newsletter of the american motors club of houston of houston car club newsletters/feb_mar... ·...
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Newsletter of the American Motors Club of Houston
February/ March 2016 Issue 23
From the Officers - Latest Club News You Can Use pg 2
Upcoming Events pg 3
Club Information pg 4
Otto’s BBQ Cruise Night Club Event pg 5
2016 Club Bowling Event pg 6
AMCs on Television pg 7-9
1967 Rambler Rogue Sleeper pg 10-11
AMC Extras pg 12
Tidbits pg 13
Classifieds pg 14
Club Store pg 15
Jerry Melton’s 1970 Rebel Machine – Received ‘Coolest Car’ trophy at the Otto’s BBQ Cruise-In – pg 5
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Free National Club Membership!! In an effort to get more folks to attend our monthly meetings, a giveaway will be held a couple of times a year to
award some lucky members with a free membership to the American Motors Owners Association (our Club is an
AMO chapter). If the lucky winner is already an AMO member, he or she will have the option of a free membership
in one of the other national AMC clubs, such as AMCRC or NAMDRA. Keep an eye out for email regarding the
giveaway.
From the Officers: Cover Photo: Jerry Melton’s 1970 Rebel Machine at Otto’s BBQ Cruise-Night
Hello AMCers. We have just finished a successful year, our membership in 2015 was higher than any year in the in the last several years, Thank You. We had a great Lonestar Regional at the Carriage clubhouse in Houston. Thank you, Robert Belt. The “East Texas Cruise in” was rain affected BUT we still had a great turnout and a great time. Thank you again Reagan and Misty Ratliff for hosting the event. We had a very good display at Autorama Houston. We also had several other events during the year: cruise nights, car shows, Bowling, Etc. We have just published the activity calendar for 2016 and are confident that we will have an even better year in 2016. Of course the thing that makes our events successful is participation; that is where you come in. We started 2016 with a great Superbowl party at Kevin and Lucille Dalley’s house. Thanks Kevin and Lucille. Last week we had a great cruise night at Otto’s BBQ in Stafford. Please check your calendar every week so you don’t miss any of our fun events, Thanks for making the AMCoH a very special car club. Tom Taylor Club President
Tom Taylor, Club President
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Upcoming Events (items in green are information only, not club events)
March 2016
5th
– Club Bowling Party, Armadilla Lanes II, 10055 Fuqua St., Houston, TX 77089
– Starts at 1:30 pm
8th
– Club Meeting at Hickory Hollow Bar B Q - 7:30 PM
19th
– Wings & Wheels at 1940 Air Terminal
– 8325 Travelair Rd. Houston,Tx, 11 am - 3 pm
http://www.1940airterminal.org/WingsAndWheels/
April 2016
2nd – 38th Annual Spring Fling Rosenberg
– Knights Of Columbus Hall, Sat 8am- 5pm Sun 8am - noon
– 2007 Kay Cee Dr, Rosenberg, Texas 77471
– Sponsored By Southwest Street Machines Of Houston
12th
– Club Meeting at Hickory Hollow Bar B Q - 7:30 PM
22th
– Pearland Cruise at Lowe's
– FM 518 & Pearland Parkway, – Starts at 6pm-9pm
29-30th
– – NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway
– 2525 S FM 565 RD, BAYTOWN
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tors Club of Houston p. 3
The American Motors Club of Houston was founded in the
early 1980’s with the goal of advancing the image and preservation
of AMC vehicles in Southeast Texas and the surrounding area.
Our club is one of three AMC organizations in Texas – the
American Motors Club of Houston, Alamo AMC based in San
Antonio, and North Texas AMC headquartered in Dallas form a
strong contingent of Texas AMC fellowship, experience and
support.
We are a chapter of the American Motors Owners Association
(AMO) and we strongly suggest joining this fine organization.
Planned activities include a large display in the annual indoor
Thanksgiving Houston AutoRama Show, the annual AMO
Lone Star Regional Show, and the annual AMC East Texas Cruise-
in, family picnics, cruises, parties, races, etc. The 2001 AMO
National Meet was also held in Houston!!
We have regular monthly meetings on the second Tuesday
of every month (7:30 p.m.) at the Hickory Hollow restaurant,
located at 101 Heights Blvd. (just a few blocks south of I-10). If
you are not already a member, feel free to join us for a “get
acquainted” session before you sign up. Ownership of an AMC vehicle or residence in our local area is
NOT required to join our group. Interest and enthusiasm are more
than enough. We’ll gladly help you find your own treasured AMC
if you don’t already have one!!
Dues are *$20 per year – we are a non-profit organization,
100% of your dues go to supporting club activities. The club
officers do not receive a salary for their efforts. Dues and an
enrollment form may be submitted at our monthly meetings, or
mailed to our Treasurer, Kevin Dalley, 12207 Courtney Greens Rd,
Houston, TX 77089.
AMCoH exists specifically to support you in your AMC
endeavors, and we look forward to adding your own AMC
experience to our knowledge base. If you need any additional
information, feel free to contact any of our club officers.
