Driving an AMC Gremlin for the First Time
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- Опубликовано: 3 фев 2019
- I drive the ugly to some but beautiful to others, AMC Gremlin
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Let's be honest for a minute. If you're diving a dogleg, 3-speed, super beige 76' Gremlin, you're a cool guy.
What about a Big Bad Green one with black interior and bucket seats?
@@That_AMC_Guy Whoever does so, is just as cool. He or her is just in a green one.
Poverty level Gremlin. Awesome! I agree with the owner -Tri-Five Chevys, Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs are dime a dozen at car shows. Something like the Gremlin stands out in a good way!
That or a Pinto-say what you like, I love the look of Pintos and Yugos.
@@matthewkoch6937 pintos look cool, especially the wagons.
It will never rival a 69 or 70 Mustang fastback. ever. But I will give amc credit for blazing their own path.
I had one of these new, same interior with the manual steering, brakes, transmission (w/OD) and 232 six. It would well exceed 75 MPH and smoke any subcompact car on the market. It was well built and had very comfortable seats. I loved the manual everything and the car.
dog leg first because race car.
+
Three speed.
They did race these quite successfully in IMSA back in the 70's.
The tachometer is your ears.
the tachometer is vibration through the shifter - like an Xbox controller
Plus the rattle
Yeah, Ha ha!
The luxury... you shift on your own time
“I want to be scared at 35mph”. Awesome.
I had a 1971 AMC Gremlin with a straight 6 232 cu and automatic trany, AM radio and 8-track . Loved it ! had it for almost 200,000 miles
The speedometer on my 1.4L turbo Renegade goes to 160. Now THAT'S optimistic.
I'm gonna guess you can switch it to metric mode in which case 160kph is about 100mph
Brown brown brown brown brown brown brown brown brown brown.
You missed out at least one, maybe two, browns,
And those are the most important ones!
the Swedes 50 shades of gray
Hugh Conoly yeah
And today it's Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey White Black Blue.
AMC - the perfect marque for a Cleveland Browns fan.
Needs some DAWG POUND stickers and that ugly football helmet of a logo on the doors.
AMC - the perfect marque for 70's-80's Cleveland, in general.
When the guy mentioned 'want's wagons' - Immediately reminded me that I would want one of the eagle wagon 4X4's
I would love an old '70s wagon....the look of a spaceship, the handling of a tank.
At least this one is a manual. These were WAY worse with the automatic. They also tended to swap ends in hard braking on wet or ice.
If you search behind the driver's seat, between the seat and back, you can find a wire. If you clip it, the seatbelt warning will shut off.
Now the question is...
*Eurobeat begins to play*
CAN IT DRIFT?
American hachiroku
You would bog down, if you even tried to drift it.
Me likey
60/40 split with that steering input and that i6... if you yeeet in to a corner at 60 mph you will get side ways... and keep going side ways until you hit a *insertfavoriteobsticle*
no, it really can't.
I miss my Gremlin. It was quite the eye catcher... and fast. I had installed a 68 Chevrolet 302 DZ engine, turbocharged, aluminum flywheel, 4spd, and posi. All this was done back in the 80's before everything was turbocharged. It was definitely a sleeper ! Kept it all under the hood...
Lost my finger nail to a Pacer door, I was 4. We were both a 1975 model.
Terrible. How did you lose it? Did it get caught on a part of the car?
@@scootergreen3
It happened so fast and so long ago I assume, I was retrieving something and was withdrawing my hand and my left middle finger was struck.
@@marleneroscher441 I see. Did it grow back correctly? I broke a toe when I was older and the nail didn't grow back right. It cracks every time.
@@scootergreen3 only slightly different, more fibrous than before
@@marleneroscher441 Yes, that stands to reason. I used to bite my fingernails when I was young..I bit on one too much and ruined it..it grew out fibrous and weaker which I regret to this day but it's not too noticeable. I put on nail hardener to strengthen it and it works as long as I keep putting it on every so often.
