Resurrecting the Rambler

[Pinballer]

It's finally time. I'm gonna do this even though it will be a long and arduous task. Hope you're not expecting instant gratification, because with the few hours of free time I get to work on this car, this will take every bit of about two years.
I'm fairly new to this forum, but have watched it closely since July of 2015. I always had a part of me that thought I could be competitive in the Class car arena, and I guess it's time to find out. It was in September of '15 that I finally was pushed over the edge after talking with some local Stocker racers I knew from the past, and some others who were recently racing Stock at the St. Louis divisional and supported the dream of mine. Everyone tells me I'm crazy, but yet they tell me to go ahead and do it! What do they know that I don't???
So here we go...

This build will be a very systematic approach. Most of it will be along the lines of the Dime Rocket builds (which I absolutely love!), and its about the only way I can even do this project. My intention is to use the sideline money I get from repairing old pinballs for people and investing (some might call it wasting) the proceeds back into this race car. This keeps the family money separate. Meanwhile I have a real job at a NAPA store which keeps me tied up for 45 hours a week for 2.5 more years until I can retire. But---it also has the supreme benefit of buying all my parts at store cost. It's all a delicate balance but I'll handle it.

I must admit I've been working on the car since early October, but I'll start at the beginning. We'll eventually get caught up and current.
After a lot of thought, perusing the Classification guides site on here endlessly, (THANK YOU DWIGHT! ) and looking over what AMC cars I already had that were suitable, because everyone who knows me realizes that's the only brand I identify with, I decided on this one: a 1979 AMC AMX running a 258 6 cylinder. This car which is the Spirit model and will have to have the AMX package added to it, uses a 2 bbl carb, and I've got enough pieces here from my 30 years of driving, racing, and collecting these cars to do nearly anything I'd really need. There's a half acre of old AMC's out back...

Not much to look at now after sitting around forever bleaching the paint off it, but its complete and running, and I had a little ancient race history of racing it in Street class back in the early 2000's at Coles County Dragway to look back on. It was absolutely bone stock clear down to the emission stuff and air pump, had 110,000 miles on it, and it ran a best of 11.10 in the 8th mile with my 210 lb butt in the seat.

[Pinballer]

Having to resize the pictures, will add them soon.

[Pinballer]

Originally Posted by Pinballer

Having to resize the pictures, will add them soon.

1980 Spirit, this is the selected "core" for T/SA .

[Pinballer]

...and when finished we should have something like this:

[Ed Fernandez]

Not necessary to run the car as an AMX. That package was cosmetics only and just adds weight and the spoilers will actually slow you down a bit The 258 got some HP taken off it last year also.

[Dave Noll]

Cool !! Love builds like this with the lesser common cars.

[Pinballer]

Hi Ed,
My reasoning on making the car into the AMX model was to place it naturally in T at 19.38, which according to the specs allows for only 57 lbs to be removed. This of course gives me the chance to add or remove weight to place the car in R or U depending on where I'm running at, so I went for the middle ground after sizing up the type of car combos I'd be running against.
As with most things I do, ya always gotta have a Plan B! Maybe a C too...and in this league Plan D might not be a bad idea either.
Appreciate any and all tips on the AMC's, thanks!

[jmantle]

It will be good to see another old Rambler out racing. The 258 2 bbl can be competitive but only the 77 got the 2 HP reduction, 79 is still 150 (more than the 302 2bbl Fords). I tried to get the 79 reduced but NHRA wouldn't bite.
My car is a natural U car, had to move it V to stay away from the 302 Fords.
You're welcome to anything I've learned over the last 7 years, send me a PM.

Jim Mantle V/SA 6632 79 Pacer Wagon

[Pinballer]

Thank you Jim,
I've admired your Pacer from afar while doing my research, definitely would like to pick your brain some seeing as how essentially you run the same drivetrain. First I'm in need of some decent headers, but having trouble finding AMC car headers. The internet is thick with Jeep stuff but not sure those are going to work here.
I'll send a PM to you.

[Pinballer]

(Early November on the catch-up)
The 1980 blue car has been picked of everything immediately useful and has been laid to rest out back at the Rambler Ranch, AKA Pinball Heaven. Time to get serious on transforming this red '82 Spirit into the '79 AMX model it needs to run as.
Big-time clean-up on the car first just so I can work on it. Both door handles are broke, (every AMC guy is laughing now reading this because ALL AMC's break these flat pot metal door handles), and crawling in and out of the rear hatch, which is electric solenoid operated and also now disabled because there's no battery in the car, is not my preferred method of entry. Ordered a couple new outside door handles, but put a spare useable one I had on the driver door so I could get going on cleaning up the squallid interior. No telling how many cats had kittens in this thing, and the possum leavings and damage are everywhere, even some dashboard pieces are torn up. Spares from the other car will go in though. The animals got in through the shifter hole by chewing away the rubber shifter boot, there's nothing left of it. Before and after interior pics below. Once vacuumed out, an industrial odor-removing chemical for school carpeting disasters was used to get this thing tolerable again. Who said building a car was glamorous??
The engine and trans from the '80 needed a bath real bad so those went to the car wash in the back of the Dakota. That poor truck sees nothing but abuse from me, it's kind of like an old farm truck, but that was it's purpose when I got it for cheap already pre-wrecked in the back. Once the engine and trans are clean, I'll take them to my workplace where it's dry and heated.