AMCoH Officers
President
Tom Taylor
4406 Mize Rd
Pasadena, TX 775045
713-249-2466
*******************************
Vice President
Ted Davis
713-721-8960
******************************
Secretary
Jeff Jung
281-394-7985
******************************
Treasurer
Kevin Dalley
281-481-6363
******************************
Activities Director
By Committee
******************************
Membership Chairman
Kevin Dalley
281-481-6363
******************************
WebMaster
Gary Parente
713-859-7249
******************************
Newsletter Editor
Gary Parente
713-859-7249
Check us out on the Web at
www.AMCofHouston.org
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Saturday evening, February 27th, was the first cruise event of the year for the club. Held at Otto’s BBQ in Stafford, TX, this event is promoted by Showplace Classics and will be held every Saturday evening through the summer. There were 65 cars there and the promoter remarked this was a record for the first show of the year. When Tom Taylor and Ted Davis arrived at 6 PM sharp, there were only 3 spaces left in the front section. Those arriving after that only found spaces in the side section.
Speaking of good turnouts, we had six cars in attendance which is a really good turnout for us. They included: *Jerry Melton’s 70 Rebel Machine *Ted Davis’ 70 AMX *Terry Ginter’s 74 Gremlin *Ron Eichler’s 70 AMX *Jeff Jung’s 65 American *Tom Taylor’s 69 Javelin Jerry’s REBEL MACHINE won the “coolest Car” trophy. Pretty neat! Jerry and Ron’s wife also attended as well as Joe Long. AND the promoter invited us to be the feature club at a future cruise night at Otto’s. Ted Davis will work to organize that.
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Saturday, March 5th the club had its annual bowling event at Armadilla Lanes, in Pasadena, TX. Those who attended included Kevin Dalley, Chris Dalley and his fantastic 55 Bellaire Sport Coupe, Ron and Suzan Eichler, Steve Polfus, Ted Davis and his nice 70 AMX, and Tom Taylor and his 78 Renegade. The group had a good time though the beautiful weather outside was hard to pass up to be inside. Thought has been given for having the Bowling in January where the weather is more conducive to being inside. We were all too pooped to bowl. So We just had a very nice visit for over an hour. I recommend that Bowling be in January in the future because who wants to go inside on a beautiful spring day. Ted may have a little color. Tom
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A fabulous 1968 AMX is auctioned off on a recent episode of a Barrett-Jackson auction.
On the show ‘Car Crazy’ an owner of 3 big bad AMXs is found in New Zealand of all places
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Have you seen the new Reliable Auto Transport TV commercial? They are transporting a beautiful humpy Javelin.
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On the Velocity show, Texas Car Wars, they show a’64 drag racing Rambler American.
On the Velocity show, South Beach Classics, the Vernons buy a unique Excalibur with a Gremlin back end.
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Written by Bill Holder on January 26, 2015 for Muscle Car Review
There were several indications that the 1967 AMC Rambler Rogue was a muscle car, but the model remained mostly unknown in the performance arena. On paper it had impressive credentials: a two-door hardtop that weighed less than 3,000 pounds and was powered by a ('67-only) 343ci, 280-horse powerplant. Behind the V-8 was a BorgWarner close-ratio T10 four-speed and a Dana 20 rearend with 3.54 gears and a Track-Loc. In many ways it was the predecessor of the dramatic SC/Rambler and The Machine models that would follow. And yet the Rogue had long been identified among AMC's stogy cars for older adults. There had never been much attention paid to performance. Plus, in 1967 the pony car competition was overpowering. The Mustang had a three-year head start on the Rogue, weighed 150 pounds less, and could be ordered with a 390 powerplant worth 320 ponies. And then there was the Camaro, introduced in the same model year and available with up to 375 hp from the brutal 396 family. Most important, the Mustang and Camaro used new body designs, while the Rogue was just a slicked-up Rambler. In fact, the Rambler name was on the rear valance and in the grille. Not good! If AMC had actually wanted the Rogue to look like a legitimate competitor, couldn't AMC have given it a little performance pizzazz? You know, something like racing stripes, a blacked-out hood, a hood scoop, or maybe a lower body stance? Whether AMC had a pony car competition in mind or not, it certainly didn't materialize. Just 51 of these hardtop models were built, and they were around for just that single model year. This example is owned by Howard Crum from northern Ohio. He is one of the few who knew what these cars were before he purchased it. AMC blood runs deep with this guy, the son of an AMC dealer and former owner of a '69 SC/Rambler. "With Dad being an AMC dealer, there were always American Motors cars around," he recalls. "I was looking for an AMC model to restore back in 2001 and came across this ad for a '67 Rogue. I was immediately
