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Newsletter of the American Motors Club of Houston
OCTOBER/NOVEmber 2016 Issue 27
From the Officers - Latest Club News You Can Use pg 2
Upcoming Events pg 3
Club Information pg 4
2016 AMC Lone Star Regional pg 5-9
Larry Roberts: My AMCs and I pg 10-11
AMCs on Television pg 12
Tidbits and Extras pg 13
Classifieds pg 14-15
Club Store pg 16
2016 Lone Star Regional held at the Carriage Club House, Houston, TX on Oct 1st
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Free National Club Membership!! In an effort to get more folks to attend our monthly meetings, a giveaway will be held a couple of times a year to
award some lucky members with a free membership to the American Motors Owners Association (our Club is an
AMO chapter). If the lucky winner is already an AMO member, he or she will have the option of a free membership
in one of the other national AMC clubs, such as AMCRC or NAMDRA. Keep an eye out for email regarding the
giveaway.
From the Officers: Cover Photo: Texas Lone Star Regional Event held October 1, 2016
Hi Folks, well so far the AMCoH is having a very good fall 2016. We had a very good Lone Star Regional at the Carriage Clubhouse in October. We had a good turnout, saw some old friends, and had a lot of fun. Also in October we had a very good turnout and had a lot of fun at the Rodtique’s Car Show in Pasadena. Our old friend from Chicago, Peter Groenewold, was in attendance. Our last Big Fall event is the Houston Autorama on Thanksgiving weekend. We have a really good field of interesting cars set up for Autorama. The display theme will be “Roots of AMC” and we will have Ron Stein’s 47 Hash Woodie and Lee Brown’s ’56 327 powered Nash Ambassador on one end of the display with Louie Lanthrip’s prostreet AMX and Gary Parente’s ’69 SC/Rambler on the opposite end. In the middle will be Alan Baker’s 1970 Donohue Javelin and Ollie Patterson’s ’66 American convertible. Interestingly, Ollie drives his American all over the country. He comes from Brandon Mississippi. We also have a “Toys for Tots” and Houston food bank event planned for December 3. Best Regards, Tom Taylor
Tom Taylor Club President
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Upcoming Events (Items in green are information only, not club events)
November 2016
• 8th – Club Meeting at Hickory Hollow Bar B Q - 7:30 PM
• 24-27th – 57th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts AutoRama
George R Brown Convention Center
http://houstonconventionctr.com/
December 2016
• 3rd – Houston Food Bank Drive Christmas Party
Location TBA
• 13th – Club Meeting at Hickory Hollow Bar B Q - 7:30 PM
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tors Club of Houston p. 3
The American Motors Club of Houston was founded in the
early 1980’s with the goal of advancing the image and preservation
of AMC vehicles in Southeast Texas and the surrounding area.
Our club is one of three AMC organizations in Texas – the
American Motors Club of Houston, Alamo AMC based in San
Antonio, and North Texas AMC headquartered in Dallas form a
strong contingent of Texas AMC fellowship, experience and
support.
We are a chapter of the American Motors Owners Association
(AMO) and we strongly suggest joining this fine organization.
Planned activities include a large display in the annual indoor
Thanksgiving Houston AutoRama Show, the annual AMO
Lone Star Regional Show, and the annual AMC East Texas Cruise-
in, family picnics, cruises, parties, races, etc. The 2001 AMO
National Meet was also held in Houston!!
We have regular monthly meetings on the second Tuesday
of every month (7:30 p.m.) at the Hickory Hollow restaurant,
located at 101 Heights Blvd. (just a few blocks south of I-10). If
you are not already a member, feel free to join us for a “get
acquainted” session before you sign up. Ownership of an AMC vehicle or residence in our local area is
NOT required to join our group. Interest and enthusiasm are more
than enough. We’ll gladly help you find your own treasured AMC
if you don’t already have one!!
Dues are *$20 per year – we are a non-profit organization,
100% of your dues go to supporting club activities. The club
officers do not receive a salary for their efforts. Dues and an
enrollment form may be submitted at our monthly meetings, or
mailed to our Treasurer, Kevin Dalley, 12207 Courtney Greens Rd,
Houston, TX 77089.
AMCoH exists specifically to support you in your AMC
endeavors, and we look forward to adding your own AMC
experience to our knowledge base. If you need any additional
information, feel free to contact any of our club officers.
