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AMC Collection Up For Grabs

AMC Stash

I try not to favor a single brand, but instead like to spread my interests across all makes. While it is fun to try new cars out without respect to brand allegiances, sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on the experience of dedicating my time to studying just one make. Clearly some people decide it is better to focus on one make and become an expert. Well the owner of this AMC collection obviously picked the brand to be their field of study. They have amassed a respectable collection of cars and parts, but recently entering married life is forcing them to liquidate the entire collection. Find this massive bundle deal here on eBay in Orange City, Florida. Special thanks to Jim S for pointing this one out!

1974 AMC AMX

The seller states that they have 9 cars, but the majority are parts cars. Only three appear to be in decent enough shape to be considered as reasonable restoration candidates. This 1974 AMX seems to be the seller’s favorite of the three, even though it is the furthest from being road worthy. As you can see, it is missing its engine and has some rust, but the seller has at least a couple cars that could provide the parts needed to get it back on the road. They also have some new parts for it, mostly interior pieces, so hopefully this one could be completed without having to do a lot of parts hunting.

1977 AMC Matador

The other two cars that are in decent shape are this 1977 Matador Coupe and a 1977 AMX Hornet. Neither of which are in great shape, but the seller claims both run and drive. They actually purchased the Matador purely for its motor, as they had planned on putting it in the AMX. While I’d rather have the AMX driving, I’m glad they didn’t pull the motor out of the Matador. It sounds like this seller has been butchering AMCs for a number of years, and while I respect their drive to keep these cars around I would rather see a few of the running cars kept that way.

AMC Rebel SST

Reading the seller’s description is a bit difficult, as they list so many parts, cars, and random tidbits of information that is overwhelming. It is going to take a dedicated AMCer to go through all of the cars and parts to catalog everything, but of course this is probably the kind of find that will be of most interest to an AMC fan anyways. Hopefully someone from the AMC Community will be able to strike a deal with the seller, so some of these cars and parts can go to good use. The real questions here are going to be what does the seller think their collection is worth and what is someone really willing to pay for it all? And most importantly, will the two match up?

Comments

  1. Avatar A.J.

    Maybe too harsh but I’m not sure I see anything worth saving. And I like AMXs and Javelins.

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    • Avatar John Newell

      Think dry ice blasting instead of sand blasting, media blasting or chemical dipping.

      Dry ice blasting leaves not a speck of rust yet does not remove the compounds used to buffer edges in hard to reach spots. After that, weld in new metal and you have a rust free body to work with. More expensive at first but cheaper in the long run.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar John Newell

    I had a look at the site because one of the cars looked like a Rebel or an Ambassador. It was a Rebel SST. The VIN would tell you what size V8 it came with and it was also an AC car. Beyond that, the car could be restored one of two ways.

    But first, as a shell that car by itself is worth about 2 grand. It does need a lot of work.

    On the other hand, getting back to the restoration:

    1. It could be a Rebel Machine clone. Even clones are worth a pretty good dollar when complete. A competent restorationist could make a pretty good profit on this one.

    2. All of AMCs two door hardtops were potential street/drag racers and this one could easily be brought back as a period racer following AMCs performance blueprint for levels of performance. In other words – a mode car. MODE I was entry level performance and the improvements went up to MODE IV which was a full bore, race only vehicle. And painted in violent AMC Red, White and Blue.

    Most non-AMCers don’t realize how fast AMC cars are until they get their doors blown off by one. But while 401 was the biggest engine block, the size of the block doesn’t limit the horsepower output. That is limited by your wallet.

    There are a number of other cars there too worth restoring. Javelins mostly and AMXs.

    Unfortunately the owner is the worst sort of person to have a collection like this. Tears stuff apart then never puts anything back together. But at least the cars are still there. For now.

    Yes the missing pieces can still be found. The only pieces not able to be easily found are those specific to a Rebel Machine – the grille and the exhaust manifolds. The grille is a tough one but the exhausts can be replaced by headers. There is one person who is contemplating repopping the exhaust manifolds in Nova Scotia. But those depend on the success of other projects first to fund them.

    Performance era AMCs are finally climbing the value ladder and doing so very quickly now. Some of these cars are a pretty good investment.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Mark E

    This brings back painful memories. I could have purchased a collection of about 18 Packards, en masse, like this for $10,000 only nearly every one was in better shape. There was a 1937 straight 6 and a 1947 Clipper Taxi, otherwise they were all between 1951-56. The owner had restored a couple himself and drove them to car shows in the summer. I was sad to see him give up his hobby but at that time I couldn’t even afford it when he offered to sell me his favorite car…a plum colored 1954 Packard Pacific, which was made for one year only. Of course it goes without saying that I did not have space for that many cars, especially in non-running condition. I actually doubt if any city or town would let you keep that many non-running cars. You’d have to have a rural acreage somewhere.

    Like 0
    • Avatar John Newell

      I’m suffering the same thing right now. Too many cars, no place to put them all so they could be protected in one place.

