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Author Topic: It's a mad house  (Read 1349 times)

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Offline JoeBob

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It's a mad house
« on: June 30, 2020, 11:54:40 PM »
What a crazy sad world we live in. Half a dozen times in the last two weeks people approached me and said. "That is sure a beautiful Gremlin."  This world is doomed! How did a car that sold a few thousand, displace a car that sold millions? 
77 yellow Bobcat hatchback
Deuteronomy 7:9

Offline dga57

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2020, 04:32:20 AM »
It has nothing to do with the car; it's the ignorance of the people who are inquiring.  You have to remember that these cars are all 40-49 years old now... a lot of people who show an interest weren't even around when they were a common sight no matter where you went.  It provides an excellent opportunity to educate!

Dwayne :)
Pinto Car Club of America - Serving the Ford Pinto enthusiast since 1999.

Offline pinto_one

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2020, 08:22:19 AM »
have to agree with you on that one , I have been insulted by people walking up and say nice vega , oh the pain
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

Offline Wittsend

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2020, 11:34:01 AM »
Strange because the grill on a Bobcat looks more like a late model Pacer (as well the rounded back) than a square and angled Gremlin.


My '64 Studebaker is always mis-stated as a Rambler. But, being I also have a '63 Rambler American I don't get offended. Both cars have a trapezoidal (though inverted between the two) grill.

Offline 65ShelbyClone

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2020, 12:07:22 PM »
What a crazy sad world we live in. Half a dozen times in the last two weeks people approached me and said. "That is sure a beautiful Gremlin."  This world is doomed! How did a car that sold a few thousand, displace a car that sold millions?
At least it's a compliment. I mean your your Pacer is pretty nice.
'72 Runabout - 2.3T, T5, MegaSquirt-II, 8", 5-lugs, big brakes.
'68 Mustang - Built roller 302, Toploader, 9", etc.

Offline Wittsend

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2020, 12:29:43 PM »
We all squabble about "Our" brand/model of car being best. But the reality is all cars have their pluses and minuses. Add in 70's era smog tuning and nothing was really very good. Of all the economy 6 cylinder engines for compact cars the *AMC/Rambler 6 was the best. A testament to that is the 199 ,232 ,258, 242 (4.0L) engine lasted from 1964 to 2006. Take a 242 (4.-0L) with the 258 crank and rods do a .060 overbore and you get a torque monster 4.7L engine!

So, don't be insulted by begin confused with a AMC car (odd as it may have looked). Go to Google images, look up "Wally Booth Gremlin" and be amazed when AMC was dominating NHRA Pro Stock.

* My Rambler pictured above, I had a desire to put the in the Jeep/AMC 4.0. Tough to find one with RWD only and an AX-15 5 Speed trans. Plus it seems like the $500 Jeep of a few years ago now cost $1,500 to start. It is a VERY tight fit (that might require firewall work) but I did the 2.3 in an early Pinto so I'm up for the challenge. In the mean time I've acquired parts to refurbish the ancient 196 OHV engine that is a derivative of its flathead ancestor designed nearly 80 years ago back in the 40's. Why do I torture myself???

Offline pinto_one

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2020, 03:12:07 PM »
and you know the pain in changing the cluch in a Ramber  , around 1970 my dad volunteered me to change out the clutch on my grandfathers 63 Rambler , yep no diveshaft , yes the tube is bolted to the rear end , no I did not like working under a car in the dirt , but the memories of saying you did that , my new memo after that was look and ask many questions before you leap , the Studebabers I had were much easier to work on than the ramblers
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

Offline Wittsend

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2020, 03:21:46 PM »
 Thankfully the Americans didn't have the Torque Tube like the Classic and the Ambassador. They have a conventional driveshaft - except rather than the standard yoke at the differential they have a huge nut that tightens a collet to a hex pinion shaft. Never done it but it might still require moving the rear end back!

Offline pinto_one

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2020, 07:48:12 AM »
yes it does , had to unbolt the whole mess and have some friend help to lower the trans and roll back the rear end , very time consuming ,  later start messing with Studebakers , and here a part that will bolt into a 1960 Studebaker Lark with automatic ,   pinto driveshaft ,  and if you want to get rid of the weird shift pattern of PNDLR  to the normal PRNDL use a 64 ford T bird valve body , now guess how I twisted the drive shaft  :o
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

Offline HOSS429

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2020, 01:13:13 PM »
i guess due to the paint scheme my pinto is called a gremlin/javlin way more than it is a pinto ..  it will be seen a lot more this weekend ..  i tell people it is a very rare 1976 / 1776  4 th of july special '

Offline dga57

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2020, 03:13:41 PM »
i tell people it is a very rare 1976 / 1776  4 th of july special '

I'll bet most folks believe that!  lol   ;D

Dwayne :)
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Offline Wittsend

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Re: It's a mad house
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2020, 11:00:54 PM »
"and if you want to get rid of the weird shift pattern of PNDLR  to the normal PRNDL"

Actually I went to a SBC 350 and a 700R4. But, yea that shift pattern!!! When I got the Studebaker these guys drove it out of a storage yard. The muffler is missing, it is barely idling and the guy says, "It has no brakes." Well we were transporting in my friends enclosed trailer. Thankfully every time I thought I was going into reverse (as brakes???) at least I was going into neutral. But when I thought I was going into low, I was backing up. Somehow we got it loaded without killing anyone or damaging the trailer.