Good morning! We’re finishing out the week with two cars that need some work, but not on the outside. They’ve both had a fresh coat of paint, so they’ll look great in the garage while you work on them.
We looked at two comfy cruisers from the ’90s yesterday, and the consensus seemed to be that the Roadmaster is probably a slightly better car, but the Town Car is in way better condition, which gave it an easy win. It is hard to argue with a grandpa-mobile with only eighty-five thousand easy miles on it.
Plus, the Town Car is much more handsome. I saw a Town Car of that era on the road yesterday when I was out running errands, and I found myself admiring the design of it. The ’70s and early ’80s Lincolns look gaudy and overwrought, and the later bulbous Town Cars are hideous, but this one, like the Mark VII coupe, just looks right.
When it comes to working on cars, everyone has their “thing” that they hate doing. For me, it’s bodywork. I’ve tried to abate rust and fix dents before, and I’m just not any good at it. I’ll tear apart an engine, replace a clutch, rebuild a carb, fix suspension and brakes–but I just know that whatever a car looks like when I buy it, that’s the best it’s ever going to look.
These two are my kind of projects. They have both just been repainted, but neither one of them is really ready for prime-time mechanically. So let’s break out the fender blankets and get to wrenching, and see which one you’d rather fix up.
1975 AMC Hornet – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 232 cubic inch overhead valve inline 6, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Visalia, CA
Odometer reading: 100,000 miles
Operational status: New carburetor installed incorrectly; won’t idle
The AMC Hornet doesn’t have many claims to fame, but it does have one really great one: the spiral jump scene in The Man With The Golden Gun. It’s my favorite car stunt of all time, and I love it so much that I once tried to recreate it in 1/10 scale for an RC car photo contest. I did not succeed, but someday I’m going to try again. I would imagine that this Hornet has kept all four wheels firmly on the ground throughout its life, but it’s still cool by association.
The Hornet was available with a V8, but most of them came with AMC’s tough, simple inline six. This is the 232 cubic inch model, with a one-barrel carb. That carb is new, but unfortunately it sounds like whoever installed it did something wrong, and now the engine won’t idle and the accelerator pedal is stuck to the floor. It’s probably an easy fix if you know what you’re looking at. The transmission is a basic three-speed automatic–a Chrysler Torqueflite, I think. It has neither power steering nor power brakes, so you’ll get your exercise in once you get it running right.
The seats have been reupholstered, and the carpet is new, but for some reason the seller has chosen to photograph it all full of stuff, so you can’t really see. Why go through all that work, and then not take proper photos? Maybe we should write an article on how to present a car for sale. Between all of us working at this site, I bet we’ve seen every mistake you can make in a classified ad.
This isn’t quite the same body style as the James Bond car; it’s a notchback coupe instead of a fastback, but it’s the right color, and it’s got the right wheels, shod with new whitewall tires. It’s hard to tell the quality of a paint job from photos, but the seller says they dropped four grand on it. I would hope it’s as good as it looks in photos.
1979 Dodge Magnum XE – $6,000
Engine/drivetrain: 318 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Mesquite, NV
Odometer reading: 108,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs front-end work and tires
If you want to get a car person’s attention, just utter the words “homologation special.” Production cars that only exist because race cars need to use their bodies or drivetrains are some of the coolest vehicles around, and NASCAR stock-car racing has produced some great ones, like the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird, Ford Torino Talladega, and Chevy Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. But not every car designed for racing homologation is a success. The 1978-79 Dodge Magnum, based on the Charger and Chrysler Cordoba, was designed specifically to keep Dodge in NASCAR, but even the great Richard Petty couldn’t make it work on a track.
Like all NASCAR specials, the street version of the Magnum is a lot tamer than the race car, with a 318 lean-burn V8 that’s probably good for about 140 horsepower on a good day, and an automatic transmission. This one runs well and is drivable, but it rides on old tires that should be replaced, and the front suspension and steering needs a rebuild to be safe.
The interior is a mixed bag. The upholstery on the seats looks decent, but the dash needs work. The previous owner took apart the bottom of the dash and installed some short-wave radio equipment, and in the process screwed up some wiring in the dash. The good news is that all the trim from the bottom of the dash is still with the car, in the trunk. You’ll just need to put it all back the way it should be.
