I BOUGHT The CLEANEST AMC Pacer In The Country

If you've ever wanted to Party On in a fishbowl, this is the car for you. I bought this 1975 AMC Pacer sight unseen from a Facebook auction and now it's time to see what I bought.
Tech Channel: ‪@TechThrowback‬
MERCH: shopWatchJRGo.com
Shop Motul: motul.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
Common Questions:
What motorcycle do I ride? A few. Ducati 1198, Honda Goldwing, Honda Grom, Honda Ruckus
What do I do for a living? Make KZbin videos.
Can you wheelie? No, I suck.
Are you fast? Sort of. I suck mostly though.
Where can I keep up with you off the bike?
Instagram: WatchJRGo
Facebook: WatchJRGo (or JRGo, FB hates my branding)
Do you go to school? College, for 2 classes.
Why do you ride so dangerously? What do mean? I was doing 25.
Do you go to the track? Of course, hopefully there will be videos in the future.
Do you play video games? No, but I might stream N64 Goldeneye at some point. Twitch: WatchJRGo
Are you afraid the police will watch your videos and arrest you? Something something evidence something something warrants and due process of law
#AMCPacer #Pacer #WaynesWorld

[@Llamathellegend]

I'd rather watch Pacer content all day over supercar crap.

[@britishcarfan9601]

Me too. Modern stuff sucks.

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

1000% agree

[@bigjohnson7415]

Amen! 👍👍👍

[@aceadman]

💯

[@chrisnorton2837]

Yep.

[@talon262]

"Party on, JR!" "Party on, Gabe!"

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Excellent!!

[@user-ht1xu4gv2u]

Schwiiiiing!!!

[@Danman1972]

@@InsideOfMyOwnMind Party time...

[@mitchellgildea254]

If "Bohemian Rhapsody" isn't played on its first drive I will send it back

[@WatchJRGo]

The radio doesn't work 🫤

[@mitchellgildea254]

@@WatchJRGo better find a portable boombox chief 😂

[@weaselduke]

Bluetooth speaker and a pile of licensing dough.

[@nickgeorgiakakis7249]

@@WatchJRGo You and gabe should dress up with wigs when you do the Bohemian Rapsody theme

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

@@nickgeorgiakakis7249this was in fact, discussed 😂

[@beforebefore]

The year was 1976, my father had just bought a brand new AMC Pacer - the first "new" car he had bought since his 1958 Cadillac... because he hated the instant depreciation, even though financially he could have bought a new car every year. This one impressed him... the aerodynamic design, the asymmetrical doors, and of course the "small car" rage was on. I was 16, had my drivers license, a pretty responsible "trained" driver (back when we had Drivers Education in high school!), and had been given permission to drive the new "family car" when it was necessary. That fateful day, I was driving safe, minding my own business in the far-right lane of a 4-lane city road, divided only by a middle turn lane..... when a 1955 Chevy BelAir race car (fiberglass front clip, open headers) was out taking a test drive. He was driving in the opposite direction, and went 'full bogey'... laying down a set of solid black lines on the road, tires smoking like crazy..... and lost control at probably 80 MPH. Smashed the Ford station wagon ahead and left of me, and shoved it right back into my lane... Totaled the AMC Pacer before it was 6 months old. Driver of the '55 had no insurance... my dad sued him for garnishment of wages, but never got much. I didn't get any grief from my parents, it was clear there was nothing I could have done. Dad didn't buy any more "new" cars until the day he passed, 30 years later.

[@compubert2]

sad end...

[@bmh67wa]

They weren't a bad car. That 232 was built like a tank and will run forever. The transmission is a Chrysler 904, another nearly indestructible component. People just didn't like the look of them. I'm glad that you mentioned the larger passenger door. It was one of the only features of the Pacer that reviewers gave a huge thumbs up for next to the smooth drivability. It's surprising that it wasn't done with other cars. Party on JR! 🤘🏻

[@Scott_From_Maine]

The Windstar was given a longer driver's door to make up for the lack of a sliding door on that side.

