Re: Non-AMC powered cars in AMO-John's reply to the 5.7 hemi option

[stover@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Re: Non-AMC powered cars in AMO

Date: Sunday, April 17, 2005 07:19 PM




I believe that the upgrade is that of making the car go under it's own
power as opposed to being a pushmobile with no engine at all.




Devil's advocate here (no insult intended, just an
opposing view)...

["I feel that I have saved this car from certian
destruction, and if I want to upgrade it so I can
drive it to more shows, I will."

Some wouldn't classify such a swap as an 'upgrade'.
Hence, the need for separation.]


A 5.7 Hemi is pretty extreme and it won't be easy to secure one of those
powerplants as the percentage of wrecked donor cars with an engine so new
has to be pretty low. However, the complete modern package presumably
ready to go is the attraction when the powerplant that takes commitment(
AMC) under good conditions, is missing entirely from a project car.

Steve Avery


["If the car was a rare model or something more valuable,
I would not take this route. That is why I sold my
Donohue and did not Prostreet it. What is the difference
between me using a Chrysler motor and Chrysler trans
since it already had a Chrysler trans anyway? It is not
much different then putting a 401 in a Nash.
Richard Payne"

Yes, techinically, it's not very different. But the
resistance is borne of the attitude that if it's got an
AMC engine, it's crap. SOOOOOO many Big Three fans believe
their own B.S., and it has spread to become near-gospel
in the hobby (tho rarely is it said at a drag strip when
the Rambler is alongside, seconds away from stomping the
Chebby's guts out). When you're kicked long and hard enough
by the same ignorant masses, you decide not to deal with
them anymore, and to surround yourself with like-minded
people. Hence, the gate is slammed on non-AMC powered cars.
Do to your car what you will if you like, as it's yours.
But to expect those that keep them AMC-powered to treat
them as equals is unreasonable. It takes tenacity to keep
it all AMC. Using other engines is a form of surrender in
the minds of the faithful.

Just as a qualification, tho- I dislike all inter-marque
engine mixing. I think 350-powered T-buckets are plain
stupid, as Ford makes a perfectly good V8 of it's own.
I also don't care for it when the factory does it (so
I don't particularly like 2.0L or 2.5L Spirits and
Gremlins. I don't want a 2.8L Cherokee to be seen in my
driveway, either. But then I'm a bit extreme in that
feeling.

Still, I've seen a 426 HEMI Gremlin and wished it was mine.
I'd have preferred it was a 401, tho...but the extreme
nature of that build was the draw for me.

John]