Michael's AMC Javelin Build

[Javelin]

Jan 2012:

Mother nature gets mean



We had a freak snow storm drop 12” in 24 hours this January, which was way over the maximum weight on my car canopy. Needless to say, it collapsed! I woke up to this site out of my window…

Close one!



I have to give my canopy credit. It may have collapsed, but it didn’t damage the car! No cracks in the glass, no dents in the trim, nothing! I got really, really lucky!

Linkage restored



One of the next little jobs on the Javelin was to restore the throttle and trans linkage. I put everything back to the factory colors after sanding down the surface rust and cleaning off the grime. Re-assembled to factory spec. Now I have a smooth throttle action and I know the return springs are good.

More brackets being restored



Even though the Javelin came from a dry area and has minimal rust, there’s still 39 years of surface scale on everything. This is the upper grill support bracket. I wire brushed the whole thing and wiped it down, and here it’s getting a fresh coat of primer.

And of course, painted too.



The bracket then got coated in the original semi-gloss black. Every little bit helps on this project. Not only does it look better, but it will help protect the parts from any corrosion in the future.

Top tip: Restore your hardware!



One of the reasons all these little jobs take up so much time is that I restore the original hardware, too. Not only is it cost-effective, it also ensures I have the correct fasteners for every part. Here’s a tip: get some cardboard and screw the screws in after wire-brushing. Then you can paint them without them blowing away.

Re-covered



I was able to tarp the Javelin quickly after the collapse, but I wasn’t happy. I was able to let the car air out pretty well yesterday and then I used the heavy duty tarp that was on the awning to cover the car for the rest of the winter. It’s not ideal, but I’m trying to keep water intrusion to a minimum.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I've found that it's good to put strips of wood between the plastic and the car to hold the plastic off the metal - it gives airspace so the metal doesn't have water on it for long periods of time. Also, leaving the window cracked a bit to enhance airflow throughout the car helps.

[Javelin]

Feb 2012:

Prepare to sand



Today was a very nice day, so I had de-tarped the Javelin so the interior could air out. I decided now was a good time to sand that rusty roof…

That's a lot of work!



An hour or so later, and many sheets of 80-grit gone, we had a somewhat sanded roof. Some areas were bare metal, but most of it still had factory paint on it. It was the surface scale, grit, and glue from the white vinyl top I was interested in getting off.

Pillar rot



Unfortunately, the a-pillars are rotted out. This is very common in cars this old, and ex-vinyl-top ones in particular. There’s a little around the entire windshield area. It’s okay, this is all actually quite easily fixable. That’s a project for another day though.

Primer bomb!



After hand sanding or wire brushing in the channels, using compressed air to spray all of the sanding dust away, and then wiping everything down with cloths, it was time to prime. I used some high-build primer on the quarter panel joins, but otherwise everything got a coat of plain light gray primer. This is not a permanent situation, this is just an attempt to slow down any corrosion and protect the good metal that’s left.

Finished (for now)



That wraps up the primer-thon for now. I removed the tape and I’ll let it stand overnight, as it’s supposed to be nice again tomorrow when I’ll re-tarp it before the big game. I will just snap the window trim back on for now as well.

That was a BIG project that’s been needing to happen since I bought the car. It feels pretty good to be finished with it.

[Bob Holmes]

I did this once to the Riviera. Be aware that the primer is porous and will not preclude rust from reappearing.

I need to do it again to the Riviera, maybe I'll try primer/sealer this next time.

[milner351]

self etching epoxy primer (the greenish stuff) is a good thing to put down first over bare metal.

Bob points out an important issue - standard primer is NOT a sealer - water will go through it and rust will start again.

[Javelin]

March/April 2012:

New parts!



Say hello to a new set of KYB shocks, fuel pump and filter, and radiator hoses and cap. Thank you Summit Racing! Also arriving, but not shown, are new brake hoses and metal brake lines for the entire car. Slowly but surely it’s coming together…

Brake lines



The new brake line kit came in from Inline Tube. This is an all new set done to the factory specs for a 73 Javelin with power front discs, which is what I’m converting my car to (with factory parts). I went with steel over stainless as we don’t have road salt and the stainless tends to leak. The Javelin will have a 100% all new braking system before being driven.

Mold, ugh.



As a result of my carport being destroyed in the snowstorm and the crazy high levels of rain, the Javelin grew mold over the winter. Ugh.

Cleaned up



So I pressure washed the car. All of the mold is now gone and the Javelin is clean again. Now if the freak snow fronts will stop coming through I can get to work!

