Incredible AMC Spirit

griffin729 wrote: NOICE, my first car was an '80 Spirit. Ah, nostalgia, it was a fun car to drive. Yes you could get that body style as 4WD. The AMC Eagle was basically a lengthened CJ-7 with a Spirit body on it. I know not entirely accurate, but not far off.

Not entirely accurate is right.

The Eagle/ Spirit is a uni-body design, not a body on frame. The transfer cases are different as well. The Eagles were 4wd, and shared the 358 cid 6cyl with the Jeeps, but not too much else.

That said, that Spirit is completely bad ass.......It makes me want to go home and wrench on the Eagle.

I appear to be in the minority.

I love the car. I dig Yellow having owned yellow cars myself, one of my favorite wheels I like black wheels on the ring car.

To me this is less than the sum of the parts. It suddenly looks too blunt and tall at both the front and back. Not many older cars look better with the bumpers on, but this is crying out for some chrome at each end!

Hooniverse

I spotted this on Hooniverse this am

That yellow one is awesome.

After researching, it seems the 1979 AMX Spirit was capable of a 13.4 quarter mile.

93celicaGT2 wrote: After researching, it seems the 1979 AMX Spirit was capable of a 13.4 quarter mile.

If that were true it would have been by far the fastest production car in the world in 1979. Faster then a Ferrari 512 BB.

1979 AMX Spirit had 8.4 compression in the V8 and a 2.xx rear axle..

16.7@ 89mph.

AutoXR wrote:

93celicaGT2 wrote: After researching, it seems the 1979 AMX Spirit was capable of a 13.4 quarter mile.

If that were true it would have been by far the fastest production car in the world in 1979. Faster then a Ferrari 512 BB. 1979 AMX Spirit had 8.4 compression in the V8 and a 2.xx rear axle.. 16.7@ 89mph.

That's what i get for trusting Wikipedia.

IIRC, the fastest production vehicle (1/4 mile) in '79 was the Dodge Lil' Red Express pick-up.

The AMX is sweet...like the yellow.

I'm thinking all aluminum 401. Yes, it can be done, just insert cubic dollars.

AutoXR wrote: Hooniverse

makes me wish i had bought the sx/4 i saw years ago in ohio. anybody know how they'd fare in rallycross?

with a car like that you don't need to do well , you just win everywhere you go.

I couldn't let this post fall off the home page. That Spirit is way too hot! If my Hornet could only look half as good...

I dig those SX/4's. There is one that pops up on craigslist every so often with a manual trans and modded straight six.

oldsaw wrote: Spirits were no strangers on the track. For example, here's one in the Karrousel at the 'Ring: Here's a link to more photos and specs: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://academics.concord.edu/chrisz/hobby/80-AMXitems/Information/BFG-raceAMX.jpg&imgrefurl=http://academics.concord.edu/chrisz/hobby/80-AMX-2info.html&usg=__7dc8YwreLsy8xtNGdu2DkJ6mLHM=&h=280&w=500&sz=42&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=fqYDcki0ErQm1M:&tbnh=73&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlynn%2Bst%2Bjames%2Bamc%2Bspirit%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

It doesn't suprise me that Amos Johnson was involved with that effort..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuSvVK6n1V8

That's from Team Highball's Mazda days, tho.

EDIT: WOW! Somebody says they have a copy of AMC's promotional film from the Ring race!

http://tinyurl.com/yllfef4

petegossett wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote:

bravenrace wrote: any car can be cool if the right things are done to it.

no truer words ever have been writ... except the mercury topaz, there is no hope for that car

Actually, I saw a Tempo/Topaz last week with a cool/interesting factory-looking graphics package on the side...think AAR-Cuda looking, and you'd be close. Yeah, it was still a stock Tempaz, but at least it looked the part....

Didn't they get a V6 & a 5 sp. option the last year or two of their production?

I appreciate all the compliments on my yellow Spirit. To answer a few questions it is equipped with a 360 cu in out of a 70s Javelin, T10 4spd from a Mustang, original AMC posi rear end, close ratio steering box from a Trans Am, functional cowl induction hood, custom covered Recaro seats, AMX spoiler and grille etc etc. It was originally a 4 cyl 4spd grocery getter. I just recently converted the rear drums to disc brakes, I also have the original turbine rims exactly the same as the ones pictured in the "Ring" I realize you like the looks, but the sound is just as good, custom built headers going into older Camaro presilencers with custom tailpipes exiting in front of the rear wheels NASCAR style.It sounds friggin amazing! The color is Viper yellow.

