This Faux AMX is Nonetheless 100% Pure AMC!

Text by Bluto Nash

LAS VEGAS MACHINIST KENNY PHILLIPS AND HIS WIFE, JULIA, DRAG RACE THIS COMBINATION SUPER GAS/SUPER COMP/TOP SPORTSMAN ALL-FIBERGLASS ’68 AMX THROUGHOUT NHRA DIVISION SEVEN. Phillips’ faux AMX is powered by a blown alcohol-burning 499-cid Indy Cylinder Heads (ICH) aluminum alloy AMC-type big-block engine. To date, the 2,560-pound AMC racer has run a best of 7.42-186.00, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Nash purists who examine the body find it difficult to spot any deviation from a steel original. To save our readers eye strain, the only difference, according to Phillips, is the deleted drip rails.

According to Phillips, the car’s second owner, Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s JWC Chassis originally built it. It features a Strange Engineering 4-link Koni coil-over-suspended M-W Enterprises 4.10:1-geared 9-inch Ford rearend with 40-spline Strange Engineering axles and Wilwood Engineering four-piston disc brakes. Rear wheels are 16×10-inch Weld Racing two-piece modulars with a red Bead Lok feature. They roll on 33.5/16.5×16-inch Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman rubber. The AMX rack-and-pinion/coil strut front suspension makes use of a Strange Engineering front strut kit with Strange Engineering single-piston front disc brakes. Weld Racing 25×4.5×15-inch modular front wheels are wrapped in M/T rubber.

The ICH big-block was built by HBR Competition Engines and features a Moldex stroker crankshaft riding on ARP main studs with Calico engine bearings. A set of Bill Miller Engineering H-beam connecting rods and Total Seal-equipped JE 10.2:1 compression pistons complete the rotating assembly. The camshaft is a Crane R276452/S14 featuring 276/284 intake and 768 max valve lift. Lifters are Isky Red Line and pushrods are Manley. The five-stage 9-quart dry sump system is from Stock Car Products. The aluminum alloy water pump is from Stewart Components. A set of HBR-ported and polished ICH heads features 2.250-inch Manley stainless-steel intake, 1.820-inch Manley stainless-steel exhaust with Manley valve springs, COMP Cams retainers and T&D 1.7:1 ratio rocker arms. Valve covers are vintage Penske-Donohue Trans- Am-style by Almond & Roberts with breathers and vent tubes. A set of Fel-Pro Loc Wire gaskets is secured via ARP head studs.

An ICH sheet metal intake hosting a Blower Shop 8.71 supercharger is bolted in between the lifter valley and fed by a single Quick Fuel Technologies 1,050-cfm alcohol carburetor. The MSD front drive ignition features an MSD coil that fires NGK spark plugs through a Moroso wire set. The exhaust system consists of a set of 2 ¼-inch Hooker headers. The smooth transmission of power is handled by an ATI-shifted COAN GM Turbo 400 using a Mondello flex-plate and 5,600-stall speed FTI 10-inch converter. The driveshaft is by M-W Enterprises.

The car’s 1968 AMX body is a fiberglass one-off made by JWC Chassis with a one-piece lift-off fiberglass front end and hood. Nash purists who examine the body find it difficult to spot any deviation from a steel original. To save our readers eye strain, the only difference, according to Phillips, is the deleted drip rails. JWC also fashioned all of the exterior and interior aluminum, including the Pro-Mod-style rear wing. The driver’s compartment hosts a single bucket seat with Simpson Safety harnesses, ATI shifter, Auto Meter gauges, MSD ignition box and onboard fire extinguisher. In a world of Chevy, Ford and Mopar S/G- S/C-T/S cars, it’s kind of neat to know that the AMC fans have got something to root for.

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