30 replies to this topic

[nickdalzell]

OK so it don't have the fender flares, so sue me! you try finding American Motors parts in this town!









Honestly, i think it looks better without them but that's just me.

Details:

1980 American Motors AMX (Spirit platform/body)
258cu-in Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
4 Speed stick shift
AM/FM/CD player (the 8-track was dead--i could not revive it )
new clutch, brakes, top end, carb rebuilt once, linkages, wiring in some places, aluminum flex fan (no clutch), A/C and smog delete. factory paint, interior.

Edited by nickdalzell, October 14, 2010 at 08:39 pm.

[JA Cumbo]

Something to look for, find a nice set of alloy wheels from a Jeep GC or Cherokee. I would think the gold lace spoke wheels from a Cherokee Limited would look good on it.

[nickdalzell]

Sadly the only Jeeps here are from the late 1990s early 2000s in the yards. and they all have crappy caps on them.

Finally got it to idle properly, it was clogged idle tubes. runs like a new car now. sadly the top aluminum trim on the windshield frame flew off as i drove today. i am unsure where to find a replacement, AMC is just non-existant here. i may have to fab a new one. having it missing throws the car's looks off entirely now.

Curious. i am constantly told that the engine is from a Ford, even though AMC made the 258. it does have a Ford starter and solenoid on it, and a Ford Dura-Spark ignition (not sure if that is factory or not) under the hood, but is it an actual Ford Straight Six? if so i can find countless engine parts for it should i ever need them.

Edited by nickdalzell, October 17, 2010 at 01:18 pm.

[Stratuscaster]

Everything I've found states the 258 is an AMC engine, built from 1971-1990, and used in several AMC and Jeep products. Nothing says that it's a Ford engine.

It's know that many of the 'accessory' pieces used by AMC were Ford or GM, and AMC did use GM's Iron Duke I4 to replace the VW/Audi I4 it was using.

[Bearhawke]

Sadly the only Jeeps here are from the late 1990s early 2000s in the yards. and they all have crappy caps on them.

Finally got it to idle properly, it was clogged idle tubes. runs like a new car now. sadly the top aluminum trim on the windshield frame flew off as i drove today. i am unsure where to find a replacement, AMC is just non-existant here. i may have to fab a new one. having it missing throws the car's looks off entirely now.

Curious. i am constantly told that the engine is from a Ford, even though AMC made the 258. it does have a Ford starter and solenoid on it, and a Ford Dura-Spark ignition (not sure if that is factory or not) under the hood, but is it an actual Ford Straight Six? if so i can find countless engine parts for it should i ever need them.

Engine parts should be the least of your worries, Nick. The 258 was used in Jeeps from 1971 to ca. 1988.

[Jeff2KPatriotBlue]

Sweet ride Nick!

I would make friends with somebody in the parts department of a former AMC dealer to see what parts they might have in the warehouse.

[Voyager_Expresso]

I'm jealous!

I remember looking at those when they were new and really wanting one. I still do!

The 258 six is definitely an AMC engine. I'm thinking in 1980, the ignition system was from Autolite, which was a Ford subsidiary. Anyway, the 258 was essentially a stroked version of the 232 six, which was introduced on certain Rambler models during the 1964 model year. There was also a 199 CID version of the same engine, available through 1970. All three engines, the 199, 232 and 258, had 3.75" bore diameters. The displacement was increased via lengthening the stroke as follows (bore X stroke dimensions):

199 = 3.75" X 3.00"
232 = 3.75" X 3.50"
258 = 3.75" X 3.90".

There was apparently a 282 CID version of the AMC six available on the Mexican market, but I don't know much about it.

In 1987, a 4.0L, 242 CID version of the AMC six was introduced for Jeeps. It had a larger bore and shorter stroke than the 258 (I'm thinking it was 3.875" X 3.44", but I could be wrong).

In my mind, the AMC six was the best of the modern sixes. It was really durable, had lots of power, and it was smooth in operation (thanks in large part to its 7-main-bearing crankshaft).

[Jeff2KPatriotBlue]

In 1987, a 4.0L, 242 CID version of the AMC six was introduced for Jeeps. It had a larger bore and shorter stroke than the 258 (I'm thinking it was 3.875" X 3.44", but I could be wrong).

On my drive home yesterday I was behind an 80's vintage jeep with a 4.0 badge. It made me smile.

[Voyager_Expresso]

On my drive home yesterday I was behind an 80's vintage jeep with a 4.0 badge. It made me smile.

