Maxi Blue Javelin - Post Blown Engine

7/1/07 UPDATE: Bad news folks... a few weeks ago while driving Maxi to work, the engine blew. Yup, I was cruising along on rt95 when these strange noises started coming from under the hood. I managed to get the car from the third lane over into the breakdown lane without incident. As soon as I stopped, the engine quit. A few phone calls later (boy am I glad I have that emergency pre-paid phone!) and AAA was on the way. A CVS Cares Van stopped behind me so I had some rear coverage. Then Todd showed up. A flatbed towed Maxi back to Todd's garage, and I decided to take the day off.

Now, here's the skinny: we plan to take the 401 out of the car and put Todd's old 360 in for now, as his driveway is packed to the gills with cars and his parents aren't too happy about it. We finally have the engine crane on site. We just need time and stamina... whatever THOSE are!

Todd's friend John looked over the car's body for me, and says it is worth saving. That means I may just take the plunge, get a loan, and have the car redone. Bodywork, paint, and engine rebuild. I was on the fence about it, but think of how much rarer a 401 Maxi Blue Javelin is compared to most Hemi cars! I don't think I could let the car go... especially now that AMC prices are on the rise.

So there we have it, folks. I need to talk to another of Todd's friends and see if he is willing to do the bodywork soon. But for now, Maxi is grounded. Watch this space as things progress... slooooowly...

9/1/07 UPDATE: PROGRESS! Yesterday, from about 11am to 7:30pm, we toiled in the dirt and heat to get the 401 out, and donor 360 in. Now, you have to understand that things would have moved far quicker if we didn't have a quicksand-driveway to contend with. The Winn Brook (hence our part of town being named the Winn Brook section) runs under Todd's parents' driveway. The whole thing has sunk into big ruts where cars are parked, and the asphalt is like wet sand in places. The wheels of the floor jacks and engine hoist just dug into the "pavement" over and over. We finally had to hook the hoist up to Todd's handy Truckpoo and use it to push and pull the thing along. Then there was the exhaust system getting in the way, more transmission fluid and coolant gushing all over, and other fun events. The car rolled backwards twice, once becuase a floor jack tipped and the wheel chocks didn't work, the other when the truck slipped out of park and into reverse. Fun stuff...

But as of this second, all we need to do is start hooking things back up, install the driveshaft, and order some things like hoses. Then hopefully the car will start up, and run! We'll see what happens!!

9/2/07 UPDATE: Wellp, now we know what happened to my engine. There is part of a valve resting in a cylinder... with a very pounded piston. The bore is nicked up. Not sure if it can be sleeved. One head is toast, too. Will have to look into weather or not the block can be saved... Watch this space for updates.

6/14/08 UPDATE: This update is long overdue! After some teething problems, Maxi is back on the road. I started taking it to work, which was nice. The 360 turns out has two broken exhaust manifold bolts, so there is a loud exhaust leak. But it runs great.

I finally got my new tires installed on 6/4/08. They still had shipping tags on them from when I bought them through work. Since then, the dealership owner has changed. Proves how long I have been waiting! One of our best mechanics is a Brit named Colin. He was willing to help me out after work. It was a warm, wet day, and the car wasn't running that great. I figured it was the damp weather. We put Maxi on a lift, and started the long process of swapping out the old, wrong size and mis-matched Coopers to 70 series Firestone Firehawks. I say long because we had the trim rings and screw-on center caps to contend with. But the job got done, and from the second the car hit the ground on new sneakers, things went down the toilet.

As the car idled in the shop, the thing reaked of gas. It drove funny on the way home, and when I pulled into Todd's driveway to have him look at it, we found gas literally pouring out of the '76 carb. Long story short, Todd rebuilt it the next day, and it was still pouring the gas. A Jeep friend gave us a rebuilt carb to try, and so far, it works. It just needs to be tuned. So I will hopefully be able to drive the car very soon.

More good news is that Todd's blue '74 AMX may finally get driven after its engine rebuild. The 360 has been plauged by fuel problems. He figured it was the carb. Soooo, he took back his carb which was on my blown 401, put on it his car, and the fuel issue didn't change. Sooooo, we installed a new fuel pump last night. So far, so good... we just need to test drive it and see how it all works. I think Todd will be happy if it's good-to-go.

9/1/08 UPDATE: I am becoming known in local AMC circles as the gal with the car that doesn't run. People know who I am at shows as soon as I say "my car isn't running right now".

Maxi isn't doing well. The rebuilt 3500 carb we borrowed is awful. I can't even explain how bad it runs. It barely makes it across the street. We got a tip at a show where we could buy a spreadbore adapter and try running the 4300 carb on the later 360 manifold.

But I think I better bite the bullet and get the 401 rebuilt, if possible. I miss driving the car...

6/30/09 UPDATE: Long time no update... because there isn't a whole lot to update about! I am currently unemployed, which isn't all that fun. And Maxi is still not right.

I revently decided to change the spark plugs, thinking that maybe they were fouled from when the carb went caputsky. I had to get a new battery, but got the car into the driveway. A little while later, all of the pitch-black plugs were replaced with new AC Delcos. When I started the car up, it still ran funny, but it seemed to clear up. The car doesn't have a current inspection sticker, so I couldn't drive it much, and while it was a little better, the carb still isn't right. I don't want to drive it so the new plugs don't fould again.

So what the car needs now is someone who is good with carbs. HELP!!!!

10/12/09 UPDATE: The latest is that Maxi is running well enough to make the 60 mile round trip to the East Bridgewater MA AMC show this year! It still isn't running like a top, but it made it. Perhaps the big wash and wax the day before was good for its ego... I have even taken it on a few local railfan trips (see photo). Opinions are that we need to look deeper into the engine timing to make it run better...

I finally have new metal shelves in our basement for AMC parts! I was told I can have the corner where the oil tank used to be. Thing is, I don't want some parts to get damp, so they are still in plastic totes. But at least things like valve covers are in a safe place now.

I have been trying to find out where to get correct, plastic safe blue paint for the interior. It is harder than you'd think! I'd like to get the faded plastic parts done so the interior looks uniform.