Derek

So I assume it is nolonger awd?

This model was never AWD, the SX4 was the all wheel drive model.

Derek

dsittler wrote: I appreciate all the compliments on my yellow Spirit. To answer a few questions it is equipped with a 360 cu in out of a 70s Javelin, T10 4spd from a Mustang, original AMC posi rear end, close ratio steering box from a Trans Am, functional cowl induction hood, custom covered Recaro seats, AMX spoiler and grille etc etc. It was originally a 4 cyl 4spd grocery getter. I just recently converted the rear drums to disc brakes, I also have the original turbine rims exactly the same as the ones pictured in the "Ring" I realize you like the looks, but the sound is just as good, custom built headers going into older Camaro presilencers with custom tailpipes exiting in front of the rear wheels NASCAR style.It sounds friggin amazing! The color is Viper yellow. Derek

I've always been a Mopar and AMC fan so naturally I'm glad to see an AMC getting respect. But you and your car are heads and shoulders above the rest. Do you have any video, or even audio of that beast. Can you give us some performance specs?

Derek,

Your car is amazing! Thank you for making your way over to our little corner of the world to share. Have you had it on the track yet?

It's never been tracked yet but it has run the 1/4 mile a couple years back and it did some mid to high 13s. Since then a lot of work has been done and I know the performance has substantially improved. If you look at a standard Spirit, the rocker panels follow the contour of the door, my rocker panels go straight down, that's one area it has been stiffened, on the front frame rails steel was cut exactly duplicating the frame rails and then welded into place so when you look at it the frame looks stock. There is a custom tower brace in the engine compartment which incorporates the upper shock tower re-inforcement and it looks like stock. A custom lowering bracket was made for the rear to go between the spring and the axle, the bracket then wraps around the back of the axle and a link rod goes from it back to the body which allows axle travel but eliminates axle hop.

Derek

Derek,

I'm glad you found your way over here -- to the best automotive forum on the Internet, in my opinion. One look at your car and I knew you'd fit right in. We'd love to have you at the St. LAC lapping day at Shannonville on May 31 -- details are on the CASC board.

Have you ever corner-weighted the car?

Rob

those are probably the best wheels that could have been picked for that car. So proper.

dsittler wrote: It's never been tracked yet but it has run the 1/4 mile a couple years back and it did some mid to high 13s. Since then a lot of work has been done and I know the performance has substantially improved. If you look at a standard Spirit, the rocker panels follow the contour of the door, my rocker panels go straight down, that's one area it has been stiffened, on the front frame rails steel was cut exactly duplicating the frame rails and then welded into place so when you look at it the frame looks stock. There is a custom tower brace in the engine compartment which incorporates the upper shock tower re-inforcement and it looks like stock. A custom lowering bracket was made for the rear to go between the spring and the axle, the bracket then wraps around the back of the axle and a link rod goes from it back to the body which allows axle travel but eliminates axle hop. Derek

First of all, welcome! Wonderful car.
Second...Any pics of the fabrication work? We get off on that kind of stuff around here. If you don't have any from when you did the work, just go out and take some pics of it installed.. A lot of the guys running live axles over here would really like to see how you've done the link on the back of it, I'll bet.

Oh, and I found a youtube link to a rough (and editied) copy of the Nurburgring film. Turns out it was made by BF Goodrich. I said in an earlier post it was made by AMC, I was wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQqysjI9gM4

I remember cruising around in an AMC as a bouncing tot in the early/mid 80s. Ours had 4 doors (Eagle?) and a 2 tone black and grey metallic paint scheme. The black vinyl seats pan seared the backs of your thighs on a hot day in august. But I still remember thinking it was waaaaay cooler than the oldsmobile wagons all the other families in the neighborhood had. Thanks for the memories! Derek, you have a truly awesome ride. Well done!

Hey, waiddaminnit..

Take a look at the basic lines of the Spirit, and then the Corrado. Separated at birth?