Here at Barn Finds we see a few Javelins cross our desks. This one which was brought to our attention by reader Rocco B may be one of the more desirable examples. You will find this one for sale here on Craigslist located in Ojai, California. With a clean title and an asking price of $8,000, this is one car that seems to be packed with a heap of potential.
When it comes to looks the ’71 AMX rates as my all-time favorite Javelin. To me, the proportions just work so well. And the body wasn’t just about looks. That rear spoiler was functional and used to provide 100lbs of down-force on the Trans Am car fielded by Penske Racing for Mark Donohue. This example looks to be a good basis for a restoration. The seller states that the car is solid with only some surface rust. The supplied photos tend to back this claim, but I would love to see some shots of the underside. The seller is also including a spare hood that he has in this sale.
There are a few photos of specific areas of the interior of the AMX, but this shot is the closest to giving you the “big picture” on this one. You just have to love that machine-turned instrument panel. By and large, the interior trim doesn’t look to be too bad, but I would be ditching that wheel in favor of the 2 spoke one. Close inspection also reveals that the instrument panel has been optioned with the “Tick-Tock-Tach”. A good clean would go a long way on this one, and almost everything appears to be present and accounted for. The biggest issue is that the top of the shift lever has been broken, so a replacement would need to be sourced.
Now we’re getting to the meat of the whole thing. Sitting there is the Z Code 401ci engine backed by an auto transmission. The seller states that this is a matching numbers car with an original 36,000 miles. The seller states that the engine turns over, but he doesn’t state whether he has made any attempt to fire it up. In all honesty, I hope that he hasn’t because I would want to give the engine a good check over before trying to kick it into life. As with the interior, everything important seems to be present and accounted for.
At $8,000 this is an interesting proposition. If the bones of the car are as solid as the seller claims, then there is no major work required to bring the body and interior back to life. The big question mark hangs over the mechanicals. These may be an easy restoration, or it could be a major undertaking. What would tip the balance in favor of this one is an interesting fact that I discovered when writing this story. I could find hardly any 1971 AMX Z Codes for sale online…and I don’t mind the idea of being different. How about you?
AMC salesman tried to get me into one of these..or it might have been a Javelin. I remember the tick tach as one of the features. If he could swing a deal, I’d find a “lid” on the driver’s seat.
A “lid” ? Have not heard that term for ages. Cool Dean.
OK, I give. Lid? Weed?
You got it Mike, a lid, a can, a bag, an ounce. It’s an old 60s term.
LOL! Thanks Gregg, it was a long time ago.
There is no such thing as a “numbers matching” AMC. The factory did not match up engine and chassis serial numbers, so the seller is either lying or doesn’t know what he’s talking about. By the look of it on the trailer this car is being offered by a flipper after a quick buck, so “caveat emptor” very much applies.
Someone could have dropped another engine in there over the last 47 years. The displacement is cast into the block, check under the engine mounts to see that it’s actually a 401. Here’s some info on identifying AMC engines:
http://gremlinx.com/amc-engine-id-information/
This ’71 AMC does have the optional electric windshield wipers!
AMC guy is correct. MAC did not match #’s on engines/Vin#’s.
Really? AMC did not VIN stamp the engine or the transmission? I thought that the federal government mandated that all manufacturers VIN stamp both starting with the 1968 model year. I know that Ford VIN stamps date back to 1968. I am not saying that you are wrong as any expertise that I may possess revolves around blue oval products. Just asking, that’s all.
Another low mile immaculate car. Nice.
BarnFinds please go back to listing the archived ads as well, some of these sell fast!
If a true 401 this auto, at least by view of what is given, should sell fast as 401 engines are not that common.
Odd valve train on the 401 rocker arms that somewhat limit rpm but made for a more durable valve train and push rods were very thin tubing.
Heads flow great due to design change in head ports, and by using small block Ford different ratio arms with screw in studs realy brought those engines alive.
I believe dished pistons were 9.2
compression which with right duration cam is great on pump gas and at one time edelbrock made a manifold carb and head package, that realy woke engine up but remained real tractable on street.
Some had a damn near perfectly balanced steel crank rod and piston innard, which meant keep all parts from same motor best bet.
These not great canyon carvers but today’s tires, wheels and suspension parts do wonders.
Chrysler big auto in AMC caseing, was tough, and add a stall, hang on.
If I had 15K to spare I could see an easy 9K to buy.
If motor dry, cranking it over will most assuredly bend push rods, and hydraulic lifters, stock, were leak down prone to leak down, floating, and had close tolerances in their bores.
AMC owners are die hard and darn near cult like over these.
The best flipper I have seen lately for profit by those who know how.
As a fix and drive cruiser they can be top rate and do catch lookiloos eyes at shows when done right.
401 engines with quality parts and crossover exhaust has very individual sound.
If this car still has the original drivetrain, for ’71 the automatic transmission would be a Borg-Warner automatic. M12 I think with the 401. Crank is different on ’72+ engines that use the Torqueflite so changing to the Chrysler trans is not a straightforward swap.
