The First Marlin
This restored car is owned by Phil Heitman
The first Marlin was an Apollo Yellow 4 speed Marlin. It has nearly every option available that year. It was my sister's first new car, and resembled the car shown to the left. In 1973, it was replaced by a station wagon. A couple of years ago, the idea of finding another Marlin gained traction. The quest began.
There were less than 5,000 Marlins made in 1966, and 4 speeds were rare to begin with, let alone one that was highly optioned. It was not going to be an easy quest.
There were less than 5,000 Marlins made in 1966, and 4 speeds were rare to begin with, let alone one that was highly optioned. It was not going to be an easy quest.
"Arlin"
In July of 2012, we found a 1966 Marlin in Aztec, New Mexico that looked like it might work, despite the car being in rough shape. It was not exactly as desired, as it is an automatic car, and was less highly optioned than the first Marlin had been. Still, it had promise. As the "M" of the rear Marlin badging was gone, we named this car "Arlin". Work began on Arlin, first removing the chrome, and repairing the many dents in it, as well as prepping the engine for start up. Years of sitting in the northern New Mexico sun had severely damaged the interior, and years of sitting in the northern New Mexico snows had caused rust beneath the vinyl covering the roof and trunk lid. A replacement trunk lid was found and prepped for paint, and the roof was addressed. Other parts were found for those missing or too far gone for repair. The engine and drivetrain appeared to be in good shape. Arlin was on the long road back to recovery.
The New Marlin
Sometimes unexpected things happen. The Rambler Reader advertisements arrived in the mail, and in them was this ad:
1966 AMC Marlin.
This car is all stock, and has been garaged in CA since 1978. It was pulled just today for the first time in 34 years. The owner has been in a wheel chair since then and really never got a chance to do anything with ‘til now. The car is complete, but the 327 motor is at a machine shop and is still on an engine stand. The paint is in fair condition and the interior in excellent condition, the chrome on the car needs to be rechromed. This car is a 4sp, kinda rare. The odometer reads 81,598 which is correct.
Of course, I had to call. The sale of the car was being handled by a friend of the owner, due to the owner's health problems. After speaking with him, and seeing the pictures of the car (literally taken right after the car was pulled out of the garage for the first time in 34 years), I called my sister and told her that we had found her Marlin. She agreed, and the new Marlin came home. Interestingly, it and Arlin are the same color, Marquessa Mauve, which was a one year color. The new Marlin also came with a trunk full of chrome goodies for under the hood. Best of all, it comes with much less rust than did Arlin, and the interior is nearly mint. It still needs work to be roadable, but that road is MUCH shorter than Arlin's.
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1966 AMC Marlin.
This car is all stock, and has been garaged in CA since 1978. It was pulled just today for the first time in 34 years. The owner has been in a wheel chair since then and really never got a chance to do anything with ‘til now. The car is complete, but the 327 motor is at a machine shop and is still on an engine stand. The paint is in fair condition and the interior in excellent condition, the chrome on the car needs to be rechromed. This car is a 4sp, kinda rare. The odometer reads 81,598 which is correct.
Of course, I had to call. The sale of the car was being handled by a friend of the owner, due to the owner's health problems. After speaking with him, and seeing the pictures of the car (literally taken right after the car was pulled out of the garage for the first time in 34 years), I called my sister and told her that we had found her Marlin. She agreed, and the new Marlin came home. Interestingly, it and Arlin are the same color, Marquessa Mauve, which was a one year color. The new Marlin also came with a trunk full of chrome goodies for under the hood. Best of all, it comes with much less rust than did Arlin, and the interior is nearly mint. It still needs work to be roadable, but that road is MUCH shorter than Arlin's.
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