AMCoH Officers
President
Tom Taylor
4406 Mize Rd
Pasadena, TX 775045
713-249-2466
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Vice President
Ted Davis
713-721-8960
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Secretary
Jeff Jung
281-394-7985
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Treasurer
Kevin Dalley
281-481-6363
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Activities Director
By Committee
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Membership Chairman
Kevin Dalley
281-481-6363
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WebMaster
Gary Parente
713-859-7249
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Newsletter Editor
Gary Parente
713-859-7249
Check us out on the Web at
www.AMCofHouston.org
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October 1, 2016
Award winners were: Participant’s Choice: Don Jones ‘70 Rebel Machine Best Project: Gary Parente ’69 Hurst SC/Rambler Long Distance Award: Glenn Harvey ’71 Javelin People’s Choice: Ron Stein ’47 Nash Ambassador Suburban Carriage Club House Favorite: Nick Dreis ’70 Javelin Mark Donahue
On Saturday, October 1st, the 2016 edition of the AMC Lone Star Regional took place in Houston, TX at the Carriage Clubhouse on Bingle. There were 21 AMC vehicles on hand and a host of visitors on a beautiful fall day. The AMC faithful shared stories, technical info, AMC history, and anything car related as they displayed their AMC treasures. We had some first timers come with their cars and we hope they will join the club. One of them was Bizhan Pezeshki who brought his beautiful ’67 Rambler Rogue convertible. There were 7 Javelins, 2 AMXs, 2 Gremlins, 2 Rambler Americans, 3 Ambassadors, 1 Spirit, 1 Rebel Machine, 1 Hurst SC/ Rambler, 1 Statesman, and 1 Mighty Mite.
Mighty Mite M4ZZ – owner Jim Sanders ’69 Javelin SST – owner Larry Roberts
’72 Javelin SST – owners Reagan & Misty Ratliff ’70 Javelin SST Mark Donahue – owner Allen Baker
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’70 Rebel Machine - owner Don Jones ’70 Javelin Mark Donahue – owner Nick Dreis
’65 Rambler American – owner Jeffery Jung ’69 Hurst SC/Rambler – owner Gary Parente
’83 Spirit – owner TL Williams ’67 Ambassador DPL – owner Tom Garza
’71 Javelin – owner Glenn Harvey ’67 Rambler Rogue – owner Bizhan Pezeshki
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’71 Javelin SST – owner Jeff Gunn ’56 Nash Ambassador - owner Lee Brown
’53 Nash Statesman – owner Teresa Stokes ’72 Gremlin – owners Mike & Kathleen Knuckey
’69 AMX – owner Cliff Osborne ’70 AMX – owner Ron Eichler
’47 Nash Ambassador Suburban- owner Ron Stein ’69 Javelin – owner Tom Taylor ’69 Javelin – owner Tom Taylor
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’74 Gremlin – owner Patrick Llewellyn Two Hurst Cars at one meet! Rare!
Text bo
Shop Talk! Awards and Drawings Ceremony
Ron Stein – People’s Choice! Gary Parente – Best Project!
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Thanks to all for bringing your cars out. We hope that more will attend next year. Remember, your car does not need to be a totally restored vehicle to show. Project cars, daily drivers, etc., are all welcome. We just want to see all the AMCs that are out there.
Nick Dreis – Carriage Club House Favorite!
Glenn Harvey – Long Distance Award! Don Jones – Participant’s Choice!
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By Club Member Larry Roberts
My Dad had driven, Fords, Chevrolets, and lastly Buicks. His youngest brother had driven a Chevrolet, a Ford, and various Nashes and Ramblers including the 1957 Rambler Rebel. He told me that on a country gravel road in top gear, he could make the rear wheels spin at speeds up to 70 mph if he floored the accelerator. I wonder whatever happened to that car. When it came time to search for a new car, I’ll have to give credit to my uncle for my willingness to consider buying an AMC car. At the time I was driving a 1962 Triumph TR-4 sports car that I had purchased new. I came to appreciate the good handling, quick response, disc brakes and the fun of open air driving.
Sales Facility on Sea Mist inside Loop I-610. They had new cars that the dealerships could pull from. That’s where our Javelin came from. They sent it to John Short Motors, but the car didn’t have the original window sticker (Manufacturer’s Suggested
I was born in Wellington, Kansas, grew up on a farm about 20 miles from there, and attended a one-room country schoolhouse (one teacher for all 8 grades). I received my degree in Chemistry and have worked for various chemical plants up and down the Ship Channel here in Houston, TX.
My first AMC is the white 1969 Javelin SST with a 390 V-8 with a Go Package, AT, PS, Power Disc Brakes, AC, black vinyl top, etc., that I still have and drive. Whenever I tell people that I am the original owner, nearly everyone is impressed with that little tidbit. I tell them that we (the Javelin and I) have grown old together. There are not many accessories it doesn’t have, but I’m happy with what it does have.
