Guess I'll be the lone voice of decent. No way in hell would I run an AMC in a hot rod. Sorry but I have to protect my resale,(it's the only way I can afford this hobby) let alone haveing to live with the ridicule from my friends I think I'd run a dodge first!
Me thinks your frightened of all that power and your friends are some close minded fellers if they would ridicule ya for running a Rambler motor like i tell the big three guys after they see the ass end of my Gremlin after a drag race,it ok man...let it all out.
The cams always wore out in those motors. I'd replace that first. I think AMC powered rod is an awsome idea!!!
I'd do it if I were you. I'm sure you can find an AMC forum somewhere to learn more about the engines.
I have a tough time finding hop up parts because it is mostly 360,390, and 401 AMC's that are raced. I think a Offy intake w/ a single 4 and some homemade headers might get her movin', until I can get a new rotating assembally.
What happened to that '36 roadster? Really liked that one. I must have re-read the build-up article a hundred times. I believe Edelbrock makes aluminum heads for the AMC's too.
Ditto! One of my buddies a long time ago had a Rebel machine. He said Chevy roller rockers are a bolt on for his 390, should be for the 304 also. I bet you could snatch a 5 spd from a Dakota and get 25mpg on the highway...
I'm an AMCer and I love their mills!...got a 304 in a Jeep, a 360 in a Gremlin, and a 401 to be built up... they're stout little motors...got a decent aftermarket...and you can really build power w/ them...AMCs dogleg heads also out flow a ton of other factory heads and keep up w/ quite a few of alum. aftermarket heads... as mentioned the external dimesnions of the 290-401 are the same w/ the mounts in the same spots...only thing to watch out for later is the back of the crank on the 68-70 motors...they used BW trans, then later used TH-400's in the Jeeps (you can do a 2wd conversion) and Torqueflights in the cars (727's, 904's, 998's) for autos...and ofcourse the T-10 4spd... there are a TON of routes to take... I see you're looking for a forum...heres the one I frequent: http://www.amcforum.net I go by the same name on there...if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me or PM me on either forum... I know I know...I need to do an intro...just waitin to get pics of the 30A and 68 Triumph Bonne' to do the intro up right...
Chev rollor rockers won't work the pushrods are the same for a Chevy sb and a AMC V8 Harland Sharp,Purple Angus,Crane and Yella Terra make rollor rockers for AMC V8s
Man all this talk makes me want to build a K-town Special to remember my younger days staring at all those Gremlins, Pacers, and Hornets lined up nose to tail.
Go for it man,their fun cars to build up.and if i ever get ahold of a 39-42 Willys coupe or Henry J I wanna drop in a 390 or 401.
now you crazy sumbitches got me lookin fer a 390 or 401 to put in my 63 Rambler gasser project with all this talk about steel cranks and 50% better flowing heads! thanks! ha!
AMC 304 are really good motors. I used to build jeeps back in the day and had a couple with the 304. They sell tons of hop up parts for them. My last jeep that I had was all glass with a 304 punched 60 over 3/4 cam, headers, intake, carb lifter and crap and that thing would pull the wheels of the ground. Lots of torque.
No way are you Crazy, that is one good motor I had one in A 72 Gremlin X ( winter better) that was a bad idea that car would get stuck on a booger,but the motor went like crazy 304 4V 4 speed Ahhh Ahhh Ahhh Ahhhh. Still have the T-10 From it. Rest of the Car is gone .. I Love the fact that you just dont see them in rods every day...
