14-second quarter-mile
times with ease.
A limited-edition '70
Javelin was brought out, painted in hash red, white and blue to emulate the AMC
Trans-Am Javelin race car. Another special edition was the Mark Donohue, with a
smoothly integrated "ducktail" spoiler and optional Ram-Air
hood. The 360 replaced the 343 as an
optional engine choice in '70. (To the
right a '69 Javelin SST owned by Craig and Stephen Losi)
With all this excitement
from the Javelin, the folks at AMC could have left well enough alone...but they
didn't. In '66 a sporty show car was
developed by the styling studio called the AMX, for American Motors
eXperimental. It was painted a metallic
purple and featured a "Ramble Seat"...a modern concept of a rumble
seat, with the rear window flipping up for use as the rear passenger
windshield. This car provided
inspiration for a production vehicle that would be used to help bring more
young people into the showrooms and create positive press for AMC. In February of '68, the production AMX was
introduced, the most exciting production car ever built by AMC.
The AMX created the street
buzz that AMC was after. It was a true
two-seater on a 97-inch wheelbase, and shared most Javelin components. The base powertrain was the 290 V-8 with a
four-speed tranny, and optional were the 343 and "AMX 390". Like the Javelin, It was available with the
Big Bad Package. The Go Package was also
offered with dual hood and trunk racing
stripes, available only on
the 343 and 390 cars. Two interesting
facts concerning options on the Javelin/AMX:
The Rally Pak was two gauges, consisting of a combination oil/amp gauge
and a clock with hooded dash overlay.
Unfortunately, when you ordered this, it took the place of the A/C vent
in the center of the dash so you couldn't order air conditioning! This was changed in '70 when the dashboard
was redesigned, but '70 cars equipped with A/C and Rally Pak are extremely
rare.
Also, a group of performance
options were available called Group 19...you could select from
special four-barrel Holley
carbs, Edelbrock aluminum intake and headers, Crane camshaft, Detroit Locker
gear-driven locking rear differential, and more. The bad news was, when you had your local AMC
dealer install these items, it voided the factory's 5 year, 50,000 mile
warranty! So if you find any of these
original items on an AMX/Javelin, you've found a rare
bird indeed.
In '68 the exciting AMX
found 6,725 buyers, 8,293 for '69 and only 4,116 for '70. Of course, the car was never meant to be a
high-volume seller, just an image-builder for the company, and that it did
well. From 1968 to 1970 the Javelin and AMX carried the same basic
styling. For '70 a cool paint option was
available on AMX...two-toning with "Shadow-Mask" flat black paint on
the hood and around the side windows. This treatment was available with all
exterior colors
offered on the AMX,
including Matador Red and Bittersweet Orange Metallic. The '70 AMX also offered a handsome sculpted
Ram-Air hood, and another option was simulated side exhaust moldings...5 rows
of horizontal louvers on chrome lower door sill moldings.
For '71 Dick Teague drew
inspiration from the hump-fendered '68 Corvette to create the new '71
hump-fendered Javelin. This car was bigger and longer, recreating
itself much in the same way the Mustang had.
Length jumped 2 inches, wheelbase 1 inch but the car bulked out 400 lbs.
to 3,830. The AMX was no longer a
separate model; it was now just a trim package available on the Javelin
SST. Top power choice was now a new 401
cubic inch V-8 with 330 hp.
The base motor on the
Javelin AMX was the 360. The Go Package
was still available on the AMX, including functional reverse-cowl induction
hood, hood T-stripe, a combination tach/clock
(called the "Tick-Tach"), 15 inch raised white letter tires
and Twin Grip. In a sign of the times, a
"Pierre Cardin" interior version was available in '72 and '73,
offering basic black
cloth with ribbons of
purple, pink, silver and white flowing over the seats. In '74, the handwriting was on the wall: Between the first energy crisis and rising
car insurance rates, only 27,536 Javelins sold.
Overall the '71-'74 series
did not sell nearly as well as the '68-'70.
And by '74, AMC was running low on funds and couldn't justify the
expenditure of restyling the car and/or continuing it.
But thanks to the Javelin
and AMX, AMC produced two striking pony/muscle cars that gave the folks who
worked for the independent automaker from Kenosha, Wisconsin something to smile
about. Though they were a little late to
the pony car craze, AMC gave it a very good shot and produced two very exciting
American performance cars, despite limited resources and a less-than-glamorous
corporate image in the marketplace. For
AMC it was Rambler that made them famous in the early '60s, but in the late '60s
it was the "anti-Ramblers" called Javelin and AMX that allowed AMC to
become welcome guests at the American muscle car party.