Ha! Every day, there's one sitting out in the employee parking lot where I work. Wish it was mine!

Marvelous engine, the ol' AMC inliner. Yeah, the 3.8L V6 in the current Wranglers is a good engine too, but I'd much prefer to find it under the hood of a minivan!

[nickdalzell]

I'll get some interior shots up soon. anyone who knew me when i first signed onto Allpar with a worn-out Dodge Aries K would know some of the accents i put into the interior (like my shift knob)

[DaveAdmin]

Before and after'd be nice

[nickdalzell]

Before and after what? the car is not a project and was and is in relatively good shape. the only thing i did was replace the stereo and add a deer shift knob. the only outside mod was blacking out the header panel and grille.

Someone else did the honor of de-smogging it and adding the radiator fan, did all the service, and replaced pretty much most of the parts for new ones

Edited by nickdalzell, November 17, 2010 at 07:56 pm.

[patricklynch]

Looks good! I see one of these cars now and then. It's in rougher shape cosmetically but running around still.

[nickdalzell]

i must admit, i was just as ignorant as the rest of KY when i saw her, i thought it was some import. a really old one. the only familiarity i had with AMC was the Jeep CJs and early Cherokee/Wagoneer that used AMC components. the only badge being 'AMX' with no sign of 'AMC' also threw me off, so i looked it up, finding out the 1979-80 was the only use of the Spirit body, and only 865 of the 1980 were produced, making it rare in some fashion. mine was in a backyard and not running for a long time and sat next to a rusty old Chevy Dually so i ignored it mainly, but when the clutch and engine was rebuilt i test drove it and fell in love. i have had a thing for sticks too since working in the late 1990s into the early 2000s at Perf-A-Lawn where all their trucks were stick. though i loved my M-body Fifth Avenue, i was bored to tears with an automatic and even now i prefer the manual windows, locks, transmission and basic yet functional interior of the AMX still.

I also read a lot about how this 'AMX' was not a 'real' AMX, that the 'real' AMX died when they lost the V-8 engine. but it seems that after a couple decades things change. many times the most common comment is 'Wow, i have not seen those in a long time' and kids seem to drool quite literally over them, seeing as they probably never saw one before, being familiar with only ricers and new late model cars that look pretty common and are not too showy

Edited by nickdalzell, November 20, 2010 at 10:16 am.

[DaveAdmin]

FWIW

http://www.allpar.com/amc/
http://www.allpar.com/amc/amx.html

[nickdalzell]

Notice there is hardly a mention, or in the links, no mention, of the 1979-80 model AMC Spirit/AMX, which is what my car is. i believe no one really cared much for them, merely despising them due to it being a rebadged AMC Spirit with fender flares and an air dam, and nothing more. in 1980 the Spirit/AMX had no option for a V-8 engine, making the 258 cubic inch inline six the only engine, further shattering the racey legend the 1968 AMX began. the production of the 1980 model was stopped mid-year, with only 865 produced, making the 1980 model hard to find, many today have been reworked to resemble a 1979 instead, including a V-8 swap.

However, i like it, it's unique, there are no others like it here in town, and it's pretty stock. no engine swaps, no 1979 mods, although it lacks the air dam and fender flares, an improvement if you ask me

Edited by nickdalzell, November 21, 2010 at 01:42 pm.

[nickdalzell]

Here are some interior pictures:

[Voyager_Expresso]

Was that gearshift knob standard, or was it an option?

The rear seat torture chamber looks slightly better upholstered than the ones in my various Gremlins.

[chuzz]

That's a nice car, Nick. I had a roommate in college that had a 74 Gremlin that he abused the heck out of. It had the 258 with a three speed on the floor. He never checked the oil or anything else on that car and it just kept running. When the driveshaft fell out of it in 1980, his daddy donated it to the Salvation Army and gave him a Pontiac. What a POS that thing was!!

[nickdalzell]

Gearshift knob was definitely not an option or standard from AMC. that was my own doing using a trailer ball cover that fits the old knob perfectly

I am going to have to change whatever it has for oil, probably hasn't seen plugs or oil changes in a long time. right now i'm still tackling what i hope is a fixed fuel delivery issue

UPDATE: drove it past 70MPH without it stalling once, appears i have fixed it. before i could not go past 50 without it acting as if it were out of fuel. i use see-through fuel filters too and believe me the sight of the first two would blow your mind. that gunk was getting into my carb! no wonder i had issues!

Edited by nickdalzell, December 10, 2010 at 08:14 pm.