Street Feature: 1971 Javelin Brings New Meaning To One-Of-A-Kind

1200-22The thing about classic AMC muscle is that it’s few and far between. We’ve been to enough car shows to know the AMC nameplate is in the minority, if you see it at all. So when we got news of what Al Gaines of Springfield, Oregon, had in his garage, we had to find out more.

This 1971 AMC Javelin has been made into one of the most unique show cars that we’ve ever seen, and we love it. “I’ve been working on it for 24 years now,” Al told us, and it’ll never really be done. “Every couple of years I change the wheels or add some more flames.”

The car was actually donated to Al around the time he got into full-time ministry back in 1993. Although Al spent his early years on the wrong side of the law, he now works in ministry with at-risk kids to help prevent them from going down the wrong path and make sure they make better decisions than he did. “It was pretty beat up,” Al explained, “and it had about 30 pounds of body-filler on it, but it had the right bones.” Over the years the car has evolved from a rough start to what you see today. Obviously a lot of work has gone into the final project, and Al didn’t do it on his own. To name a few, Al wanted to give thanks to Frank Castanette for the paint work,  Jimmy Carmickle, Spiderman, and Brenda Kellison for the pinstriping, and Ed Hubbs Fullblown Customs. 

This is just a snapshot of what the car looked like while Al was working on it.

The overall build on the car is completely custom, top to bottom. It includes custom leather and woodwork on the interior, the custom paint job you see here, and a slightly modified-from-stock drivetrain. The engine is a .030 over 401 cubic-inch AMC engine that puts out about 450 horsepower with TRW forged pistons, Harlan Sharp roller rockers, a forged crank, and a Crower competition cam. It also features a torque-flite 727 transmission with shift kit and an Edelbrock carburetor. The paint is Diamont Extreme Rainbow with three sets of flames that Al did himself. “The body of this car has so many curves it’s perfect for this paint,” Al explained.

Al contacted us about his wildly custom Javelin, and if you want your car or truck to be a part of our Street Feature series, all you have to do is shoot us an email and tell us about your ride and we will make it happen.

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About the author

Kyler Lacey

A 2015 Graduate from Whitworth University, Kyler has always loved cars. He grew up with his dad's '67 Camaro in the garage and started turning wrenches at a young age. At seventeen, he bought his first classic, a '57 Chevy Bel Air four-door, and has since added a '66 Plymouth Valiant and '97 Cadillac Deville to his collection. When he isn't writing for Power Automedia, he's out shooting pictures at car shows, hiking in the forests of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, or working on something in the garage.
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