When it comes to car restoration, brothers Mike and Jim Ring are known for their dedication.
Having dedicated 4,700 hours to restoring a 1969 Dodge certainly sealed their reputation in that regard.
Now, they’ve set their sights on a high-end muscle car, the 1972 AMX Javelin. For this project, they are focusing on major bodywork and horsepower changes.
Watch to learn more about it below!
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Video credit: Rumble
“Too much horsepower in a cool old vintage car, it’s a freak,” Mike said.
For the Ring brothers, the Javelin represents an unusual choice for car collectors and enthusiasts.
Jim continued: “If you talked to all the Ford Mustang guys and all the Camaro guys back then, the AMX Javelin was probably the ugly duckling.”
But the Ring brothers were unfazed and embarked on an epic year-long project that set them back a jaw-dropping $500,000. Talk about passion!
“There was a lot that was involved with that car,” said Mike.
Some of the modifications included lowering the car’s factory height by four inches and adding Detroit speed 69 front sub suspensions.
“From the windshield forward it was all hand-built, and then hand-laid in carbon, the rest was machine,” explained Jim.
But what really sets this Javelin apart is the extended wheelbase. This resulted in the front wheel getting shifted forward by 6.5 inches.
The brothers also extensively modified the front end of the car. The car’s original front nose formed a large part of the reason why people considered this muscle car ugly.
Mike said: “I just think people couldn’t get past the front nose of the car, that’s kind of why that car was considered ugly to a lot of people.
“That was probably the greatest thing we did to change the look of that car.”
Prestone, the auto chemical company that now owns the car, wanted the custom Javelin to have 1,000 horsepower.
“We didn’t feel comfortable using an old AMC motor, so we ended up putting a Hellcat motor out of a new Hellcat” Mike explained.
The Hellcat engine that’s powering the car is a 6.2 liter V8 complemented by a Whipple supercharger. This combination takes the horsepower to well over 1,000.
“It was making way more than 1,000 so we ended up putting a bigger pulley on the blower to slow the boost down on the car because it was just too much power for it,” Jim said.
Bam, Preston’s test driver, took the custom Javelin out for a spin and was suitably impressed.
Bam said: “This car is just phenomenal, all of the changes that the Ring brothers have made to this car – you don’t see it every day.”
Replaced!