[@WatchJRGo]

I was surprise seeing the door difference in person, it really is easy to get in the back! 💯

[@kenlaub4158]

U should see the size of the doors in the back of a r class Benz. Limos are jealous

[@edjacobs8876]

When new with the 232, run 80 all day long. Forget what speedo buries at.

[@jeffmac3071]

The original safety car. Congrats on the Pacer. Next the cleanest AMC Eagle with 4WD?

[@sleepyhollow783]

AMC Anything! Attention locked in! ❤

[@nomadweber3590]

Always fun to hear a youngster talk about a 70’s car LOL. I love the reference to the “3.8 liter “…nobody ever referred to engine size by liter until the 90’s😂

[@lorieandpatrickdavies7483]

As a kid, we had a Pacer rental while on vacation in Hawaii. We went to Hana, and managed to get both families inside the Pacer, all nine of us. I can recall being wedged into the hatch with two teenage girls, which I quite enjoyed! Haven't seen a Pacer on the roads in decades, but I did see a Gremlin the other day.

[@davidyaroch6622]

Add some clear ceramic window film. Keep the stock look but cut down on the heat.

[@jake_of_the_jungle9840]

AMC is an important piece of automotive history, I wish I could find an old awd eagle with the wood paneling trim

[@Cartier_specialist]

My next door neighbor had one of those back in the late 80s. He moved to Frederick Oklahoma. Not sure if it's still around but I guess it wouldn't hurt to go to Frederick and look around and ask people. It was burgundy with the simulated paneling.

[@brian5o]

My mom and stepdad had an 81 Concord wagon, basically the 2wd Eagle and it was brown with the wood grain trim and it was awesome! Back in the 80s, Eagles were crazy popular as were the Spirits. AMC was the Subaru of its day because they offered so many slightly lifted, regular cars with AWD. It seems like overnight, AMCs just disappeared from the roads. They were a tiny company but did a lot of smart things to minimize their costs. I have so much respect for them.

[@mexicanspec]

AMC = All Makes Combined

[@sawdustandcigarettes]

All Make of Cars. Lol

[@realbogus]

Yup. The transmission was a Mopar 727, ignition was from Ford, as was the AC. The rack and pinion was from GM... dash bits were from Mopar. The rear end was Borg Warner...

[@uncletoby-]

One detail you missed. The “hump” at the top of the drivers side door panel was not designed to be a door pull. You’ll notice, when fully rolled down, the drivers side window does not disappear into the door. It sticks up a few inches. Back then, the cool look for driving was to have your right hand on the wheel and you rested your left arm on the top of the door panel. On the Pacer, since the window doesn’t retract fully, you couldn’t rest your left arm there. To be able to drive in comfort, AMC designed the interior door panel to be taller so you could rest your arm there without having to balance it on the top edge of the rolled down window. Doing so would have left a painful temporary red mark on the bottom of your arm and after hitting a few bumps would have bruised you.

[@13Photodog]

I took my wife's Gremlin in for service a day after the small town dealer received their first Pacer. I knew the owner of the dealership and asked me to take it as a loaner to get my impression of it. He told me that AMC had a marketing plan to sell them to MDs and dentists. I got lots of looks as no one had seen one. As it was a fairly cool day and had AC so I didn't notice the fishbowl cooker effect.

[@adventureswithjose9739]

AMC wanted to put the Wankel rotary, but GM mothballed it at about the time that the Pacer went into production. That's why AMC wedged the 3.8L under the hood.