That'd work! Even my narrow minded friends would accept a hemi But seriously, run what ever you want. This is supposed to be fun. Only AMC's I've had were both in jeeps. Unstopable!
no your not crazy. use what you got and make the rest from there right. that's what it's all about. I had a friend that had a 304 powered javlin with some minor speed parts and it would getdown and boogy when mashed on. the parts are out there just a little harder to find.
gettin a 304 the way you did...I'd put it in...I'm takin the drivetrain out of a hornet wagon and puttin in an 80 Spirit...304/998/Model 20 and gonna make it a driver... I've got a gremlin w/ a 360/TH-400/Model 20 w/ 3.54's that I could drive daily (if I could afford the gas) and lookin to run 12.4's this year...(ran 8.1 in the 1/8th w/ a fuel prob...guess a stock 1970's pump just can't keep up!) shoot if you can snag a 401 and do the same build high 11's wouldn't be outta the question...and still drive her to work and the store...hell...take the lil shit cruizin... 390's/401's got the steel cranks and people tell me steel/forged rods...but shoot Scat is makin rods for AMCs now (fairly cheap) and Ross started up a line on Forged pistons that the price isn't out of line on... also Summit has a nice pair of cams thats only $90 and come w/ lifters... as for rockers...I wouldn't use the Chebby or Ford rockers on it...I'd hit up HS and get some specifically for AMC... and what else is nice is the interchangeability...343-401 heads swap...you can toss a 401 crank in a 360...shoot you can even stroke a motor w/ an off set grind on the crank to a 2" rod journal and run 6" chebby rods w/ a custom piston (which aren't a bad price now-a-daze) you could make a 360 into a 390 stroker... heck I would like to get a 30's hudson and put an AMC mill in it...shoot...got a 30A here that just might get one...
I don't know if anyone mentioned this or not but... When I was a AMC service writer in the early 80's I made a whole lot of money off replacing the then expensive and now probably unobtanium cqast timing covers. If your's is corroded away from the inside, the coolant goes straight into the oil pan....Probably enough reason right there to just find an engine with a good one.
yes like the 350-455 Buick motors AMC had a similar front timing cover which incorporated the Dist,oil pump and gears and did indeed corrode INDY makes a new timing cover for AMC V8s and Crown does as well.
Hey FNG wheres your intro you worthless bag of shit its monsters like you that make baby jesus cry. 'note i know the FNG and am being sarcastic'
Bobby Allison (NASCAR and Short Track), Mark Donahue (TransAm), Roger Penske (NASCAR) all ran AMC V-8's. Here in Wisconsin, Tom Reffner ran 'em for years on the short tracks 'till the parts supply dried up. Good motor...ebay has parts show up on occasion. On one of the 1/4 mile ovals I used to run, I had a guy run the one-on-one "spectator races" with a 401-powered Gremlin..beat the crap outta every Chevy, Ford and Mopar he ever ran against.
Traco engineering built the motors for the AMC Nascar Matadors.its funny about the Gremlins,drop in a nice healthy AMC V8 and it will exact revenge on the big three machines and let the ones who made fun of the car and i'll agree thy are goofy lookin lil batards but its sooo cool kickin the shit out of some clown in his Crapmero in one .years ago in a Super Stock and Drag Illustrated mag there was a legit Willys coupe a 41 i believe with a AMC 390 in it man it was bad ass and it strolled with the best of em as well.a buddy of mine is suppost to give me a shit load of old SS & D.I mags and when i get them i'm gonna scan the shit out of the HAMBER approved cars and post them on here.
GO FOR IT!!!!!! am doing the same thing for my harley riding brother.we're building a '39 ford coupe ute(oz body)with a 360 AMC.motor is about 450hp(400 chev pistons-not 400 of em! but 400 cu in gives the amc 375 cu in.)hooked up to a muncie 4-speed.will hit the road in 1-2 months.wonder if the ford/chevy/mopar boys will work ouit what it is?
So is the bellhousing pattern Chevrolet or unique to AMC? I'm becoming confused. I'm pretty certain the Torqueflytes don't interchange with Mopar Torqueflytes, but do the Turbo 400s interchange with Chevolet or BOP Turbo 400s?
The confusion comes from the fact that IH used the AMC engine in several models right at the end of production of their light truck line. The AMC engine is a good candidate for a rod. A few years back Rod&Custom did a build up of the AMC 360 in an article titled Torqy not Dorky and had really amazing results for what was a mild build
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