We’ve featured a couple of the more oddly-shaped AMC cars here on Barn Finds over the last couple of days, including a 1974 Gremlin and a 1975 Pacer. However, today’s auto is a bit more mainstream, at least in terms of appearance. American Motors Corporation introduced the Hornet in 1970, and it became one of the brand’s best-selling cars over a production period of eight years. This one sounds fairly priced at $2,250, so if you’ve been in the market for a cheap driver or perhaps a project down the road, it’s probably worth considering. Reader Ted found this 1974 AMC Hornet here on Facebook Marketplace in Rootstown, Ohio, and we’d like to thank him for taking the time to make us aware of it!
The Hornet is small in size and considered compact, but the lines outside flow smoothly, especially on the coupes. There’s nothing particularly glamorous about the styling, but for inexpensive transportation, it was fairly sleek-looking for the time. Rootstown is pretty far north in the state of Ohio, not too far from Lake Erie, so the winter climate can be rough on sheet metal. The seller mentions that some rust is present here and there on the body, but states that it’s not too bad underneath. Following a few panel repairs, I’m envisioning a nice little ride after a new coat of beige paint is applied.
While a 304 V8 was the top performer for the Hornet in ’74, a pair of inline-6 engines were also available, including a 232 cubic-inch plus a 258. The seller doesn’t specify which one of the sixes is under the hood here, but he does say that this car runs very well, and is confident enough in its dependability to believe the buyer can drive it home. He also claims that everything is still working as it should, so I’m taking that to imply that the automatic transmission is shifting properly.
Only one photo from the interior is provided, with this Hornet having a plain-jane appearance inside. From what I can tell, most everything seems like the stock components in here, with some wear and tear in a few areas. However, $2,250 isn’t a lot for a running and driving mid-seventies auto that would be considered cool after a bit of work, so I’m feeling more positives than negatives regarding this 1974 AMC Hornet. What are your thoughts on this one?
Need to remove the decal on the left quarter window but leave the one of the lady. Looks a little crunchy but I know my weird ex BIL would love this. He had a thing for AMC. I agree about the lines. It’s a sporty looking car. Get rid of the six and SBC it. Paint it something, anything other than that awful beige.
Years ago I had a 74 Hornet…Good family car…That is the 258 cu. in 6 engine…
You don’t like decals?
“Old Man Tan”
And as an old man I like tan, easy to keep clean, easy to be seen by others on the road. Rather dirty interior and engine compartment but if it runs okay, okay I say.
Sorry, Fox Owner, you don’t know Ohio. I’ll agree with you on the Right to Bare Arms (and other parts, intentionally misspelled).
SBC it? No way. You could drop in an AMC 304 or 360, but that would require beefing up the suspension and rear axil. That would really get this Hornet buzzing.
The hot setup would be to drop a Jeep 4.0 in there.
Actually a 4.0 with a 258 crankshaft and .060 over bore gets you 4.9 with great torque and VERY REASONABLE horsepower. Add a 5 speed and some rear gear and thus makes a,nice little hotrod. I really like the body style of these that kind of got screwed up with the park bench bumpers.
I’d fix the body, leave it the same color, beef up the suspension & rear-end, dump in a Gen-III HEMI, fix the interior & have some fun.
Do the body work and paint it dark metallic green with a satin black rear strap like a Super Bee only put a Hornet where the Bee is, then do the interior black with buckets & console and find a Scat Pack 392 HEMI with trans and wedge a Ford 9″ w/342 posi pumpkin in it and hope my Guardian Angel can fly that fast!