Ramblings: Driving Your AMC Daily...Yes, It Can Still Be Done!

When I got my 1974 AMC Javelin AMX, it had 36,511 original miles on her (in 2007).  Admittedly, I'm not a mechanic and though I'm a gear head to the core, I never really learned how to be mechanical.  So, I enlisted the gracious help and expertise of fellow NTAMC club members Marty, Matt, Gary and John to help me wrench on her.  The process took about a year but we got her so she could safely be driven anywhere.  Essentially, we went through the entire brake, suspension, steering, fuel, cooling, intake, exhaust, carburetor, charging and ignition system.  Eventually, I had the 727 Torque Command completely rebuilt.  After it broke, I had it replaced with a 700 R4 and I picked up about 5-6 MPG on the highway!  I had the car professionally re-wired with an American Auto Wire Highway Series 22 system (with modern blade style fuses and enough extra circuits to support EFI, dual electric cooling fans, an alarm and much more). 
Since August 2008, I've put 45,000 miles on her and have driven her daily (except for ice, snow or when it was down for maintenance / repairs).  I've tried to change the oil every 3,000 miles using Rotella T 15W40 (recommended to me by Kelly Tidwell of Pure Power). I use a Pure Power billet re-usable oil filter, a K&N 14"x3" air filter, a Proform HEI ignition system, lifetime spark plug wires, a stainless steel fuel line, a rust proof conversion on my gas tank using Gas Tank Re-New by Don Hart Radiator in Houston, TX, long life Porterfield R4S carbon kevlar brake pads & shoes, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Z-rated tires (rotating them every 6,000 miles), and I keep up with regular maintenance per the owner's manual.  At Marty Bricker's recommendation, I signed up for Firestone's lifetime alignment (a good deal since you can basically go in as often as you want to have your alignment checked and re-done).  Even with all of this, I've had many issues crop up:  Electrical gremlins, poor quality / defective wheel bearings and ball joints, carburetor tuning issues, broken backup light / neutral safety switches & ignition switches, drive belts fraying, yearly block power flushing at Firestone, uneven tire wear, failed water pump, failed voltage regulator, fouled spark plugs, broken spark plug wire boots, battery run-down numerous times, erratic timing, and of course front / rear main seal and valve cover oil leaks, worn out axle seals & bearings causing broken axle shafts, A/C leaks, and the list goes on (though most of it was covered here). 
If you drive your AMC daily, you'll find that it will almost always be some maintenance or driveability issue cropping up.  So, I highly recommend learning to do the work yourself or have a buddy who knows about cars help you (the later has been the case with me...thank you Marty)!  If you must go to a shop, make sure they are willing to work on your AMC first and will stand behind their work.  Some national chains "CAN" be good and some can be terrible.  What you are looking for is someone who is old enough to remember these cars new and enjoys working on them (i.e., Doyle at Firestone Automotive in Lake Worth, TX - he's in his 50's and loves working on old cars like mine).  However, relying on a shop to do all your maintenance will get expensive in a hurry.  Why?  Because you are relying on aftermarket parts, many of which are made in Mexico or in China.  Their quality is not as good and just won't last as long.  Even though they'll stand behind their work, they'll charge $75-$100/hour plus a premium price for parts and miscellaneous shop fees. 

It's in your financial best interest to do your own maintenance.  Believe it or not, it can be fun and therapeutic to work on your own car. If you choose this route, buy your parts from NAPA, Summit Racing or O'reilly Auto Parts (the later even offers lifetime warranty on their premium line of parts).  Additionally, you need to a service shop manual, a vacuum gage, a timing light, a spark plug socket with a flexible extension, open end SAE wrenches, SAE 3/8" drive regular and deep sockets, Teflon tape, blue thread locker, anti-seize thread compound, a grease gun, an oil drain pain, 1/2 breaker bar, multimeter, carburetor cleaner, a shop light, fender covers, jack stands and a HD floor jack.  I even keep a bag of tools and my shop manual in my trunk.  I can't tell you how many times this (and AAA) have saved the day since repair shops are NOT open on nights and weekends.