I get it. You don’t understand. There are a lot of “Why’s?”
Why invest the time and money into building an AMC 304? Not even people with a soft spot for old AMCs would build a 304 when 360’s are more powerful, available and inexpensive. 401’s are a tougher, more expensive find, but if you’re going to invest in a bunch of go-fast parts anyhow, you might as well go big?
If you’re a go-fast guys with no connection to AMC, you’re wondering why I just don’t go with a junkyard LS—powerful, cheap, available, efficient, dependable …
If you stumbled on my post-paint pictures and aren’t 100% sure what you’re looking at, you’re probably wondering why I painted the block and heads “that color,”
Well … first off, you have good questions. The choices I’m making are purely emotional and not practical or logical. One of my first Jeeps had a 304 with a three speed. I loved that rig thought it chugged gasoline and was horrible on the expressway—but SUPER fun everywhere else. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just longing for a little super fun to mix with the the not super fun stuff life brings. Plus … who wants to do what everyone else would do? I’ve never been much for the popular thing. I typically go the other way. Most popular and best selling sound a little too much like “least original” to me.
So, here’s what I’m building — a good-honest Jeep CJ7. It’s not my first CJ. I’ve built a half dozen or so, but this is the first one I’m building like I build a motorcycle. It isn’t going to be a “nut and bolt restoration” but I will hold every nut in bolt in my hand in the process, And, like a motorcycle build, it’s going back simpler, more utilitarian than when it came off the lot. It will also fall in line with every other build. It will be “What it could have been” when it rolled off the lot versus a resto-mod that looks vintage but has modern gear underneath.
In addition to starting the engine, I’m about to start on the chassis. First step is to create a rolling chassis. Right now the frame is sitting on the dirt floor of my barn while the axles gather mouse turds in the corner, across the barn. It’s time to marry them together so I can more easily move it around the shop. I’ll post pictures. More soon.
