Follow Up - Driving An AMC Everyday

You may recall that I posted my thoughts on driving an AMC everyday:  Ramblings: Driving Your AMC Daily...Yes, It Can Still Be Done! - June 19, 2012.  Since then, I've had several more issues with my car and it always seems to be on Saturday or Sunday.  Case in point...I left for Florida in September of 2012 and my fuel pump failed which stranded me on a Sunday.  Leaving Florida yesterday, my vacuum advance canister is failing and causing major drivability issues (hesitation, erratic idle, sputtering and excessive unburned fuel in the exhaust system).  The canister was replaced just 22,000 miles ago using O'reilly Auto Parts.  Currently, I'm in Natchitoches, LA for the night.  It turns out that NO ONE has a vacuum advance canister closer than Houston, TX (not O'reilly, not Auto Zone, not Advance...no one).  It's frustrating that it took over 3 hours troubleshooting only to discover it was the problem and then not being able to do anything about it. 

Hmmm.  I'm seriously considering leaving my spare tire out of my trunk and building a custom trunk organizer full of parts I "might need" and that "could" strand me:  belts, hoses, coil, vacuum canister, distributor cap, rotor, pickup coil, spark plugs, wires, fuel pump, water pump, thermostat, alternator, fuses, various vacuum hoses, light bulbs, various automotive fluids, comprehensive tools, jack stands, aluminum racing jack, rear end gasket, valve cover gaskets, starter, water pump and thermostat gaskets, wiper blades, pcv valve, vacuum switches. 

Did I leave anything off????  I get my car is 40 years old this Halloween.  I get that my car probably shouldn't be driven everyday.  But I just don't understand why it's always something.  Perhaps it's because that's part of owning a classic car and in part, relying on the quality and availability of aftermarket parts.  It's still fun and cool but man it's expensive  and far from convenient.  It happens to take a lot of money and patience to keep a car like this running AND relying on it to get you where you need to be...day in and day out. 

So what's next? Here's what I see as my options:

• Keep Her - Upgrade to a 401, serpentine drive, dual electric cooling fans, Powerjection III EFI, Powertrax differential, new molded seat foam, new steering column wiring harness, professional paint and body work, blue tooth hands free, upgraded stereo with USB flash drive, Control Freak rack and pinion steering and suspension upgrades, 17" Year One Magnum 500 wheels, upgrade SpeedHut speedometer with integrated turn signals and brights, upgrade side mirrors 
• Upgrade to the LS3 powertrain - Though it would surely be expensive, one of one and I'd have to leave my hood shut at just about any car show...or the purists would have my head.
• Buy a late model / new daily driver - In time, it "might" be in the budget but currently it is not.  It would allow me to enjoy my Javelin AMX only once in while and allow me to keep the miles (and hopefully the maintenance issues) to a minimum.
• Sell her - Hmmm.  This would be a last resort but...I'm just so frustrated at what appears to be a never ending money pit.  I LOVE my car and I would hate to have to sell her.  I've put so much time and money into her ensuring everything was done right.  There is so much more in her than a "cosmetic restoration".  It's not a complete nuts and bolt restoration but...just about everything has been replaced or upgraded (except the internal engine components, paint and body, steering column wiring harness, twin grip differential and the seat foam).  Of course, with the state of the economy, I doubt I would get top dollar.  She is fully documented and has been in my family since brand new, is straight and rust free.  It's not a 401 Pierre Cardin 4-speed...but it still has the original 360-4 barrel, it's automatic (now a built 700 R/4) and it's loaded with tons of stock appearing upgrades.  I hold off on this as long as possible then I pray I can find an enthusiast who can really appreciate and care for her as I have.