Next time...a look at some
interesting cars from another Indy car maker; Kaiser-Frazer.
Sources: Illustrated AMC Buyer's Guide by Larry G.
Mitchell
Cars of the Sizzling Sixties by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“ Keep it Cool Baby!”
By
Rich
Fiore
SINCE WE ARE FINALLY OUT OF THE SPRING AND
INTO THE SUMMER, ITS TIME TO KICK THE TIRE AND LIGHT THE FIRE. BUT HOPEFULLY
THAT FIRE IS NOT IN THE WAY OF HIGH ENGINE TEMPS WHILE SITTING IN TRAFFIC.
WATCHING THE TEMP GUAGE GO FROM 210 TO 220 ....YIPES. BAD NEWS ESPECIALLY
IF YOU HAVE A RIDE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
LETS START WITH THE
RADIATOR SINCE IT IS THE WORKHORSE OF YOUR COOLING SYSTEM. IT DISSIPATES HEAT
FROM THE CIRCULATING COOLANT BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE
BIGGER THE BETTER. THEY VARY IN CROSS SECTIONAL SIZE AND CORE THICKNESS.
IF YOU ARE REBUILDING YOURS AND CAN FIT THE LARGER AND THICKER GO FOR IT GEAR
HEADS.
NEXT IS
YOUR FAN. AT LOW SPEED OR IDLE THERE IS LITTLE AIR FLOW ACROSS THE
RADIATOR. THE GREATER DIAMETER AND LARGER THE BLADE SIZE WILL PRODUCE MORE
AIR FLOW. THE RIDGID FAN IS FAIR, BUT IS NOISY AND CONSUMES EXCESS POWER AT
HIGH RPM'S. A FLEX FAN WILL FLATTEN OUT AT HIGH RPM TO REDUCE DRAG.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE IS THE VISCOUS CLUTCH FAN , IT
WORKS LIKE A TORQUE CONVERTER. THERE ARE 2 TYPES; THE SIMPLE AND THE
THERMOSTATIC. THE SIMPLE HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SLIP BUILT IN. THE
THERMOSTATIC USES A BIMETALLIC ELEMENT TO SENSE AIR TEMP FLOWING ACROSS THE RADIATOR.
IT TIGHTENS ITS GRIP AS THE TEMP GOES UP. ( IT BE BAD
! ).
THE WATER
PUMP IS ANOTHER KEY PLAYER. IT SIMPLY CIRCULATES COOLANT THROUGH THE BLOCK,
HEATER CORE AND RADIATOR. STOCK IS OK FOR A MILD ENGINE, BUT AN UPGRADE IS
BETTER FOR AN ENGINE WITH SOME WORK OR A BLOCK THAT’S LOADED WITH SMUTZCH. RUST
IN A BLOCK ACTS AS AN INSULATOR AND SHOULD BE ACID DIPPED ( WHICH IS RARELY DONE ). THE UPGRADED WATER PUMP CAN
MOVE MORE WATER AT A LOWER RPM AND LESSEN IMPELLER CAVITATIONS
AT HIGHER RPM'S. ELECTRIC WATER PUMPS WORK NICE IF YOU DON'T NEED THAT
STOCK LOOK. BUT IF YOU ARE A PURIST LIKE ME; NOOOO WAY!
ON TO THE THERMOSTAT. IT IS OBVIOUSLY QUITE CRUCIAL. IT IS A VARIABLE RESTRICTION
TO ALLOW WATER TO FLOW THROUGH THE RADIATOR AT A PRESET TEMPERATURE. A
LOWER RATED TEMPERATURE WILL NOT MAKE THE ENGINE RUN COOLER
IF THE SYSTEM CAN'T DISSIPATE HEAT FAST ENOUGH. IT WILL ONLY OPEN
SOONER. BUT IF THE SYSTEM IS GOOD, THE COOLER ENGINE WILL GET A SLIGHT
POWER INCREASE AND LESS OF A TENDANCY TO DETONATE.
THE
RADIATOR CAP IS ANOTHER OVERLOOKED PIECE TO THIS PUZZLE. IT IS DESIGNED TO
MAINTAIN SYSTEM PRESSURE. WATER BOILS AT 212 DEGREES. (
REMEMBER THAT FROM PHYSICS ... OR WERE YOU DRAWING MUSCLE CARS ON THAT
SHINY DESKTOP ? ) A 15 PSI CAP WILL HOLD OFF BOILING UNTIL ABOUT 265
DEGREES. A NEW CAP IS ALWAYS A GOOD CHOICE. IT CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN COOLANT ON THE GROUND OR IN THE ENGINE.
