Amazon, arguably the best classic car of all time.

[amazondean]

Hi all, I see not much has been written lately so I thought I would have a go. I have been reading past articles that have interested me and it's refreshing to see people having the same troubles and frustrations as I have on a daily basis. I have owned a classic car in one form or another for the last fifteen years continuously, but when I new nothing about them I had very few problems. Now I have learned how to tackle jobs, I have always got problems, one after another. I don't help myself as I seem to have several classics at the same time.

Since discovering amazons five years ago, things have changed abit in the life of owning a car. I have done away with a modern car and only drive amazons. The reason for this is because I have always wanted to maintain my cars myself but I have no interest in modern cars as when you lift the bonnet I get that sinking feeling of "were do you start" and there seems to be so much junk under there that I don't believe is needed. I owned a 1990 volvo 740 estate before I bought my amazon and one day it broke down. It turned out the float needle stuck shut on one side of the carb. That was an easy fix but I found that if you disconnected the many rubber pipes that connected to it and the many sensers, it would still run normaly. The 740 is still a very easy animal to work on though, compared with more modern cars. Insidentaly I found that even today the 740 is still the most comfortable car I have ever sat in and driven, even comparing it to any modern car. But as far as classic cars go I think the amazon takes some beating.

Practical classics did a survey to find the top 100 most practical classic and the amazon finished at about number 30, but most of the cars that beat it cannot be as practical as the amazon. I have owned many different classics including morris minors, singer vogue standard 8, mgb, riley rme, and a few more besides. I enjoy all classic cars so I don't think I am biased. But I think to find out the most practical classic, is to use that vehicle as a main car and nothing else and see what your reaction would be after say six months. You would soon get tired of the smaller cars on long journeys. The larger cars fare better but petrol consumption is a big issue if the car is being used all the time. Then theres the spares availability. That alone would render most classics unusable as an every day car, although the price of panels for the amazon are not cheap, there are still plenty of good second hand items out there. Next is how easy the cars are to work on, and once again the amazon wins hands down. Most big classics that are capable of doing mileage, seam to have various gadgets for luxury, which as they get older often go wrong and can be a pain to sort out. There are no gadgets on an amazon but what is there is good quality and strong. comfort is another big issue as I do suffer from my back slightly. Only the bigger classic saloons offer comfort that might beet the amazon but as long as you have replaced the webbing under the seats they are excellent and very suportive. safety is also very important. I would still feel safer in an amazon than most other classic machines. All classics have carricter, the amazon is no exception and that is often the appeal with classics but the amazon has class as well and infinately good looking from all angles. I had the classic amazon colour of red with a white roof once. Elvis would not have looked out of place driving it. And of course the good old heater. There is no classic out there that can boast vulcanic, although trying to control the heat can be tiresome.

I shall be posting information regarding the restoration of my other amazons as I get time, and all the usual problems that I will encounter.

Dean.

[222s]

Dean, there's no arguably about it - an Amazon is by far the most practical and useable classic car!!

As for Riley RMs, if it was a 2.5, I'd happily use one everyday provided that I had a garage, as sadly the body won't tolerate being parked outside all year round for long. Minors & Spridgets are great cars, but so maintenance intensive (suspension greasing etc every 1000 miles) and not suited to high cruising speeds unless expensively modified. However an o/d Amazon is a great long distance car - mine has been driven to Germany & back several times, something that I wouldn't even dream of doing in my Sprite.

My Amazon was bought not as a classic car, but as a reliable family car and workhorse, a job whch it has done extremely well. I cannot recommend them more highly :-)

Paul

http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulhark...ture.sized.jpg
1967 Amazon 122S B20 o/d Estate, 1961 A-H Sprite Mk2 948cc

[amazondean]

Hi Paul, The RM that I owned was the 1.5 but I never got it on the road. Like all my other cars it required some restoration. I kept it for a year or so and then decided better of it. I can do restoration work to a point but I don't want it to take over my life, and that is what the RM would have done, so I sold it before I started. I had a morris minor traveller that I used daily for four years but It used to fill up with water. In the winter I had to scrape the ice from the inside as well.

The singer vogue was ok but it was the later arrows shape. Quite ugly realy.

I still own a 1969 mgb that I will probably sell next year. One or two amazons will have to go as well, so I can concentrate on just keeping what I need on the road and just have one realy nice one in the garage. But I need to finish them off first. below is a photo of one I have been messing with on and off for a couple of years. I hope to finish it next year. It's not as bad as it looks. There has been alot of money spent on the mechanicals by the previous owner. Including fully rebuilt engine and overdrive gearbox and new bushes all round.

[TomTom]

I agree on all fronts. We all have little things that irritate us, but these seem to be less on the Amazon than other classics. They break down, they rust, but just less than others.

Get the noise level down and it would be perfect!

By the way, has anyone put sound-proofing on areas other than the floor with great results? Such as headliner, bonnet, that kind of thing?

Tom

[amazondean]

Hi Tom. I have found the biggest irritation as far as noise is concerned, is wind noise. I replaced all the window channel on all four doors. Even stripped them out of the doors and replaced with new. It was very time consumeing, as all the glass has to come out and that meant the stainless steel strip on top of the doors needed to come off as well, which is a real pain to fit without damaging the paint. I did all mine when I stripped the car down when I was restoring it. The difference is amazing. I can be doing 70 mph in overdrive and still talk to the wife or listen to the kids fighting in the back. You know when the seals need replacing when it's quieter with the quarter light open.

On all the amazons i've had and still got, the sound deadening material in the doors end up holding water and rotting them out.

As for fixing sound proof to your roof. Have you ever replaced the headlining. I have taken the lining off two cars that I stripped just to see how difficult it was. I don't plan on replacing one if I can help it!

Dean.

[Mike_Brace]

I ran a 1970 131 for about 2 years as my only car covering 25,000+ miles a year - Mechanically I just worked my way through mechanical items on a replace before they fail basis. I have to agree with all comments made. The only reason I am not running it at present is that it was beginning to suffer dreade corrosion around srceen and the rear end had fractured - the shell is still on the workshop waiting finishing. Hopefully it will return to daily usage before too long.

Mike

[TomTom]

Hi Dean

Could you let me know a good sourse for window channel material? What do you ask for when ordering?

I find that the door rubber is fine, but the state of the rubber round the vent-window can make a huge difference to the whistling sound.

My car is better now that I put dynamat up the firewall, but I still get a lot of noise through from the engine bay and transmission tunnel. Maybe some more dynamat on the top of the tunnel will help.

Tom

[Mike_Brace]

I always use Brookhouse for all rubbers, channels and so on for the amazons 01473218006.

[grantbennett2]

I think the Amazon is the best! There aren´t many other classic cars which can live outside for 40 years and still survive. It is fun to drive if maybe a little heavy at times, and always gets people asking questions or recalling past owned cars of their own.

It can be whatever you desire. with the two tone scheme and white walls a 50s classic, and in a single colour a more 60s looking car.

Having just returned to Volvo ownership after 7 years I hope to keep this car for longer.

And was , before its respray a fantastic carry all for visits to the tip and the re-cycling centre. LONG LIVE VOOVL!!!!

[biggbn]

just replaced my amazon estate with an xj40 jag....the smoothness, the quiet, the sophistication...........the boredom!!..nobody looks at me now!!...miss the old bus already, agreee with all the above points...great everyday car, great looks...god i want another one!!...(but then this happens every time i sell an old car....i might get over it!!)