1971-1978 AMC 401 V8 - True Powerhouse Engine 

Back in the 90's I swapped a modded 401, 727, Dana 60 combo in an 81' eagle spirit hatchback. And it was probably the best sleeper I ever terrorized the streets of Milwaukee with.😁

Extremely underated Company.

Something missed in the tech info. was the forged steel crankshaft and rods in the 390/401 engine. Tough stuff.

Their dynamic run was short but memorable. Few cars can match the looks of the later javelins

Time to bring back AMC time to bring back Pontiac time to bring back Olds Time to bring back Plymouth

They were a good car and quick but never really got the recognition like the others.

Sooo underated. AMC 390 and 401 were excellent motors...

Had a 69 AMX with a 390 4 speed. Very fast and a really cool ride. 2 seater that cranked down flat. A real chick magnet.

I'm a Mopar guy but I've always loved AMC muscle cars ever since I was a kid. The AMX, Javelin, Hurst S/C Rambler, and the Rebel Machine we're always favorites of mine. Both the 390 and 401 were great engines. It's a shame how so many people ignore AMC when talking about muscle cars

Had a ride in a Amx javelin as a kid and it started a life long love for a really underrated car !

AMC engine blocks were cast with a very high nickel content making them extremely resistant to wear.

i use to work for AMC/JEEP many years i liked the 401 police interceptor engine best , i miss AMC ,

Your channel is great. I watch every new upload, every time. Good stuff. Plus, you cover AMC a lot, and give them their due. I really respect that. There were so many factors that doomed them, and they were largely ignored and forgotten by "real car guys (and girls)". Again, respect to you for respecting AMC.

Thanks for this. The 401 was, indeed, a very rare and surprising engine. A friend's dad had an Ambassador Brougham station wagon, no doubt a heavy beast, and he had no reservations about driving the car "enthusiastically," shall we say. I enjoyed more than one 0-60 mph blasts in Low 1 on the automatic.

I wish AMC would somehow return.😔my mom had a 1970 4/door rebel sst 304.

Not really related, but. My grandpa had a '74 Gremlin with a 304 V8 and a 3-speed manual. He bought it new and claimed he paid $1995.00 for it. My Dad (his son) had, at that time, a '74 Super Beetle with fuel injection. Grandpa would rib him for buying foreign and for paying $2600.00 for it. The Beetle caught fire and burnt to the ground in '78 and Grandpa drove the "Gremy" (Gremlin) til he passed away in '84. Dad inherited the Gremy and I was just about of driving age and I begged Dad to give me 'Ol Gremy. But, Dad hated that car so much he sold it. It had 147,000 miles on it and didn't leak oil, although it did puff out some oil smoke til it warmed up a bit. My first car ended up being a '76 Mustang II with a 2.8l V6, 4-speed stick. I would have loved to have had 'Ol Gremy instead.

I remember seeing a minty 1969 SC/390 parked down the street from my home with a for sale sign "$10K". Pricy, I thought. I should have bought it. Kill me.

I have the early 71 401. It’s 30 over with a full list of street parts. Well over 480hp with the right intake and carb.

it was the dog leg ports that started in 1970 that made these engines such good performers. They were some of the best breathing heads, bar none.

Trivia time: What 1974 James Bond movie had AMC police cars in it? Roger Moore drove a Hornet hatchback in an insane stunt.

The Javelin and the AMX are beautiful cars. I am buying one this year. I own a 63 split window and want an AMX beauty to augument my muscle car list.

When I was a mechanic, my boss had an early 70s CJ-5 Jeep with a 401 ci and I loved the sound of it.

Took my first drivers test in a 1971 amx with 401. No longer have it but it’s still on the road.

You're right....the 401 should have been available for the marlin, ambassador & rebel during the mid to late 60's.

Never had the chance to own a 401, but I did have a 304, 360, and 390. Love AMC! Great information, thanks for posting!

AMC were the favorite brand of Cars of my Late Father and Me when I was much Younger

The Cleveland police dept. also had a fleet of Matadors.

Had a 1972 Gremlin X. Swapped out the factory 304 and installed a 360 4bbl with 727 trans. Car was stupid fast, Lol

I owned three new GTO's 66 67 and 69. I also owned a 72 AMX Go Package 401. The GTO's were no match for the Javelin in any category. It was a very fine muscle car.

