Looking at the resume for how this 1969 AMC AMX started out, the car sure ticked a lot of the right boxes, but unfortunately, it’s mostly in the past tense now as lots of the good stuff is already gone. However, if you’ve been searching for an American Motors project and just happen to have an engine and transmission handy, maybe this one’s worth checking out. Or perhaps the car could help out if there are some parts here you’ve been looking for. The AMX is located in West Fargo, North Dakota, and can be seen here on eBay, with the buy-it-now price set at $3,600.
The AMX was based on the Javelin but in true coupe form, and it also came with a shorter wheelbase and eliminated the rear seat so it did have the enhanced cool factor of being a two-seater. If you’ve ever sat in one of these cars, there’s quite a bit of room behind the front seats for cargo, just not passengers, and unfortunately, the photo above is the closest we get to see of this car’s interior. But maybe that’s just as well, as after the photos were taken the seller removed the dash and steering column, and it appears like the seats were gone already. However, these items are available for an additional cost.
The driver’s door appears to have a matching dent similar to the passenger’s side unit, and I almost wonder if somehow this car slid into a utility pole on both sides. But overall many of the panels themselves don’t seem to be showing much rust in the lower parts, though I’m not sure what all’s going on with that quarter here. We don’t get to view anything from down below but the subframes are said to be solid, although some patchwork will be needed in the rear floor area and inside the trunk.
Buying an AMX in 1969 got you a 290 under the hood as standard equipment, but optional was the 390 which produced over 300 horsepower, and that’s how this one came from the factory. There was also a 4-Speed manual transmission residing here at one time, but both are now history, and while there’s no explanation given of where they went the seller does mention that the car hasn’t been on the road since 1977. One bit of good news regarding the drivetrain is that the positraction rear end with its 3.54 gears is still intact.
The grille area and front bumper aren’t in the best shape, but the hood actually seems fairly decent and repairable, and hopefully, that’s mostly just surface rust around the trim piece. Another positive is this one’s got the Go Package, with a negative being there’s no title. I hope somebody has the time, skills, and resources to save this AMX, but it’s definitely going to be a big project. Are you seeing much hope for a restoration candidate here?
Go Package? This one’s got the Color Me Gone Package (sorry Mopar fans for borrowing). Someone would really need a part or three to strip from this sad case.
📞 1-800-the-hook 🪝 🛻
If the body was perfect you’d be 1-800 go get it. LOL seriously it shows promise if you could buy it for 2000.
I wonder if West Fargo is like East Grand Forks ?
No engine
No title
No trans
Needs doors
Needs hood
Needs help
No buy.
Not even worth scrap price
I have a house for sale, but if you want the roof, that’ll cost extra
Dash and Steering column available for extra cash…
I’ve noted this practice frequently on this site. “I’ll sell you the disgusting hulk, but if you want the rest of the carcass, you’ll have to pay me extra for it !’. Its a disreputable practice. It speaks to the owner’s lack of integrity !!
THESE DAYS, in my VERY congested area with tons of body shops, NONE want to work on classic cars from the ’60s or the 70s or probably even the 80s! – they would not even want to hang a new door on this amx even if that’s all it needed & it ran good! wth
Do i need to move to the boonies? – do body shops there work on old cars?
Or California?
If not, it must be a nationwide liability issue, or they are afraid of rust & odors, or bugs & rodents hiding inside. lol
Call a shop that painted a car in the past and they say no more old cars1
Says you…🫤
Sadly, body shops today are only interested in swapping out damaged parts for new parts. Hell, some of them cry louder when there asked to use aftermarket parts. There’s no money in tackling old car projects, shop managers are more likely to be college grads with some BS buisness degree and don’t know jack about cars anyway. No sir, times have changed.
I wonder now what the future is for restoring classic cars that have never been restored or need a 2nd or 3rd restoration!
In my state, i googled classic car restorers & there are only a handful & they are far away from my densely populated area. I would imagine the backlog wait could be months, if not years now!
I’m guessing tho local service stations will not ever refuse working on the mechanicals of such cars, because the old cars are exceptionally simple & ez to work on, espec if from the ’60s & earlier with no a/c & with a straight 6 – incredible amt of empty space under the hood – no such 21st cent vehicle can make that claim, even with the tiniest 3 cyl!
Good thing that TruCoat was applied at the factory!
You should pay to have it removed are you kidding. Restoration is going to be expensive and extensive.
You lack ambition and a stock up of 390’s and 401’s.
I believe it’s best use would be to be setting up atop a pole in front of a junkyard👍😂
As bad as this may look, it is the perfect candidate for a restomod, it’s a damned shame it is so far from me, as it would be on its way to my shop if it were a bit closer!
“1969 AMC AMX 390/4-Speed Project”
More like a “1969 AMC AMX 390/4-Speed Reject”
It may or may not be a go package. Those stripes are NOT go package stripes. Also it has a Javelin truck lid… who knows what this had or didn’t have. For all that’s wrong, the price is way high.
Good eye on that deck lid…!
All in all, to me, a crumpled mess.
And I’ve wanted one forever; just not this.
Trunk lids were the same.
I’ve noted this practice frequently on this site. “I’ll sell you the disgusting hulk, but if you want the rest of the carcass, you’ll have to pay me extra for it !’. Its a disreputable practice. It speaks to the owner’s lack of integrity !!
Sounds like was bought wrecked, sold all the good stuff, then want to see the broken shell for more than the wrecked car was purchased for. Nope!
What is wrong with that hood? Sorry state of this car. AMX is one of my favorite muscle cars.
No engine, no trans, dash and column extra, panels are bashed, hood twisted….. Top offer would be $100 buckaroos and your throwing in the stuff you recently stripped!
The seller has this listed on the AMC Forum for the past few weeks. He sells a lot of parts and cars there. He always wants top $$$$ for the parts. He will probably get $2000 – $2500 for the dash later on. He knows his AMC parts. To
bad, the car would probably be saved with the seats, dash and column in the car. But then that would only net him $4000 or so. I understand wanting to make money, but stripping the needed and hardest parts to find is getting GREEDY to me.
Unfortunately that’s the world we’ve in . I agree with you 100%. But what can you do about it.
fuk u guys ,this car is well worth what is being asked for it. .it is so underestimated .I’ve had one my buddy had one still does .even the 304’s in the cj jeeps ..badass these cars are 2 seaters..had to compete with the vet ..perfect drifting car and u don’t need a bunch of horse power to drift in these fukers ..wheelbase iis shorter by a foot than the pony cars..ford chevy mopar.my buddy has just the little 290 4 speed with the right gears also ..fykin smoke vets all day when he could get traction from the dig.10 sec quarter mile .usually 11’s though .which I think is good for a 290 4 speed car. it weighs around 3,000 lbs.amc had some funny ideas but this one and the amx2 ..and amx3 experimental r to b looked up if u hat don’t know about these proto type mid engine amx’s fr.late 60’s to early 70’s its a must to google .390 4 speed engine mounted behind u ..similiar to the Pantera but not avaliable to the public.7 of the amx 2’s ere out there I don’t know how many amx’3’s there were .I just had to flap my chat .later
And flap you did
About 6 AMX/3s. No AMX/2 past the show-car stage. AMX/3 worth about $1,000,000 these days. Built by Bizzarrini, the AMX/3 makes a Pantera seem rather ordinary.
Make it a drag car you don’t need a dash or an old motor. Get your LS and this thing will be quick on the strip. Of course a better price would be nice.
The only dragging for this is to the crusher