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.

Today, unlike yesterday, was completely uneventful…which is a good thing.  We skipped the driver’s meeting again today as our hotel was on a street under construction and getting to the meeting would have been much more hassle than it was worth.  My dad reconnected with an old friend he hasn’t talked to in years driving solo in his 67 Nova Wagon, so we added one more to our crew.  A motley one at that with a 78 Pacer, 03 Mustang Mach 1, and 67 Nova Wagon.

We jumped on the turnpike and headed for Tecumseh, MI and the ididit headquarters.  Ididit was nice enough to host a lunch for us Power Tour participants, and upon our arrival there was close to a thousand local cars that showed up.  Among those was a small AMC group!  Two 70 AMX’s, a 70 and 72 Javelin, a Marlin, and a kickin’ 78 Matador…the most AMC’s we’d seen all tour!

From Tecumseh, we headed to Detroit.  Through the gorgeous Irish Hills, past Michigan International Speedway (MIS) and into town.  As we pulled in, the sheer number of cars was staggering.  If you couldn’t find a car you liked there, you’re not a car person.  Truly spectacular.  Walking around we saw some truly gnarly stuff.  A slammed 67 Rambler American (my favorite), a 37 Plymouth with a blown Hemi that the builder fit under the stock hood, another Dart Wagon, and a beautiful custom open wheel roadster.

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The guy mentioned on the phone that they were super busy, but we called at a quarter to 8 and he said that if we got there ASAP, he could squeak us in. Our 3 month-old Kumho’s were ecstatic! When we arrived, they wasted no time and threw the Pacer on a lift and went to town with lasers and computers and as true professionals knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They also even gave us tips on how to keep the suspension from slipping again, which is the first shop to do that. I implore you if you’re in the Racine, WI area or find yourself in Racine, WI and need alignment work done, go to Klamm’s. They had us on the road by nine, too late for the driver’s meeting out of Racine, but still far earlier than we expected.

With the Pacer driving straighter than she ever has, we set out on the freeway towards South Bend, IN to see if we might be able to make up some time. Right outside downtown Chicago, we passed the official Power Tour Lead car. Make up time? We were leading the thing!

We got through Chicago, and pulled off for fuel for both the car and our stomachs. Afterward, my Dad decided to hop in with our running mate Mike in his 2003 Mustang Mach 1, leaving me alone in the Pacer. With a full tank of gas, windows down, and AC/DC cranked on the freshly installed sound system I motored through Indiana waving at bystanders and causing a ruckus as I did it. I bet I looked like an idiot, but I sure had fun.

Arriving at the fair grounds in South Bend, IN it was super humid and there were looming dark clouds in the sky. As I pulled in, I was escorted towards the front as the other V-8 Pacer (really) saved a spot for me so we could have two fully restored V8 Pacers next to each other.

We walked around the fairgrounds and I snapped pictures of my usual unusual stuff: Studebaker Lark with a blown big block, chopped and sectioned 53 Buick, Triumph TR8 with a small block Chevy…I’m sure you’re starting to get used to my style. Yea, there’s a couple pictures of El Camino’s, Olds, Chevy II, or Chevelle Wagons, and maybe a sprinking of highboys, but I know when to admire nice cars when I see them.

After the fairgrounds, we headed to the hotel where in and of itself it becomes a car show. People outside cleaning off their cars, benchracing, or doing burn-outs in the parking lot…it’s all part of the Tour, and I love it. It’s really a week of eating premium fuel, breathing carburetor exhaust, and living cars…my heaven.

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The best part about the tour is that it’s not just a week of a bunch of car shows, it’s about people that love their machines…fanatical if you will.  I’m going to be sure to have my laptop and camera in toe, so wherever my little MacBook can grab WiFi, I’ll update our twitter with happenings and every night I’ll post a Fanatics top ten to the site when I get back to rest at the hotel.  Not to mention, we’ll get some formal ¼ mile times out of the Pacer and depending on how she’s feeling after that, I might try for some autocross action.  It’s going to be a blast and I’m going to bring you all along for the ride.

Check back this Saturday as I set out on the 2009 Power Tour and watch our twitter for updates.

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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I was probably 2 maybe 3 days old before I started dreaming about my first project car.  At the time, my dad was working on putting together a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 and as far back as I can remember, that was the car that got me hooked on muscle cars.  As I got older, my dad and I threw around more and more ideas for what we could put together as my first project car. Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers, but they were all too expensive for a beginning driver and didn’t quite have the flair that we were looking for.

It was then one fateful day when I watched Wayne’s World for the umpteenth time and put two-and-two together.  Why not a Pacer?  Dad laughed, but I was serious.  He wrote it off as crazy, but I kept my eye open.  A month or so later, paging through a car trader with my buddy (yea, that’s how car obsessed I have always been) we stumbled across a 1978 Pacer that the ad claimed to be equipped with a V8!  I clipped out the ad and rushed home to my dad.  Showing it to him, we both wrote it off as a typo until he called.  AMC DID in fact put a V8 in a Pacer, and this was one of them.  We had found our project car.

I was 13 years old when we took delivery of our Pacer, and within a month it was completely torn down and body on a rotisserie.  Three excruciating years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears passed until we had it fully restored and ready for the street, and when it finally was, it was a HOOT!

Those three paragraphs must be the longest introduction to a post ever, but I had to give some perspective to the Black Pacer in the above image and accompanying photo gallery.  I’ll have more details, specs, and images of the Pacer in the coming months, so you all have something to look forward to.  Now, getting to the point.  Did you know that the Porsche 928 was rumored to be inspired by the styling of the Pacer?

It’s true, I swear.  Porsche design chief at the time, Tony Lapine has credited the Pacer as being responsible for inspiring the bubble-shaped tail end of the 928.  Seriously.  The Pacer, one of the most unloved cars of all time has been rumored to be credited with one of Porsche’s more “unique” cars.  How does that happen one might ask?  Well, it’s hard to say.  I suppose design inspiration can come from anywhere.  Still though, a performance car inspired by a bulbous economy car sounds preposterous.  As a Pacer enthusiast though (yes, those DO exist, there’s even a Yahoo! Group for us misfits) it ads to the flavor and character of our portly little pals.  “Did you know the 928 was designed after the Pacer?”  “Yep” I reply as we roast the rear Kumho’s on the 401 V-8 powered Pacer.

Dan has made some new friends as of late who happened to be pretty well connected in designer circles, and we’re hoping to be bringing you an inside look at some designs.  While I have to keep the cat in the bag for now, let’s ponder the copy cat Pacer-Porsche scenario I posed above.  While nothing has been completely proven, the photo evidence I provided from last years Hot Rod Power Tour does speak volumes.  A picture’s worth a thousand words?  This one’s worth seven.  “The 928 was styled after the Pacer.”