Nice video, thanks. Growing up in the 70s we were an AMC family. Grand parents on both sides had early 70s Ambassadors, one a wagon one a sedan. The sedan side also had a Rambler wagon (I believe w/3 on the tree). We had a Rambler wagon, then a beautiful blue '71 Ambassador wagon. Then my Dad ordered (very big deal for us of modest means) a '73 Ambassador Brougham 4dr sedan 304, optioned just the way he wanted. Great car, really, but all I wanted was a Javelin AMX 401, loved the overall look and the fender swells etc. But when the Plymouth Voyager minivan debuted, Mom and Dad went that route and never turned back. A side note; the '73 Ambassador had these outstanding seats that folded back completely flat, ... a feature I found quite appealing thru my high school dating years.

I am still awed about what this company did. At one time, they put out an ad saying "the only race we are interested in is the human race", but by the end of the 70's they got serious and made the 401. Their cars were some of the best value performance cars, and were some serious sleepers.

4:10 Javelin AMX 401 stock was capable of 13s. It didn't lack power , it lacked grip. The rear wheels would spin and the axle would hop badly so you had to go easy off the line. Needed traction bars and bigger tires.

I had a 304 in an Gremlin X. It was really quick what with the car being so light.

It was only a blip on the HP radar but the dog leg head has 2.02 intake valves & is a flowing muther. I have a stock 401 shoehorned into a belly tank with a power-stroke Ford turbo blowing through a Holley that makes 654 hp at the wheels. It's street driven now.

I grew up in the wrong era. I learned something today watching this :)

In 1971 Popular Mechanics tested three big wagons of the day: AMC Ambassador Brougham with a 401, a Chrysler of some sort with a 440 and another make, probably Chevy/GM. Part of the test involved towing an Airstream trailer, including acceleration runs, I kid you not! The 401 did NOT get shown up, if I recall.

You nailed it ! The 401 was absolutely one of the greatest unsung V8's of the era ! Had this 401 in my CJ5, with a 4speed, and it was all the power I could ask for !

A buddy bought a Javelin with a 401 in we were in high school. It would fly. I think he still has it

I am the original owner of a 1973 AMC Javelin AMX, I ordered it new in March of 1973. It took almost 40 days to build and then ship it to, Art Post Rambler, Kalamazoo Michigan. I ordered the 401 engine along with the functional cowl induction, 4-speed manual and 3.91 rear gears. The important option here was not just the 360 or 401 engine, but the functional cowl induction system. Only the 1971 through 1973 AMX's with the 360 or 401 engine could be ordered with functional cowl induction, as no 1974 AMX's were built with functional cowl induction. Mater of fact, AMC ran out of the fiberglass hood, part way through the 1974 model year, and replaced it with a regular Javelin hood with the T-Stripe added. According to an early memo from 1970, the cowl induction system worked so well over the regular AMC hood scoop, that is was estimated by engineering that an additional 16 to 19 horsepower would be added to the standard 255 horsepower of the 401 engine, but was never actually stated in any literature. Out of the 1971 to 1973 AMX production, of which there were a total of 10,981 AMX's built. Slightly less than 25% or roughly 2,700 AMX's were actually ordered and built with the functional cowl induction option. This is really a fantastic system, and when carefully studied, can be greatly improved upon.

I love the company. I want a 73 so bad. The high flow heads. This engine could of been much faster

The S/CRambler was a cool little ride! Had a new 68 Javelin, it too was pretty cool.

There was a kid in my town that had a Gremlin X with the 304. He swapped a 401 in that thing and it was sick! It was pretty much a bolt up swap as all the AMC V8's were dimensionally identical.

AMC knows how to make a good engine thats for sure. got a 4.0L in my Jeep, very robust engine

Cool picture of the Alabama State Trooper Javelin . A friend of mines dad was an Alabama Trooper and was assigned to one in Gadsden , Alabama . He said it was a very fast car .

I have a 1977 Jeep Cherokee Chief with the 401. I had it rebuilt with an RV cam and forged pistons. I retained the factory forged crank and rods. It cruises better at 75mph than my 1997 Cherokee with a 4.0L!

AMC built a good vehicle, those 4.0 motors from the late 80's through 90's were the best of the best

Great video; you did your homework on this; usually not the case when it comes to AMC; Thanks !!!!!

My grandfather loved AMC cars he had a matador and a hornet, both 304 equipped, I had a 76 CJ 7 with the 304, what a great engine all the way around. Super reliable I wish I still owned the CJ it was mint all stock except 31” tires and wheels the best hunting rig I ever owned.

