1978 AMC Pacer

Listed here is a very unique one-of-a-kind car. It’s a 1978 AMC Pacer that’s been fully restored and modified. Originally a V8 coupe (roughly 500 produced), it’s been taken to a level of restoration and tasteful customization rarely seen on a Pacer with a mildly built AMC 401 and Borg Warner T5 5-speed manual transmission. The restoration is 19 years old, and it’s beginning to show it’s age with a few dings and scratches (detailed in photos), but it’s rust-free, the glass is in perfect condition, and it’s mechanically VERY solid and VERY fast. Only driven in nice weather since completion, few Pacers are of this caliber. Every receipt for all parts and work done. Factory AMC 1978 shop manuals along with many spare parts are also included.

Here are the highlights:

Body:
Began in 1999 and completed in 2002, the car was completely stripped down, and the body placed on a rotisserie. It was mediablasted, and found to have multiple rust areas. A rust-free donor back-half was sourced from Arizona and shipped to us in Michigan, where it was sectioned onto the original, making it 100% rust free. The front fenders were re-arched to accommodate larger wheels and tires. All chrome trim was sandblasted and painted black, NOS door seals, front turn signal and rear tail light lenses complete the freshness of the car.

Interior:
Original car had red interior, and was converted to black with new black carpet, factory black crack-free interior panels including warp-free upper dash pad, door panels, kick panels, b-pillar panels, and rear panels. Lower dash and rear seat painted with high quality upholstery vinyl paint, and despite a few scratches, still look great. Seats are aftermarket for a Jeep on custom adapters to the factory sliders. The dash is all custom with painted aluminum and Autometer Z-series gauges. Full custom stereo system with an Alpine head unit, 11 speakers (including powered Blaupunkt subwoofer mounted between front seats), and Blaupunkt amplifiers. Heat blows hot, A/C blows ice cold with updated Sanden compressor.

Suspension:
Front coil springs cut 1.5 coils to lower the front, and all-new front suspension components installed in 2007. Power steering rack is a rebuilt unit that continues to be leak-free, and steers the car with surprising over-assisted precision. The rear suspension is the original leaf springs, de-arched with height-adjustable air shocks to dial-in the right height. Wheels are American Racing 200S 17x8 in the front and 17x9.5 in the rear. Kumho Ecsta tires match front to rear with plenty of tread left.

Engine:
Mildly built 1978 AMC 401, bored .030 over with KB 354 pistons, resulting in 9.75 compression. Cam is an Engle K56 with 272 Duration and .538” valve lift. Stock heads with new valves, 3 angle valve job, and roller rocker arms from American Performance. Edelbrock Performer intake manifold and 725 Road Demon carburetor. Along with a balanced rotating assembly, a 30lb Hayes flywheel helps rev effortlessly.

Exhaust:
Custom built headers with dual 3” mandrel-bent exhaust with x-pipe and 40-series Flowmasters. Quite loud, and very commanding on the road. People don’t expect it.

Transmission:
Borg Warner WCT5 with Z-spec gears from Cobra R. Centerforce clutch. Steeda Tri-ax shifter, Hurst shift handle and knob. Centerforce performance clutch with factory mechanical linkage modified to fit V8.

Rear-end:
Stock AMC 20 with 3.50 gears and Truetrac limited slip differential.