Ambassador Vlog 4: Trans & Spring Swap

[@davidsimmons9763]

My dad pulled a boat in his 72 Ambassador. He upgraded the rear shocks to Monroe Air Shocks. My mom used the car for her 9-5 banking job. I got to use it all the rest of the time between ‘74-‘77. You could really smoke the tires easily. That was what I was known for amongst my friends. It would chirp 2nd gear under the right conditions. Had the 360 2 barrel. Also had a special gear ratio in the rear end (I don’t remember what it was). That car would pull our boat like it was nothing. Pull it right up the boat ramp like a truck! Heavy boat, too! Don’t know what it weighed, but it was built in the 60’s, 21 foot, had a cabin, wide beam, and was powered by an inboard Buick V-6 with OMC stern drive.

[@AutoMoments]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing your AMC memories.

[@seiph80]

I love that whirling transmission sounds of rear wheel drive cars. I own a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria and the transmission still makes that whirling, albeit modern, sound!

[@commodore54]

My first car was a yellow 1972 AMC Ambassador SST. Bought it in 1982 for a dollar. Wish I still had it...basic, but a sweet ride for a 16 year old. Learned a lot from working on that car....no computer...points and condenser ignition, carb...etc. You could fix anything in your own driveway.

[@jedw]

I couldn't agree more; when you fix ONE thing that's been bugging you on a car it feels great! Doesn't make it a new car but it's a great feeling.

[@AutoMoments]

Indeed! It's such a good feeling. Thanks for watching!

[@peterpanassow7814]

Beautiful car! Always loved AMC.

[@devonnewest7990]

me too!

[@bricklinhh3481]

You are correct. Increasing the rear spring rate decreases understeer and/or increases oversteer depending on the front spring rate, shock rate and anti roll bar rate. Welcome to the world of getting your classic car dialed in while you play detective figuring out how many goofy things people that previously owned the car have done to it. Very nice job on the MotorWeek segment on the cougar! Looking forward to seeing your next Auto Moments videos. Thank you for keeping your car out of the salt.

[@AutoMoments]

Thank you thank you! There's always something new to learn about cars!

[@Cemi_Mhikku]

@@AutoMoments And almost as often something new to learn about *your* car, if the previous owner(s) have been active with making 'adjustments'. For example, I just picked up an '88 Volvo 245, and the very first thing I noticed was that someone had rewired the exterior light circuit *after* the ignition. Take the key out and the lights are off. Put it back in and turn it back to accessory, and bam, you have your headlights.

[@neutrodyne]

I'm not a transmission expert. I am an old timer and I remember the condition you experienced with your transmission was a common one. This condition was known as slipping between gears or simply a slipping transmission. As I recall some times it could be corrected by a transmission fluid and filter change and sometimes you could tighten up the bands in the transmission. If that didn't work then it was time for a transmission overhaul.

[@emjayay]

No expert either, but automatics started getting clutches instead of bands, and clutches are probably not adjustable. (I also heard about adjusting bands.)

[@neutrodyne]

@@emjayay I found a video on how to adjust the bands. Here it is kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWjCdaJuf7aKgJo

[@emjayay]

Not sure if they still offer them, but you used to be able to get overload shock absorbers with a spring around them, intended for maybe a station wagon you were using for heavy loads. I had a 40+ year old '62 Lincoln that had them when I got it. It was pretty flat front to back. I'm sure they were added to fix (roughly) the often seen leaf spring sag on these cars. It would be a cheaper fix laborwise and maybe parts too than replacing sagging coils or leaf springs, and you probably need new shocks anyway.

[@Somd301]

Joe, keep up the good work! I always enjoy your videos and enjoy seeing more of the ambassador. Cheers from Maryland.

[@Pisti846]

The 1974 Ambassador had a really super nice front-end design, too bad so few were made. But at least its transmission has a new home.

[@MrFigg-wn4wr]

Really enjoy your videos. Looking forward to more!

[@AutoMoments]

Thank you! We've got more on the way, so stay tuned.

[@jvatell6111]

Thanks for the update and I'm looking forward to seeing your other upcoming projects...👍

[@AutoMoments]

Thank you for watching!

[@bonjaevel2]

I love the Ambassador :o)

[@AutoMoments]

Thanks for watching!

[@peterpanassow7814]

Me too! Awesome cars

[@dadgarage7966]

The new rear springs corrected the vehicle's ride height and front suspension geometry and alignment.

[@johnhoward7298]

I almost always find that , once You start fixing on a car , You NEVER get finished working on it You just run out of money !

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

Good update! Congrats on the new transmission.

[@AutoMoments]

Thanks for watching!

[@RhinoXpress]

Wow more car reviews coming soon? i can't wait. Hopefully it becomes the norm and we'll get more classic car reviews more often.

[@AutoMoments]

We've got some good stuff in the pipeline! Thanks for watching!