I was working in a oncology floor years ago. Back in 04 an old state trooper came in. He was s true gear head. He had about ten cars from his a younger years. Mostly 30s Rods, a 454 chevelle, boss 429, 409 Impala, 95 ZR1 and a hemi challenger. The fastest car he claimed he ever drove was the 401 police car. His crew kept them until the mid 80s. They would have them cammed and ported and lower the gearing. He claimed he hit over 150 mph, and the motors would make north of 500hp. He use to love surprising trans am owners in the late 70s.

I owned a 1970 Rebel Machine. What a sleeper this was, and handled great.

AMC forever! Awesome job!

Loved my 1971 Javelin SST black with white stripes one of the most enjoyable cars I ever owned! With added intake, Holley, Lunatic stick, and double valve springs it out ran SS 396s and 383 Road Runners all day long!

My dad had a Javelin when I was little. I only remember the color and it was a 4 speed. As much as I am a diehard GM guy, if I could get my hands on a Javelin or AMX with a 4 speed, I would without question. I love the look and the fact that so few people own them, makes me love them more.

This friend of mine years ago had a 74 AMC Matador with a 401 I remember laughing at the poor mustang chevelle even some b block molars too it was fun

I had a 69 343 (280hp...yea right) MOD Big Bad Blue Javelin that would eat 383 RoadRunners for a snack all day long. Stock!!! Extremely fun car!

I had a 66 Rambler sedan with the 327 2bbl V8, and even that thing would smoke the tires. The only better small block was the Mopar 318...

I have a 1980 Cherokee I put a mildly built 401 in it it has a edelbrock performer cam, cam 650 carb headman longtube ceramic headers. 2 1/2 exhaust its built for towing the big kicker are the stock heads modified by vally head service it's a shocker to many that try to cut me off 401forever

Great video, my favorite was my high school friends '69 AMX factory two seater 390 four-speed. Gary D.

Absolutely no mention of the 1971 Matador Machine which had the 401 (360 also available)? And the 401 actually had less output than the Rebel Machine 390 which was rated at 340 HP gross. The '71 Machine package was hidden in the fine print on the options list on brochures and all items in the Machine package could also be ordered as stand-alone in 1972, theoretically possible to have a '72 Machine custom build-to-order.

Couple years ago I was doing some research on AMC V8s for my buddies '71 Javelin build. Turns out all 390s and 401s came with forged reciprocating assemblies from the factory. If the oiling systems are modified properly, these engines are capable of making decent power. Good luck finding one? We settled on a 360cid.

Main problem with anything AMC are the myth-makers & know-it-alls.

Comparing a 455 HO to a 401 is kind of silly considering the torque output of the pontiac. Torque wins races, horsepower specs sell cars. The 401 was a good engine but horsepower and torque need to be considered. 435 pond feet for the amc verses 480 pound feet of torque for the pontiac.

Your videos are like being in a history class. Thanks.

The 401 bolts right into a Gremlin with factory V-8 mounts. Instant tire melting monster! Lighter than a Javelin too!

My 1974 j10 has a 401 and it’s perfect w/ turbo 400 trans and Dana 44f/r 👌

Had a 2 door Ambassador with a 343 engine back in my college days. Great Car. My Mother had a 360 Javalin when I was in high school and used that on dates.

I usually love the old car memories series but can we all agree that manufacturers horsepower and torque numbers of these old cars were completely made up by the marketing departments? So why bother to regurgitate them over and over today? And furthermore is the only thing that matters about a car as it's bore & stroke? Why does that matter? Zero useful information here on the design of these AMC motors

When I was in high school,one of my friends drove a Javelin with a 390 AMC V8 and he could just run away from Camaros and Mustangs with ease.

I almost forgot it has a performance HEI puts out 50,000. Keep on jeepin

Legendary Cars.

I enjoy my 401 AMX. Pictures on my youtube page

I have a 401 Pacer😁 1 of 6. Never forget the Pacer .

Hmmm. Weve got an old 75 j20 with a factory 401 thats FRESH. Probably worth keeping.

I've seen a couple people shoehorn these things into their Gremlins.

i still have a 401 and looking for the right body.

My neighbor had a hurst hornet sc360. That thing was very fast.

