BBC 454 Swapped: 1973 AMC Gremlin

I'll admit it: if there is one car I'm going to buy when I have the financial wherewithal, it is going to be an AMC Gremlin. The AMC Gremlin, especially in its earliest years, has always had a wonderfully unique and muscular look, and respected automotive figures (such as David Freiburger) have owned and built them up to their specifications. My dad has even told me about building up a Gremmie with a 440 swap back in the day. This 1973 Gremlin also features a big-block, but in this case it's a 454 big-block Chevrolet! Find it here on Hemmings in Milford, Ohio, with an asking price of $19,250.

Introduced in 1970, the AMC Gremlin is heralded as the first subcompact car built and sold in the United States' domestic automotive market. The Gremlin came about for two reasons: the AMX-GT concept from April 1968, and the recent flood of Japanese imports that had reached US shores. Based off of the new-for-1970 compact Hornet, the Gremlin was two inches longer than the Volkswagen Beetle and two inches shorter than the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega (both of which would be introduced in 1971). After selling a combined sales total of 140,497 cars from 1970 to 1972, AMC mildly revised the Gremlin for 1973, adding a new five mile-per-hour front bumper and a 2.5 mile-per-hour rear bumper, without any damage to the engine, lights, and safety equipment according to new mandates by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Sales jumped to 122,844 cars, 17,653 cars short of the combined 1970-1972 production. 

This 1973 Gremlin is nicely spec'd in yellow with black Gremlin X stripes and logos, and gives flashes of the 1976 Pacer Stinger concept. The front and back bumper could use some polishing, as the bumpers feature a ton of scratches and some minor dulling, but it should not take much to bring back their luster. The custom Javelin-style hood scoop is a nice, aggressive touch, and the steel wheels with the poverty caps add a nice sleeper vibe, though I personally would consider swapping on some 15X7 AMX Rally Wheels with AMX wheel caps. 

Though the top engine that could be had with the Gremlin X was the 304 V8, this Gremlin has a 454 big-block Chevrolet under its hood! Built to L88 specs, it's not known what horsepower and torque is rated at, but my guess is this motor is very worked. Backed by a TH-350 three-speed automatic (fun fact: AMC offered its own version of the TH-350), the drivetrain features dual exhausts and is said to be street-legal. I would ditch the TH-350, swap in a M23 Auto Gear 4 speed manual or Tremec T56 Magnum, swap in some headers, dress the engine to look like an AMC 401, and drive this car with gusto.

Since the car is built for speed and aggressiveness, it kind of comes as a surprise that the interior is fairly low-spec. Inside, this Gremlin features a dark tan dash, light tan seats and door panels, and a black rubber mat on its floor. Judging by the auxiliary gauges, ignition panel, racy gauges in the instrument cluster, and the Hurst quarter-stick automatic shifter, this Gremlin was set up for drag racing. I would ditch the gauges and swap in a correct set of Gremlin X gauges, swap out the bench seat for a pair of black AMX bucket seats, ditch the back seat (if there is one), convert the ignition back to turn-key, and swap in a stock Gremlin 4 speed floor shift. Overall, this Gremlin features a very nice build, and with a few mechanical and cosmetic swaps, will make for a nice conversation piece at a car show, cruise night, or Cars and Coffee event. What are your thoughts on this hot-rodded Gremlin?