Newsletter of the American Motors Club of Houston

Newsletter of the American Motors Club of Houston
February 2015 Issue 18
1971 Hornet SC/360 – pg 5
From the Officers - Latest Club News You Can Use
pg 2
Upcoming Events
pg 2
Club Information
pg 3
Guess the Engine
pg 4
1971 Hornet SC/360
pg 5
Ozzie Says Goodbye to an old Friend
pg 6-7
AMCs on Television
pg 8
AMC Technical Tips
pg 9-13
Tidbits
pg 14
Club Store
pg 15
1
From the Officers:
Cover Photo: 1971 Hornet SC/360
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.
Upcoming Events
(items in green are information only, not club events)
February
 28th – Annual Family Bowling Event at Armadillo Lanes 10055 Fuqua St Houston, TX
77089
o (Paid club members- free, Spouse- $10.00). Arrive 1:30, Bring your AMC too!
March
 7th – Clear Springs H.S. Car Show. 501 Palomino Ln, League City
 10th – Club Meeting at Hickory Hollow Bar B Q (Nomination of officers)
 21st – “Sat at the Strand” Open car show ($30 entry fee)– Pier 21 Galveston
 14th – Wings and Wheels- 11:30 (supposed to be free lunch for car owners)
o 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport
o 8325 Travelair Rd
o 713-454-1940

27th - Pearland Cruise Night
o LOWES Parking Lot at FM 518 & Pearland Parkway starting at 6pm
April
 4th – Space City Cruisers Annual Spring Show.
o Open Car Show, Swap Meet, Arts and Crafts, Show and Shine
Walter Hall Park on FM 518
Registration - $30.00 7:00 am till noon
T-Shirt and goodie bags to first 150 cars
Raffle Drawings – 2:15pm
2
AMCoH Officers
President
Tom Taylor
4406 Mize Rd
Pasadena, TX 775045
713-249-2466
[email protected]
[email protected]
*******************************
Vice President
Mike Knuckey
713-253-8276
[email protected]
******************************
Co-Secretaries
Ted Davis & Scott Stubler
713-721-8960 & 713-5698421
[email protected]
[email protected]
******************************
Treasurer
Kevin Dalley
281-481-6363
[email protected]
******************************
Activities Director
Tim Gould
281-435-4452
[email protected]
******************************
Membership Chairman
Kevin Dalley
281-481-6363
[email protected]
******************************
WebMaster
Peter Groenewold
708-431-0987
[email protected]
******************************
Newsletter Editor
Gary Parente
713-859-7249
[email protected]
Motors Club of Houston p. 3
Club Information
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 Cruisein, 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.
3
Below are Pictures of the Engines of Members’ Cars displayed at the Houston
AutoRama last November.
Can you match them to the Owner?
David Hughes’
1969 AMX
#
#1
Gary Parente’s
1964 American 330
#
#5
Steven Colello’s
1969 Javelin
#
#2
Don Jones’ 1970
Rebel Machine
#
#6
Ron Eichler’s
Gary
Parente’s
1970
Machine
1964Rebel
American
330
##______
#3
Jeff Jung’s 1965
American 440
#
#7
Jim Sanders
1960 M422 Mighty
Mite #
#4
Kevin
Dalley’s/Steve
Polfus’ 1979 Spirit
#
Answers on page 13
4
#8
Look What Was Buzzing in 1971 AMC Dealerships!
1971 Hornet SC/360
Throughout the late 1960s and early ‘70s, American Motors Corp.--the Rocky Balboa of American automakers-released a surprising variety of high-performance models, all in an unsuccessful effort to win the hearts and minds of
muscle-car buyers. Peter Cambrola of Bristol, R.I., is one whom AMC did win over, even if it was several decades later.
Cambrola and his wife, Kathy, own six special AMC models, but their 1971 Hornet SC/360 is the rarest. The popularity
of muscle cars peaked in 1970. By 1971, crippling insurance rates, fuel costs and emerging emissions
restrictions combined to spell the end of an era. AMC advertised the Hornet SC/360 as “a sensible alternative to the
money-squeezing, insurance-strangling muscle cars of America. ”The SC/360 dropped the 360-cubic-inch V8 from the
Javelin AMX into the 3,057-pound Hornet, introduced as a 1970 model replacing the venerable Rambler American.
Insurance rates were based on a horsepower-to-weight ratio, and with this in mind, AMC introduced the SC/360 with
a two-barrel carburetor and a single exhaust, rated at 245 hp. The standard SC/360 package also included a three-speed
transmission, rally stripes and steel wheels. The $199 Go package included a four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts and
ram-air induction that raised power to 285 hp as well as providing a Borg-Warner Super T-10 four-speed with Hurst
shifter or automatic transmission, a handling package and a “Twin-Grip” limited-slip differential with optional 3.54:1 or
3.90:1 gears. Goodyear Polyglas D70-14 tires were standard. The devil was in the details. AMC announced plans to
build 10,000 Hornet SC/360s, but only 784 were made. By some accounts, perhaps only 80 remain. Cambrola's car was
very rough when he acquired it in 2007, but it was an original, fully optioned car. He undertook the restoration himself,
having previously restored an AMC S/C Rambler and a Rebel Machine, although he found it difficult to work on in his
one-car garage. The finished restoration is stunning. Every detail--the original white color, red stripes and black vinyl
interior, even the vacuum-operated mechanism for opening the ram-air intake--speaks to perfection.
Cambrola describes the performance of the SC/360, as “pretty snappy” compared with his bigger-engine cars. “It
handles really well. It has the newer double-arm suspension that replaced American Motors' outdated trunnion
suspension in 1969. It's a fun car to drive because it's small and light but has the horsepower and torque of the V8
engine. ”The position of the shifter presents a challenge. These cars were never designed for a floor-mounted manual
shifter, and the curved-chrome Hurst lever knocks against the driver's knee. But, as AMC's own advertising wryly asked
in 1971, “If you had to compete with GM, Ford and Chrysler, what would you do?”
From Autoweek, May 9, 2010
5
Ozzie Says Goodbye to an old Friend
Club Member, Cliff (Ozzie) Osborne, recently said goodbye to an old friend as he has sold his SS/AMX.
Ozzie has a stash of AMC cars and parts and recently decided it was time to let the old girl go. For those of
you with limited knowledge of the SS/AMX cars, here is some background. In 1969, with collaboration from
Hurst Performance, 52 turn-key, purpose-built drag race cars were created from the AMX. They were called
Super Stock AMXs or SS/AMX for short. Hurst lightened them with fiberglass treatments and other
modifications. To maximize quarter-mile performance, the 390 engine was equipped with twin Holley
carburetors and 12.3:1 compression-ratio cylinder heads, plus aftermarket Doug’s headers and exhaust system,
and the tires were drag-radial slicks.
American Motors rated the car at 340 hp (250 kW), but the National Hot Rod Association ultimately rated it
at 420 horsepower (310 kW) and shuffled it among various competition classes: SS/G, SS/D, and SS/C. Its best
recorded quarter-mile was 10.73 seconds at 128 mph (206 km/h).
The Super Stock AMX was meant for the race track and lacked comfort equipment such as a heater. The
car could be ordered all white, or in the vertical bands of red, white, and blue that distinguished numerous
AMC competition cars of the day. Base price was $5,994, some $1,900 more than a fully loaded regular 1969
AMX. There was no factory warranty.
Ozzie’s car was the #6 car originally owned by George Warren of Alabama. The story goes that the
original 390 and transmission were at some time removed and a big block Chevy took its place. George was to
comment after that the car never ran as fast as it did when it had the modified AMC 390 in it. Ozzie says he
sold the car to a collector in Rapid City, South Dakota.
6
Here are some early articles/pictures of the car when it was in George Warren’s possession.
7
AMCs on Television
There are several AMC Gremlins that show up in the movie ‘Terminator’. Here is one in the parking lot of
the hotel where Kyle Reese and Sarah Conner are hiding from the Terminator.
South Beach Classics, which is a popular classic car dealership in Miami owned and run by Ted Vernon
appears on the Velocity channel. Note the 1964 Rambler American in the background.
8
AMC Technical Tips - originally printed in the August 1999 Alamo AMC News
9
AMC Technical Tip – originally printed in the Cactus Cruisers Southwest Scorcher newsletter from June/July 2008
10
AMC Technical Tip – petronix and AMC Tachometers - continued
11
AMC Technical Tip – petronix and AMC Tachometers - continued
12
AMC Technical Tip – petronix and AMC Tachometers - continued
Attention!!
Are you looking for a restoration shop?
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.
Answers to Engine Owners from page 4
13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
– Jim Sanders 1960 M422 Mighty Mite
– David Hughes 1969 AMX
– Ron Eichler 1970 Rebel Machine
– Steve Collelo 1969 Javelin
– Jeff Jung 1965 American
– Kevin Dalley/Steve Polfus 1979 Spirit
– Don Jones 1970 Rebel Machine
– Gary Parente 1964 American
Tidbits
14
15