      You would have made a killing on the Packards.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar Dolphin Member

    Looks like the auto wrecking yard I worked in when I was 15, only a lot smaller and with a lot fewer Fords and Chevies.

    Like 0
    • Avatar John Newell

      You’re not seeing all of it. Check the piles at the very back.

      Like 0
  5. Avatar Mark W

    restoration does not equal clone

    Like 0
    • Avatar John Newell

      Of course not. But few people would spend north of 20 grand to restore a Rebel SST without making it a RWB clone that even as a clone would be worth more than it cost to restore it. Right now about 10 grand or so is all a mint Rebel SST is worth. A Rebel Machine rolling shell is worth between 5 — 8 grand. Then you still have to find all the parts to put it back together. Rebel Machines are one of the easiest cars to clone and one of the easiest to prove is a clone. But since the Rebel Machine options were designed so that even a backyard mechanic could turn any Rebel into a high performance machine. Everything that made a Machine a Machine could be bolted on. They are fabulously easy cars to work on and very responsive to any intelligent modifications. You got a lot for your money then and you still get a lot for your money now. Especially in performance and handling.

      This Rebel as it sits is worth about $3,000 at best. If the rear quarters are good, the right is worth about 800 off the car and the left is worth whatever the buyer says he wants for it. If both fenders are good they might be worth 600 or so each or more. After that the car is full of small things like obscure fittings for the heater cables and that sort of thing.

      As a restored Mode car the quality of restoration would determine the final value and that could be anywhere up to about 60 thou. As a clone it would worth at most 30 grand and as a Rebel SST restored its value would still be seen as potential for becoming a Rebel Machine.

      AMCs were never meant to be numbers correct cars. The actual engine the car was made with is indistinguishable from any other engine of the same size and year you put in it. There are two numbers that matter: the stock number on the back of the block and the engine tag screwed to the front of the driver’s side valve cover. On a Machine, the last 6 numbers of the VIN were hammered into the frame by hand using a hammer and punch. To see it you have to remove the steering box.

      Again AMC intentionally designed and built their cars for backyard mechanics to be able to work on and swap parts. They’re like rolling Mechano sets. That’s why so many engineers still own them. They are fun to work on and very rewarding. So despite the fact that many of the cars on that lot look too far gone, few experienced AMC people would agree. Especially if they had access to dry ice blasting which is an industry still in its infancy.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar Jesme

    Man that’s a lot of rust, looks like you might get one whole car out of it. Hate to see it all go to waste though so it was good to see the number of people asking for parts on the eBay posting.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar sir mike

    wonder if there is a Rambler Scrambler in that yard??

    Like 0
  8. Avatar ORacer

    “recently entering married life is forcing them to liquidate the entire collection”

    Getting married can do that.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jamie Palmer Staff

      Not always…Pre marriage — Three “hobby” cars. Post marriage — 8 “hobby” cars + 1 race car. Marry a “car girl!” :-)

      Like 0
      • Avatar MissKitty

        Finally, a mention of car “girls”. Funny thing though, cant find the car “guy” to marry. lol. Seems that car girls scare men off. Love this site, thanks so much for letting the “girl” in.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Josh Staff

        Hey MissKitty, welcome to the community! It’s great to have you here!
        Josh

        Like 0
  9. Avatar frankie Paige

    Seeing all the picture the seller put up says alot, a cool collection just left sitting there to rust. To have the parts and cars cared for would have made such a huge difference and have been worth more. I’ve seen this alot and it would be worth saving, hopefully the seller has not been smoking the good stuff and will send it all off to a good home.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar boxdin

    Remember the Oleg Cassini edition of the Matador?

    Like 0
  11. Avatar james g

    I think that the AMC Marlin looked like a real cool car

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Charles

    The bride to be is obliviously not a car person! Too bad……

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Brad Patterson

    Wow! This is interesting. These are my cars. I listed everything to test the waters. Had NOTHING to do with the wife, but more so wanting to buy a house. My wife was and is a “car girl”. I still have most of these cars and am still selling parts from that package deal that never sold as a lot. The Matador I sold back to the friend I bought it from and it went to Beverly Hills, CA to a Russian photographer. The 74 purple AMX got a 360 from a wagoneer. I then sold it to a fellow in Missouri? Sold lots of the NOS parts not mentioned and made tons of dough. The 1970 Rebel sst John Newell speaks about was my 1st car and 1st amc ever. I sold it to a guy in Maryland. He paid me for it and dropped off the face of the planet, never picking it up. I then gave it to my buddy with the Matador, for he committed to get it back on the road(lots of work done, but still not quite there). The 77 AMX I still have. I used it as a parts mill for my wife’s 75 Gremlin. Her Gremmy now rocks a 304. The 69 AMX front and center was sold on Ebay sometime back. The Javelins in the main pick are still with me, being parted out.

    Like 0

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