On general principle I personally would not buy from a flipper that just tries to make a quick easy buck, offering a car right off the same trailer he loaded it up on from the barn or field without so much as cleaning it up. (If said flipper at least adds a little value like getting the car running, maybe even drivable it would be a different story. Given the “matching numbers” claim it’s pretty clear what kind of seller you’re dealing with here.)
Odd valvetrain and weak pushrods? They are small block Chevrolet pushrods. Exactly the same ALL 401 engines had forged cranks and rods, but cast pistons.
1971 had Borg Warner auto transmission not Chrysler torque flights.
Used “steel” cranks out of 72 and up 401 with not 390 stroke as are most 71 n
but true 401 stroke.
I only built and raced AM C engines from early 343 through 401s and don’t realy give a damn who supplied push rods they bent easily, I cut and built my own, both hydraulics or for solids.
The stock rockers severely limited rpm, with different ratios on and of Ford screw in, measured spring weights and compression heights.
Eagle to this day makes steel cranks.
Any one using older auto trans than Chrysler was wasting time.
My info was for those who were going to build not rebuild to clunker stock specks.
Within my other AM C mentions I warned of differences in cranks, flat fllanges etc.
Also any who rebuild a 401 of 70-72 be sure to check crank #’s, as some factory cranks for 401 had 390 strokes a good regrind shop will also watch for end number restamping.
AM C was not the best producers as to quality control
and used outside vendors for many parts, and so I never realy gave a fly in pig who made what just as long as it met my and friends specs.
Pssst, cast can be steel or iron.
Also watch for clearances on walls due to strokes and at high rpm whip, which none of newer thin wall castings of AMC V8 I
know of ever had.
And yes I did turn as high as 7- 7200, in short burst, and never bent my larger inner and outer hand built push rods.
Also used quality timing gears, and degreed each individual cam no matter suppliers stated stock or hi-po specs.
My specs come from not a book but my personal actual precise measurements.
Park Rangers had 401s in the 70’s around here n they would tote the mail.
Driving back from New Mexico a couple of weekends ago, noticed a business – looked like welding – a bit back from the highway. There were two Javelins (AMX’s) in his parking lot. One clearly needed work, the other might have been a driver. Been driving back and forth on that highway for several years now, never noticed that before starting to read BarnFinds.
The air cleaner would be a dual snorkel on that car. I can’t tell if it is a cowl induction hood because the ad is gone. Z code is in the vin so if it has the Z it could be genuine. BF please archive these ads again
Is it Tick Tach? I had heard it as Tick Toc(k?) Tach indicating that the clock and tach shared the same gauge pod.
Hi Dale. This is an interesting question. It’s definitely the Tic Tach. I’ve included a pic of one so that you can see it. The clock is set inside the “sweep” for the tachometer. As a person who used to work in electronics I can tell you that this would have been a fairly expensive way of producing an instrument, but it does look quite cool.
First off to clear up a mistake regarding valve train on 71 401 all 52 cc . combustion chamber heads through 73 when AMC increased combustion chamber to 58 cc did not have valve train problems, nor did they use small block Chevy anything rockers were more like Ford, from 74-78 they used a less desirable set up which does limit came lift, stock valve train good for 5800 or so. Any engine over revved will bend push rods, even chrome molybdenum had a set in my SC and accidentally revved to 7600 and bent pushrods and stripped rocker nuts
There is some serious mechanical knowledge floating around on BarnFinds………..
70 up AMC engines used same exact pushrods as SBC, and the lifters are Chrysler. Look up the part numbers in SealedPower catalog. AMC was always buying the best parts from the big-3 and putting them together so they didn’t have to reinvent the wheel…
As to hydraulic lifters I sometimes used Chrysler part, but not run of mill on a strong street motor only their best HI PWR from parts bin, MOPAR!
Coil bind and too heavy springs at rpm is what bent pushrods, roll on flat glass or metal surface for quick visual
And yes I did see bent ones from Chevy motors as well, GM did list better grade.
Not here for piss… contest, only noting what worked for me, as it may save somebody from ” keeper headaches.”
Have you run into any bottom-end oiling problems? AMC 2nd and 3rd generation V8s run oil to the valvetrain before the crank. I’ve read that can cause oil starvation especially to the rear bearing in performance applications, and that there are mods available to redirect more oil to the crank. (I don’t know from personal experience since I’ve always just worked on AMC cars as stock, ordinary drivers.)
I have the a 74 AMX javelin with the 360 and yes they do have oiling issues at higher rpm, had to drill holes in the intake valley and run a braided line in the valley as well. No mor loss in oil pressure at higher rpms
I was driving around my town a couple days ago and one drove past me going the other way! It looked really nice! It blue and a young teenager was driving it! If it was his car he really has something to be proud of! I live in a small town and I have never seen it before! Could have been daddy’s but who knows maybe he’s a young kid who is into the classics! Anyway I wanted to catch him and ask him about it but I couldn’t find him again! Darnit
AMC tagged engines with a code telling what year and size engine it was, screwed to valve cover. There is no such thing as ” matching numbers” AMC. They did stamp the VIN number on the chassis under the
steering box.
They made a “Mark Donahue” special edition that had his autograph on that rear spoiler.