[@billstreber5194]

Wow! That's a second Pacer I've seen this week. Maple motors on KZbin. They have a Pacer with LS swap. What a difference. I myself I like the old AMC cars probably because I learned it to drive on a 19 68 rambler American with the straight six stick shift on the column with absolutely no options other than a radio and I loved that car. I was so sad when Dad decided to get rid of it. I tried looking for it for years but could never find it

[@larryl6388]

Yes, that is an automatic choke, bi-metal strip that engine heats up to open, very simple and reliable. When I was growing up, my family owned many ramblers. Bought a new 1968 American for $4000, great economic car and value. We owned a classic, gremlin, javelin, pacer, and a couple more I can’t remember.

[@michaelmahoney8887]

Love the Pacer!

[@WatchJRGo]

🥈 apparently I do to now!

[@iangoodsell]

My grandmother drove one of these! With wood paneling. Lots of good memories, thanks for the trip down memory lane 😊

[@tony_25or6to4]

My dad had a Hornet with the 258 straight 6 and it moved. It was surprisingly quick for the 70s.

[@briandavisw]

The pacer was designed to have a rotary engine. AMC was always on the edge of bankruptcy so development of the rotary was halted. You'll find parts from every manufacturer in it. One note on the interior size the head of AMC was tall and wanted to be able to sit in the backseat of the vehicles. It started with the Marlon. The Concord and Hornet were about the same price with the same performance. Thats why my mom wanted a Concord and not a Pacer. We lived in an AMC manufacturer town.

[@tomcat630]

The Rotary motors were to be supplied by GM, but they [GM] canceled them at last minute. AMC was forced to shoe in their I6.

[@mmocken]

Gm’s rotary engine was originally supposed to power the pacer. Gm shelved the rotary and amc had to shoehorn the 3.8l, thus the cab forward design and the monstrous transmission hump

[@kristoffermangila]

I wonder if it is possible to swap an RX-7 engine and tranny to this car...

[@tomcat630]

GM was also planning on putting their rotary into the 1975 Monza.

[@glennmikes1726]

My Mom had a brown Pacer with 3 on the tree. Brings back memories !

[@brian5o]

Wow, I didn’t know that those were available with a 3-on-the-tree. That’s great to know. I want to get something with a 3-speed on the column, most likely a 70s F-100 but it’s great to know that the Pacer had them, too.

[@kmath50]

I worked at an AMC dealership when these came out. This was at the height of the 55 MPH speed limit, so they were geared accordingly. A/C was still an option in those days, but was essential for a car with that much glass. AMC did make dealer-installable A/C unit. A lot of these came in to have this done. Also, the doors were heavy, and hard to keep in alignment.

[@DavidCarter-nc7jx]

that car has a 258 cubic inch six one of the best engines ever built

[@paulsfam]

I had one love AMC

[@phillipcox7946]

When I was a lad my family had two Pacers and I ended up taking one to college! One was a coup and one was a station wagon and the birth had the 258 six. This brought back many memories.

[@timothyballinger6280]

You have to be missing your old shop! You had the coolest shop on KZbin! I miss it. I was really wanting to see the upper level relaxing area I guess that's what you call it but anyway it would have been awesome!

[@brentboswell1294]

This was the first family car that I have memories of, circa 1976... ours had the optional AMC indian weave upholstery, and air conditioning (it was in Texas). My grandpa swore by Nash, and my dad had to buy AMC, since Nash was part of the merger that created AMC.

[@tony_25or6to4]

I want to see Dad's reaction

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

He was VERY impressed! Nostalgic even!

[@carlashton9331]

Party on Wayne!

[@jamieclayton9]

Party on Garth!

[@uncletoby-]

I know a guy who has a Pacer with a white interior and the exterior has been repainted Plymouth Plum Crazy (Purple). He has approximately 10 Pacers in various stages of restoration and lives in Pennsylvania.

[@JayScott7172]

Ok, need to clear up a couple things. First, congrats on a cool car! When AMC was designing the Pacer, it was intended to house the Wankel rotary currently in development at GM. GM canceled the program, so AMC had to work with the engines they had, meaning they had to shoehorn in the AMC six. This is why the car has some unusual dimensions-it was intended to be a much smaller car. Be very careful of those door panels-they’re quite fragile and good ones are hard to find. Be careful of the subframe bushings, new ones do not exist. Your car has obviously been painted-the hood badge is missing and the AMC emblem on back has been moved. I’d suggest having the glass tinted to help save the fragile plastics.

