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LS1 Transplant: 1976 AMC Pacer DL

The AMC Pacer was a car that was almost certainly destined to fade into obscurity, but thanks to the appearance of a Pacer in the movie “Wayne’s World,” it has now become something of a cult classic. Apart from the quirky styling, it was always considered to be a car that was quite heavy and underpowered. The introduction of the 304ci V8 in 1978 didn’t really help its cause that much, so the owner of this 1976 Pacer DL has decided to take matters into his own hands. The original 6-cylinder engine that used to call this car home has been scrapped, and in its place is a Chevrolet LS1 V8. That should provide enough of a performance boost to plaster a smile on the next owner’s face the moment they floor the gas pedal. If you would like to be that owner, you will find the Pacer located in New Richmond, Indiana, and listed for sale here on Craigslist. The sale price for the AMC has been set at $14,000. I have to say thank you to Barn Finder Pat L for spotting this really cool custom for us.

The Brilliant Blue Pacer seems to be an attractive survivor, even before we consider just what is happening under the hood. It features a white vinyl top, and the whole car presents extremely well. There are no obvious signs of any rust, while the panels appear to be free of any significant dings or marks. The paint has a nice shine to it, while the vinyl top is also in good condition. The trim, chrome, and the glass all look good, while the Cragar wheels not only impart a tougher look but provide a hint that all might not be as it appears with this car.

Now we get to the crux of what makes this Pacer special. When it was new, the best that any owner could hope for from their Pacer in 1976 was a 6-cylinder engine producing 120hp. Even the later 304 only brought 130hp to the table. Adding to the performance woes, the six was something of a boat anchor when it came to weight, tipping the scales at around 480lbs. Because of the design compromises with the Pacer, this also meant that a significant proportion of that weight hung forward of the front axle line, negatively impacting handling. Anyway, we can forget about the boat anchor, because the original engine and transmission have been given the flick in favor of a Chevrolet LS1 V8 and a Corvette 4-speed automatic transmission. The LS1 weighs a not insignificant 50lbs less than the 258, and the fact that it also concentrates its weight further back in the engine bay provides a substantial improvement in weight distribution, which should also provide some handling benefits. Of course, suddenly finding that your Pacer has more than 300hp on tap adds to the positives. It isn’t clear whether the brakes have received any form of upgrade, but if they haven’t that is something that the new owner might want to investigate for their own peace of mind. Sadly, the owner doesn’t indicate how well the Pacer runs or drives, but if everything is working as it should, this should be a pretty potent little weapon.

Beyond the tachometer mounted on the steering column and the shifter mounted on the floor, there is little inside the Pacer to indicate just what is happening under the hood. What is worth noting is that the interior trim and upholstery appears to be in better than average condition for a Pacer of this age. There are no obvious rips, tears, or splits, while the carpet looks to be free of significant wear or fading. It isn’t clear whether there have been any aftermarket additions such as a stereo, but the fact that the Pacer does come equipped with working air conditioning is a nice little bonus.

There are definitely people who will never like the AMC Pacer, no matter what. I think that they are an interesting car that the company managed to develop on a shoestring budget. I’ve often looked at AMC offerings and have wondered just what their innovative and lateral-thinking development staff would have been able to produce if money was no object. The Pacer was never what could be considered to be a muscle car, but this one goes a long way towards addressing the performance deficits which were apparent right across the range. Leaving all of that aside, this car just looks like it would be an enormous amount of fun to own and drive, and we can never have enough fun in our lives.

Comments

  1. Avatar Howard A Member

    Pacer with an attitude, who’s stupid looking now, eh? Pretty cool. Several years ago while attending the AMC reunion in Kenosha, a guy had a Pro Stock Pacer with a Pontiac motor, it was extremely well done. I said, “well, it certainly isn’t your grandma’s Pacer”, he said, “actually, it WAS my grandmother’s Pacer”. I think he said it did 10’s. I’m surprised to see it for sale.
    https://www.racingjunk.com/American-Motors-AMC-/181796824/1976-AMC-ProStreet-Pacer.html

    Like 10
    • Avatar DayDreamBeliever

      Wow! Over The Top!

      Like 3
  2. Avatar RayT

    Ouuuuuuu, I want this! It appears to be a neat installation, and probably quite streetable. A perfect summer cruiser, if it has A/C (I can’t tell). I’d address that at the same time as I replaced that ugly shifter and either relocated the tach or replaced it. It certainly needs disc brakes, which I’d put behind a set of Torq-thrusts. Tighten the suspension as necessary, lose the window tint, and it’d be good to go.

    I see any car like this as a work in progress, that each owner can make his own. But as it is I’m all for stock appearance with more power added.

    Like 8
    • Avatar Dave

      Tinted windows reduce the load on the air conditioning and gives rear seat passengers (in case you need to take everyone out in style) a sporting chance of not being parboiled! My 2016 Jeep Patriot came standard with what I thought to be an aggressive tint level on the windows aft of the front doors and that’s what the salesman told me. I haven’t been stopped by the local gendarmes, and it passes PA inspection, so it must be OK.

