American Motors Xperimental full frame by Ron S

8 minute(s) of a 140 minute read

Pushed car outside for major garage cleanup, bent a couple pieces of sheet metal over my knee to cover the blinker light and see what it looked like. I'm pretty sure the whole bumper needs to be taller. It is a funky looking car, but its starting to grow on me.

3-2-2014

Getting the front bumper a little closer, I got the new bumper ends made, and am trying to get the middle figured out. To be honest I don't hate the middle now that the ends are fixed.

3-3-2014

Because we got another 6" of snow today I didn't work, so I did get my bumper welded together. Had to close the license plate opening for the fiberglass work, because this is just a plug to make the mold off of. Reshaped the opening to make it more of a port (which will get cut out once the glass part is made) then a license plate hole. Roughed the mud in, and shot some primer. Turned out pretty good, still don't know what I'm going to do with the ends until I get the fenders finished. The splitter will go on the bottom of the flange.

3-6-2014

I am truly getting my a$$ handed to me by these AMC front fenders. When cycling the suspension, at full compression these 19x12 wheels and 27" tall tires are killing me. I've tried everything, and I mean everything to try to keep a reasonably sized flare. When I get the fender to clear at full compression, the flare is just absolutely stupid looking. I think I'm going to have drop down to 18" wheels. The 335-18 tires are a full inch shorter, its not a lot, but I need every fraction of an inch I can muster. I planned on running 18" wheels and, Rivals anyway. I'm just not ready, and I wasn't sure what wheel I was going to run. Does anyone have a cheap 18x12 wheel with ZO6ish backspacing that has been scratched, dinged, slightly bent, that I could use for mock up? If not I guess, I'll try to search out replica wheels. Thanks, Ron


On a side note, if anybody wanted to know if 19x12 ZO6 wheels will clear big brakes, even 15" big brakes they will.

3-8-2014

With all the changes in everything else, why should the torque arm be any different. With the X through the middle of the car, now there is no room for a shackle for the torque arm. My buddy Brian Schien machined me out these fancy sliders which will weld to middle of the X. Bought the little bearings from McMaster Car, should work pretty well.

I did come up with some 18" wheels, John at CCW graciously sent me a set to use for mock up.

3-22-2014

Fenders pretty much kicked my a$$, the 19X12 wheels, and 27" 335's on the front are not conducive to attractive fenders. Ended up looking like a flared 66 Bronco. I ended up getting a set of 18x12 C14's on loan from John at CCW (thanks John). The 18" 335's are about an inch shorter in diameter then the 19's, which seem to have cured or at least helped the problem.

Nothing is going easy. Put my driveshaft in, and the 1350 yoke hit my torque arm slider box. Ended up making a driveshaft hoop out of some 5" pipe, which became a integral part of the slider box. With all the welding the bearings would no longer fit in the slots that Brian machined for me. So he surface ground the 4 sides, and remachined the slots. Smooth as butter now, but what a pain.

The driveshaft in this car is at kidney height so I always planned on running a driveshaft hoop, just not one this beefy. This car is starting to remind me a little of that Animal House line "Overweight and underpower is no way to go through life" Its close anyway.

4-12-2014

Got the other side tacked together, trying to make them identical is the hardest most time consuming part. Yeah, this thing is low, had a hell of a time getting it off the jacks. Finish welding the sides tomorrow, and then form a piece of metal for the top. Then finally get to start flinging mud. Weird how the black wheels don't show well.

4-23-2014

Got all of the welding done on the fenders, except the top panel. I'll fabricate the fender top tomorrow, weld it in Friday, and yehaa start making dust this weekend.

Was thinking about fabbing a pin style spindle for a C6 upright. Ordered a Nascar Grand National front spindle just to see its size and shape. Had no idea how big it was compared it to a Wilwood pro spindle. It seems like a packaging nightmare, but I think it is doable.

4-24-2014

Did get the fender tops made, and one side tacked before I ran out of mig wire. Still have to fab the fender edge(where it bolts on) and they are finally finished, the welding anyway. The mud slinging is a whole new chapter.