[@heavyearly2232]

My Uncle had a yellow one,factory aluminum wheels,with black vinyl interior, buckets, and a 3-speed manual. It was pretty cool.

[@mdoyle1981]

My Uncle sold these at Overland Park AMC Jeep on Metcalf back in the day. I remember going there as a kid and seeing all the Pacers, Gremlins and Jeeps.

[@RyanGalt]

My mom liked these back in the day 😂 This and Cadillac Seville bustle butts.

[@eviljohn]

Believe me JR, you weren't the first person to get baked in a '75 Pacer.

[@ogfail1867]

I have a green 1970 Hornet, AMC LOVED their earth tones.

[@kclefthanded427]

Groovy Man! Passenger door is a couple of inches longer than the driver's

[@armorer94]

Of course they go highway speeds! How the hell do you think we got anywhere back in the day?

[@MrWoodyBalto]

This one had the Highway Package to go with the Smokers Package.

[@chansepaskins1915]

Because back then the max speed limit was federally mandated to 55mph by Nixon 😂

[@gregh7457]

@@chansepaskins1915 nobody on the interstates followed that. we usually did 60-70

[@williamegler8771]

​@chansepaskins1915 Claimed top speed by the company was 104 miles per hour for the base in-line 6 with 3-speed automatic transmission and numerous contemporary road tests said it was comfortable cruising between 75 and 80 mph. They said the vehicle was slower than average on acceleration and struggled to reach highway speed with a full complement of passengers and luggage with the air conditioning on but once it got up to speed it had no trouble maintaining it indefinitely.

[@compubert2]

@@chansepaskins1915 drove nobody, ever... ;-)

[@dougharding5231]

I remember a TV commercial at the time that was meant to show how roomy was the interior of the Pacer. They used a Pacer shell, with the back end gone. Then they drove a Chevy Nova right into the shell. It definitely made an impression.

[@new2000car]

Yes the tv ads for it bragged “the first WIDE small car.” They didn’t mention how overweight it was, or how the crude suspension protruded so much into the backseat area that it’s only rated (and only has seatbelts) for two. A Hornet fit 3 in the back. Oops!

[@hynestimothy411]

A friend of mine girlfriend had one back in the early 80s Had the 258 six with all the classic AMC rattling hatch and doors

[@stig120212]

My very first car was an Amc Spirit!! oh the memories of the interior and seats so similiar

[@danielvillarreal8892]

This car won Motor Trend Car of The Year Award

[@tomcat630]

No it did not, for 1975 COTY was Chevy Monza, and 1976 was Dodge Aspen. Pacer was nominated for 1976, since it was not a 1975 model.

[@brian5o]

American Motors was like the automotive equivalent to the little engine that could. You can’t help but respect them. The Concord and Eagle were basically a Hornet but modernized, the same front end from the Concord was used on several cars with different body styles but each were unique but also uniquely AMC. If I remember correctly, one of the most popular new Jeeps, the 94 I’m wanting to say Grand Cherokee was designed by them and the Chrysler LH cars were, too. For a while, they sold some Renaults- the Alliance and Encore and maybe another and of course, they took great care of Jeep. Chrysler bought them specifically for Jeep but the continued to build the AMC Eagle for a few years and then created an Eagle brand within Chrysler for a while. My parents owned a 81 Concord. I remember buying parts for repairs being a real pain because they did source parts from the big 3 and sometimes those parts changed mid-model year. Still I loved the Concord. This was a great buy, JR. I would love to know the build date on the car because I was born in 1975. It’d be cool if it rolled off the assembly line on my birthday. Btw, there is no better 70s color you could’ve gotten than this one. I hope you enjoy your new car!