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intrigued and got in touch with the guy. I found out that the car had been ordered by an AMC dealer for his son. He told him if he was caught drag racing, the car was gone. Only three days later, somebody ratted on the kid's racing activity, and the car went back." The dealer used the car for two decades as his daily driver before it was parked and then sold to the second owner, from whom Howard made the purchase. "The car was in amazingly good condition, but the fact that the engine wouldn't start made me nervous. But I bought it anyway for $4,500." When Howard visited the 2003 Kenosha Homecoming event, where a prime AMC production plant had been located, he realized how really rare these cars are. "For that reason, I decided that a full restoration was warranted. I left the bodywork and painting to AMC expert Bert Mahan. He wanted the paint shade (Barbados Blue) to be exactly correct and hit it right on the button. "The engine was brought up to spec by Bruce Sharp during a rebuild. There was a 0.020 overbore to clean up the cylinders, along with a slight step up in the cam and heads. The goal was to use as many original parts and pieces as possible," Howard explains. When the car was completed in 2007, Howard took a number of short drives to ensure that everything was OK. Then he took the car to a show at Milan, Ohio. He says, "There was this avid Corvette owner that looked over the Rogue and said it was one beautiful Rambler! Wow, a Rambler impressed a Chevy owner. Who would have ever thought it?" Besides the equipment in the Rogue option—the interior package with bucket seats, an AMC floor shift, and other items—this example also carries power steering, an AM radio, a vinyl roof, an 8,000-rpm tach, the convenience package, and bumper guards. Since its restoration was finished, the Rogue has been entered in a dozen AMC shows and brought home gold every time, along with awards from a number of local shows. "I have only seen two other Rogues, both at AMC shows," says Howard. "It's very likely that there are few of them remaining today." Howard tells us that fate may have played a role in his getting his AMC sleeper: "While checking the code on the rearend, I realized that there were only five of the expected seven numbers. I also realized that those five numbers were my ZIP Code." Was this an omen? MCR At A Glance 1967 Rambler Rogue Owned by: Howard Crum, OH Restored by: Owner, Bert Mahan, Bruce Sharp Engine: 343ci/280hp V-8 Transmission: BorgWarner T10 close-ratio 4-speed Rearend: Dana 20 with 3.54 gears and Track-Loc Interior: Deluxe vinyl bucket seat Wheels: 14-inch chrome Magnum 500 Tires: P205/70R14 BFGoodrich Radial T/A
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How about this? A traveling Rambler Dealer Service Training vehicle.
Linda Tower’s Javelin once again has made headlines, this time appearing as the Feb 7
th entry on the Facebook page,
“Muscle Car of the Day”.
Otto’s 2016 Cruise Night Schedule
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Tidbits
Gremlin
A Texas rancher was visiting a farmer in Israel. The proud Israeli showed
him around. "Here is where I grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash.
Over there I built a play set for my kids, next to the doghouse," the farmer
said.
The land was tiny, and the Texan was surprised by its small size. "Is this
all your land?" he asked. "Yes," the Israeli said proudly. "This is all
mine!" "You mean this is it? This is all of it?" the Texan said
incredulously. "Yes, yes, this is really all mine!"
"Well, son," said the Texan, "back home I'd get in my car before the sun'd
come up and I'd drive and drive and drive, and when the sun set, why, I'd
only be halfway across my land!" "Oh, yes," replied the Israeli farmer
wistfully, "I used to have a car like that."
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1974 Matador X
1966 Rambler Classic Wagon
1965 Rambler American 2 Door
1969 AMX
Bill McDaniels up in Flint, TX is in need of some AMC electrical assistance. He has several AMCs (a lot of you have met Bill and seen some of his vehicles at our ETCI's). Bill is looking at selling several of these and needs assistance with gauge electricals to make the cars 100% for the next owner. If you can be of assistance and/or you are interested in purchasing one of the fine AMCs he has, please contact Bill at 903/363-2977 or 903/343-4880. His email is [email protected] William Brantingham has a standard bore AMC 401 bare block for sale, all mains, but no crank, and is looking for 700 obo from the AMC guys (has it for 800 on Craigslist). It's also blasted and baked. The bore's pitted, so it'll need to be bored. It's in Garland, TX, near Shiloh and 635. His number is 979-571-1526 email is [email protected].
Mark Shuford's restoration parts company.
http://www.amarkamc.com
Muscle Car Shop. Full restorations, stock, restomods, pro touring, bumper to bumper including: chassis/suspension, LS conversions, paint/body, custom fabrication, rear-ends, engine work including crank grinding, cylinder boring, valve work, decking and interiors. Please see our web site at: www.texomaclassics.com contact us at: [email protected] or call: 903-819-1452.
Disclaimer AMCOH in no way will be a mediator between customers and vendors. Any and all disputes over price or quality of service should be between customers and vendors.
360 engine with A/C, pwr steering, pwr disc brakes, auto on the console, super nice tan interior, orange paint and brown vinyl top. $6,950 Contact John Williams at 936-675-1507.
Many new parts throughout and working AC $9000 Contact Doug at (936) 672-1988
Get into an AMC for little money – Would make a great drag car - 2 door project clean car very little rust 6 cylinder car $1500 obo Contact Jessie at (936) 402-6795
390 car with Torque flte trans, stainless steel exhaust, aluminum Radiator, Call Russell if you have interest. 832-661-1824
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