A Celebration of Independence

  • Thread starter Thread starter AMCNUT
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No, those guys ran the 304. The Nurb cars did, anyway.

I have had thoughts of what a 282 - or at least a 4.0 EFI - would do under the influence of two turbos...

all in a Gremlin with 4-linked rear, lowered, and with coilovers....
 
those 282's had head problems or something, didn't they? i think that's what really put a choke on the last of them.
 
I've never really heard anything terrible about the 282 but I guess if it's all you've got you just go with it!

Would really have liked to have seen the Pacer come to market with the rotary engine though - it's a shame GM bailed on AMC... there would've been so many possibilities then!
 
To be fair, I don't see that having gone over well. The Mazda rotary really didn't take off until they put it into a sports car - in an economy car, while it'd have been quick, the fuel efficiency and mechanic's unfamiliarity with such engines (what is this I don't even...) would've killed it in the market against the other horribly unreliable domestics, and the much more reliable Datsuns and VWs. Likely it sold better with the standard AMC engine lineup.
 
Well, the rotary might have had prodigious fuel consumption but it would have least completed the Pacer's futuristic M.O. Instead of having both futuristic design and propulsion AMC was just left with the humpty-dumpty (but very attractive in my opinion) styling with nothing to brag about under the hood. I think it would have generated a great deal more attention (and showroom traffic) had the rotary engine been installed in the Pacer.

But as far as reliability is concerned I can't see it being too too bad, once they got the inevitable 1st gen examples sorted out. And the mechanic network would've come up in short order - I think it might've saved AMC for a time (if not indefinitely) had the rotary engine gone in and worked as intended. Of course, there's always the possibility that it might have been a disaster, but I guess we'll never know...
 
Given that...

a 13B Turbo in one of 'em would be kind of an awesome thing, don't you think? X3
 
Hehe, a turbocharged Pacer would be epic... that'd be a ton of power to the front wheel though! You'd have to really work the suspension so that the torque-steer would be manageable. I think that the Gremlin would be a better candidate as the rear-drive would give better performance and weight distribution. Ultimately I think the Pacer would make a very unique, if only semi-capable hotrod. But unique is all that matters right?:sly: It'd have to to drive a Pacer in the fist place...
 
Well...the Pacer was FR. the original intention was to make it a rotary engined FF, but they ended up putting an entirely different floorpan underneath. I mean, how do you think they got the I6 under there? they didn't make a four when the car came out.
 
Oh wow you're right... I wasn't even thinking... my bad!:ouch: That's slightly embarrassing!:dunce: I guess that's what I get for typing in between spawns during Halo....

But you're right about the four-banger. AMC tested a couple at one point with four-cylinders and decided it was not enough to propel the car sufficiently. It would've been overtaxed for sure! That's also one of the reasons I like AMC - they were never afraid to stick big engines in small cars.
 
I think they only got a four in the late '70s, and, IIRC, it was the same engine you'd get in the Porsche 924, sans DOHC head.

granted, that engine was callously referred to as the "Van Engine" in an episode of Top Gear...
 
Wow, that's one monster Pacer - it looks really evil! For some reason it reminds me of the class nerd who always got picked on coming back after many years, armed and ready for revenge...

Did you draw that yourself?
 
AMCNUT
Wow, that's one monster Pacer - it looks really evil! For some reason it reminds me of the class nerd who always got picked on coming back after many years, armed and ready for revenge...

Did you draw that yourself?
Click to expand...

Yeah, way back in 2003. Now I see it and it's like ewww, hahaha

It was heavily based on a Hot Wheels car, the Packin' Pacer from the late 70s that has a rear mounted 427 (seen here in rare Made in Mexico trim):
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But of course I added the roof scoop, and you know how if you pull the bumper off a Pacer a giant hole is exposed? that's my mouth.
 

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