Re: [Amc-list] 71 Gremlin 232

[adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Sandwich Maker)]

" From: "Ted Dooling" <tdooling@xxxxxxxxxxx>
" 
" Hi,
" 
" As the proud owner of a 71 Gremlin (my dream car since I was 13. I
" know, I know... what kind of a man would dream about owning a Gremlin)
" currently under restoration I am always asked if it has a V8. This
" forces me to constantly defend my 140hp 232 6. Maybe it's the cherry
" bomb muffler, Y pipe and two tail pipes sticking out the back that
" prompts the question (I purchased it like this and actually like the
" sound and look), or maybe it's the 15" Javelin rims, or maybe they just
" can't figure why a 51 year old man would restore a Gremlin and they are
" giving me the benefit of the doubt, but it is really making me wonder
" about a couple things. First, is there anything I can do to beef up the
" performance of the 232... carburetion, etc? I really like the way this
" engine and trans run, but I would also like to get as much performance
" out of it as I could.

there's lots you can do, starting with the good '60s factory carter
wcd 2bbl setup, the better late '70s carter bbd setup, or the best
'80s bbd one.  they can be further boosted with larger carbs; mopar
used a bigger bbd and a compatible holley 2280 on some pretty
fair-sized v8s, and the carb base is a common pattern also used by gm
rochester 2bbls.

or you could go for an offy 'dual plane' 4bbl intake and 400-500 cfm
carb.  there are some other 4bbl intakes but imho this is the best.

cliffordperformance.com has a triple sidedraft weber intake.  they
also have amc car exhaust headers.

or tbi, on any of the 1, 2, or 4bbl intakes.  holley makes ones, or
you could adapt gm.

or [probably] the mopar mpi kit originally aimed at the '80s 258s.

there are lots of cams for the amc 6.  do a little internet research
on motor oils, zddp, and cam failures first though.

you can also easily upgrade your ignition, to either the '78-up
duraspark style with 'tfi tuneup', or a late '70s chevy straight-6 hei
with your original delco drive gear.  with either, you'd want to
recurve the advance mechanisms; you can unlock a surprising amount of
free hp.

" As a second option can I hook up a 304 to the
" really nice B/W Flash-O-Matic currently in the car, or would I need to
" replace the trans with the engine? Is this an easy change over?

2bbl '70-1 304s had a very similar aluminum auto, but i don't know if
it's close enough to use the six's instead.  an engine+tranny swap
would be surer, and you could also go for the easier-to-fix '72-up
torqueflite auto.  imho the v8 would really want a stronger tranny
anyway.

if you wanted to do an engine swap but stick with a 6, a jeep 4.0
stock or stroker [with 258 crank and rods] will drop onto the 232
motor mounts - at least, up to late-'90s or so blocks.  you can easily
build a street-friendly 4.0 stroker with over 300 hp.  the 4.0 is a
direct evolution of your 232 and such a slick swap few onlookers would
realize it wasn't stock.  you'd also want a stronger tranny with
these; wranglers used a tf999/32rh/32re related to the amc
torqueflites, cherokees a strong 4sp aw4 related to trannies toyota
widely used.  cherokees have a funny fan setup you'd want to change
over to wrangler style.

you'll also want a v8 rear and a general brake upgrade if you bump the
power much.  good news, a '79-'83 concord/spirit brake system is a
bolt-on - if you get -everything-.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                       and think what none thought
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