Watching this again..... man, just shift it like an automatic! 15 and 25. There's this wonderful thing called torque that you young'ns don't seem to understand. These engines make peak torque just off idle. With a soft enough clutch, you could probably run that bad boy around in 3rd all day long.
I vividly remember these cars, especially the super long 3-speed and the wacky steering
even high school girls drove these, even in Minnesota winters ... I feel like modern teenagers wouldn't do well with one
Even if it looks cool, gremlins were lemons and were dogshit cars.
BEST camera angles of any reviewer. Makes you feel like you're in the car. Seriously, keep doing these first time drives. Superb
As much as I love the reviews for their carefully chosen language and ability to really get me to understand why whatever car you're driving was made, there's such a charm to the live conversation with the owners of these normal cars.
I remember in High School they came out with a Special Edition Levi Gremlin where all the Upholstery was denim.
Darryl Wise and we got branded with the rivets in the summer.
Does it have any electrical....
GREMLINS?
Nah, it's not actually an import, so no Lucas Electrics.
You could've ended that sentence above the "show more" button.
The wiring is the same as a Jeep CJ-7 of the same year, so other than the safetybelt sensor for the passenger seat getting stuck ON, it is pretty bulletproof there.
I love those skinny, nail shaped posts in the door frame that we used to use to lock and unlock the car. Reminds me of my first car, a 1986 Cutlass Supreme (faded powder blue and some rust) that I got in 2002. Loved that thing.
Am pretty sure the 3 speed manual was never available on the column. Only the auto trans was on the column. And it definitely needed a 4 spd because the 3spd badly needed a ratio option between 1st and 2nd. I had a '71 gremlin in the most basic trim level; all vinyl bench seats with sheet rubber floor. It was supposed to be a domestic answer to econo imports, but was built with the same automotive technology as a 1950's pick up truck. But I so wish I still had mine.
They had 3 on column in 1970 base unit.
I thought the Pontiac 1000 (a Chevette with Chevette crossed out and Pontiac written in with crayon) I had in college was bad. But I had rack and pinion steering, discs on the front wheels, and a forth gear. The Pontiac 1000 seems like a luxury car now. Also makes sense that the AMC fan would also be a Cleveland Browns fan.
I've been to countries were a Chevette or T1000 would be a luxury sedan or even a sports car.
The best lemon of the lemons
That first stop brought back fond memories of using brake pedal pressure to modulate steering angle in my '68 Chrysler Newport.
I believe you can adjust the play out of the Stearing and the brakes are what is making it pull to the right . Probably the left caliper. A front end alignment wouldn't hurt either...
Poly bushings, graft manual rack/pinion, custom swaybars, tires, small v8/big v6 and tr3650......
And seats. Factory or aftermarket.
now you have to do my 1977 Pacer
YES!!
Wish I kept my 76 Pacer now.
As I understand it, this Gremlin's transmission is typical of American manual transmissions before about 1980. They were made so that you started out in first, went straight into third if at all possible, and stayed in third all the time, if possible. Third was like Drive in an automatic transmission. This was because Americans HATED shifting gears. This trait apparently dates back to the Model T, which had a planetary transmission that shifted more easily than the non-syncromesh "crashboxes" of the day. (Henry Ford personally hated those, I have read.) The use of "straight eights" in large luxury cars of the 1920's through the mid1940's is another example of this aversion to gear shifting. With a straight eight, you could START OUT in third gear, and not even bother with first. People were willing to pay extra for that. Thanks for your excellent videos.
Non synchronized transmissions would be kind of weird to be fair.
Americans? Hated shifting gears?
Back in the 60s, most sports cars came with manual as either the most common option, or the only option, if im not mistaken.
Rio Grande, I would suggest that sports car drivers are a different breed than the average driver. I would also point out that at the time I am speaking of, MOST cars came with manual transmissions. That does not mean the average American driver wanted to shift gears much. The technique of leaving the car in third gear most of the time, and engines and transmissions designed for that technique was, as I said, specifically developed to avoid that.