When it came time to look at and drive the different new ‘69/’70 pony cars, I wanted one that had a lot of the characteristics the TR-4 had. But problems arose. The Mustang’s steering was too slow, the Camaro’s headroom was cramped, and I was apprehensive about the new Barracudas and Challengers just coming out because of Chrysler’s record of first-year model problems. Since the Javelin had been out a year, and AMCs had a good history of fairly tight bodies, this looked to be the car to try out. I liked the styling, headroom, the general handling and feel of the car. Plus, it had room for 4 adults (5 if they were friendly). In making the rounds of the different dealerships, I really didn’t see what I wanted. The salesman at John Short Motors took us to the AMC Regional
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Retail Price label). I asked for it, but apparently they didn’t want to take the time to type it up. Years later, Mark Perkins typed one up for me using an AMC dealer price guide. Two of the accessories the ’69 Javelin has that I especially liked was the Go Package (which I discovered that the “Go” part of the name was well named), and an 8 track stereo tape player with an AM radio. Understand, I had heard of 8 track players, but until I drove the car home for the first time, I had never heard one. An interesting side note is that I still have the original 8 track tape that came with the car (PN 3195617). It was made by Capital Records and is entitled “Today’s Sweetest Sounds.” If anyone is interested, I can send the list of the 15 songs to them. Another item I have is the original “Owner Identification Card” which looks like a typical white plastic credit card. The printing is in blue and the embossed portion is in red and includes the following: owner’s name and address, VIN, delivery date, dealer number, and the notation “ORIGINAL OWNER 1/12 5/50”.
the magazine “Muscle Car Review” at the July 2001 AMO Nationals that was held here in Houston and we were the host club. The photo was in the January, 2002 issue (page 22, if you’re looking for it!). Other AMC’s were as follows: first was a red 1969 Javelin that was going to be a parts car, but wound up being my son’s first car when he began driving to high school. After driving a 1982 Camaro to college, he then had a 1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. The other Javelin was a Scarab Gold 1968 model that also started out as a parts car but became a daily driver to work. At one time all 3 Javelins were running at the same time (and tagged, even!). The next AMC car was a 1973 Hornet Sportabout with a Copper paint and the vinyl wood grain look on the sides (station wagon, you know). The last AMC was a 1971 Golden Lime Matador 4 door sedan. It ran, but was never tagged and put on the streets for a variety of reasons. So, I’m back down to my original 1969 white Javelin. As the car gets older, it attracts more attention than ever, whether driving on the streets, pulling into a gas station, going to a cruise, car show, or wherever. As recently as October this year when I was on my way to the AMC Regional Car Show, I had one man pull up beside me at a signal light, roll down his window and tell me he just wanted to listen to the Javelin. Talk about curb appeal! It’s nice to know that other fans of old cars have come to appreciate what we AMCers have known all along – that we have some pretty neat cars that you don’t see coming down the street every day.
A picture of the Javelin appeared in the Houston Post on Wednesday, Sept 25, 1985, along with John Wing’s 1969 AMX. The automotive writer for the Post wanted a picture to run with an article about the Javelin and AMX. This happened not too long after I became a member of the club here in Houston. That was also the same year the Javelin made an appearance in AutoRama as part of the Greater Houston Classic AMX Club display. The last noteworthy event was a picture of the Javelin taken by
Here is a picture of Larry’s Javelin with the original white wall tires. Your
newsletter editor is partial to the current look with the blackwall tires!
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A recent Mecum Auction featured an SS AMX that sold for $95,000!
Fast and Loud featured a cool bagged Rambler Station wagon! Unfortunately it had an all Chevy drive train!
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Tidbits and Extras
A man seeing flashing red and blue lights in
his rear view mirror pulls to the side of the road. Shortly after coming to a stop, a police officer approaches the car.
The man says, "What's the problem officer?"
Officer: "You were going 75 miles an hour in a 55 mile an hour zone. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ticket you."
Man: "No sir, I was going a little over 60."
Wife: "Oh, Harry. You were going at least 80!" (The man gives wife dirty look.)
Officer: "I'm also going to give you a ticket for your broken tail light."
Man: "Broken tail light? I didn't know about a broken tail light!"
Wife: "Oh Harry, you've known about that tail light for weeks!" (The man gives his wife another dirty look.)
Officer: "I'm also going to give you a citation for not wearing your seat belt."
Man: "Oh, I just took it off when you were walking up to the car."
Wife: "Oh, Harry, you never wear your seat belt!"
The Man turns to his wife and yells, "For cryin' out loud, can't you just shut up?!"
The officer turns to the woman and asks, "Ma'am, does your husband talk to you this way all the time?"
And so the wife says, "No officer, only when he's drunk."
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I am selling the motor out of my 69 AMX Super Street Race Car. It’s a 401+45 motor all the numbers and parts are listed below. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY! Please call only to find out additional info to help you make your decision/offer. Rick Walko 281-922-5665. This is my Business number (Bonanza Air & Heat) if I don't answer please leave a message and I will call you back.
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Mark Shuford's restoration parts company.
http://www.amarkamc.com
Muscle Car Shop. Full restorations, stock, restomods, pro touring, bumper to bumper including: chassis/suspension, LS conversions, paint/body, custom fabrication, rear-ends, engine work including crank grinding, cylinder boring, valve work, decking and interiors. Please see our web site at: www.texomaclassics.com contact us at: [email protected] or call: 903-819-1452.
Disclaimer AMCOH in no way will be a mediator between customers and vendors. Any and all disputes over price or quality of service should be between customers and vendors.
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