My dad had run a few passes in the Pacer before hand and after red lighting the first pass and spinning the tires half way down the track on the second, we knew we were in for a challenge.

My dad had run a few passes in the Pacer before hand and after red lighting the first pass and spinning the tires half way down the track on the second, we knew we were in for a challenge. My dad had run a few passes in the Pacer before hand and after red lighting the first pass and spinning the tires half way down the track on the second, we knew we were in for a challenge.  The biggest thing is that it’s evident that the car is capable of mid 13-second passes, we just couldn’t get the power to the ground.  As in, it would not hook up.  The 440 boys did a pass or two before the showdown as well, and I could see that hooking up was not a problem for them at all.  Not to mention, their 3-speed auto made racing much easier than the 5-speed third pedal we had to row.  The handwriting was on the wall.

The nice smokey burn-out from the 440 boys at the start was an excellent foreshadowing of the next painful 14.57 seconds.  The video below tells all the story for this run, but I promise you there will be more. Hopefully, the red white and blue Pacer will be back again next year and we can continue the Pacer saga.  In the mean time, we’ll work the bugs out of the Pacer and see about getting her into the 13’s.

Sadly, that was the last day of the Power Tour, and I was on a plane on the way back west within 24 hours of shooting this video.  It was a blast and I can’t wait to do it again next year.  It’s hard to explain to people how spending a week inhaling old car exhaust, putting through traffic with a Centerforce clutch (those that have one know the pain it ensues) in 90 degree heat with pouring rain can be fun.  The thing is, if you’re into classic cars, it might be the closest to heaven you can get.

As I had mentioned in my previous post, my first project car was being discussed days after exiting the womb. My dad’s a car nut, and I had no choice in the matter. It’s always been a part of me, and unlike many men, I’m proud to say it’s an AMC Pacer. Of course, it didn’t start as that. I always envisioned a boss Mustang, rad Camaro or sick Challenger. However, the thing about me is that I don’t really go for convention (yea, that and those three cars cost more than triple what the Pacer did). Having gotten the idea from Wayne’s World and finding a V8 coupe just days after it was almost fate that brought us together.

Beginning with a full rotisserie resto, we stripped our ugly grey Pacer into all of its unique AMC parts. From the beginning, my dad and I were building a car that would be a safe reliable driver for a first timer. I rebuilt my first engine (304, later to be replaced with my second built engine, a 401), and learned the ins and outs of body work, paint, suspension, wiring, you name it. It was a valuable experience, and what you see in this post and the accompanying gallery is the result. This is a fanatic job through and through considering that 99% of the work on the car was performed by us or friends in or their garages. This isn’t a 1800 hotrod. No sir, a lot of home-built blood sweat and tears are manifested in one of the most unique hot rods on the road.

So, most people thought we were crazy.  Telling people what we were working on during the resto got a lot of confused looks, but we had visions that nobody else did.  What do you think?  Did we actually build a Pacer you’d consider cool?  For further consideration, below are the technical specs of the car. While performance numbers have yet to be tested…they will be coming with this years Hot Rod Power Tour. In fact, we’ll be covering the whole tour from the Pacer this year with live updates at the end of each day! We’re hoping to both drag and autocross the Pacer as well as scout some great fanatic cars…all on a 7-day rolling car show. But that’s still a month away so for now, check out the beastly Pacer’s specs and let us know what you think.

Powertrain:

• AMC 401 V8
• Bored 30 Over
• 9.5:1 KB Pistons
• Mild Engle Cam
• Stock heads port matched on the intake side
• Edelbrock Performer Intake
• 725 Demon Carb
• GM Style HEI Distributor
• Custom headers
• Dual 3″ Mandrel Bend exhaust with 40 Series Flowmasters

Drivetrain:

• Borg Warner Z-Spec World Class T5 5-Speed
• Steeda Triax Shifter
• Centerforce Clutch
• AMC 20 with 3.50 gears and Trutrac limited slip dif

Rolling Stock:

• American Racing 200s 17×8 (Front) 17×9.5(Rear)
• Kumho Ecsta SPT KU31 Tires

Suspension:

• Front:  Stock coil springs with one coil removed
• Rear: Stock leaf springs dearched 3″ with air shocks

More pics here

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