@@GR46404 Alot of american family cars still came with manuals, assuming they were not optioned for automatic.
Along with the fact any of the transmissions didnt have over drive, or many gears in the first place.
Take the 727 Torqueflite for example, 3 speed automatic, and at higher speed, such as highway driving, it stays in 3rd gear, because theres no 4th gear to shift up to.
Although the US and canada had the money to develop and build automatic transmissions, that doesnt mean the nation as a whole doesn't like shifting gears.
Although nowadays, it's much different, as automatics seem to be widespread in new cars all over the world.
@@GR46404 also, with cars fitted with larger displacement V8's and of course the straight 8's, yes you could start in second or third, but that doesnt mean its always a good idea. Lugging an engine can be harmful to.
"When's the end of the world in second?"
"Right about now."
It has the steering of an eighteen wheeler and the shifting as well.
Semi trucks have extremely short gears what u on about?
@@thecrazyracoon the dog leg first gear. I know semis have short gears its the reason they have so many.
oh tru
That is a reason for Hi/Low if unloaded can skip most of the gears.
I'm learning how to drive a manual right now and that open foot space is really nice to show what he's talking about
It's more beige than an old person hearing aid
...with patches of.. dark beige...because...secretions....
Lolllllll
@@jacksonbennett6151 I saw one on sunday with a green rally stripe and a lemon yellow body.
"It bucks, it spins, it yells, and it kind of goes somewhere." ...am I an AMC Gremlin?
Or my old Dodge Ram before I replaced the spark plugs?
Other than the Gremlin and the pacer AMC made some truly awesome cars like the AMX, Javelin, Matador, Ambassador, and the Hornet but their money maker was the Rambler/ American, Rouge, and Classic.
How about the Marlin?
The gremlin from what I have read was a good car compared to the possibly dangerous ford pinto and the killing itself when you overheated it Chevy Vega (not to mention it got more torque than both I believe due to the engine used(specifically a I6) and it got the second best fuel economy compared to the VW beetle at the time of introduction and was cheaper due to having all the parts as far as I'm aware made in the united states) so I would say the gremlin belongs alongside the javelin matador ambassador and hornet it is an underrated car (the pacer was innovative yes but it was too early for its time AMC was innovative as well)
That shifter sounds so nice!
Super long throws for a car, but seems so well made (only well make part on the car lol)
The bench seat shifter sucks. The bucket seat shifter puts the handle closer to the driver and isn't as long, making the shifts much shorter. Same mechanism below the floor though.
I love when you get a nice owner.
I mean its not as quirky as the gremlin, but when i drive around in my 65 Bonneville sedan, people stop and look. Despite the 60s performance cars, I think old timers are still happy to see big old sedans driving around. Even young people, who have never experienced such a large vehicle before as well. The gremlins super neat though. Im surprised that you found one with a 3 speed box.
I'm a young people and I love seeing old cars of old stripes. I even get happy to see Mailaise era cars puttering about
In 1983 my brother had a Gremlin with a three on the tree so I know that they do exist.
Depends on the year and the engine it's equipped with. Last year for column shift manuals though was 1975.
She does have character, you look good in it Mr. Regular
I can't stop laughing. I owned one. In my bell bottom days.
Look at the throw on that shifter! lol I was just watching the review and saw you miss it trying to shift into third. Just... damn.
Charming😊 My first car in 1984 was a burnt orange 76 Gremlin. Auto, power steering, 232. I put a booming sterio and Amber fog lights. Loved that old car. I'd drive it way up north and go camping. Believe it or not I could sleep in it. Fold the back seat down move the front all the way forward. And tilt the backs forward and you'd get a long bed. With a slight inclined front head side. Fun car no doubt.
1976 232 1 Barrel.... 100 hp, 185 ft-lbs of torque.
