This is my 1969 AMC Javelin SST. I didn’t go out looking for it, it found me. I had just sold my 1973 Dodge Challenger 340 Rallye (it was spooked, long story) so I had a few bucks in my pocket. A friends father-in-law had the Javelin in his garage and he wasn’t really doing anything with it so struck a purchase agreement with him. It was a really clean stock machine that had made its way to Canada via Oregon and Washington State. The more I drove it the more I fell in love with it. You just don’t see many of these around.
Fast forward about a year and I ended up taking the Javelin over to Tofino for my friends Mike and Ceci’s wedding. They had asked me to drive them away from the Chapel after their ceremony. I obliged and after a beautiful wedding we were on our way. Now all the guys wanted me to light up the rear tires upon departure but I was really worried about unleashing a burnout. I looked over at Ceci’s family including her little old granny from Argentina and was worried about their reaction. Not to mention her dad is someone you wouldn’t to get on the bad side of.
Anyways, I pushed down on the gas pedal half heartedly and the car first bogged and then stalled. The stock engine was tired and the carburetor was in need of an overhaul. I was pretty embarrassed to say the least. Although they didn’t care I felt like I had let the newlyweds down. More to my core I had let my family name down. I called my dad when I got home and we set a plan in motion to make sure this never happened again.
That fall I put the Javelin on a trailer and off to my dad it went. It came back churning out about 375hp and ran mid 13’s over 100 MPH at Mission Raceway here in British Columbia. Pretty fast for a small block! Since then I’ve had many safety and performance upgrades installed, too many to mention on this page.
Now the time has come to let the Javelin go, my wife and I are going to try and start a family of our own soon which means I’ll need a different vehicle to suit our needs. I’ve always wanted to build a 1966 Chevrolet pick up though like the one my late brother Rodney had so I have something to look forward to building further on down the road.
American Motors saw the writing on the wall and needed a car to attract young buyers like the Mustang did for Ford. The Javelin was their pony car along with it’s cousin the AMX which is a two seater version of the Javelin. Adding a ram air hood and high-back bucket seats from a 1970 Mark Donohue AMC Javelin would finish off my vision for this car.
Mooneyes tachometer and Autometer gauges accent the stock cluster. I had a custom Javelin bullseye made for the centre of the steering wheel. It’s the small touches all put together that create something special.
Older cars have fun uncommon features. The gas tank is located behind the licence plate. I installed a Moroso kill switch is behind there too. An NHRA mandated safety feature after I had the battery moved to the trunk. A little trick racers use by putting more weight over the rear passenger side tire for better traction and lightening up the front end for better handling.
The exhaust flows through the Hooker headers into an X pipe before exiting out the dual tips in the rear. It has a really cool and distinctive exhaust note. A fresh posi-track rear end has recently been installed after the original finally called it quits. I also love how the vinyl roof blends into the rear quarter panels.
Factory stripes and the 343 V8 emblem. 245/60/15 Diamondback redline tires tucked in the rear. Rolled fender lips for better tire clearance. New leaf springs keep the ride height just right.
Disc brakes off a modern Mustang sit behind the front wheels. Custom powder coated American Racing VNT71R wheels on all four corners. Polyurethane bushing kit throughout. Larger front and rear sway bars along with Edelbrock shocks keep things tight and responsive.
Maybe my favourite part of the car, the B&M Quicksilver ratchet shifter. It’s so much fun slamming through the gears. Underneath is a Chevrolet 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission. It’s awesome to have the extra gear for highway cruising. A toggle switch under the dash locks up the torque converter for even better fuel economy on the highway.
Burnt Orange Metallic with a black vinyl roof. Great factory colour combo.