Re: [AMC-list] Exotic AMC engines?

[Jack Dale <mercendarian@xxxxxxxxx>]

I guess you're right.  That must be why AMC was caught "flat-footed" when the Wankle engine for the Pacer fell through/became impractical.  A cammer-head for the inliners would have attracted more press for the Pacer, but they slapped a two barrel on the 258cu 6, and that was that.  '75 was when they should have been developing the old Willys OHC on the IKA Torino.  I like their 2nd-gen. efforts, except that AMC damaged its brand, imo, with that bearing that'd spin due to insufficient oil to the mains on wild acceleration.   There should have been a RECALL to ensure long-life to that bearing, that caused AMC millions (I'm guessing) in warranty claims.

 

________________________________
 From: Jeff Reeves <amcnut@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 4:44 PM
Subject: [AMC-list] Exotic AMC engines?
  
Jack, I have absolutely no idea why there is no more information about experimental AMC engines. My educated S.W.A.G. is that AMC was too cheap to pay up for too many engine variations. They had designs which did their job and did it well. The stodges that were at the helm of AMC in the 60s and 70s were already juggling hot potatoes trying to develop cars that people would actually buy--they simply didn't have the resources to spend a lot of R&D budget on new engines when the existing designs were already paid for. I'm sure that if they absolutely hadn't been forced to by the competitive market AMC would have soldiered right on with the 250/287/327 V8 family and the six cylinders. As it was, they developed the excellent Gen II/III V8s that carried through until the end of the company.

I suspect that had they had the budget for it that AMC would certainly have come up with something innovative over the years, engine-wise. They did the best they could with what they had and spent their available funds in the styling department.

Of course, as I said this is my opinion. I'm sure that someone will pipe up and either support my position or tear me down--either is fine if it helps shed light on your mystery.

Jeff Reeves
AMO Tech Editor
01 Grand Cherokee
72 Javelin SST
69 Ambassador DPL

> ------------------------------
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> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2013 17:12:32 -0800 (PST)
> From: Jack Dale <mercendarian@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: "AMC, Rambler, Nash, Jeep and family" <amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [AMC-list] AMC-list Digest, Vol 46, Issue 1
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> Dear Jeff:? I can't get anyone to respond to this question, but it deserves an answer.? WHY is there no info about experimental engines for AMCs??? Was AMC so poor(or stupid)?that they never considered OHCs, DOHCs, and larger displacement engines?? I've heard that the 464cu v-8 was planned in the late 60s, FOR use in the 70s, but was?never built, maybe even never tested.?? It never even reached the racers, which will often "test" a concept in stress beyond the "Real World."? I think it was simply a "tall-block, factory-stroked" 401/390, which anyone could do with a re-casting, while using as many previous parts as possible.?? One of the GM "tall-blocks" was a 427 based on a SBC, a "perfect" engine for a 1st-gen camaro/other.? Also, WHY no exotic heads for the inline AMCs?? They didn't use the OHC which they could have gotten from Willys when they bought JEEP, but (232s{3.8L})AMC-blocks under-rode the fab "Torino" down in Argentina.? A
> famous European designer needed to "pump-up" the performance of the TVR for a new model, and he bought some motorcycle cylinder heads from Suzuki, cut/welded them together to make a DOHC-4valve head for a 4Liter inline 6 cylinder which produced 350hp!??(That's more HP by 25, than the 4L Aston-Martin in "Vantage" tune, which went into DB-6s of the mid-sixties.??The "cut-and-weld" was for prototypes, but then a run of castings were made, machined, and appeared on the TVR.? The engine was called the "Speed-six".? TVR sold at least hundreds of cars equiped with this engine.? AMC never had a similar engine "mule"??? If you don't reply, I'll know you don't know either, which is "OK", but where do we definitively find out??? All of the AMC engine people that went to Chrysler when they were bought, should be retired by now, so surely they could talk (--if any are still alive) about AMC "projects."?? Imho, you're no "AMCnut" unless you have at least
> thought...about this, and having thought about it, GIVE US your thoughts, please.?? I thought the Turbo-cars were "OK" and should have been preserved and/sold without the tubines if they couldn't handle the warranty.? I thought the '74-8 Matador Coupe looked better, but the Turbine came first, and with that engine, it was of greater significance.? This is kind of what I'm talking about.? AMC...and earlier, Studebaker, had engines that elicited little, if any, ROMANCE.?? "Romance" to we gearheads, is POWER.
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