What to look out for........

[Big Bad AMX]

This thread will discuss some of the things you may want to look out for when buying a 1968, 69, 70 AMX. Items will be added as time allows and as others add to it so please check back from time to time.

What to look out for once you've found a car:

Options: Options such as Go-Pack, A/C, Solex tinted windows, leather, tilt wheel, power steering, quick-ratio manual steering, light group, visibility group cannot be verified in the VIN or in other codes on the car.

Engine: Be wary of engine cid swaps. Click here (http://www.amx-perience.com/AMXtechPage.htm) for how to ID. Only the cid can be verified in the VIN, not serial numbers. All 2nd generation AMC V-8s are the same dimensions externally. This makes it easy to replace a 390 with a 360 or a 360 with a 304 etc. An unsuspecting buyer can get stung here.
This was discussed previously in: http://www.amx-perience.com/AmericanMotorsForum/showthread.php?t=17

Transmission: Either the M11 (with 290 or 343) or M12 (390) Borg-Warner automatics can be rebuilt with Ford FMX tranny parts so rebuilds are not a problem.

Go-Package: Could be ordered from the factory stripe delete. Also could be dealer installed using separate items or added by a owner at a later date. The Go-Pack was not available from the factory with a 290 car. Stripes can be added and the car may be tried to be passed off as a Go-Pack car. At the least be sure it has disk brakes, limited slip rear-end and 3 core radiator if advertised as a Go-Pack car.

Color Alterations: Color is a personal preference but it can greatly affect the value of the car. Check the door tag codes to verify the correct exterior/interior colors as well as seat material. Changing the color can be a big expense so seriously consider color changes when buying. If the car has been repainted and originality is a concern the car should be painted with acrylic enamel, NOT basecoat/clearcoat. Go-Pack stripes should be vinyl decal, not painted.

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[68gopacinak]

Hi There! Thanks for the great web site. We live in Sitka, Alaska and have the opportunity to purchase a 1968 AMX 390 with a GoPac that we have had our eye on. However, we really do not have any local references living on an island and have a few questions that you may be able to answer.

The car in question is a 1968 390 GoPac - white with black interior. It was purchased in California 20 years ago and stored in a garage up here before it was traded to a local contractor in exchange for work. It has been living outside for the past 1 1/2 years. (Although we live in Alaska, our area is considered one of the largest rain forests in the world. Combined with the ocean air - rust is ALWAYS a concern.)

The trunk, floor pans, wheel wells, frame rails, engine compartment, door jambs and interior apprear to be rust free and very solid. The exterior paint surface has bumps all over it. The trunk lid was sanded down by the current owner to reveal rust on the sheet metal (no pitting). It appears whoever re-painted this car had moisture in their air lines when it was painted. There are some light rust bubbles on the bottom corners of the rear window and surface rust inside the double panels of the trunk lid and the underside of the area between the trunk and rear window. All the trim is in tact and appears to be in good condition. Bumpers are straight with minor surface rust specs on the outside and medium surface rust on the back sides. Although the lower rear quarters apprear solid and rust free, I can't see the back sides due to the trunk floor layout. Are there any other areas that I need to look at or ways to access problem areas such as this to determine condition without dismantling the car?

If purchased, our intent is to strip it down, put it our our rotisserie and restore it to its original condition. Initially we wanted to tub it and put a blower on the motor. But after reading more about these cars we feel that returning it to original might be the best. The asking price started at $8,000, but quickly went to $7,000.

Our previous two builds include a 1968 VW Bug that was pristine, but looked like every other 1968 bug in the world. So we chopped the top, suicided the doors, put super-fat fenders on it and gave it a one-of-a-kind paint scheme to make it unique. The other build is a 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe. We removed the fenders, running boards and hood, gave it a blown 350 Chevy and tubbed the rear end. (You can see these builds on cardomain.com under "alaskastreamin").

Any information as to value and what trouble areas to look in would be greatly appreciated.

