The last time around, I was forced to post a re-run of a junkyard scout, since I wasn’t able to actually go out and do it in the real world…  

That lasted for a few days, then I was able to at least get some work done on the computer and catch up a little on chores    around the place.

But I still wasn’t in any kind of shape to go traipsing around for miles, especially in a bunch of infrared-radiating automotive iron and glass, in the 110 degree Sonoran Desert. 

So I amused myself by creating a message board, now known as The AMC Heritage Forum,    along with a lot of help from Doug Shepard, AKA IowaEagle, who runs The AMC Eagle Nest Forums, which is a message board for fans of the AMC Eagle.

The AMC Heritage Forum is a place for the discussion, sharing, learning, and preserving of all facets of American Motors history and development. The purpose is to provide a repository of difficult to find information, for the next generation of the AMC Nation. 

One of the members of both of these forums, is a friend known as bigdog56e, or just plain Eddie. bigdog feels that I am blessed with the famous “Luck O’ the Irish”, because of the way things work out for me with my American Motors project cars…  

Well, I AM Irish, after all…

Here’s some more dumb Irish luck for ye, Eddie, or maybe my friend Crosley Kevin is right, with his “AMC Mojo” theory… 

It’s time to do the brakes on Molly Blue, and it’s the same cost either way to repair the drum system, or replace it with disk brakes. The main thing I do with Molly Blue, is treat her as a test bed of ways to keep your AMC alive.

The other thing I’m doing, is trying to learn about the cars first hand, by applying all the factory upgrades I can fit onto this car.

So I strolled into the junkyard, on the lookout for disk brakes. Here’s the first AMC I came to… 

Disk brakes on a platter… 

Molly is also in desperate need of seatbelts, but Gremlin belts are a little hard to come by. It looked to me like the ones in this Spirit wouldn’t work. >

So I continued on my way, and soon came across this little rig: 

 Well, well, mm,mm,mm… the seatbelts were in very nice shape. This is a 1974 Levi’s Gremlin, with a 1973 body. It should be in a museum. 

Instead, so that others might live, it gave up the luggage rack, back glass, rear latch, seat belts, and oh yes, Molly’s A/C condenser, recently developed a crack and discharged, just in time for 110+ Arizona heat.

What a coincidence, that this Gremlin just happens to have a perfectly good A/C condenser.

Also, remembering that part of the Molly Blue mission on this planet, is upgrade city, it was nice to see the power steering system in place, which is pretty hard to find, set up on the passenger side of the engine… just like Molly Blue needs. 

The grille was broken where someone mangled the hood to get it open. At least the signal lights and markers would aid my cause. Too bad some idiot broke it.

But, the extra replacement grille and headlight buckets, in the cargo area of the little nipper were a welcome score, as well as the much-needed driver’s side glass, and a hard-to-find points-type distributor.

 Soon, there was nothing more to rip out of the tiny skeleton to suit my needs… I moved on, wondering vaguely if there was a chance of anything else useful for my AMC pursuits…

I gave the Eagle wagon a brief examination, hoping for a plastic AMC emblem off the back, but no chance.  

Moving along… the next car I noticed was a little heartbreaking. 

It was so sad to see what had been a beautiful 1968 Ambassador 990 4-dr, just sitting up there all high and dry… 

 But I wasn’t heartbroken for very long, when I discovered a 343/2V and a Shift Command automatic, still in place. 

My 1969 Javelin SST has a 343 with Shift Command, only minus the Shift Command, and they are hard to find. I ran out of time and money, before I could begin the offloading process, but if it survives the weekend, I’m going back on Monday, to ruthlessly extract the internal organs of this formerly fine automobile… 
mike

I’m needing to do a little work on Molly Blue, so I’m planning on scouting a few of the junkyards in my area for tasty tidbits O’Rambler.  But I’m having a bad spell with my back right now, and can’t really sit very long at the computer for the moment.  So I dug out a post from the Eagle Nest Forums that I made, concerning a good time I had scouting junkyards last summer:
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  Just got back from a scout at four junkyards in Phoenix.  Got spy pictures of half a dozen endangered Eagles held hostage in Arizona boneyard.  They have been scheduled for termination.

http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j186/route66rambler/Nashin%20on%20my%20Rambler/Parts%20Scout/Ecology/72906/

If you don’t feel like wading through 30 pictures of heartbreak, here are a few highlights of my day, and a couple of bright spots:

This is the tower in the parking lot at Ecology.

I looked down from taking that picture to see this:

 
401, oh yes.  Next there was an MJ comanche in driver shape parked at the front wall.  Bought a ticket into the ride for 2 bucks, and in we go.  Look over a couple of XJ’s in decent shape.  Looking to my left, I spotted a Checker.

 
  Here is the first non-Jeep AMC we saw in the place:

Later I met a guy named Bill that was into Studebakers.  He told me quite a bit about them, and knew his Ramblers correctly, too.

It was about this time that I realized that I forgot the memory card for my camera, and had limited space.  I took notes from here out, not much was remarkable, but some was.  For instance, this 77 Hornet was a surprise, both good and bad.

Also inside Ecology were the following:
6 XJ Cherokees, 4 with 4.0, 2 with V6, no manuals, no 2wd.
2 MJ Comanches, both 4.0 4wd auto.
4 FSJ’s, all Grands with 360 auto.
We left Ecology and headed next door to Pull-n-Save.  Right there in the parking lot was another Comanche.  And also this truck:

At Pull-n-Save, there were 5 XJ Cherokees, one had a 5 spd and one was 2wd. two had V6’s.  2 FSJ’s, both 360, one with 4 spd, one was a Cherokee Chief. No AMC’s.  However, they had just cleared space, and I believe they are also updating.  But I think they will keep offering Eagle parts.

Next up was Pull a Part.  Today had a theme, and there was yet another MJ pickup in the parking lot. 7 XJ’s. One was 2wd. One had 5 spd. 2 had V6’s. 1 Spirit 4.0 Automatic. No other AMC’s this time, but usually have 1-2 Concords and about 4-6 Eagles. Hope they get more.

Our next stop was U-Pull-It.  They were in the middle of a cleanup crush.  Got the grand slam, MJ pickup in the parking lot. There were 4 XJ’s, all beat up. One FSJ Wagoneer with Smal Block Chevy disease.  All the way in the very back was one last piece of fresh meat in the corner.  CJ7 Golden Eagle with a 360 auto, and what was left of a tan Levi’s dash, although the seats and gauges were long gone.  On the way home was the usual assortment of old Jeeps you see in driveways in AZ.  But I did spot this 71 Javelin in the driveway of a farm:

Time for a beer and some wrenchin’
mike