20th Mar 2009, 20:19
My first car was a 70 Gremlin. I drove it for 9 years. Rusted so bad I was afraid to drive, but still sold and got $700 for it, and it drove for several more years. For a cheap car made in the late 60s, it was great. Everyone I have ever talked to about the little car had stories pretty much the same. Not a pretty car, but ran forever!
Let's face it, it was a good car. Got from here to there, and did a great job of it. Here is a great site. www.gremlinx.com
30th Nov 2009, 23:11
For my 16th birthday my dad surprised me with a used 1972 dark bronze Gremlin... the day after he let me test drive a brand new red Firebird. He said it would be a better a starter car for me... and since I had a car to drive to school, I was just glad to have wheels (OK, I was disappointed, but I got over it). This was during the Carter administration and the oil embargo... and we were rationing gas on even and odd days. The Gremlin just sipped fuel. We ran that car everywhere on pennies... and the only problem I can remember was the windshield wipers. The faster the car went, the slower the wipers moved until they stopped. When I came to a red light or stop sign, they would wipe as fast as they could go. It was freaky and quite annoying to try to drive in the rain! And no one seemed able to fix it.
Years later I owned a Dodge Colt. That crappy car would stall in cold weather and have to be towed. Another problem they couldn't resolve. After the third tow, the piece of crap had to go and got traded. It's been blue oval for me ever since.
5th Jan 2010, 11:04
Well I own three 72's and two 73 Gremlins. LOVE them!!
Now only two are currently drivers. One is getting a built 401 transplanted into it!! THAT will be FUN! I was bitten by the Gremlin bug way back in 1972 in high school. My buddy had a brand new Gremlin X with a 304/3 speed on the floor. Wow, was it fun. It would smoke the G-50x15 bias ply's forever...
The drive train is very good/solid in them. Just had some LITTLE defects in interior.. etc.
Overall.. they were a GREAT little car!!! And for the looks/body style... either you LOVE them or HATE them. Since nothing looks even CLOSE... I LOVE the early ones. Nuff said. Just my opinion anyway!! Happy New Year folks.
1st Feb 2010, 20:55
I had a 72 X Red with Black Stripes, black interior, Red Tuck and Roll center panels in the middle of the seats - 258 6Cyl 2Bbl and a BMX automatic. Any small block on the street was fair game, and would corner better than a vet of the period. I loved to prove that it would turn inside the turning radius of a bug. My youngest son just bought a 73 that we are going to do. -some upgrades-probably a Chevy 4.3 V-6 and 700R4 going with 4 wheel disc brakes. Might be a sin to some, but what would AMC have done back then if those parts had been available.
5th Mar 2010, 01:40
I'm the owner of a 71 Gremlin X 258 3 speed. Owned for 20 years now, a lot of fun to drive, catches lotsa attention out on the road, most of it good.
These things are getting quite rare and values are rising. I'm glad I have an older model, the 77/78 model years were even uglier than the Gremlin deserved.
173,000 miles & runs great + fast acceleration.
16th Jun 2010, 18:59
I have purchase my 3rd Gremlin, my first was in 1981, and my 2nd was in 1982. Paid $200.00 for each of them, had them until I finished high school, then they finally gave out; mostly the body. I live in a climate where we use lots of salt in winter.
Then I was looking for about 15 years for the 3rd Gremlin; it's a Gremlin xxx with a 304 auto, Red with a black strip, seats are black with red in lay, 95% original. I had it shipped up from Texas to Newfoundland Canada, it took a long time to find it, and the cost was well worth it. But I still have a question for those car owners of Gremlins; where did the Gremlin xxx wording come from, or is there a such of a thing as a xxx?
I love this car and I will never sell it.
3rd Jan 2011, 18:18
I still have my 1972 Gremlin X. Ordered it in September 1971 and received it December 24, 1971 from Topel American in Kenosha, WI. The car has been in storage for 32 years and I am having the car repainted. It was Jolly Green and will be the same. I ordered the 304 two barrel, three speed on the floor, 3.54 posi and the X package. I could smoke any Ford Comet or same size Camaro. What a great car. Great gas mileage and easy to keep on the road. The car has 58,000 miles on it. I will have it running for the 40th anniversary of the car and my high school reunion.
4th Jan 2011, 10:22
I special ordered my new 73 Gremlin X 304 in copper tan metallic with gold stripes for 2900 new. I wish I could buy it back in 2011 for 10k and maybe even that's low now. I regretted selling it for less reliable cars in the late 70s. I really miss the V8.
14th Mar 2011, 21:45
I bought my 1972 Gremlin X V8 3 speed manual with posi 3rd member in poppy red with gold stripes and the dealer optional side pipes. The only thing that needed changed out ASAP were the rear wheels and tires, as they were just to small. The M/T tires and alloy wheels of a much wider size fit right on the car with no mods needed. With that fixed, next was a few other mods that were added; a hot street/strip cam, a timing kit for the dist, and a set of air shocks to help the traction, and a tach.
My wife and I, both street racers, beat many 396 Chevy's, 383 Mopars, GTO's, 442's, and many other muscle car drivers that made fun of us before they raced us and then got smoked. Sure, we lost some too, but what a fun car to take on the muscle cars the big 3 put out, and win more than we lost.
15th Mar 2011, 13:50
Gremlin X 5 Litre 304 new. It did not come with factory side pipes, in fact they did not offer dual exhaust. It is not an AMX which did.
I had a brand new 73 Gremlin X and added dual Thrush side exhaust. It had minimal HP gain if any. Also there's no way you will ever beat a 396 375 HP Chevelle SS unless you did a 401 transplant. Sounds unlikely as you have the factory 3 speed.
I have a 70 Chevelle SS 396 today and it's impossible to outrun it with the 304 Gremlin. I smoked my G6014 tires after taking off the D7014 stock Gremlin tires. Lot of noise but not a fast car.
Still they are cool.
19th Jan 2009, 19:41
I have some pretty hot muscle cars since (from more income), yet wish I had my Gremlin X 304 V8 I bought new sharing the same garage. I saw a Gremlin with a 401 transplant at the drags with slicks and it was eating everything up. They also cornered and handled really well at high speeds with wider tires on the street.