The fresh black paint looks good, and the seller says there was no rust before the repaint, just a little minor damage on one rear quarter panel. The chrome looks good, and what little trim there is on these all looks intact, with one obvious exception – the headlight covers. Part of the redesign that made the Magnum more aerodynamic than the Charger was a set of clear plastic covers over the headlights, and they’re not on the car. Maybe they’re in the trunk with the rest of the trim. It looks fine without them; it’s just that I know they’re supposed to be there.
Mechanical parts for either one of these should be easy to come by. Rock Auto still sells all the Dodge’s front end parts, as well as a rebuild kit for the AMC’s carb, if need be. Cosmetic restoration is always the hard part, and it’s already done on both of these. Spend a weekend or two turning some wrenches, and you’ll have a cool, good-looking, uncommon classic, no matter which one you choose. So what’ll it be?
Magnum print ad:
https://images.app.goo.gl/oNiEDfBzFkRLve3L9
Hornet for me. It’s cheaper, I like the interior better and I suspect the carb situation can be fixed at low to low-ish cost.
Hornet! This was a little difficult at first…but that AMC is so unique and they did much better work w/ it than the Dodge (the paint/bodywork look bad) and those malaise Magnums weren’t the greatest cars (even though I still love Mopars) Also, the electrical work, etc. I’d fix the carb on the AMC, go through whatever else, and enjoy driving it. I miss AMC! I watched the 1st episode of the documentary- I guess it’s once a week so will be watching ep. 2 soon…it’s so interesting and a lot of work was put into it
https://lastindependentauto.com/
Hornet all day long.
My aunt & uncle had a Hornet sedan like this one that my cousins shared once they got their licenses. It was this hideous green color so it was called “The Booger Car”.
Cheaper, cooler, no smog in CA, and an AMC. Hornet is the obvious choice.
I remember a number of years back at a local auto show held on the streets of my town I was sifting through the copious tri-fives, Mustangs, Chevelles, etc. To the surprise of my friends I suddenly exclaimed, “Hornet!” and sped half a block down the street to check it out. So you know where my head is at.
I want that Hornet real bad! I’ve always wanted to drop a XJ 4.0l and 5-speed in one of those.
The Hornet is such a great size, shape, and style. I wish it was easier to put more efficient modern powertrains in these good condition older cars. I’m not talking LS swap for speed, I’m talking a boring 4 cylinder out of a Corolla or something so I could daily drive it.
I wonder how closely related that AMC inline 6 is to DT’s favorite 4.0 I6 in ’90s Cherokees?
Very similar. The path went 258->4 cyl based on it->4.0
At equal prices, it would’ve been a harder decision. I’d really prefer the fastback, but the AMC gets my vote.
The Hornet, because it reminds me of my dad. He had one of these a few years before I was born. The first vehicle of his that I actually remember is a late 70’s red Dodge Ram, and on that Ram he ran these chrome Cragars.
I bet my dad would get a kick out of this car.
Kind of tough choice being that I’ve always really liked those Magnums. I probably would’ve went that direction if they prices were equal. However if I decided I really just had to have a Magnum from that era, I’d hold out for a nice survivor. They’re odd-duck cars even for malaise iron and while they don’t come up for sale very often, I’ve spotted some really nice ones for under 10K when they do.
As to that AMC, it looks like that car was more in a process of restoration where the Dodge was simply re-sprayed. Combined with the price differential, it gets my internet click this Friday morning.
Let’s call her Bambi (my friend’s nickname for her). In 1980 she was about 24, and she ran around in a silverish Dodge Magnum with T-Tops and oyster-colored leather interior.
Her grandparents bought the loaded Magnum for her, and when she unfolded her 5′-10″ self out of it, and shook her blonde hair it was the second coming of Barbie.
Better even, because Bambi smiled. And when she did, our little world became right and bright. She’d walk past our group at the apartment-complex pool and call out to most of us by name. If she didn’t, it was because she just didn’t know the individual.
No airs, just stares!!
I suppose she was aware of her good looks–she just wasn’t impressed. I think she figured it was something she was born with, like being left handed or something. There weren’t too many like her around, and I never saw another Magnum like that one.
So this vote’s for Bambi’s ride. I hope she’s doing well.
The Hornet has the AMC inline 6 and looks like its in better and is cheaper, but Hornets are so damn ugly.
I’ll take the less common, roomier, better looking Magnum and maybe see if I can get any extra power out of the V8. I like it without the headlight covers.
Red > Black
Striped > Not striped
Plaid seats > Plain seats
Also, wassup with the door on the Magnum? Why does it look like an old man with pedal edema after he takes his socks off?
From one Matt to another, your logic is flawless.