ANOTHER ITEM TO CONSIDER IS THE OVERFLOW OR EXPANSION
TANK. MANY LATE 60'S AND EARLY 70'S CARS DID NOT COME WITH THEM FROM THE
FACTORY. THEY CATCH COOLANT FROM HEAT
EXPANSION AND MAGICALLY RETURN IT AFTER THE MONSTER COOLS DOWN. WITHOUT
IT THE SYSTEM COULD CARRY AIR WHERE COOLANT SHOULD
BE AND BE CRITICALLY LOW ON FLUID. THAT COULD MEAN CA-CA
FOR YOUR DETROIT CAST IRON.
SO ON TO
THE OVERHEATING PROBLEM AND WHAT THE SOLUTIONS MIGHT BE. THE OBVIOUS
WOULD BE A LOOSE BELT , LOW COOLANT, OR A STUCK
THERMOSTAT. THE NOT SO OBVIOUS COULD BE A COLLAPSED LOWER RADIATOR
HOSE ( MISSING SPRING ), A CLOGGED RADIATOR OR BLOCK.
( REMEMBER SCHMUTZ ? ) IF A CLUTCH FAN IS BAD IT CAN USUALLY BE SEEN LEAKING OR
THE SPEED APPEARS SLOWER AT IDLE. A BAD RADIATOR CAP GASKET OR BROKEN
SPRING WILL LET OFF PRESSURE TOO SOON. ON SOME PONTIAC MOTORS A PLATE ON
THE BACK OF THE WATER PUMP MUST BE RETAINED BEFORE BRINGING THE OLD CORE
BACK IN. JUST AS A REMINDER NEVER OPEN A RADIATOR CAP WHILE THE ENGINE IS HOT.
YOU COULD BURN YOUR SHIFTER HAND AND WILL ONLY RAISE THE TEMP OF THE COOLANT
... REMEMBER OUR PHYSICS LESSON ?
SO IF YOU
GOT EM, SMOKE EM. IF YOU SMOKE ‘EM DONT INHALE.
QUICK
AND DIRTY: DO YOU
KEEP THE OLD HEATER AND RADIATOR HOSES IN THE TRUNK ALONG WITH DUCT TAPE
AND SOME LEFTOVER COOLANT ? (good
idea in case of breakdown!)
___________________________________________________
Robert Beroza: 1960 Chevrolet Corvette
It started back in February of 1991. I already had my Silver ‘86 and had become a
real Corvette Fan. I then decided that I
wanted to own a Vintage Corvette. I had to
ask myself, what body style, what year, and how much to spend? I gave a lot of consideration to the Mid-Year
Vettes, but felt that they had probably topped out price wise. Then all those old feelings of what a
Corvette was came rushing back to me. Route
66 TV Show and all that. Yep, side coves
in color that was what I wanted. Now, I
had to decide on a year. That wasn’t too
tough a decision to make because ‘56 and ‘57 were out of my price range. And ‘62 didn’t have a contrasting cove
color. This left me with 1958 though
1961.
The quest was on. While in search of my dream car I saw a Red
1961 Vette at a display the club had at S&K Speed. I’m looking at this car with John Valvo when
he says “This is my old car.” I’m
thinking that he means that it looked the same, but he means “it’s his old
car.” He sold it when he was in Florida
to two brothers from New York about 8 years earlier. Well that started a whole conversation about
where the car had been and what had happened to it over the years. I drove the car and realized that it wasn’t
the one for me.
Then
in May there was a car show at Palanker being put on by Classic Corvettes. As I walked into the show I saw it. In the middle of a sea of Red Corvettes. It was yellow and stood out like a shiny
pearl. I started to look over the car
and to my amazement it was for sale. I
copied the Vin# 10243 and went home. I
looked in my handy-dandy black book and found out that there were only 10,261
cars made. Chevrolet did an average of
60 cars per day, that made this a last day car.
Eighteenth from the end of the line and the end of an era. You see 1960 was the last year for many 
things.
It was the last year for “finger nailed” shaped tail lights. It was the last year for the “bubble” trunk
and it was the end of “chrome teeth” in the grille.
Now the story gets really
interesting. It seems that the owner won
the car at a “Feed & Grain Trade Show “in Atlantic City. A company named Caldwell had bought the car
from C&C Trailers in Pennsylvania. C&C
owned the car since 1972 when it had bought it from someone named Doug Arnold
(who I’m still looking for) in Harrisburg.
