Re: New poll for BaadAssGremlins

["Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxx>]

Doc replied:
401's are out there but usually a fair amount of money. On the other hand
360's are just as good a choice. I had a friend with a Spirit with a stock
360 from a jeep an it was quite fast. He used to surprize quite a few on
them Ricers. That's the car that had the free flows on it.
"Doc"

Good advise. I get people asking me DAILY about building a engine, what
should they drop in? I have for years told them a 360. The 390 was only
pressed from 68-70 and is virtually impossible to find parts for 33-36 years
later. The 401 enjoyed a life from 71-80 in AMC, Jeep and International
Harvester, but is also hard to come by; you might try some of the 'tips' on
finding engines on my Shut Up & Drive Lists with the ads, but any salvage
yard that has a IH with 401 is happy to sell anything off it. Usually you
can get a running 401 for under $500, and if you find one at a Pick A Part,
any AMC engine is $89, 401s included. www.houstonpickapart.com remember,YOU
have to pull it, they will not ship, nor will they tell you what is in the
yard as they don't know with 1500+ cars in there.

YES, AMC made a forged steel crank (not cast) for 360. They are damned near
next to impossible to find, only used 1-2 years. And yes, a forged steel
crank was also made for 290/343 series. I don't believe I have ever had one
in stock in 20 years a vendor. Here was my auction from recently with some
numbers ya'll might wish to save for later:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2197679547&ssPageName=ADM
E:B:EOAS:US:3

Hi Tom Cloud, nice to see you here.

Now back to whoever is considering the engine swap. If your car is running
and driving fine now, leave it alone. You can 'locate' and 'build' a engine
in your garage or wherever for another day. And for what it is worth, if
speed is the issue here, the aMC 258-6 backed up with a 904/998 series
trannie is a formidable setup. There is a LOT of speed equipment available
for the 258! Try some of those websites on my Planet Houston Vendors Lists.
Four Wheel Drive Hardware, Edelbrock, Cliffords, Sharps Supply a few come to
mind.

Any of ya'll ever seen Ed Fernandez' six cylinder Gremlin turning 11 second
1/4 miles? Bring your bad ass AMC V8 over here and let him whip you like a
scared schoolgirl with TWO LESS cylinders. And I want to add that there are
same, if not more performance parts available for the 904/998 light duty
Torqueflite than is for the heavier 727. My 68 Rebel convertible 'Machine'
http://www.ep.com/pic3/1424121/1025056734463.jpg
has a LAPD 401 Interceptor with a 904 behind it. Many people like these as
they wind up real quick! And if I didn't think it could handle 350+ hp I
wouldn't have put it in there......127,000 miles ago.

So if you haven't made up your mind yet, (and there is some good opinions
her eon this subject from ya'll) stick with the 6: easy to find parts for,
many performance items available, dependable and hard to tear up; or if you
must go with a V8, consider a 360V8 for the reasons mentioned above. All in
all it will come down to your financials, expertise with that engine (AMC or
not), and what type of driving you wish to do when finished! Don't forget
the main goal of having fun! And good luck with your project.
Eddie Stakes' Planet Houston AMX
www.planethoustonamx.com