No prejudice, just reality, then and now!

Had some people gripe that I didn't run a post on AMC engines when we were doing the "Reader's Digest" engine builds. There's three reasons for that-the first being that the only real performance car built by AMC in any kind of numbers was the Javelin / AMX that was produced from 1968-74.  These are pretty rare. I know there are people that love their Hurst / SC Ramblers and Rebel Machines, but compared to these cars a Hurst / Olds was mass produced!  The second reason is the 304 and 401 engines were discontinued after 1979. And unlike the 400 Pontiac of which 15 million or so were produced between 1967-79, the 401 wasn't that plentiful to begin with. This leaves the 360 which was used in Jeep Grand Wagonneers until 1992, as the only real source of replacement engines. And-let's be honest-whether your running at the Pure Stock drags or in an anything goes-class-all other things being equal-a 360 Javelin is going to have a helluva time beating a 340 'Cuda, or 351CJ Mustang or a 350 Z/28 Camaro. Your definitely not going to be throwing fear into the hearts of any 440 Six-Pack Road Runner or LS6 Chevelle owners. And that would be the case even if you had a 401. Let me Explain.  Back in 1969 at the height of the musclecar craze the largest engine you could get in a Javelin / AMX or Rebel Machine was a 390 inch V8 that made 315 hp. The BASE engine in a GTO was a 400 with 350 hp. The optional engines were the RAIII and RAIV that were grossly under-rated at 366 and 370 hp respectively. The BASE engine in the Road Runner was a 383 rated at 335 hp, with the 375 hp 440, the 390 hp 440 / Six-Pack, and the 425 hp 426 Hemi optional. The Base engine in the SS396 Chevelle was rated at 325 hp, with 350 hp and 375 hp versions optional.  Even the "Ponycars"-the base engine in a Mach 1 Mustang was a 351 rated at 290 hp,with a 325 hp 390, and the grossly under-rated 428 ( at 335 hp ) optional.  The 350 in a Camaro was rated at 295, with the 396's optional. The base 400 in the Firebird was rated at 325 hp with the RAIII and RAIV rated at 335 and 345. ( The F-bodies and the GTO shared the same base and optional engines, but the Firebirds had a more restrictive exhaust which cost them 25 hp-the optional engines were rated at 366 and 370 hp in the GTO ). You see where I'm going-the "Top Dog" in the AMC line-up didn't have as much power as the standard engines in the other cars. Because Chrysler allowed their biggest engines in the "B" and "E" bodies-GM lifted their 400 inch limit on the "A" and "F" body lines for 1970. In 1971 AMC increased displacement to 401 inches and hp to 330, but they were a day late and a dollar short. Again-stock or modified-do you really beleive that a 401 Javelin has a chance in a drag race against a 455HO Trans-Am, or a 454 Chevelle, or 455 Olds 442, or a 440 Challenger?  That's like the middleweight champ challenging the heavyweight champ. Marvin Hagler was a great fighter in the late 1970's and early '80's, but does anybody really think he could beat Muhammad Ali or Larry Holmes in their prime?  I figured I'd be preaching to the choir so to speak. Nothing against AMC's, but they are a niche car and an acquired taste. For example-EVERYBODY knows what a '65 Mustang or a '68 GTO is.  No one, I mean no one is going to look at a Hornet or a Matador and go "Oh Yeah. I gotta have that!!"  If you want an AMC as a driver / cruiser then go ahead and buy one, but be aware-they are going to cost more to build than a Chevy or a Pontiac or a Mopar, and they are not going to run as fast.  Buick Grand Nationals are badass rides, but they too, are a "niche" car, the people that want them or own them know more about them than I do. That's why we didn't feature those either.  Mastermind