{"id":81907,"date":"2021-10-27T19:00:31","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T02:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=81907"},"modified":"2021-10-27T19:02:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T02:02:21","slug":"gallery-brents-kenosha-corncob-68-amx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/gallery-brents-kenosha-corncob-68-amx\/","title":{"rendered":"[Gallery] Brent&#8217;s &#8220;Kenosha Corncob&#8221; &#8217;68 AMX"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"jetpack-slideshow-noscript robots-nocontent\">This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p><div id=\"gallery-81907-1-slideshow\" class=\"jetpack-slideshow-window jetpack-slideshow jetpack-slideshow-black\" data-trans=\"fade\" data-autostart=\"1\" data-gallery=\"[{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image6-min-e1635386381215.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81914&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;During high school, Brent bought himself a \\u201868 AMX from the original owner for a steal. A 390 Auto\\u2014not too terrible a starter car for a teenager. There was faded paint with an interior to match, but this AMX was complete and all original. Plus, being a Southern California car since new, it made for a completely rust free car.\\n\\nFor a high schooler, those cosmetic flaws weren\\u2019t too important. What was important was that it was a fast, fun car that could do perfect donuts and brake stands until the tires popped. It also had the ability to carry friends and beer kegs in the seat back.\\n\\nIt was a surprisingly clean car, which pushed Brent to restore the car over several years back to stock specs. The car was never molested or hotrodded by the original owner, so he stood a good chance of receiving good money for a resale. Naturally, Brent spent a large part of his twenties scouring for those rare AMC\\\/AMX-specific pieces, and once the AMX was looking minty, Brent sold it.\\n\\nIn its place went a semi-famous Valiant, and while Brent was happy with it, his son wasn\\u2019t. Moved by his kid\\u2019s dissatisfaction, he decided to find another AMX. It was a tough reminder that family took precedence, and to make matters trickier, Brent wasn\\u2019t able to rectify this problem the easy way. The AMX\\u2019s current owner did not want to sell it back to him. Regardless, the Valiant went up for sale after several months and a few track sessions with the intent of another AMX taking its place.\\n\\nWith a clean slate and an empty garage, he made the decision that this is the last car he would build for himself. So the search began, again. Eventually, a 1968 AMX 390 popped up on eBay in Salt Lake City\\u2014only a few hours away from him. That car was the perfect candidate to build the AMX pro tourer that he\\u2019d always wanted. It was beat, but solid enough for an extensive build.\\n\\nThe car is an original 390 with an automatic transmission and a special order paint color, though that last bit isn\\u2019t so obvious these days. Though a little rough, it was complete and it came with plenty of spare parts including a grille, a passenger\\u2019s quarter panel, a door, another fender, and a NOS grille, among other things.\\n\\n\\u201cIt was all complete, just a complete mess!\\u201d Brent laughed. Though there wasn\\u2019t much serious rust, the hide had been beaten badly, so much so that the prevalence of dents earned it the \\u0026#8220;Corncob\\u0026#8221; nickname. \\u201cI\\u0026#8217;d rather fix dents than replace rusty metal, which is not easy to come by for these cars. Yes, I probably could restore this car\\u2014it is an original 390 with special order paint\\u2014but it\\u2019s been ridden hard and put away wet. Besides, I\\u2019ve gone down the purist road already. So if you\\u0026#8217;re an AMC purist, I apologize now,\\u201d he warned.\\n\\nBrent planned on a severe stripping and a sale of any part that he didn\\u2019t need. With the space and money freed up from selling the original powertrain, he planned to swap in an LS and a T56. But before he put in an order on a motor, he had to address the multiple issues cause by time and neglect.\\n\\nUninterested in breaking his modest budget, he decided not to buy a new lower core support and instead drilled out the spot welds to open it up. After some beating and banging, he got it as close as he could before welding it back together and onto the car. After that, he straightened the radiator support to mount the radiator he got free from an AMC collector and close friend. Budget maintained, car functional, owner and spouse happy.\\n\\nUpon pulling the fenders off, Brent was pleased to see they were NOS fenders. He put the NOS fender extensions that came with the car on them, straightened the dents on the driver\\u2019s fender, pressure washed the front suspension and fender wells, then removed some of the undercoating.\\n\\nFollowing that overhaul, he reassembled the front end with all of the parts that he\\u2019d straightened or had in a box. Unfortunately, that showed what other parts weren\\u2019t quite straight. To have something pretty to distract himself from the recently revealed bend in the hood, he pulled the seats out and picked out some Recaros that were taking up room in the shop. The interior was a mess, and he spent too long removing all of the tar paper, sound deadener, broken glass, mouse crap \\u0026amp; nests, and thankfully the rest of the cat urine soaked carpet!