3-speed on the column is a strange deal with AMC - they only offered it with certain engine combinations and only within certain cars. In 1970 the column shift three speed was only available with the 199 engine. Selecting the 232 engine option automatically gave you the 3 speed on the floor. In 1971, with the discontinuation of the 199, only the 232 could be equipped with column 3 speed, but floor shift became a no-cost option with the 232. Starting in 1974, the Gremlin could no longer have a column shift 3-speed. After 1975, the Hornet also dropped it as well as the Pacer.
Transmission is NOT AMC. Automatics were Chrysler Torqueflites and Manuals were generally Borg-Warner sourced until 1977. Starting in 1977, AMC began to use what is colloquially referred to as the "Pinto 4-speed", a Borg Warner/Ford collaboration that is a light duty 4-speed.
The AMC steering column is from General Motors, but not a direct bolt on from a GM car.
@@timothykeith1367 That's not technically correct. The steering column came from the Saginaw Corporation; it just so happened that they were a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors. The power steering pumps and steering gearboxes are also from Saginaw.
Interestingly enough, and I did not know this until recently, the classic Chrysler/Mopar steering column that we all love with that beautifully integrated shifter quadrant is ALSO sourced from Saginaw. Chrysler steering boxes too, were Saginaw.
So, AMC wasn't the only corporation to out-source components from other companies.
Your passenger is wearing a Browns pullover. Much respect :)
Jason Sobol He probably wears it to blend in with the interior of his car...
@@joshualaw375 funny lol I'm a Cleveland sports fan, and Cleveland native...rather have the pullover than a Gremlin. I'd rather have an AMX or Javelin
The answer to a Gremlin with three-on-the-tree is yes, it was available. My dad had one of these that we used as a second car when I was little. And I distinctly remember it had it. I was shocked to see this one in the video with a floor mounted one.
Generally speaking, base engine could have column shift manual, optional engine c/w floor shift.
I'm always surprised when someone says they'd prefer a column shift. I always hated the one my dad had on his old '83 GMC pickup, because I'd always lock it up between first and second when he was trying to teach me to drive it. I was so happy when he ended up wrecking that thing because he ended up replacing it with a pickup that had a normal 4-speed floor shift.
I loved three-on-the-tree! Much less annoying when with my girlfriend at the drive-in.
Those AMC-6 engines last forever.
That’s a bit of a myth, they have a few issues that can end their life prematurely.
It’s not the AMC Jeep 4.0 straight 6 though. Those things are eternal
@@Ahnenerbe1944 Hey, guess what? The Jeep 4 litre is the same engine with a shorter stroke and a different head.
Don’t let the distributor rotate itself to top dead center though... at 3500rpms, it will blow a hole straight through the #4 piston. That’s what happened to my eagle the other day. :(
@@thechryslercrew9417 Sounds like your car had issues.
Remember this car is a kid. Called it the “hockey stick car” as that’s what the pin striping kind of looked like (if it had it). Now, Gremlins are a rare sight. Seen the odd one at car shows, but never see them driving around.
The '75 Hornet I had way back in the '80s was a better car than the '81 Ford Escort, '85 Ford F250 pickup, '76 Chrysler Cordoba, '81 Dodge Omni, and the '77 Lincoln Town Car I owned. Say's a lot about the 258 ci 6-banger/904 Torqueflite automatic equipped Hornet.
What made it better?
Those old Hornets could absorb MASSIVE abuse and shrug it off. They only thing they couldn't handle was road salt.
Great cars. I had three of them. All six-cylinder models.
Mr. Regular is there a GEO Metro Review lined up yet?
Facts used to always ride in one as a kid
I doubt any remain in 2019
@@frankbergmanII LeMons used up many of the survivors, but I still see a convertible Metro on a frequent basis. I think the guy uses it as a daily driver in good weather.
@@crowttubebot3075 The fair-weather 'verts seemed to stick around the longest but even those are scarce now. My '94 is in a barn waiting for a rust free donor car and I sure miss it.
