My dad, having spent some time in Tampa, Florida as a kid, referred to jeans as dungarees. My brother and I never knew what that meant, they were jeans! This 1973 AMC Gremlin Levi’s Edition has been modified a bit as you can see and it’s posted on Craigslist with an asking price of $4,000 or best offer. It’s located in Seffner, Florida. Thanks to Patrick S. for sending in this find!
This is probably how I would have modified this car, or any car, in my youth. We always wanted “50s in the back and 70s in the front”. I have seen the light now and I prefer my vehicles in bone-stock spec. A lot of folks get wacky in their old age (like me) and prefer restomods and fiberglass ’32 Fords in candy colors, I’m getting more boring the older I get. That being said, this Gremlin does look pretty cool, in my opinion.
The seller says that this “car is a time capsule right out of the 80s, I have had fun with it and got lots of looks but its time to go……….priced right, car has great bones.” However a person refers to denim pants/trousers/slacks, they were reaching critical mass in the early-70s and since then they have become, at least for the US population, the go-to item to wear for working, playing, or just for everyday. The good ol’ days of casual Fridays has for the most part turned into casual every day where people just wear what they want. Dressing down is the new in thing and it has been coming on as strong as jeans came on strong in the early-70s. I wonder if there were still an AMC today and they still made the Gremlin, would they make a Levi’s Skinny Jeans edition today?
This is the only interior photo and it’s hard to tell if the seats are the factory denim-look nylon fabric, or if they’re light blue velour. They look like reupholstered seats to me but I could be wrong. The steering wheel appears to have been changed, hopefully a stock one can be found somewhere. This car has a “3 speed hurst shifter” and “slapper bars.”
There is no mention which engine this is other than it being an “In line 6 cyl. Offenhauser intake with a 4 bbl. holly carb, cam, header, duel exh. MSD 6ALbox”, which is the red ignition control box on the right hand side (left hand side in the pic above) of the engine compartment. I’m assuming that it’s the 258 inline-six. This car also has AC and ” New tires, new brake booster”. I’m of a mind that any special edition or limited edition vehicle should stay in stock condition and configuration, but what’s done is done and this is still a pretty cool ride. Have any of you owned a Gremlin Levi’s Edition?
I’m 64 years old and all I can say is, STOCK SUCKS!
4 GRAND?? What has this guy been smoking? Thats a $500 car where I come from (if he’s lucky)
The ad states its reminiscent of the 1980’s. He’s right, Gremlins in this condition littered the AMC section of the Pick N Pull during that time frame. This isn’t remotely close to being a $4,000 car. On a good day, maybe $1,500 depending on how rusty the body and undercarriage are.
Steve R
Is there a better one hiding that comes with this car. It’s kind of like they only took pictures of the free parts car that comes with the $4000.00 dollar car.
4 grand? Haha ok…. not
I don’t know… Build quality began a steady slip for Gremlin’s after ’73. This one is “complete”, and road-ready. It is a stick. Here in the Northeast, you’d be hard-pressed to find this, or get it for $2,000, but I’d walk after any more than that.
4,000 is way too much for this car. Love it, even with a six under the hood, was hoping for atleast a 304 with high-rise, but offy intake etc. is cool too.
4k?? You know that buys a ton of good cars – E36 328i, Volvo 850R, 2004-05 Jetta GLI, Focus SVT, etc. In top shape with reasonable mileage. Of course, rational sane people aren’t the market for this.
looking like $400 to me.
Wonder what 3 spd tranny is, lightweight or HD.
Placing the smallest Holley without bumping up cam and then tuning it as a casual cruiser or as a full bore 1/4 miler a waste of time. Having to rejet carb, and getting everything just right is a bear.
Have done it, but found a good hi pro Holley 2 brl to be better performance.
Yes new ignition system a must.
As a resto I would realy check close to set of the body, good 50 series and even torque of inline will lift front end on hard launch, twisting body.
Everything about later Gremlins was cheap cheap cheap, including the fake Levi upholstery.
Lean back hard on seats breaks retainers, cushions suck, heat from hot exhaust means cheap carpets damn near melt.
Any open type exhaust gets pretty exhausting to hear, like being in 55 gal drum.
I would like a good stock example, and know of two for under 2 grand each, not Levi Editions, so this rig in shape it is, way out of line as a flipper or P. O. V.
Cannot tell if small bolt pattern front and rear, but easy to change drums and rear axles to large and spindles from full size A M C with disc out there and cheap.
Yes. My Wife and I had a 1973 & 1974 Levis bought them new. The 73 had a 3 speed on the floor & the 74 was an Auto with air. Both cars were fun to drive.
what are slapper bars?
Slapper bars are traction bars.
Had a ‘77 Levi edition when I was in high school in the early 80’s. The hatchback wouldn’t lock and you could start the ignition without a key. It looked good (as good as a Gremlin looked with those awesome denim seats), but even in San Antonio, where I lived at the time, no one would steal it. Good times, though!
Quick, somebody call Wally Booth!
In high school (1980’s), I owned a 1973 Gremlin X. I outfitted it with a split exhaust (to fool people into thinking the 6 was an 8), a “shackle-kit”, shaker hood, and wide rears. I loved that car. :)
@Tony B. Got any pics? Would love to see it.
Funny how the vinyl “Levi” and vinyl “X” survived almost 40 years but the white paint and black stripe are long gone. Not sure about the rust I see by the hinges inside the A pillar. The denim seats are cool along with three pedals but I can think of a lot of vehicles I’d rather have for this kind of dough.
I liked your “dungarees” comment. Growing up here in West Texas, they were blue jeans, but the Good Sisters at our Catholic School (they were based out of N.J.) also called them dungarees.
Something else that you’d find funny: my uncle (Dad’s older brother) moved his family to West Texas in 1957, back when Flattops and Crew Cuts were in style. He moved his family into a small apt. complex that had a barber shop on the corner. He took my two cousins in for a haircut and told the barber to give each one of the a “beezer”. The barber thought that my uncle was being nasty and ordered him out, until my uncle explained what a beezer was.
“4,0000!” No Car for you said the Car Soup Nazi.
“!00! Sold.” Said the Car Soup Nazi.
he’d have to pay me to take this one.
I agree.
Still better than a honda. I grew up with these. I had one with a Buick 455 and a turbo 400. It ran 10s.all night and was a ball in the rain. Maybe 2500. Imo.
Unfortunately the seats are non original, and non-AMC, and the console, which wasn’t even available in a 73 Gremlin, looks like it came out of a Ford Granada. 4k for this thing is dreaming.
Saw this at the AMC Homecoming last year, kind of similar.
One more