\\n\\nThankfully, with Brent\\u2019s custom seat bracket adapters, the Recaro seats offered enough helmet clearance and far back enough to provide a comfortable driving position. He can move the tracks back and down another inch possibly if needed. With the seat in place, door panels on, and the dash in place, he could fit the cage as it\\u2019s built.\\n\\nTurning his attention to trimming a little heft, he moved the 3,146-lb AMX down to a tick under 3,000 by removing the A\\\/C compressor, box, and lines; heater box and motor; console; tar paper; wet carpet; and miscellaneous stuff. He swapped out the factory bumpers for a set of fiberglass items to take out another twenty pounds.\\n\\nNow lightened and tightened, he sought out some go-fast goodies. He bought a fiberglass front bumper and spoiler combo; a 3-link rear suspension; correct bullet\\\/Talbot-style side mirrors; a wing mirror; and 13\\u0026#8243; front disc brake kit.\\n\\nWith the budget drying up, he scrapped the plan for a modern LS powertrain and instead cobbled together a respectable collection of engine parts that were sitting around the garage. A Mopar 360La motor, a Canton road race pan, an 833 4-speed, and a new clutch were all he needed to get this thing rolling. It only required mild cutting to get it all to fit\\u2014even the \\u201872 340 exhaust manifolds fit for mock-up purposes, though he ultimately went for Hedman 68020s instead.\\n\\nNext came a means of harnessing the new power: an 8.8\\u201d rear end with a 4:10 posi out of an Explorer. To refurbish this part, he cleaned up the original Go Pack HD springs and replaced all of the bushings with Polygraphite. The spring hangers are Mopar offset hangers, and the handbrake is a standard pull-type from a Mustang.\\n\\nA set of American Racing VN 504 wheels, measuring 17\\u0026#215;9\\u201d, wrapped in RT615Ks helped the car feel light on its feet without lightening the wallet. Speaking of, he\\u2019s got a plan for a kit by Dairyland Fabrication which eliminates the trunnions and coil springs by replacing them with upper A-arms and QA1 coil overs.\\n\\nAround that time, a close family friend passed away, which put a lot of things in life into perspective. He realized he wanted to wipe the slate clean and do what he\\u2019d always wanted with cars: build a focused track toy. Anything not related to that goal was a distraction. So he sold all of the Mopar cars and parts he had which didn\\u0026#8217;t pertain to building a track car. A good friend had previously made an offer on the \\u201868 AMX and the parts with it. So, reluctantly, the Corncob went to a new home where it is now almost fully restored.\\n\\nThankfully, there is a new Corncob currently in the garage now, but that story will have to wait.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image1-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81909&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image2-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81910&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image3-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81911&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image4-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81912&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image7-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81915&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image8-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81916&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image9-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81917&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image10-min-e1635386188945.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81908&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/image5-min.png&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;81913&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[Gallery] Brent\\u0026#8217;s \\u0026#8220;Kenosha Corncob\\u0026#8221; \\u0026#8217;68 AMX&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}]\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>For a high schooler, those cosmetic flaws weren\u2019t too important. What was important was that it was a fast, fun car that could do perfect donuts and brake stands until the tires popped.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":81914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3447,3700,3697,17,3470,4879],"tags":[2962,8582,813,7672,41,1632,2683],"class_list":["post-81907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classic","category-featured-vehicles","category-galleries","category-guest-column","category-news","category-slideshow","tag-amc","tag-amx","tag-gallery","tag-hrhl","tag-news","tag-racing","tag-tommy-parry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image6-min-e1635386381215.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-lj5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81907"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81918,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81907\/revisions\/81918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}