Yard Find! 1969 American Motors Javelin 390
Strewn among the fallen leaves near Connecticut’s Quaddick State Forest, this 1969 American Motors Corporation (AMC) Javelin came to rest some time ago. Thanks to “AMXBrian” for spotting this fallen angel searching for a new buyer here on New London, Connecticut Craigslist. While not the holy grail AMX model, this Javelin would have made a formidable opponent in its day, and the $2500 asking price invites multiple possibilities.
Resting near the earth and missing both side windows, this Javelin promises the buyer plenty of metal fabrication on the road to restoration. What look like three Keystone Klassic wheels with raised white letter tires recall the 1970s, while the right front wheel looks like more of a “whatever was lying around” add-on from the late ’70s or ’80s. The 27-word listing lacks many details, but among them the seller mentions the disassembled 390 engine and famous 1970 “Dog Leg” heads, reputed to flow 20% better than the ’66-’69 heads (thanks to wildaboutcarsonline.com for some details). The 390 with factory heads made 315 HP and 425 lb-ft torque in 1969. Check out these and other specifications at automobile-catalog.com.
The replaced nose and hood might suggest a frontal impact sometime in the car’s past. We can’t see the rear but minimal damage there as well might take some of the sting out of a daunting restoration. Putting this car back on the road could be challenging and certainly not for “flippers.” Such an undertaking calls for an American Motors fan near the car who realizes they have more time than money. In that situation you invest a mountain of labor hours refurbishing the car to driver quality and enjoy it! Then after some decades, with luck, the market has risen beyond your sunk cost. But if not, who cares? Such a plan makes a lousy alternative to an IRA, but offers a way to own a classic muscle car when you don’t have $10,000 or more up front. Based on three pictures and 27 words, do you see $2500 here?
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Comments
I see that it’s still sporting it’s original Colorado license plate on the front.
I’m hardly an expert on Javelins, but that one seems to be a mix of 69 and 70 parts. The hood, fender headlight caps and rear spoiler are all 1970 parts.
I wonder if it’s a real 390 car? It should have 390 emblems on the rear quarters, but then they might have been removed, since it’s missing the Javelin script and “bulls eye” from the roof side panels too.
If it’s a real 390 car that will show up in the VIN. No worries there. I have one exactly like this one that I use as a template to make new demi quarters and floor pans from. So rust in these cars is not the concern it once was. This looks like a straightforward project car but no huge financial gain at the end of the journey. These are very well constructed cars and in that regard far superior to Mustangs etc.
This reflects my first car when I was 16, I was told it was a ’69 but was told later it was a ’70. The front grill and headlights define that as a ’70. I’m 57 years old and lots heavier now and sure wish I still had that car to research it!
If you had looked at the driver’s side door, all the information you wish you knew now was listed there.
If I were going to do a pony car, a Javelin would be high on my list. This one looks to be a prime candidate for a resto-mod, as there’s not enough preserved to be a good straight restoration option, but the structure looks sound and the 390 might be salvageable (and assuming a full rebuild is needed, it’d be a great time to go better than factory).
Always liked the Javelin better than the AMX, even if it’s bigger and (presumably) heavier.
Is the car a 4 speed, or an automatic?? Is the motor and trans still in the car?
Ad says automatic. Heads and intake off engine.
Gosh I just love the smell of mold and rust in the morning for a mere 2500 dollars. Nothing like over paying off the bat on a project car left in the elements on the damp ground.
If it only was found in a barn versus out
in the elements 🤑
I love saving cars but why not at the less than or equal to 1000 price to start on a non title salvage car!
Take the 15k to get this heap back to road worthy and buy another car out West please ..
Get this one and swap the motor for rust free or add ten and get the 17k V8 on eBay
1969 AMC Javelin SST https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173071499136
I tried to buy this car last year.The guy is dead set on 2200 I offered 1800 just to get it for parts for mine.
Add up what the parts are really worth on the market individually. Then work out what your costs are anticipated yo be in time and travel expenses to find them somewhere else. You will ellipse his asking price in a heartbeat. Plus you will have parts left over to help get your purchase price back. You aren’t thinking like a businessman.
No one listing the Elcamino next to the car?
The hood is up and frozen most likely.
This probably means bigger bucks then ..and owned by legendary ____________ ✔️
It looks like a Mark Donohue edition (note the rear spoiler) and the 390 would seem to support that guess. This would be a nice project assuming the structural areas of the underside are solid. I doubt it’s worth $2500 unless there’s much less rust than there appears to be.
The hood is worth say a grand. Fenders $300 each, seats another $300, motor at least a grand. Is the rest of the car worthless? Give your heads a shake!
This is an easy restoration. If it needs floor panels, I have floor panels. Rockers? Available from Kennedy American. Wrong hood, make a trade. No obstacles here for anyone who is serious and wants a great car.
At the asking price I am not seeing an up side. The car sitting out in a dry climate with the the heads and intake off and the window being out for an undisclosed amount of time I am sure hasn’t been too kind on it. Seats and frames have to be ruined as well as the pans. It having a full padded top I am sure one should expect the worst here too. Broken windshield too, Pans and rockers are only the begining and are actually the easiest if that is all you had to do. Don’t kid yourself you will need to address everything.
If it is an original 390 car there will be an X in the vin. Being an automatic trans detracts in both desireability and value. Although to many who actually remembers these on the road are in their 50’s and beyond would benifit of letting the trans shift itself so a personal preference if its for you. Find someone to work on the trans. Good luck,
It is hard to say what has happened to this car through the years from the 70 standard hood ($50-$150 value if you are lucky to find somone who wants one as everyone prefers the ram air version. In fact I have two and can’t give them away….) and the grill headlight trim and rear spoiler one thing is for sure someone is going to enter a cobbled mess after dealing with the poor care the current owner inflicted on it.
Have a 68 Javelin with no hood and am not in the market for a 70. Don’t need it yet but the day will come. Distance might be a factor.