Expert: Vern Bullock - 10/18/2010

Question
ok i got a 1969 rambler American. its a 232 inline 6 cylinder with a 3 speed
automatic transmision. ORIGINAL EVERYTHING. I'm the second owner and I'm
surprised of the condition its in. looks new. but everything runs rough. takes
a few tries to start it cold. and when its finally running, everything is smooth
but gets warm faster than normal. heres some problems that i've been having
with it recently.
i had the transmission rebuilt but the mechanic said I'm going to need to
replace all the "vacuum" parts under the hood. the car is supposed to be my
daily driver but since parts are hard to find i cant drive it.
i drive it every now and then just to keep things in order. but i noticed that
when at a low idle, the car will just turn off. i know its the dirty fuel lines and
possibly fuel pump. but i just wanted to check with an expert first. what
should i try first?
an also the suspension and brakes are shot. the car feels like its floating on
water. the brakes.. oh i don't even want to explain that! i gotta keep the car
below 35mph just so its safe to know i can stop it. what can i do here to fix
the suspension and brakes?
a buddy of mine helped me out with a website for parts, but the site is too
descriptive that i don't know what i need. help me out for what i need to
replace the brakes, suspension, fuel lines, and "vacuum" parts under the
hood.
I'd appreciate it.

Answer
Hi Kevin:
You can get everything you need from this place...

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/

Your mechanic is correct. You should have him go over the car carefully and give you two lists. Those things that need replacing now and those things that should be replaced soon (e.g. 12 to 18 months)

I'm guessing you need a fair amount of mechanically work done just to make it safe to drive. The suspension is very important (shocks, brakes, brushing, joints, etc.) and a good tune up as well (plugs, points, distributor, air intake, filters, etc.), so take care of these things first.