[@judethaddaeus9742]

It’s interesting that you mention your Ambassador needing new rear springs because of a sagging tail. I’m a longtime AMC enthusiast and owned a Gremlin and Eagle as a teenager in the late ‘90s. It seems that so many AMC ads and press photos from about 1967-83 at least showed their cars sagging in the back from new. I’ve always wondered why. Did AMC just use weak or soft rear springs at the rear of their cars? Or overly robust springs in the front that they knew would mellow under their heavy engines over time? And why would they advertise cars that so obviously looked like they were dragging their tails? Here are a few examples of what I mean. What do you think? 1967 “Now Cars” 0:10 and 0:38 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIekop95ibd-h8U 1969 Ambassador 0:45 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5u4gJeVg7aUqKc 1975 Pacer 0:38 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ-oh4yXoMl1o68 1982 Eagle SX/4 4:03 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpTHg4mNe9yVZ6s 1983 Spirit and Concord 3:45-4:00 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH_ahpijisuLaKs 1983 Concord 5:55 kzbin.info/www/bejne/opibc32rnZllhM0

[@AutoMoments]

Yeah, I see what you're saying. This is just an educated guess, but part of it may have been just the "style" of the era was to have a lower rear end, and maybe the soft springs provided more of the ride customers wanted. Also, part of it is maybe a visual effect; the rear wheel wells are a different size and shape than the front ones, which I think exaggerates the look of the rear end sagging. It is interesting how so many commercials show the same look. I wonder if other carmakers' cars look like that too.

[@judethaddaeus9742]

AutoMoments Thanks for your thoughts! In the ‘50s and early ‘60s, I think a lower tail was common for sports cars like the Spitfire, 61-66 Thunderbird, Duetto Spider, and Austin-Healey 3000. Those seem more to be drooping rear fender lines. Your point about lower rear wheelarches is a good observation. I look at whether the rocker panels are parallel to the ground to mitigate the optical illusion you noted. In the examples I posted, the rocker panels on each car don’t seem parallel to the ground. In the ‘60s and early ‘70s, that might be okay. But once the gas crisis hit, this situation would hurt aerodynamic efficiency significantly because so much air is going under the front of the car and through its suspension and mechanicals rather than being directed over the much smoother body. So it seems kind of strange to me. By the mid 1970s, wedge styling was in, which has the opposite effect. I don’t see a lot of other period car ads from other companies showing cars with sagging rear ends like AMC’s ads do.

[@AutoMoments]

@@judethaddaeus9742 Yeah. It definitely would be interesting to do a comparison with cars parked side by side!

[@JeffKing310]

Fun video - and good job Homer!

[@billschlafly4107]

@1:50 - It should be noted that Infiniti drivers are ALL super smart people with infinite driving ability. I believe that person who ran the stop sign instantly recognized your transmission was bad and decided not to waste time waiting for you. Sometimes Infiniti drivers get confused with BMW drivers. BMW drivers are simpletons who are oblivious to their surroundings.

[@AutoMoments]

Hahaha. We don't want to paint anybody with a broad brush. As for the Ambassador, it was still pretty quick off the line even with the old trans; now even more so!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I hope you're able to get the car working like it should. That way you can truly enjoy it by the time Spring and Summer comes around. :)

[@Sedan57Chevy]

I can't wait for spring, absolutely love this Ambassador and the care you give it. It's nice to see a less-known car get love on a YT channel. And is that a MARK V??!?!?!?!?!?! And a Kaiser?! And a Bricklin! Now I'm really excited for what's in store.

[@AutoMoments]

We can't wait for spring either! But we'll hopefully have the Mark V video done soon. Stay tuned!

[@douglasb.1203]

Joe Ligo have you watched any of "The Conjuring" movies? Complete Matador-fests.

[@AutoMoments]

Ha, no I haven't! Guess I'll have to, now.

[@Bleachanna]

My guess is that it didn't have enough fluid to put enough pressure on the clutches and burnt it up.

[@AutoMoments]

Probably. That's the trouble with buying 40 year old cars, you never know quite what to expect.

[@travosk8668]

3:20 "The Car" What if you're his car?

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

You know how to adjust the throttle valve cable adjustment right Joe? Biggest thing on a 727....

[@AutoMoments]

Yes, Homer talked to us about that. Always something new to learn!

[@Shwalker07]

It's good to know a Homer.

[@AutoMoments]

Yes it is! Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@buggs9950]

0:45 It looked for a moment like that 'tard in the Jeep wasn't gonna stop. No throttle sense whatsoever..

[@olehoel77]

Is that the seatbelt hanging in the window?

[@AutoMoments]

Yes! The shoulder belts are not retractable, so there's a little clip on the ceiling to hold them up when not in use. Joe talks about them in this episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZK4k56lh8h7l9E

[@emjayay]

@@AutoMoments So no one actually used them! I had a 1969 Renault 16 with nonretractable seat/shoulder belts. I had to unhook to reach the radio. No leaning!

[@Al-thecarhistorian]

Love the vlog. Love your Ambassador. My favorite year was the 1972 models. Now the rear looks a bit too high! Will it settle any?

[@AutoMoments]

It looks better in person. it's a little high, but not obnoxiously so. Thanks for watching!

[@josemanuel5749]

Hi Joe!

[@douglascox596]

Yes

[@robertsuper7451]

Snazzy