[donsjave]

There are some light rust bubbles on the bottom corners of the rear window and surface rust inside the double panels of the trunk lid and the underside of the area between the trunk and rear window.


The rust bubbles that you see on the bottom corners of the windows are somewhat common for the car. There were some cars that when they left the factory with little holes drilled into the window well area for drainage. What would happen is that these holes would become plugged with debrie and the stop draning any excess water. These would then produce the rust that would start in the area and eventually rust out the whole bottom sill area where the window would sit upon. This actually sounds that this is minor in this car because it has sit in a garage for the last 20 years or so. With only sometime sitting outside. The surface rust that is in the trunk can be considered normal for a car of this age. The reason for the it is because the seal area is up further from the trunk lip and the seal is installed on the car body itself and not on the trunk lid itself. This leaves a gap that is basically opened for the moisture to go to when travelling down the road. The suction that is produced when the car is moving draws some dirt and debrie into the area. Normally just periodic cleaning will prevent this from happening again after repainting.

[Big Bad AMX]

he car in question is a 1968 390 GoPac - white with black interior. It was purchased in California 20 years ago and stored in a garage up here before it was traded to a local contractor in exchange for work. It has been living outside for the past 1 1/2 years. (Although we live in Alaska, our area is considered one of the largest rain forests in the world. Combined with the ocean air - rust is ALWAYS a concern.) What other options does the car have?


The trunk, floor pans, wheel wells, frame rails, engine compartment, door jambs and interior apprear to be rust free and very solid. The exterior paint surface has bumps all over it. The trunk lid was sanded down by the current owner to reveal rust on the sheet metal (no pitting). It appears whoever re-painted this car had moisture in their air lines when it was painted. There are some light rust bubbles on the bottom corners of the rear window and surface rust inside the double panels of the trunk lid and the underside of the area between the trunk and rear window.

All the trim is in tact and appears to be in good condition. Bumpers are straight with minor surface rust specs on the outside and medium surface rust on the back sides. Although the lower rear quarters apprear solid and rust free, I can't see the back sides due to the trunk floor layout. Are there any other areas that I need to look at or ways to access problem areas such as this to determine condition without dismantling the car?

It sounds like you have the rust inspection pretty well covered. The rear window and decklid rust areas are pretty common (my AMX was a SoCal car it's entire life and had the same deck lid and under window spots). If you're going to do a resto then the paint surface flaws are immaterial, so long as what's underneath is ok. I could only suggest that you take a magnet to the car for areas you can't inspect visually. So long as the main body tub is solid you should be fine, as the bolt on parts can be replaced. I'd check the cowling, window pillars and the top of the fenders too. Other than that there's no real spot where they are notorious for rust (at least that I'm aware of) - they're pretty much the same as any 40 year old car.


If purchased, our intent is to strip it down, put it our our rotisserie and restore it to its original condition. Initially we wanted to tub it and put a blower on the motor. But after reading more about these cars we feel that returning it to original might be the best. The asking price started at $8,000, but quickly went to $7,000.

Our previous two builds include a 1968 VW Bug that was pristine, but looked like every other 1968 bug in the world. So we chopped the top, suicided the doors, put super-fat fenders on it and gave it a one-of-a-kind paint scheme to make it unique. The other build is a 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe. We removed the fenders, running boards and hood, gave it a blown 350 Chevy and tubbed the rear end. (You can see these builds on cardomain.com under "alaskastreamin").

Any information as to value and what trouble areas to look in would be greatly appreciated.
I would guess that $7-$8k for a complete, running, 390, Go-Pack AMX that is fairly solid would be a smoking deal for the buyer. And you'd be right to restore the car to original condition. White/Black is a nice color combo too. Custom AMXs just have no where near the value of a properly restored AMX - even if it's not a Concours resto. An original AMX is so unique there's no need to customize, they'll turn heads anyway.

You've done some beautiful work on your other cars, I'm sure you'll make the right decision regarding the AMX.


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