Emerging Classic: 1977 AMC Gremlin
The AMC Gremlin possesses styling that is so distinctive and quirky that only a single glance, even in silhouette, can leave you in no doubt as to what you are looking at. The Gremlin spent many years unwanted and unloved, but they have now developed their own cult following. This means that good examples, whilst never worth mega-dollars can still command respectable prices. This 1977 model seems like a fairly reasonable vehicle, and it shouldn’t take a lot of work to take its presentation to the next level. It is located in Grandy, North Carolina, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding is now sitting at $3,550, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
I will always give any seller top marks for honesty, so this seller ranks fairly high in my estimation. He doesn’t paint the Gremlin to be something that it isn’t. This Sunshine Yellow classic has its share of flaws, and the owner makes sure that these are clearly visible. The panels sport a few dings and dents, with the worst of these being in the passenger-side door. There is also some rust present, and this is visible in the bottom corners of the doors, along with some small spots in the lower rear quarter panels. The owner refers to the vehicle as solid, and I would take that as meaning that there are no rust issues hiding below the surface in areas such as the floors. The paint is looking quite tired, and a full repaint is going to be required to return this old girl to its best. This includes the bumpers, where the finish is looking quite sad. The wheels aren’t original, and whether the next owner likes them or not will come down to personal preference. I can’t say that I am a fan, but they do impart a fairly tough appearance upon the Gremlin.
The Gremlin’s interior has plenty of good points, but it does have one or two bad ones as well. The interior trim and upholstery are in good condition, while the dash is original and free of any defects. The carpet also looks nice, as does the headliner. The front seat has split on the driver’s side, and I think that the deterioration is beyond repair. The good news is that growth in popularity will almost always result in an improvement in the availability of replacement parts. With this in mind, I have had no trouble locating a front seat cover in the correct pattern and color for around $220. The door trims have been cut to accommodate aftermarket speakers, but at least the owner left the dash untouched by mounting a CD player underneath it. The Gremlin does come equipped with working air conditioning.
Powering the Gremlin is the 258ci 6-cylinder engine, which sends its power to the rear wheels via a 3-speed automatic transmission. The 258 would originally have produced 109hp, and while the Gremlin was not a particularly heavy car, the performance was probably a bit more “pedestrian” than most owners would have hoped. However, things could be looking a bit brighter with this particular car. The owner has fitted an Offenhauser intake and a 4-barrel Holley carburetor. With the engine now breathing a bit better, there is every chance that it should be able to improve on the 18.5-second ¼ mile ET that it would have produced in standard form. These upgrades have had no negative impact upon the car’s drivability, with the owner stating that it runs and drives really well.
This 1977 Gremlin is an interesting little car, and with the performance boost that it has received, it could potentially be quite entertaining. The rust doesn’t appear to be too extensive, and it might not take a lot of time or money to return it to its best once again. I have one main concern, and that revolves around the price. Bidding on this little classic has been really strong, but the reserve hasn’t been met. I hope that it is close now because while the Levi Edition and the Gremlin X can achieve some decent prices, values for the rest of the range haven’t really taken off to the same extent. This is now getting close to the maximum that I would expect this car in this condition to sell for. Even allowing for that, if the next owner is willing and able to undertake the majority of the restoration work themselves, then there is a possibility that they will be looking okay on the financial side.
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Comments
Nice that a modern stereo was placed under the parcel shelf instead of mangling up the dash (all too common on these), but unfortunately the door panels have been cut up for speakers.
It looks like the AC system has been upgraded with a newer type compressor, probably a Sanden. The original would have been the old-style York “paint shaker” 2-cylinder job, with service valves on the ports. (You can also see a universal type drier has been plumbed in next to the radiator overflow tank.) This Gremmie also looks like it sports power steering and non-power front disc brakes.
Especially given the rust creeping around the edges some underside pictures would be nice. I’ve seen AMC cars that looked good up top and inside but were disaster areas underneath. Caveat emptor.
A/C is nice. 258 is plenty of engine in these. Automatic not so much, probably a 904.
God bless America
Nice little car my first new car was a 1977 gremlin X I bought it in Huntington West Virginia it was black black interior power steering power brakes air-conditioning and It had the white stripe at the bottom stating gremlin X it was a great running little car it came with firestorm 721 which war out at 12,000 miles bought a set of BF good rich Ta’sThat lasted for 35,000 miles and still look knew when I traded it off Wish I still had it
I would drive that……That’s cool
My girlfriend had bought one of these new. I drove it a lot back in the seventies and for the life of me I can’t imagine why anyone would want one. Slow, clumsy handling, noisy, cheap plastic interior, and ugly as a crap fence to boot.
I would guess it’s an aguired taste. Always liked Gremmies, especially V8/manual stick ones! This one is only 3 hrs away! Oh no!
A lot depends on how the option sheet was checked off at purchase time. A base Gremlin is pretty cheap & nasty. It’ll never be a Cadillac of course but the right options transform a Gremlin into a much nicer drive.
Remember at the time, the Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega were the main Gremlin competition. Gremlin easily beats them both for the long haul. It is a chopped mid-size Hornet/Concord and had big car parts, not tiny low end engines, transmissions, front ends, rears, brakes that were standard on Pinto and Vega.
The door panels cut up for speakers don’t bother me on a car like this – they’re an almost-period mod since the ’80s was a Golden Age of aftermarket car stereo. Depending on how wide a choice of repro upholstery there is I’d be tempted to upgrade to cloth-and-vinyl in one of the wilder patterns on offer.
I went to see and drive this car when it was offered for sale by the prior owner. I have owned half a dozen AMCs and was really excited by the pictures. A 20 footer. Up close a disappointment. Agree with many of the Barnfind comments. The next owner is in for a lot more restoring than seat covers. The brakes are shot. Steering felt worn. Engine started and ran but will need tuning. A/C there but inop. Drivers door hard to open and close. Tires ancient. Was re-sprayed a lighter shade of yellow that is peeling in placed and chalking. No sour grapes here, it was just too much resto for my (limited) skill and wallet. Positive is it’s a complete car. Has the bigger of the 2 sixes. The AMC 258 makes good power and torque. And the wheels are cool! Would be a great project if you have time and skills. Retail labor will bury you in a hurry. I beg of the next owner, restore the existing power train and avoid the temptation to do an LS swap.
I am restoring a nearly identical car.same interior, same color, same stripes. Of course mine will be rust and dent free when done. Wish I had those Turbocast wheels though
I had a 77 Gremlin with the 258 ci 6 cy 4 speed on the floor
It was silver with maroon stripe, maroon bucket seats
It lasted forever