      Like 4
  3. Avatar alphasud Member

    Poor AMC they were such a scrappy company. Always had to fight with the big 3. Huge gamble with this design and in my opinion it was better that the GM Wankel deal went south. The 258 was much more reliable and probably better on fuel than a thirsty Wankel. I remember seeing the first one in the neighborhood when I was a kid. Made quite a good impression on me. The thing was so futuristic and far about against all the dull cars Detroit was producing at the time.
    Perfect candidate to a LS swap and it looks like it was done with some attention to detail. Big brakes and a good rear axle to support the HP would be at the top of my list if I were to own or build one. What was the factory rear? Dana 30 with one wheel peel?

    Like 3
    • Avatar Howard A Member

      Yeah, it sucked being #4. Considering the budget AMC probably had to work with, a fraction of the Big 3, I think they did pretty good.

      Like 8
  4. Avatar Weasel

    Party on Wayne

    Like 8
  5. Avatar Michael Leyshon Member

    I’ve always felt neutral about Pacers and kind of viewed them as a novelty items, until seeing this… Love it !!! The blue/white with the black window tint and
    Cragar’s just look great together. Well powered too. I’d be proud to show this one off for sure.

    Like 4
  6. Avatar davew833

    Sorry, the Pacer’s 6-cylinder engine was good for around 90 HP on a good day, not 120.

    My pacer had the same wheels as this car, well, except they were a copy of the Cragar SS design made by another wheel manufacturer.

    Like 3
  7. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    For sure, this kelvinator would haul @$$ in the 1/4 mile but i’d be willing to bet that it handles like a bucket of bricks, especially if its still sportin the original front end, these came thru with disc brakes but too small for this mill. I’d want to check out the work that was done.looks bad@ss up top!
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Jcs

    I can speak from personal experience that the comment that Adam (and a couple of others) made regarding brakes is definitely dead-on.

    In 1984 I was very young, dumb and living in South Florida with a job that paid way too well (a very dangerous combination) so I went out and bought a new 1984 Hurst/Olds. You know, the one with the three shifters. Great car BTW, and huge fun to drive.

    Well, unfortunately it appears that someone else liked that H/O too — as that car was stolen three times. The second time that she found her way home I was coming home from the Tina Turner Private Dancer concert (great show) about a week later and the crankshaft broke on that little Olds 307, as the thief had obviously abused the crap out of it.

    So, I put a 375HP small block 350 in it. A nice, sanitary install complete with fully functioning A/C.

    Well, it may seem common sense to us now, but I guess that I didn’t posess too much of that at the time. Once I broke that 350 in and got into my first street race with it I very quickly learned that doubling the horsepower has a tendency to make what used to be what I thought were great brakes totally useless. Yes, of course I won that race, but trying to come down scared the living sh*t out of me! Within a week I popped for a 4 wheel disc upgrade. Lesson learned.

    Two months later she was stolen again and this time she never came home. Tissue please. I still check the VIN on every one that I see to this day.

    This Pacer appears to be a very clean and unique build, I for one am going to take a closer look at it. One thing for sure, I will check those brakes!

    Peace

    Like 10
    • Avatar WH

      Stolen 3 times? Did you ever consider getting an alarm?

      Like 0
      • Avatar JB

        To be fair, alarms back then were sketchy at best. In about 1990, a kid in my town had a Trans Am decked out in sound equipment, along with what was a high dollar alarm. He came out of the mall to find his stereo stuff gone, and most of the alarm wrapped in wires, sitting in the driver’s seat.

        Like 0
  9. Avatar chrlsful

    fer-get the motor, be the wagon & orig 6 – I’d be alot happier.

    Like 4
  10. Avatar Angrymike

    My buddy had this exact Pacer (without the LS) back in the 80’s. That car was unstoppable, with the “boat anchor” 6, you could stop that car ! My buddy was kinda crazy and he drove that car everywhere, through the mud, on baseball fields, everywhere ! I have to laugh when I see one, we had some hilarious times ! This is kinda cool, that LS will really make that Pacer unstoppable ! Neat car !

    Like 3
  11. Avatar Karl

    Would the original drive train ever stand up to that much additional HP? Brakes? I see lots of concerning points to this modification?

    Like 1
  12. Avatar Carlton Firestine

    sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Like 0
  13. Avatar mainlymuscle

    Excellent utilization/improvement of an automobile without wasting anything overly rare ,kudos.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Rick

    My neighbors, being gluttons for punishment, had two Pacers. They were both driven about the same amount, so that when one came in for some sort of failure, I could expect the other one within a week or two.

    Like 1
  15. Avatar Lonemalt

    I always thought the wagons were the best looking of the Pacers – love to see a well done LS swap in one of those. AMC rules!

    Like 2
  16. Avatar Louis Chen

    I’ve always been a fan of the AMC PACER! Personally it was the original grand daddy of the Porsche 928-a.k.a. FISHBOWL on wheels. Too bad this car is too far for me to take a gander & offer. I’ve owned AMC products before-Pacer, Gremlin, & a What? It’s a Matador, Javelin, AMX
    and finally old Alliance. Our family was considered as the weird neighbor next door! We’ve enjoyed AMC’s quirky cars & their commercials! Those were the quirky old days!

    Like 0

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