[@robertspear9134]

Love it!! What a great example of an undervalued American car.

[@P.Galore]

" Opulence - I has it. I see Facing Book auction for Pacer I jump in it."

[@Buy_YT_Views_227]

I never get bored watching you!

[@mschmidtTX]

I had a '72 Hornet with the 232. The upgraded I-6 was a 258. There used to be a company that made all kinds of performance parts for those engines - headers, intakes for 4-barrel carbs etc. Never got to soup up my Hornet, no money at the time.

[@ulysseslima9534]

14:46: JR, if I invite you to drive one of my cars, and you slam the door like that, I’ll give you a heck of a dirty look. 😂😂😂

[@jkk244]

At 14:34 “put car seats in”. Trust me, child cars seats were definitely not used in 1975. Kids piled in and rode wherever they could without any seatbelt usage.

[@glassvial]

This is one of those times where, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[@mcleanblades9234]

Thanks!

[@travishowell330]

Really enjoying the consistent videos & Gabe content!

[@CarswithNash]

Cool fine John! I've always liked them. I believe they were supposed to be the same width as a full size car.

[@TRDOffRoad2020]

I'm still recovering today from the 1st degree burns as a kid in the late 70's getting in one of these with the windows rolled up all day during the summertime 😉🤣

[@IansGarage]

I totally love this!

[@alansmith4734]

If you painted the AMC Pacer a popular college color (i.e. UT Austin is Burnt Orange), an alumni parent would buy the Pacer for their attending kid? Perfect College Student Car!

[@bellabull]

I'm so jealous and so thrilled your keeping the Mac pacer on the road I had a "77" AMC Pacer wagon with a stick Enjoy!!!!

[@YMagoulo]

Learned to drive and got my license in 81 in a 76 Pacer of the same color. What a flashback.

[@MitchellEdwards222]

OMG It amazes me someone cared enough about it to save it this long.

[@1Haloninja]

Oh hell yes!!!!! Back to the good stuff

[@FalconXE302]

That's real cool... love it.

[@VanisleNSX]

Whoa!!!! Such a great car! I love the 70's pattern on the cloth seats.

[@1976seanr]

Finally a cool car. Congrats!

[@andrewsuppa7468]

Finally, an interesting car I grew up with. My first car was an early 70's AMC Hornet. Gold, white vinyl roof, and go fast stripes. When the Pacer came out, we thought it was from the future. It was the 70's. What did we know. Nice catch on the passenger side door. Thought you were going to miss that one. Looking forward to more videos on it.

[@starkyslp16]

I'm so excited! Love the Pacer! I grew up on Wayne's World and have always wanted to get a Pacer. This green fits it really well. Easily like a top 3 favorite of any car you've had on the channel.

[@greywulf73]

In Mexico it is affectionately known as the AMC "gordito con tirantes" or "fat-man in suspenders" - just look at it from the rear and it'll make sense. Love these cars!

[@11sfr]

The Pacer was built for traffic congestion, not fuel economy. The idea was that highways were getting more crowded, so build a smaller car that doesn't take up as much space on the road, is easy to maneuver in cities and parallel park, and has good outward visibility. AMC also decided to future-proof it for federal safety regulations by designing it to meet all the most stringent, worst case scenario, proposals NHTSA was considering for future years so they wouldn't have to constantly spend more R&D money every year to update it for new rules, it would already meet all of them from the start. The car was also supposed to have a Wankel rotary engine that AMC was partnering with GM to develop, which seemed like the future in the early 1970s. But, GM pulled out of the project and AMC couldn't afford to develop it on their own, so they had to get stuck using the engines they already had. It took them until the 1980s to figure out how to cut two cylinders off the I6 to make a 4, which was way too late for the Pacer

[@2010HarleyDynaFXD]

Plasi dip it blue and some flame stickers on the front fenders party on JR! 😂

[@haskellburks]

Good morning JR. You've got a great car. The 1975 AMC Pacer is a awesome car.

