My 1977 Hornet-Amx Made Front Cover Of Old Cars Weekly Magazine On Oct. 20, 2011

[Bobs Eagles]

For the past few years I received a "Special Invitation" from Iola Old Car Show to bring my 1977 Hornet-Amx and my 1967 Marlin to the show in the Blue Ribbon Area. This last July, 2011 show I was one of the first cars to arrive on Thursday Morning, so I got a good "up front" parking spot for all to see my Amx. Well, one of the editors of Old Cars Weekly News & Marketplace magazine saw my car and asked to take pictures of it, and for me to tell him about the car! He said he would put the story and pictures in one of the issues in the months to come. Well, looking at the picture below, IT MADE IT in the October 20, 2011 Issue. The fellow did a pretty good job writing up the story and taking pictures. He did make a few mistakes by listing a wrong city where I live now, but I did grow up near that city, & maybe some wording not to plain, as he may just had confused those things. But over all, A GREAT STORY on my Amx! I am very happy with it! I gave him so much information on the car I have owned since new, when I bought it right off the dealers show room floor. I still get the same "Great Feeling" of driving it today, as I did my very first time back in 1977! Anyhow, he made most of my story on how I got the car restored back in 1987, as Rusty Jones Footed the bill! I had the work done on it all at the local Amc Dealership just months before Chrysler bought Amc. Otherwise I may not have gotten all those NOS rocker panels, and other parts! Yes, I even still have all the paper work from Rusty Jones from back over 24 years ago, just before they went bankrupt! So with my restoration being over 24 years ago, it does have some minor dings in the paint, some that weren't even taken out when they did the work on the car, as they just painted over some area's that didn't have rust, to get the paint to look all matched. If you want to know more on the story, you will have to go out and read the issue!

[JayRamb]

Under warranty? Now that's customer service!

[A-A EAGLE]

Congratulations!

Anjo
Holland

[Jurjen]

Very Nice!

Jurjen
(Also from the Netherlands )

[Sunny]

I'm curious how you got it restored under warranty?

[thereverendbill]

that is awesome and a beautiful hornet

[JSK]

Congrats!!! Great looking car - well done.

[Bobs Eagles]

I am also posting page one of the three page story written by a editor of Old Cars Weekly on my Hornet-Amx. As it shows a decal of Rusty Jones I still have on my right side back window of my Amx. As a member asked how I got my car restored by Rusty Jones back in 1987. As back in 1977 when I bought my new Hornet-Amx the local AMC dealership talked me into having them put the Rusty Jones Rust Proofing on my car for $155. As the warranty stated, "As long as I own the car, and if it would rust, Rusty Jones will pay for the repairs". The fine print also said, "Each year I must take it back to a Rusty Jones Dealer and have it inspected for rust or needing more rust proofing on area's that had washed off". As each year the month I bought the car I would make a appointment and get it checked, and they would do the paper work and send it in to the company that I brought it in for the check. I did this for all the 10 years I had the car, so my warranty was still in effect if it rusted out. Most people who bought the rusting proofing "never went back for yearly checks" so their warranty then ended. The first three or four years I was able to take it to the Amc dealership that I bought the car from, as they had the Rusty Jones franchise. But later on they dropped Rusty Jones, so I had to go to the Mazda/Nissan dealership, as they picked up the Rusty Jones franchise then. As I hated going there making a appointment and having them check and spray more Rusty Jones on the car. But I am glad I did, as when the front fenders rusted Thur and the rocker panels got so rusting that once I had a flat tire and tried to jack up the car with scissors jack, I only jacked up the rocker panel, not the car. Both doors got rusting around hinges and bottom and rear quarter panels area by the AMX decals also had holes. So I contacted Rusty Jones and a adjuster came out to look at the car, and wrote up all the things it needed, and I got the local AMC dealership to do the work. All paid for by Rusty Jones! Rusty Jones sent me a check with my name and the name of the Amc dealership who did the work. I guess that way I couldn't just keep the money, I had to have the work done. They took almost two weeks to repair my Amx, as I remember the shop manager telling me they almost had my car cut in half with all those repairs. As I know they had other cars to repair, so I told them to take their time and do a good job. Some of the repairs were two new front fenders, both doors, new inner and outer rocker panels, repaired rear quarter panel around AMX decals, and Of course the new paint job! So here is page one.

[JayRamb]

Awesome and amazing history with the car.

[Sunny]

Thats an awesome story!

[rohnk]

With yearly checks, wouldn't they have caught the problems before they became problems? Maybe I am missing something..

[Bobs Eagles]

Rusty Jones required "RUST HOLES" in the area before they would do anything! So when I just had "surface rust" on my yearly checks, they would just spray on the back side more Rusty Jones rust proofing. I guess they were hoping I would sell the car or forget to bring it back the next year. But I did get some repairs done before on the car, but this time, the FOURTH time when they really did alot. Yes, thats right, back in 1981 they paid for two new front fenders, which with Wisconsin Salty winters, rusted again by 1987. The other two times were some minor repairs on a hole in quarter panel, and other time a hole by door hinge. But those repairs didn't last more then a year or two until everything just let loose back in 1987 and I got the good job done. Now you know why Rusty Jones went bankrupt! In case you are wondering, the Amx never was driven in the winter again, as I parked it pretty much for 10 years until I could put Wisconsin Collector plates on it. I started driving "Eagles" daily back then in 1987 which drove thru the snow a lot better then the Amx anyhow. That Eagle lasted 20 years in Wisconsin Salty winters until I had to park it because most of the left front end rusted away by shock towers and all around it.