the 232 is NOT the 3.8L of either Buick or Ford- those are V6s while the AMC 232 is an in-line engine.
Hence, this can be said: NO American Motors car made after 1956 EVER came with a V8 engine that was bought from,
designed by or based on ANY engine from ANY other manufacturer including GM, Ford and Chrysler. In fact,
NO Ford or Chrysler engine of ANY kind was EVER used, and the only GM engines used were the
1970-71 Jeep 225-V6 (Buick design, bought from Kaiser-Willys), 1980-1982 'Iron Duke' 151-4cyl, and 1984-1986 Jeep 2.8L-V6. All the others were pure-AMC.
The earliest AMCs (1955-56 Nash Ambassadors and Hudson Hornets) used Packard V8s until AMCs own designs were ready to produce.
In 1977 AMC bought the rights to the design and tooling for an Audi 2.0L four cylinder and used it
thru 1979. For 1980, the GM-built 'iron duke' four cylinder replaced the Audi unit thru 1982.
As for Jeep, the 225cid Buick-designed, Kaiser/Willys-built engine was available in them until 1970 when
AMC took over the Jeep name from Kaiser/Willys, and built '71 Jeeps with the 225 until design changes
were readied to replace it with AMC's own six.. For the 1972 model year, the AMC sixes replaced
the 225. Later, AMC sold the tooling for the 225 back to Buick for a hefty profit. Buick tweaked it and
released it again as the 231-V6.
The Jeep Cherokee and Commanche, from 1984 thru 1986, were available with the GM 2.8L V6 engine
while the rest of the Jeep line and Eagles continued to use the AMC 258 six cylinder. In late 1986, the 2.8
mistake was corrected when the GM six was dumped and replaced in the 1987 lineup by a variant of the
AMC 258 called the 4.0L. (242cid). Chrysler, which acquired AMC/Jeep in August, 1987, still uses the 4.0L
in the Jeep line up today- 14 years later! Great engines never die.
WRONG Answer #2- 1971 was the last year for 'REAL' musclecars because engines were much less powerful from 1972 on.
This misconception applies to all US car companies, not just AMC....and it's just as wrong in all cases.
An example of this thinking is the mindset that a 70 or 71 Cuda is a far better car than the 72-74 Cuda. Yes, the HEMI was no longer available
for '72, but the other engines (383, 440...) were still just as good as ever. As far as styling, that's subjective. I prefer the 71s, some prefer the 70...
others prefer the 72/74. There's no wrong answer there.
In 1971, an AMC 401-V8 engine boasted 330 gross horsepower. The word 'gross' means the engine's power was measured with nothing attached to
the motor except items necessary to make it run during the test. No exhaust system, no accessory pulleys, no transmission- just a bare engine
on a stand, running unencumbered.
In 1972, an AMC 401-V8 was rated at 255 net horsepower. Where did the 75HP go? Nowhere, really. The new 'net' rating system meant that the
motors were now tested with all normal equipment attached- just as it would be found in your car. Yes, a few HP did go away....but only about 10,
due to a compression ratio drop (for emissions concerns), but not 75! Hence, a 'realistic' rating for a '71 AMX with a 401 is about
265 net HP, not the 'you wish' 330HP advertised.
So when some big-mouth tells you his '69 SS has 'X' horsepower, you can subtract about 20% to compare it realistically to a post-1971 car. And
if you need proof of all this, check the magazines of the period for road tests. The '72 models were running just as fast as the '71s. It was all
just a numbers game. Too bad that most MuscleCar magazines today still perpetuate this myth. They still babble on about pre-72 engines and
the big 'HP' numbers attached to them. It's a good thing all that means NOTHING when you are door-to-door awaiting the green light!
1968-1980 Javelin and AMX Spotter's Guide
-Basic info for the new or novice fan.-
This is ‘spotter’ info. It aids determining what year a car is from a distance, like when wandering a junkyard,
swap meet or car show. Therefore, interior and mechnical details are not covered in depth, nor can I guarantee
EVERY variation will definately be covered here.
For a great, photo-packed history on the 1968-74 Javelins, see this great article.
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975+
1968:1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975+
The 'Javelin' model name debuted September 26, 1967 as the AMC answer to Ford's Mustang.
This would be AMC/Rambler's first blatant attempt to compete head-to-head with the Big3 car companies in the
growing 'PonyCar' wars (I suppose 'PonyCar' comes from the name 'Mustang', both having the
'horse' tie in). GM also joined the fight with the Camaro/Firebird while Mopar tried the same with the
Dart/Barracuda platform. [AMC also joined the 'MuscleCar' war by powering-up the Rebel model.]
Javelin could be had with 6 or 8 cylinder engines. A more 'upscale' version,
called the Javelin SST, was also available.
Javelin was followed in March, 1968 by a shortened, 2seat version of itself, called
simply AMX. This was to compete with the much more pricey Chevrolet Corvette.
AMX differed from the Javelin by having 12" removed from the wheelbase,
and sported a different grille, hood, quarter panels, quarter windows, taillights and shortened roof panel. Also, no six cylinder
engine was available in it- you could have a 290, 343 or 390 V8.
Both Javelin and AMX were 1968 models, tho you could call
the AMX a '68 and a half', as Mustang owners call the first Mustangs '64 and a half'.
Production Totals:
