Re: [AMC-List] AMCer's Opinions: Survivor/Vintage vs. Restored

["amckiwi" <amckiwi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Survivor spins my wheels

-----Original Message-----
From: amc-list-bounces@xxxxxxx [mailto:amc-list-bounces@xxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Brien Tourville
Sent: Saturday, 19 August 2006 4:30 PM
To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [AMC-List] AMCer's Opinions: Survivor/Vintage vs. Restored




 Fellow AMCer's,

I have decision to make with my 74 AMX(32,000 original miles):
This car is an original, non-restored, survivor:  Original 
paint(great
condition), glass, interior, chrome, stainless, exhaust system.  The 
motor
and tranny have never been separated and removed. 

My decision: 

should I
remove the engine to detail and paint, or leave in the engine bay and
clean and detail only(leaving the original "patina")? I cannot 
compete
with frame-off, rotisserie restored stock vehicles at car shows. If 
they
had a vintage/survivor class I would do well.

I welcome your feedback/opinions!

Thanks,
mark




== =          ===



The 'Restored' Camp is inherently fuel'd by
Cubic Dollars with a smidgen of ego* -
[ Egos' with a 'small' E ] :

Fiscally capable folks who are genuinely nice 
people - who with time on their hands, undertake
a project as a couple, a widower or single - who
remember cars of their youth & have discovered
the world of restoration, clubs and camaraderie...
and some well monied snobs who stick it to each
other good naturedly - you know who you are.....

I could crave to be of this 'niche'  -  puttering in a well
lit - well equipped bay, listening to 'Alice in Chains'
while pondering recasting NASH
hood ornaments in Crystal glass for my List friends
X-mass presents...... from the Original FactoryMolds ! ;)

These days it only takes one evening of enjoying the
Barrett - Jackson Auctions and the escalating price of 
Cat Food, to bring home the realities
of modern day 'Restored' efforts / costs - serving to reaffirm
the salvage yard blood flowing in my veins - 
and my 'Run what you Brung' appreciation of a JC Whitney
'fast' heap of bubbling primer - 'the mythical street killah..'.....
...."whos' gotta 'lite'...smoke ....."?



To digress: 

A 'Survivor' or 'Street Survivor' ride runs parallel to
my years of being a musician, as Amps and Guitars
that have seen the ravages of playing, the intimacy of
 practising - spilled drinks and smoky treat ciggy
burns  along the peg heads of Clubs and Travel, 
all have spawned an industry
of manufacturing  'Closet Classics' and D'istressed
Classics' that boggle the mind - 


Fender Guitars actually pays people salary to judiciously steel wool
off and expertly bang up, expensive Nitro Cellulose finishes 
on CNC recreation '57 Stratocasters - all dimensions captured
from a 'Pristine' surviving specimen - bought with
huge Corporate funds, mostly from Asian collectors
who knew the market early & rolled in tractor trailers
'en mass to the Guitar Conventions and wrote out
blank checks for entire collections on the spot.

These 'Originals' are kept in climate controlled caverns
filled with hundreds and thousands of Old Guitars and Amps,
privately owned - now in Asia somewhere.

The 'New' banged up guitars go for 'in the thousands' more than a
brand new 'a thousand plus' Strat on the wall, both of which pale
in price but not actuality - against the $250K Original 1957 
Stratocaster.

One bts MARSHALL filthy amp head I discovered in an overstocked
used equipment shop was missing most all internals and
knobs, yet was a 'Plexi' 100 watt from the early 60s' -
a V'eteran' ! ...'dude, .....it's 'Old Home Week' ..... *Nice* ;)

'Plexi' means the front MARSHALL logo of Plexi-Glas - 
putting its' age in a certain 'Romanticised' year range,
like when Hendrix roamed Houston St. nite spots in 
the Village  of NYC.

The grunge'd Tolex covering was worn out everywhere,  exposing
the Birch laminated finger jointed plywood construction -
everything in 'mutha beautiful'tatters :

- it was so beat - that any musician having 
gone thru the Clubs immediately 'connected' heart & soul..
..."see? ..still smell like 'Bud' ......"...... .

- any viewing 'wannabee' needed a change of fresh shorts
from the massive 'Boost' of 'the real deal' -

I secretly knew ..... that THIS was the Grail Trophy - the Icon
of Concert Survivorism - and so did the shop > $three grand
for the beat up box.

OK - back to cars:

Outside of Bloomington Gold Corvette Circles
and the Great Barrett - Jackson Vacuum Cleaning
Service Top 10 - some Car Clubs do feature a 'Survivor' and 
'Street Survivor' Class and AMC should without question -

I mean , ... come on > an Orphan ?  Surviving examples
in good shape - unrestored specimens - should not Exist
as these were from 'the disposable' era of Automotive Excess !

'Survivor' would have that 30something K mileage
Jav next to a 00036.00 mile Jav next to a 21K mile
'56 Packard Powered Nash Coupe - and the Crowd
is way more Appreciative that these examples have
'Made It' > just like they have all these years, without
a 'FaceLift' or 'Tummy-Tuk' - just up and running in your face 
Survival.

'Street Survivor' is the duct tape / bale-ing wire
rides along side the early mods bts street racer that
saw 'Q-Ship' service in and among the throngs
of GTX / SS novas - 10pm @ 'Pappys' Puppy Palace'
Friday Nite - the 'Showroom Ghosts' that sat outside the
Car Port - all year long....... for decades.

*[ for those just joining in, bts equates:  'Beat to Shit' ]


Who here,..... would rather find / see an example of a
favourite, in a dry barn where it was 'tucked away' many
decades prior and lost or forgotten...?. . raise your mouse -

Everyone at a Car Show would - including all the Trailer Queen
addicts.

The Survivors speak to the soul - untouched V'irgins' ........ 

The first .jpg I stop at when surfing Club sites is the 'Barn Fresh'
occupant atop that U-Haul - awaiting the bucket & hose - you With Me 
?


I just got in my SMS samples for a '55 Nash Ambo the other day -
we're talking 'oh my gosh' - these 50s people were on Acid ! 

soooh *Tweaky Nice* - Art Deco Upholstery Fabric... ahh yeahh -
dreams of junker to jewel once again....... life is good........ 
sometimes..


Big Money Restorations, perhaps simply from the fact that I'm down 
here in the 'Mosh Pit of Fiscally Garrotted  Brethren', thrills me 
back to being a car loving 10  year old,  that the 'Original 
Materials' of the day having been lovingly sought
and applied - just like the Show-room car once was..... ahh..... 
damn...[sigh.....],,ooh...... the 'ambience' of real hair & cotton
bolstering .......ever see Kaisers' 'Dragon-Hide' ?


Stay 'Survivor Status' - these are the tru Concourse Winners -
and should be recognized as such.


All Listers should petition our AMC fractional amalgam conglomerate 
for 'Recognition' of Original Examples - unfettered - 
open a 'Survivor' Class Awards judging criteria debate,
as this class would prove much more competetive in concept
than is the bolt by bolt - mega buk  reconstruction throw down
Platinum Plus Visa sak racing 'Restored' Class warfare trunnion set.


I've found it is tougher to keep that nice 'Survivor' from rusting
and fading than it is to Mag-y-ar the 'Hanger Queen' - ;)
..... any Married Men here have a different Opinion ..... ?



   milnersXcoupe
      NEW YORK
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