Not an air shocks fan, so...

Took a little time to get started, but I've finally taken some baby steps. I replaced the rear air-shocks that a previous owner had installed. I know there are lots of folks who swear by them, but I'm in the "unit-body cars are not meant to have weight carried by the shock towers" camp.

The ass-end now rides on KYB Excel gas shocks. I have KYB Gas-A-Just units for the front. That will be part of the rebuild of the front end. As a side note, I have discovered three new ways to hit my head... 1/2" drive ratchet handle, left to swing in gravity's own arc, scootching under the car and conking myself on the tailpipe, and scootching out from under the car and conking the bumper extension... Three for three...!


















I took a calculated risk by buying 1" wheel spacers before actually doing the math (which means they won't work) to test fit the Mustang Bullitt rims on the drivers side. I think they will look very at home in the Hornet wheel arches once we get rid of the "baja" look. There is entirely too much room in the wheel wells as it sits. If I can get 2 inches of drop in the back and maybe 2-1/2 or 3 in the front, she should sit down over the 245/45's pretty nicely.





























Posted a few pics for your perusal...

Inside... a mixed bag...

When I bought the Hornet, the previous owner had replaced the carpet with a decent fitting, black after market piece. The back seat is from a '77 AMX and he had died the old tan dash and door cards black. So far, so good. The under-hatch area was untouched, and missing most of its factory panels, including the carpeted plywood "floor".















Since this is more of a "build" than a "restoration", I decided to just fabricate some basic, lightweight panels to give it a semi-finished look. I used 1/4" Luaun that I cut to shape and covered it in generic black automotive fabric. Contact cement is a beautiful thing. The sheet metal got two coats of rattle-can truck bed spray. The old weather seal in the hatch was powder, so I got a replacement from www.weatherstripspecial.com , it fit like a glove and I only had to trim 1" to butt the ends. I ran out of Fall, so the plywood floor goes in shortly and I need front seats. The factory units are toast, so I'm looking at newer seats as a "make-fit". I'm eye-balling some Passat seats on Craigslist. Dark grey fabric, manual adjust with lumbar... we'll see...

I'll update with a few more pics when the interior is in nearly complete condition...

UPDATE: the Passat seats won't work with the AMC seat tracks... very different design. I did get to spend an hour talking cars... still worth the trip...