[@MandMBass]

I just saw an LS swapped Pacer for sale and I'm so tempted to get it. Love this content!

[@TRDOffRoad2020]

You'll be on pins and needles when that first hail storm comes around 🤣

[@coyleatkinson]

i graduated from high school in 1975, perfect car to drive to my 50th reunion, im such a geek, LOL

[@alessandroceretta2603]

Very cool car, love it! Greetings from Milan, Italy!

[@spyharpy]

I actually saw a Pacer with an older guy driving it last week in San Jose, CA. It was very clean too. A rare sight!

[@tomcat630]

The model year for first Pacers was 1976, introduced in spring 1975. Built near Chicago area in Kenosha WI. The sold well the first year 117,000 hatchbacks left the factory, since were a "fad" with compact buyers. But, by summer 1976 they were "last year's news", sales slipped. Added wagon for '77 and V8 for '78, but still sales declined. Last model year was short run of 1980's, but last Pacer built in Dec. 1979.

[@martharock8377]

I had the Pacer Wagon model, yellow with faux wood paneling. Immediately drove it up the Pacific coast and across Canada. GREAT CAR! ❤

[@chadmccolm6544]

When I was in grade school my principal had that same amc. I remember being drove home in it. Awesome old car. Good video

[@scottsanderson8855]

what a gem. really well taken care of!

[@montythurber2441]

Oh, Man. My grandmother had a '79. Favorite memory was when my '66 mustang broke on Jr. Prom night and I had to make an emergency call to grandma to take the Pacer had a great time. That car was indestructable.

[@kellyturley8295]

Love that thing!

[@allanbrooks3060]

You got me back. Thank you

[@Thunderous117]

What a beaut, lovely interior a nice exterior, and overall it looks very comfy. Hope you enjoy it!

[@Spokaneexploration]

Bro I'm a huge American motors fanatic this is like one of the best videos I've seen you post and I'm just starting it!!

[@markguillory281]

really looks cool..... better than I remembered....

[@garfixit]

Please keep it forever ❤❤❤❤

[@brian5o]

* Going to buy a fish tank. 😂😂😂 I do love Pacers, they’re cool!😊

[@raybrindos4514]

I had 2 Pacers. One was a 78, 258 4 speed. The other was a 80 station wagon with a 304 auto. Both cars were fun to drive.

[@johnmcdonald489]

Party time, excellent!

[@craigtiano3455]

Grandmother worked in the ER back in the day. One day she told us the story of a woman who was driving a Pacer and was in an accident with a larger vehicle. The glass exploded. The woman was brought to the ER with non-life threatening injuries. But, it took two nurses nearly 30 minutes to comb the hundreds of tiny pieces of glass out of her long, permed hair!

[@WareWolf801]

Not gonna lie, that is a pretty cool ride. You will get all the attention. Never going to be fast, but it wasn't made to be. Can't wait for more Pacer content.

[@jasong3652]

What’s the irony that I wake up to an AMC video on my favorite channel on the morning that I’m heading to the AMC Nationals in Petersburg, VA. My dad has a 68 and a 72 Javelin!

[@michaelchadwick8261]

YES!!

[@pas-kv8ud]

Awesome car! Love it. You need to do some “will it run” videos on some older “junk”.

[@scottwhipple6456]

Coolest car yet. Omg. I wanna ride.

[@glenbo2464]

I had a 76 pacer with the 6 and a 3 speed on the floor. It ran and drove fine and ripped right along on the freeway !

[@brucebelitz3451]

We had a lot of fun in one of the moon buggys in 77- 79 high school. Carried lots of people and stuff, great for moving kegs!

[@OB928]

Party on JR.

[@ElCamionero]

The advertising at the time of its introduction made a point of its *width* in pitching it’s new vision of a compact. It struck me as a spacious/stylish Pinto/Gremlin upgrade.