ACTUAL MILES-81940!
I discovered this very rare Hornet Sportabout Wagon in Alturas, California. My friend Kirby in Reno was disposing of some of his elderly father’s possessions. I was lucky enough to meet Kirby when I purchased the first vehicle of his Dad’s, a pristine 1987 Suzuki Samurai “Tin Top”. He let me know at that time that he would be selling his Dad’s Hornet Wagon. I had such a great experience with the first purchase; I couldn’t pass up the Hornet. I WAS NOT DISSAPOINTED!!! Like the Samurai, this Vehicle showed complete pride of ownership and although he used it daily, he never abused it. The patina on this car is amazing! It was built 1 year after I graduated from high school and still sports its original heavily faded but gorgeous sea foam green paint and completely original interior. It started right up and I drove it into my trailer for the 800-mile trip home to my shop in Driggs, Idaho. I could not wait to start a sympathetic restoration on this car! How many of them are left? Very few in this condition!
When I returned to the shop, I couldn’t stand not driving it around, staring at it and trying to figure out what to do with it! This car was so original that I couldn’t bare to restore it. It ran well but had been sitting so it needed a few things. Following is what we have done to the car to insure the new owner can drive it every day and love it the way Mr. Yamagata, Kirby’s Dad did.
First I took the car to my body shop next door where we repaired a dent in the left rear corner above the tail light. This dent affected the alignment of the rear hatch slightly. We re-aligned the rear hatch and removed the dent. My body man tapped it out the old fashion way using no bondo and then painted it to match the current faded patina on the car. We replaced both of the top chrome hinges (one was broken) with NOS hinges and replaced a broken left rear door handle. These were obtained from Galvin’s AMC Rambler in Lodi, California. I highly recommend them. They are fast, knowledgeable about these cars and give great and courteous service!
Next, I took it to my friend and best mechanic in Jackson Hole, Steve White at Valley Cars Service. I said go thru it front to back and he did. Steve has been a mechanic all his life and at 63 years of age is old enough to have seen his share of these fine old cars. Following is what has been done to insure the next owner will have a great ownership experience! The radiator was pulled, a small leak repaired and replaced with new coolant, changed points, plugs, plug wires, air filter, carburetor heater hose, lube, oil, and filter, replaced the gas line, pulled brakes, freed adjusters and adjusted brakes, replaced the valve cover gasket and cleaned and adjusted the carburetor. Then we cleaned and detailed every part of the car with an emphasis on retaining the beautiful patina of this classic American icon.
Please examine the photos closely. They tell the story, No Excuses, No Surprises. Everything works on this simple car as it should. It runs, drives, and stops as it should. The heater is hot, the original AM radio only plays country music and the speaker is a little buzzy. The steering is light and responsive. The 258 cubic inch 6 purrs like a kitten and gets 26 plus miles per gallon. It will cruise at highway speed all day long and you will get admiring looks wherever you go! Do not hesitate to fly in and drive the Hornet home! There are very few of these fine 1974 AMC Hornet Sportabout wagons left. NADA Collectible lists this vehicle in excellent condition at 6950.00 I have set my reserve fairly and much lower. This car is original and unmolested! Don’t miss it!
Auto Brokers of Jackson is located at 744 Rocky Road, Driggs, Idaho 83422 just 35 miles from the Jackson, Wyoming airport or just 60 miles from the Idaho Falls, Idaho airport. Fly in