@@frankbergmanII they have survived in California, CL ranges from 700 (the last one I bought a couple years ago) to 2500 "fully restored" shitboxes. East coast ones probably rusted out around 2010😅
We had a 1971 Hornet SST Coupe....light blue with a dark blue interior and vinyl top. Also a 258 version of the six with a Borg Warner automatic....Chrysler started supplying AMC with Torqueflites in 1972..Dad was in grad school and needed a cheap new car...and the Hornet fit the build.
Ours had Weather Eye with Factory AC.....the AC vents were on a parcel shelf on the lower part of the dash. The levers were stiff to move...a rotating knob was used for the AC and the strongest setting was Desert Only. The interior plastics cracked...the doors sagged...the tops of the fenders started to rust. The windows will fall out of their tracks in to the doors. It stalled at intersections.....if you left it idle, it would load up and stall....the Alternator light was stuck on. The dealer tried to correct some of these items but couldn't...
My older brother learned how to drive using this car. It was in three car accidents...one so severe the hauled it to a wrecking yard but the insurance adjuster proclaimed it to be repairable so it spend a few weeks at an AMC dealership getting fixed. Dad considered trading the car for a SAAB 99....our AMC dealer was also starting up a SAAB franchise....but his job transferred him to a rural town with no SAAB dealer and the Hornet stayed with us. In 1981, I got my license....I thought I would get a chance to drive the Hornet....but Dad sold it for about $250.00..there wasn't much left of the car...we got our money's worth and I think he just wanted it gone.
Years later, I found a Hornet SC/360 for sale...decent shape for not much money....before their values started to climb....Dad looked at the ad and shuddered....recalling the various maladies our Hornet had....and the challenge of maintaining a car from an obsolete car company that has a niche following. So I passed on it. The engine never had troubles...got up to 25 mpg on the highway...the rest of the car was pretty much a rolling summary of the malaise era.
"Does the steering wheel adjust?" SMGDMFH
Mr. Regular sounds so concerned driving the gremlin
I actually prefer the AMC Gremlin. Probably one of my 4 only favorite 70s car.
Chevy Chevelle
AMC Gremlin
Chevy Nova 1972
Chevy C10
Also it's got so much leg room you could spread you legs right out and lean back.
Please do more motorcycle reviews even if they are short, they are great videos 🙏🏾
For me I would want the seat a little closer to the front. That way you would not have to reach so far to get into second gear.
You shift out of first into second at about 15 mph and than into third at about 25 mph. You don't need to take it out of gear when rolling up to a stop. Use the brake down to about 10 mph then through in the clutch and slide it into first, then you are ready to go from a stop. If you are not going to stop slip into second and give it the gas and let out the clutch. By the way it won't hurt to lug the engine that is the way we drove them.
All it needs is a 5speed and a lower final drive maybe some suspension work.
first starting out this video had me dying laughing. The startup, the takeoff, the brake grabbing the gears, the headlight dimmer swicth etc ....... once it got up to around 45 I slowl;y became nervous watching this with how it pulls, alignment, brakes, & tons of loose play in steering .
What a fun car. I'd love to have one here in Europe.
They were imported here officially as part of the AMC's Renault deal back in the days.
Mostly France and Netherlands.
@@Crazy_Borg Cool, I didn't know that. I wonder what the prices are for one in good condition and if it's possible to get parts for it here in Europe.
@@Crazy_Borg AMC did have dealerships under the Rambler name in england not sure about continental Europe though
"My temp gauge goes not move from 'C'." My parents' Taurus was like that. It was also incredibly quiet. I don't know anything about engines, but I'm guessing those facts are connected.
Ah not really. Quiet is insulation and noise limits for modern cars. The stuck on C and no heat means the Previous owner took the thermostat out rather than spend $10 on a new one or the one in it is stuck open.
Make way for the lemon parade
Make way for my girl
Make way for the lemon parade
Make way for my girl
*WANE’S WORLD, PARTY TIME, EXCELLENCE!*
Joshua Law but this is a gremlin not a Pacer.