The car had been driven maintained for years and eventually ended up in
C&C’s private car collection. When
Caldwell decided to buy the car from C&C as a grand prize for its trade
show sweepstakes, they wanted some sort of guarantee on the car. After all, how would it be if the winner got
the car home and it broke down. C&C
felt the only way to give some sort of guarantee was to charge a high enough
price for the car. They had to be able to fix anything that could have
gone wrong in the winner’s hands.
Therefore the value of the car was raised far beyond the true worth of
the car. Well, now the IRS comes into
the story. You see since it was a
sweepstakes prize that was won, the government taxes it, like income. So the winner had to pay income tax on a
$30,000 value. He of course assumes that
this would be a fair selling price for the car.
Back in 1991 these cars were going for anywhere between $12,000 and
$20,000 depending on its condition.
After months of discussions we finally settled on a price. This price was a little more then the winner
had paid to the IRS. But his number was
a fair selling price. I took delivery of
this Yellow beauty on July 21, 1991.
Let the restoration begin. Since the car was so well maintained it
looked great, but it needed some mechanical and interior help. The brakes pulled, it leaked oil and the top
had a 4” rip in it. The interior needed the
most help; gauges were cloudy and the seats and door panels were rough. Lucky for me the dash pad was like new. Since I got the car in July, I was able to
make Corvettes @ Carlisle in August. I
went with a three page list of items I needed to buy. By the time I finished the first row on the
first day I had spent $1,800. Now, some
of the members of LICOA have heard the expression “Fifty Dollars...That’s all I
spent was fifty dollars.” This became
the battle cry for anyone who spent more that their wife thought they
should. After all, try to explain how
some little, dirty, old part is worth hundreds of dollars.
After the interior was finished from
top to bottom, I went to work on the motor.
I had Ron Gruber do a total rebuild of the engine. As I said before I was really lucky because
most of the engine was original. There
were some things that we had to hunt down like the correct distributor. But all and all it went smooth.
I guess old Corvettes become a
sickness that has no cure. It seems there
is always something to do. I guess I
still have another fifty dollars to spend.
(Not a bad disease to have
Rob!) Pete 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mitch Drenckhahn: 1987 Chevrolet Corvette
My
car is a 1987 Corvette Coupe. I am its second owner. I purchased the car over
ten years ago.
April
29 1993 to be exact!
This
car has been built for show and go. The car has won multiple
trophies for drag racing and at 
car shows.
It
has a lot of power enhancing changes to the drivetrain, plus many additional
“go-fast” and safety modifications. The car also has a Greenwood body kit.
Here is a partial list
of what was done to it:
422
cid engine – stroked with Ross pistons and 6 inch Oliver rods. 3.875 Cola
crank - 4340 steel, AFR 210 heads, TPIS zz409 cam, TPIS mini ram, Accel 58mm
throttle body, forced air induction, TPIS headers, Taylor 409 wires, and a Dana
44 rear with 3.73 gears. The transmission is a Pro-Built 700r4 with a 3000
stall Vigilante converter.
The
car also has a 5 point roll bar with a 5 point harness. It is NHRA legal. It
also sports Auto Meter gauges, Be-Cool aluminum radiator, and Borla
exhaust. The wheels are chrome ZR-1 custom made for the rear. 17x11
to fit a 315/35/17 tire. For the track I use Weld Wheels with Mickey Thompson
ET street slicks.
This
was my first Corvette and it started out as 245hp from the factory. The car is
now making 500 hp and 600 ft pounds of torque! She has run a best of 11.29 at
124.87 mph with a 1.50 short time. I am still tuning the car with the mph. It
should run in the tens in the 1/4 mile. This car is a blast to drive at the
track and on 
the street! And, it is all motor! No boost, no
juice!!!!!!!
(Hey Mitch,
this must be the view people usually see!) Pete
___________________________________________________
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October 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Oct03.html
November 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Nov03.html
December 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Dec03.html
January 2004
http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jan04.html
February 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Feb04.html
March 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Mar04.html
April 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Apr04.html
May 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/May04.html
June 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jun04.html
You can also access the previous Newsletters
through a link on the main page of the website.
___________________________________________________
That wraps up another issue of the Long Island Classic Cars.com Newsletter.
We are accepting articles for the “My Car Story” feature that we do monthly. So, now is your chance to see your car in print and full color on the screen, and sent out world-wide for all to see!
It’s a great keepsake for you to always refer to, and to send out to all your friends and family.
Enjoy your summer that is now in full swing!
Hit the events as often as you can!
And as always, stop by and say “Hi” if you see us at the shows and cruise nights!
Pete Giordano
Long Island Classic Cars.com