OT: Why do cars slope inwards at the sides?

[Clare Snyder]

Why go to the work of converting to a Chevy 350 when the factory made them with an AMC 304 - which allows a 260, 390, or 401 to be dropped right in. A 401 HO will give a 350 Chevy of the period a REAL run for it's money.

I owned a '75 Pacer. Rode like a limo, handled pretty good too - but the front "K" frame made a good road grader. We rallyed it a few times early in the season while wewere still working the bugs out of the R12.

Just a Hornet with the end sawed off. With the 304 it was pretty hot - and there was a dealer in Michigan selling them withthe 401 HO (AMX) engine.

The early Javelin with the 343 was pretty quick. The later ones got a bit heavier, but with the 401 AMX GoPack they were scary.

Very under-appreciated "muscle" cars.

[Clare Snyder]

Working at an AMC dealership I never heard of a "#% fouling" problem, but there were a few years when the 232 needed to be driven like you stole it, fresh off the lot, to get the chrome rings to seat. A tablespoon of BonAmi scouring pouder sifted into the intake at 2000 RPM solved that problem.

They also ran the oil for the rockers up around one of the headbolts, and if you didn't change the oil regularly that passage would coke up, starving the rocker arms of oil. They'd chirp pretty good untill you either managed to flush the passage, or removed the head bolt andcleaned things up. I ended up putting an external oil line on my '65 beater to solve the problem.

[gfretwell]

Dunno but I knew two other guys with AMC 6s that had the same problem. It was always #5 and it was that chalky lead type fouling that you can chip off with a screwdriver. I had spark plug cleaner that used an abrasive powder that really cleaned them up. A new plug lasted about the same as a "cleaned" one so I just kept a few in the glove compartment. I am not sure I ever had that oil problem. I put 50k miles on it and did not do much to it. I certainly was not diligent about service. I ended up selling it running for $500 after 3-4 years. It was the cheapest car I ever owned.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Do northern rednecks think of southern rednecks the same as non-rednecks think of all rednecks?

[James Wilkinson Sword]

That's not many bends.

"Deemed to be" on fire?! Isn't it clear to most folk whether something is on fire or not?

Way too many rules.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

How often does that happen?!

[gfretwell]

The Northern equivalent of rednecks are hillbillies and farmers. The difference is subtle mostly defined by what they like to eat and how they talk. I was a "border state" redneck (southern Maryland) who fits right in with southern rednecks.

[rbowman]

It was a pleasant enough little ride except for the puddle quirk. I quickly learned to turn the wipers on if I saw standing water in the road.

[Cindy Hamilton]

I had an '84 Honda Civic hatchback. You could carry 4x8 sheets of plywood in it.

Cindy Hamilton

[rbowman]

The only long term relationship I had with AMC cars was a '62 Rambler Classic. My father believed in 15" wheels so that was a strong selling point. However, he wasn't a fan of buying tires and the thing had problems staying in alignment. He traded it in on a '65 Dodge which was earlier than usual for him. We lived in upstate NY so replacement was normally triggered by advancing rust.

[gfretwell]

not many bends but you do cross traffic coming in from the side twice per lap.

[rbowman]

Pretty much. The southern flavor leans heavily toward Scotch-Irish, which is a US term for Scots that weren't civilized enough to live in Ulster. The northern branch is more Germans, French Canadians, and Catholic Irish.

My brother's wife was the daughter of a Baptist minister and she would explain at length why they had nothing in common with Southern Baptists. Your northern redneck may go to church but they seldom take it very seriously and are allergic to bible thumpers. I don't know all the details but I think US Presbyterianism got too liberal for the Scotch-Irish so they became Southern Baptists.

The similarities are a social conservatism, a fondness for firearms, and a distrust of oligarchs.

[rbowman]

It can be hard to tell. Most figure eight races are one step up from outright demolition derbies so you're not talking about well prepared race cars. A certain amount of smoke from oil leaking onto the manifolds or steam from faulty cooling systems is expected. Then there are the occasional flames from what's left of the exhaust system. One doesn't want to jump to hasty conclusions.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

That sounds like it makes for a lot of fun crashes. Does it?

[James Wilkinson Sword]

I really cannot understand how anyone can be monumentally stupid enough to still believe in god in the 21st century.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Remove the rule altogether. Cars attempting to complete the race while on fire are worthy of the win.

[Sue]

Actually, you can't prove God exists and you can't prove she doesn't exist either.  Most people attend church just in case.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Most people are stupid as f*ck. Sensible folk work out the probability. God existing 1 in a trillion, so why bother? Even if god did exist, since the world is in such a monumental mess, god does not deserve worshipping. God can FUCK OFF.

[rbowman]

Yeah, we don't eat chitlins... Don't eat possum either, but that's because there aren't any. We damn well don't boil our peanuts; that's just plain wrong. Don't handle rattlesnakes, least not in church.

I've got to agree with Wikipedia on hillbillies:

I like the homemade wrecker. Yankee ingenuity at it's finest. Ain't been the same since they stopped building cars on real frames and went to that unibody crap.

[rbowman]

In theory one car yields. In practice, are you kidding me?