My dad had a 401 Ambassador and it was badass. FYI, it had a switch on the A/C knob for "dessert only" where it dropped the low side pressure in the evaporator so much it would freeze up if there was more than 10% humidity. One more thing, if you can't seem to get your A/C on an older car to working like it used to, check your door and trunk gaskets. If you can't keep humid air from the outside from getting in, the air inside can't dry out and your max A/C setting will be no different from the normal setting that brings in outside air on purpose.

Hated to see AMC go. My father had ambassadors javelins and Gremlins and hornets they were all good cars

Not known to the public but Chrysler did allot of powertrain development for AMC. I did block testing because of bearing failures. Later found to be defective bearings.

Here's my experience with AMC...In 73' I bought a new Jeep Commando with a 304, 4:11 gears and 3 on the floor. I found out at the first tune up (cap, rotor, plugs, timing) that the distributor was factory installed 180 degrees off. The dist. was keyed with 2 pegs, a square one and a round one ...the rotor had a square and round cutout to eliminate installing it backwards (180 off). To solve the problem, the experts and genius's at AMC slammed the round peg in the square hole and the sqare peg in the round hole, instead of pulling the distributor and turning it 180 deg. Friggin morons...lol. AND THEN! ...at 26,000 miles the motor jumped time and bent valves and cracked pistons. The reason why?...more AMC genius and ingenuity! Someone said 'Hey! That cam gear is making a lot of noise!' They coated the cam gear with plastic and after many hot cold /cycles, the plastic chipped off and Presto!...No motor!

My friend growing up had a 74 401 matador it kicked ads embarrassed some

Anonymous great video! Thanks for your hard work!

Back then you could order the 390 and 401 in a Gremlin!!!

1976 AMC started building for Chrysler and those famous matador patrol cars recieved new sheet metal and interiors and became lebarons diplomats and then Gran furys. I had one built at Kenosha. AMC was known to sell a lot of their properties and entire chassis of their best cars were no exception. The Mopar E58 360 is an example. It was an AMC built police engine that was also used for other commercial applications and was basically a reworked by AMC engine that had AMCs 401 interceptor performance package.

Almost traded my 73 gremlin x for a 401javalin but couldnt swig the deal with the dealer but did drive one and it was fast

That early 70's Matador Coupe was a uniquely styled car. Didn't think much of it when new but it has grown on me over the years. Now days I would love to have one.

The Mighty AMC 401: A DOBERMAN PINSCHER ON FOUR WHEELS!!!

Love the AMX

The second Gen Javelin is the best looking muscle car period.

Always wondered about the amc motors! Work as a lot boy in 1980 and the parts manager had a 401 AMX! Cool video! 😎

There was never just 3, it was always 4 and the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse was AMC!!

Don't know what engine it had but I recently drove Route 66 and a couple of times ran across some guys from Quebec who were driving a really nice 74(?) Matador wagon, complete with the required wood siding. Hope they made it to Santa Monica!

Saw a green gremlin as a kid in the late 70s with a 401 in the white accent stripe... looked stock, haven't seen one since.

The 69 Scrambler also is available with a 390 high performance and over-the-counter high performance parts

A very good and well done video on American Motors V8 engines. Thank You.The best cars we're made by AMC American Motors Kenosha ,Wi.

Yes...a real underestimated mill...I knew a guy back in the '70's that had a 1970 Rebel machine...with the 340 horse 390 motor and a 4 speed...that was the first year of the dog leg port head fitted to these motors, and it ran consistently around 14'0's at 100 mph completely stock. I told him to put a set of 8 inch slicks on it....then it would dip into the 13's for sure! Never did it to my knowledge..I think he was worried about driveline breakage...

My best friend and I built a 81 AMC spirit. It had a 4 cyl and a 4 speed and a 4.11 posi. I had a monti that had a rotten frame. Needless to say the 327 4bbl came out of the monti and went in the little hatch back. Bolted to the 4 speed and the factory posi. We put 300 double hump heads and a a 292 potato cam in the car with a 3 inch aluminum hi intake. With a dead hook on a 9.5 28 inch tire it would bring the tire's of the ground 8 inches. Not bad for 20 years ago and a 20 plus year old engine

Good in depth on AMC V8s. The first Year Javelin only went up to 343. The 390 was second year. The 390 had a little more HP.

The 70 machine with the hurst and 390 was quite a car.

Its funny AMC had a big presence in Australia, we had Ramblers , Matadors , AMX, and Javelins , Javelins were , I won't say common but I've seen a few in Australia, with 343 s and 360.s never a 401 !