New wheels!!!



This weekend was the giant swap meet at Portland International Raceway and the Portland Expo Center (it’s seriously huge, and is a 4-day event). My #1 goal this year was to get wheels and tires for the Javelin. Although the P71’s old steelies technically fit, the center bores are a little too small, the backspacing is wrong, and the tires are all shot. So I solved all of the issues (plus the heavy weight!) with this cherry set of genuine Weld Rodlite wheels! They are only 14’s (with 185 and 215 tires), but they will look really cool, they are super light, and they’ll make a great drag racing setup. Not to mention they had a nice set of BFG tires and came with all of the lug nuts and center caps. My cost? $400. Nice.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I was there with my Buick this year

[Big Bad Blue]

Long time AMC fan here, great to see another one headed up from the ground!

[Javelin]

I was there with my Buick this year

Gah! Wish I was on the forum sooner, I would have tried to meet with you and say hi.

[Javelin]

April 2011:

Grill header finished



The grill header panel is finished and reinstalled. The driver’s fender needed a little tweaking (it’s the damaged one) so it could go on how it’s supposed to. It feels good to put stuff back ON the car instead of taking it off!

Coolant system rebuild time



I also managed to start the coolant system rebuild. The old coolant actually looked really good! Drained this out, removed the heater hoses, crossover hose, and the radiator hoses. All of that will be replaced with new stuff (Goodyear, natch) as well as the thermostat and radiator cap.

While you're in there...



I have a seriously bad habit of going “while I’m in here” with this car… I also took out the fan and shroud for a little clean-up. I might even replace the fan. The radiator works great and is all copper, so I’m not going to mess with that, but the v-belts are getting changed.

Keep taking stuff apart!



Now I’ve got some good access to the front of the motor. Obviously I need to do some cleaning and painting in here! I might also change the water pump, we’ll see. I’d really like a new harmonic balancer, too (I’ve seen a stock one fail, and it was not pretty!). All of this was pretty necessary to get to the fuel pump and hard lines, which are all getting changed as well.

Problem found



Since I was already there I decided to pull the original 55 amp alternator out. Turns out it has a broken wire on it! Luckily I happen to have a spare GM-style 1-wire 100 amp alternator from a Wagoneer that will bolt right on…

Weight savings



The front plate mount was large, steel, mangled, rusty, and heavy, none of which are desirable qualities. Since my state only requires a rear plate on classics, off it comes! Much cleaner and lighter.

Roof primer is holding up



The roof primer is holding up well. There’s no bare spots or rust besides a little trickle where the quarter panel lead seam is. Good! My protection plan is working. You know, I can’t stand the cheap roof rails modern cars have. I love the older cars 1-piece rooflines like this, it’s just so much better looking. Can’t wait to paint it!

[Javelin]

The roof has been primer for 5 months now, still no re-rusting... even though we are in our rainy season (Spring).

[SuperBuickGuy]

The roof has been primer for 5 months now, still no re-rusting... even though we are in our rainy season (Spring).

Um, our rainy season lasts from Jan 1. to Dec 31. All other days are sunny

[Russell]

Um, our rainy season lasts from Jan 1. to Dec 31. All other days are sunny

Lol i would suggest building a 700 HP convertible with out a top

[SuperBuickGuy]

Lol i would suggest building a 700 HP convertible with out a top

that'd be foolish, but a 500 hp one would be a great idea

[Javelin]

May/June 2012 (almost caught up!!!):

Fan & Cooling



Got the fan and pulley cleaned, sanded, primed, and painted. Cleaned the spacer bracket as well. Not shown is the plastic fan shroud that was cleaned and redyed.

New suspension - Part II



All the suspension parts (sort-of) came in! I’ll explain; I wanted to get a spare set of control arms to have the bushings pressed in so I could swap everything at once. Unfortunately, one of the lower control arms I spent so much time welding up was damaged in shipping. So I am waiting on a replacement set of stockers now.

More new stuff...



I also ordered up a new aluminum water pump, thermostat, some gaskets, and that K&N finally.

Shock mounts



I took the front shocks out to replace them and cleaned and painted the mounts and hardware.

Brakeless



The master cylinder, brake booster, and some of the lines are removed. Threading in the new lines will be fun (not).

Wheeless, too



I sold the old P71 steelies off the car, and I need to do the rear brakes, so the Javelin is up on 4 jackstands now..

Organized!



I finally cleaned out the shed and got all of the Javelin’s parts in one spot. I didn’t realize how much stuff I had or how much of the house and garage it all took up. I even have spares!