AMC engine architecture

[Ghoste]

Probably the wrong forum but since Indy Cylinder Head is the reason for making my brain lose sleep over it and the the people most likely to know the answer are commonly found here...
Is the AMC engine architecture from the late 60's greatly different from Chrysler engines of the same period?

[tan top]

  distributor in  the front !!   angled left  driver side  , oppsite to R /RB motors    

[Ghoste]

Yeah, but what about rod/stroke ratios, combustion chamber shapes, port configurations and all of that?

[tan top]

 link gone wrong

[Ghoste]

well fix it

[tan top]

  ok fixed    
                     
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_V8_engine

[Ghoste]

Okay, that answers a lot of questions.  So now I wonder this, why would ICH jump into this pond?  Is there really enough demand for aluminum AMC heads to warrant it?  I know it's a question best asked of them and not here.  With almost no other performance parts available is it even worth trying to run an AMC product?  Now that they are a Mopar stepchild of sorts is there anyone on this site who finds they are more often encountering AMC racers seeking help from the Mopar contingent?

[tan top]

 i been wondering about that when i first saw the advertising AMC hardware  on thier site 5 /6 years back !!  i would of though also  the demand would not be that great !! ! how could they justify the tooling , for a small market !( not popular) ( no offence any AMC guys reading this )
they have even cast a Aluminum 401 block 

http://www.indyheads.com/amcengines.html

[maxwellwedge]

I would love a 68-70 AMX and/or a Rambler-Scrambler!  

Sorry - off topic.

[HPP]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the Mopar Magnum heads from the 90s used a number of AMC design parameters in them.

I'd say Indy felt that was enough of a market with enough margin to motivate them to produce AMC parts. They are still doing it many years later, so I'd say they guessed correctly.

[Cooter]

Yeah, and the Furd And Chivvy guys said the same thing about the Chrylser guys back in the day too...."Really? Is there even a market for Mopar parts?"...


Now, the same ones are buying up all the Cuda's/Challengers they can find and buying the parts for them as well...Agreed, Indy wouldn't have even dreamed of AMC parts unless there was an azzload of willin' AMC people with an azzload of cash ready to buy the stuff....

[Ghoste]

Back in which day?  The latter half of the 70 and throught the 80's maybe because Ronnie Sox and Richard Petty certainly made sure that if we were relegated to being number three in size we were still in the race. 
Anyway I digress.  It wasn't an attack on AMC, it was a question about the engineering of the AMC V-8 engines.  I realize fully that are many many many AMC racers out there and if ICH has had success looking after them, then that is all fabulous.  As a curious and naive speed junkie, it just seemed to me that unless the demand was huge (which I didn't think it was) then to take on the project must have meant that the AMC engines may have had some common ground with the Chrysler engines.  I didn't think they had any but I still wanted to know because it seemed like it would make for a good business case for a performance engine shop.  Thats all, just wanted to know.

[Runner]

if you think mopar people are die hard, you need to meet some amc dudes.   theres a good market place for amc heads.  the biggest problem with amc engines is there oil system sucks and there aluminum oil pumps cast into the timing cover is crazy, the steal gear wears out the aluminum housing.

[Runner]

Back in which day?  The latter half of the 70 and throught the 80's maybe because Ronnie Sox and Richard Petty certainly made sure that if we were relegated to being number three in size we were still in the race. 
Anyway I digress.  It wasn't an attack on AMC, it was a question about the engineering of the AMC V-8 engines.  I realize fully that are many many many AMC racers out there and if ICH has had success looking after them, then that is all fabulous.  As a curious and naive speed junkie, it just seemed to me that unless the demand was huge (which I didn't think it was) then to take on the project must have meant that the AMC engines may have had some common ground with the Chrysler engines.  I didn't think they had any but I still wanted to know because it seemed like it would make for a good business case for a performance engine shop.  Thats all, just wanted to know.

    look at it like this chevy is a huge market but on the other hand there are a bizzilion head and block choices, while there arent many amc guys they have next to no other place to go except for edelbrock and indy.

[Ghoste]

I get all of that, I really do.  I was never ever trying to dis the AMC guys in any way.  All I wondered was if there were engineering parameters that made for a cheaper business case to allow ICH to go after that market.  That's it.

[Runner]

im a little confused by the question,    im not a bright guy though so i get confused easily        

[Ghoste]

It's not you, I don't think I explained it well in the first place.  All that happened was that I have had AMC's on the brain for a different reason altogether lately and trying to find an answer to a completely different question, I happened to be studying a photo of an AMC engine bay.  Looking at it, I noted there were no obvious visual cues that tied it to the Mopar V8's which in turn made me wonder how much difficulty did ICH have when they took on the AMC stuff.   That led me to wonder if internally the two families had more in common that would make for an easy jump for anyone in the performance field wanting to get involved there.  That led to here.  It's all good, it's just another late night on Charger.com. 

[Runner]

i see,  they are completly different animals.  they do share the same lifter bore diameter, but thats about it.  i do know that you can install the a complete motor in a javlin without removing the hood.   they have a funky 2 piece axle set up that you can replace with 1 piece aftermarket axles. the bell housing bolts are a real pain in the but to put in or take out if youve been spoiled by mopars.

[Ghoste]

Axles are a weak link in them for any kind of hard performance use are they not?

[Runner]

i really dont know alot about them other than my sister in law has a 68 javelin that ive done  some work on,  changed a piston and reringed and bearinged the motor, exhaust, shifter cables that sort of stuff, and then i have a good friend that bleeds amc, ive helped him a fair bit as well with his amx's.    id own the right amc in a heartbeat.     are you taking a punge with an amc?

sister in laws car



my buddys race car


his 4 speed car



he also has a very nice totally stock car but i cant seem to find a picture of it

[b5blue]

Ghoste are you going to be an AMBASSADOR for AMC here? Keeping in the SPIRIT of this topic it sounds like you may be playing MATADOR with to few GREMLINS that have turned REBEL on you.     

[Ghoste]

 

That was cute.  No, I like the exterior styling on the 68-70 Javelin and AMX but I don't care much for the interiors.  I get obsessed with things sometimes especially if it's auto related.  It's a disease.

[b5blue]

I've got it also! I still remember a 69 SST my Dad wouldn't loan me 300.00 to buy, I had saved 500.00 on my own. Later in the Air Force my buddy found a 68 1 owner (in 77-78) for 500.00. It had the small V8 and a 4speed, the paint was dull but it was cherry! We took it over to the base auto shop and in a day had it shining and detailed really nice. (I had to teach him how to drive a stick so for a week it was "mine") Then 4 months later he smacked it into an Impala showing off doing a burnout. The Impala was oncoming and peeled the front fender into a ball and raked the whole passenger side to hell!  I had dibbs on that car if he ever sold it too! I've got a friend here with a nice 71 and a Gremlin.