70 Rebel SST

Good to hear there's progress, any updated pics? Merry Christmas (Happy Holidays to be Politically correct).

Today I installed the 1972 and up type washer reservoir and ran the power to it from the wiper switch. I ran the washer tubing but, of course, the last owner saw no need for the wash nozzles.  It started snowing pretty hard and I was cold but remembered the choke isn't hooked up.  I hooked up the electric choke on the Summit  carburetor finally.

Yes, I did purchase the Rebel from Rebelxxxxxx. We met at a truck stop near Toledo one Saturday. I wanted a Machine but they are all priced so out of reality. The one Machine I found in my price range was a rotten piece of crap in Kenosha, WI. It was a Bittersweet Orange vehicle "converted" to R/W/B paint scheme with an automatic transmission. Every body panel had serious rust and dent problems and it had a 1969 390 (yuck) in it. It certainly was not worth the $9,000.00 (to me) that he "came down to." I decided that the "Y" engine code in the VIN wasn't worth paying multiples of what the car should be priced at. I stumbled on Rebelxxxxx's car on ebay. It looked rough but it wasn't priced out of my range.

It has numerous issues that I am not happy with but it has many good points too. I know that some of my remarks are sarcastic but I don't understand why he did (didn't do) some of the things to that vehicle unless he lost interest in it and used it as a parts car for his other Rebel. He stripped out all the A/C stuff including the "heater box, so my dash vents are not functional. The A/C temp control is gone, so I have a hole instead. The A/C heater control unit was replaced with a standard one. The glove box door release mechanism gone also. All this stuff is a real pain in the rump to find. The glove box release was 1970 only. It is nearly impossible to find. I have had no luck at all. I don't want those that are available to replace it. I want the CORRECT one! Other than those and other issues I have previously commented on it is a solid vehicle.

It runs (moves) very well. Any stock, unmodified 1970 Machine owner is more than welcome to see if their vehicle will outperform my Rebel SST, it won't. AMC said a 4 speed machine will do 0-60 in 6.4 seconds. Mine will do it much quicker. My 360 runs great. The transmission is a 727, reverse manual valve body. The rear end is a 4.10:1.


 According to http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1968-1970-amc-rebel-sst-hardtop-and-convertible.htm, AMC production for 1970 Rebel SST Hardtops was 6,573. 2,326 of them were Machines. That is 35.38% of "non base, 2 door hardtop production, more than 1/3. Machines were considered as SST trim by AMC. Considering that model's production numbers, the Machine isn't quite as rare as one might think. If you consider total Rebel production of 167,976 (2dr, 4dr and wagon, all trims) it is just over 1%.

If you compared it to a Chevelle Malibu that had 1970 production around 354,700,   http://www.oldride.com/library/1970_chevrolet_chevelle.html lists:
Malibu SS 396 Series 36 - V8 + RPO Z25 Super Sport 396 Option Package, 49,826 units, 14%
Malibu SS 396 Series 36 - V-8 + RPO Z15 Super Sport 454 Option Package, 3,773 units. 1%

Including BOTH of these models, the top Chevelle is  roughly 15%. If you only look at the 454, it was less than 1%! Top Chevelles are much rarer by the numbers!

I am with the school of thought before the recent inflation of prices. I believe a fully "restored" and "mint" Rebel Machine should sell for around $20,000.00.

Edited by mc5fan1968 - Dec/25/2012 at 6:35am

Restorations have always been a money pit that can go far above a cars resale value. If you are in it for the money, you are in it for the wrong reason.

AMCs were ALWAYS under-rated, under-valued and under-appreciated. I bought My Rebel Machine in 1979 for $600.00 with less than 90,000 miles. I wish I still had that car. I took nothing but dung for having an AMC. People are stupid asses, ignorant and too intercourseed up to know how retarded they talk.

I never thought they would have any real value. That was my "living in the past." I always said I would get another Machine but life and bad circumstances got in the way. A few years ago there was a fantastic one in Denver, Co for $12,000.00. It had been upgraded with a 727 trans and aftermarket A/C. It was mint looking R-W-B. I was assured it was a solid car but I was in financial trouble or I would have flown there to look and buy.

When I saw the yellow Machine on ebay sell for $40,000.00 I knew I had waited too long. Now every one is worth a million dollars. Like I said earlier, $9,000.00 would have got me a piece of dung, way, way, way worse condition than what I have now.

I need to get the windshield washer nozzles so that I have fully functional windshield washer/wiper.

67Rebel770, how did you find your 1970 Rebel? Sounds like a good find.