Samee, tach is essential on this car
I want to transplant this steering wheel into my Volvo. So simple. Easy to grab and cruise
My 1st car was a 78 gremlin auto all original interior and exterior and radio. Mine had a 8 track player as well lol. Blue leather interior blue exterior.
I payed $700 for mine:)
It was a blast to do donuts on the snow in a open parking lot too haha.
The thumbnail looks like Mr.Regular has three arms😂
Yes you could get a Gremlin with a 3 on the tree as an option
Not really an option, it was standard equipment depending on the year and the engine chosen. For instance you couldn't get a 304 or a 258 engine with a 3-on-the-tree. It simply wasn't offered.
I owned a '73 inline 6 cylinder three-speed column shift. Diamond blue with red stripes trim and javelin wheel covers. And an 8-track on the hump.
I have an odd obsession with station wagons as well....
Same I'm buying a Buick roadmaster estate wagon for my first wagon to park next to my 93 Buick park avenue sedan (not sure if they made a wagon version if they did please let me know cause I want one)
Haven’t seen you review a Crosstrek, should review my 17’ Subaru Crosstrek MT!
My Dad owned two AMC Ambassadors. One the left front spindle sheared off as I was turning onto Treasure Island in the bay area. Looking at the spindle you could see it was cracked half through and was just the last part failed. His second one he let my cousin drive to work and he pulled a left turn in front of a Volvo wagon an took the hit right in the drivers door. Nothing came into the car. Cousin did not have a scratch. The car was a total wreck though.
I want to see you review a Trabant and some kind of Russian car
Have we sent him to Russia yet?
forgotten car brands
"Does this steering wheel adjust ar all?" Forget what century you were in for a second?
I love my gremlin!!!! Especially if you have the 304!!!
I love the 1976 hremlin
Same feeling to watch your video as watching one on a plymouth '39 ... forty years of not evolving design from 'merican cars
shorter steering rack, four-speed transmission and shifter more close to the driver, and probably this car will be pretty fun to drive
Been in one of these maybe 2x. Neat car
You can legitimately feel how the seatbelt is to use just by the sound alone.
Roadkill has there Green one. The most rare one is the pacer wagon like the pinto wagon
The longer I watch it the more I like it.
This my dream car !!!
My dream car as a kid was a Gremlin, but a manual Gremlin sounds like the worst thing ever invented.
I wonder if the interior warped over the years. Making look so rough now.
That's exactly what happened. Millennials expect something that's 42 years old to be perfect.
@@That_AMC_Guy Hey im a millennial and I knew better lol.
The fit & finish of the interior pieces on these was an order more raggedy than almost anything else made at the time.
@@ricochetey You think this is bad, you should have seen my college roommate's wreck of a Corolla. That thing shuddered and banged like it was going to fall apart in a cartoon. I'm amazed it ran.
@@maggiekoch9348 That’s because Toyotas are crazy reliable and will just about run forever!
The gremlin is a nice little car. Did they come optionally with air conditioning and an am fm cassette or 8 track player.?
My sister bought a new Gremlin in 1971, looked at the new Chevy Vega. Much better car than the Vega.
Id be getting those heart attack brakes and loose steering fixed pronto.
Didn't age particularly well, did it? I don't recall my 1974 Gremlin X having those steering and braking issues.
THat is the same motor used in all 4.0L Jeeps up to 2004.
This is why I want a classic so bad just to go cruising I'd probably drive it more then my little hatch but I have not a lot of cash and no where to store it
It looks like the Gremlin was aptly named :)
That is truly my dream car
This thing remind me times when i drove soviet ZIL truck, but gears shifting was shorter...
It’s LIT
fuck these niggas up
It's also brown
Come on mr gremlin owner, replace the t stat so the engine runs right, put new tie rod ends on to tighten the steering and get the brakes fixed before you let him review it. Show it at its best. Thats like $250 in parts max. That cars too clean to drive around with messed up parts, especially if you paid $4000 for it.