In 1983, Patrick and Lori O’Connor were high school sweethearts on the verge of tying the knot in Holy Matrimony. With the big day looming on the calendar, the twosome decided that the time was right to seek out a new ride to start their life together. It sounded like a great idea, but what could they buy that would not only work on their tight budget but also fit in with their love of American-made muscle cars?
Patrick grew up in a Mopar-loving family, lusting after hot B-Bodies like the low-budget Road Runner and the big-shouldered Charger. In high school Patrick settled for a nice 318-powered Duster, a good starting point for a budding muscle car enthusiast. Lori liked her boyfriend’s ride so much that she picked up her own example, decked out in Plymouth’s eye-appealing In-Violet paint.
So now the search was on for a muscle ride that would see them through their first years of wedded bliss. Patrick happened upon a neat-looking car not far from his home in Oriskany, New York. It was something a little different: an AMC Rebel Machine, a car not at the forefront of the muscle car movement but still a potent package and a force to be reckoned with on the streets.
Patrick didn’t know much about the Machine (or the AMC brand, for that matter), but he did his homework, calling around to local shops, drag racers, and even an AMC dealer trying to get some info on the car. He learned the Machine was not only a great performer but also a highly prized ride in the AMC collector world.
He went back with Lori to take the Machine out for a test drive, which didn’t go so well. The car’s 390 ran poorly, belching smoke through its breather tube. But the young couple was not deterred. Ignoring the advice of their parents to buy a more practical car, they dug deep into their pockets to plunk down $900 on the bright red AMC hardtop.
Machine Needs Machining
Once at home, the Machine got some love to make it roadworthy. Patrick used it as his daily commuter for the next six months. Though the car ran just so-so, it was still dependable day-to-day. In August of that year the couple was married. They even took the Machine on their honeymoon.
The couple soon bought a small starter home and a “winter beater” Chevy Nova so they could take the Machine off the streets during bad weather. However, without a garage, the car sat outside in the elements anyway. After watching their car get buried in snow all winter, the couple added a 20×24-foot garage to their tiny house the following summer, just to keep the Machine safe in winter.
That winter the motor was pulled from the car. Patrick decided to tear it down to see why the Machine guzzled oil at an alarming rate. The culprit for all the engine issues: not one, not two, but three cracked pistons. From there the 390 received a complete overhaul. The machine work was done by UAP Engine Rebuilders of Utica, New York. The assembly was done by Patrick and his brother Butch. The build was kept mostly stock, except for a Melling cam to add a little more lift and duration to the engine’s performance.
In 1989, the O’Connors built a new home in Boonville, New York, complete with an immense 30×40-foot garage. It was here that they decided to take on a small-time restoration of the Machine. Time and money were tight during the following years (they welcomed their daughter Kelsey to the family in 1993), but the couple trudged along during the low-budget build. By 1996 the Machine hit the streets again, for the first time in nearly 13 years.
Patrick and Lori knew this was only a Band-Aid for the car and that a true restoration would be needed in the future. But their quickie job sufficed for the time being. They took the car out regularly, sharing it with their daughter whenever possible.
Machine Heads
In 2013, the O’Connors felt the time was right for a complete restoration of the body. Things didn’t go as planned, and the car was pulled from the shop uncompleted. It was there and then that Patrick and Lori decided that the Machine needed a complete restoration from the ground up. The two would do much of the work themselves but farm out the much-needed bodywork and paint to the pros.
In the winter of 2014, the twosome stripped and gutted the car. The shell was sent to Browns Metal Mods in Port Leyden, New York, where the body was completely media blasted. The stripping revealed severe rust damage in the inner rockers and floor pans, among other places. Since there were no replacement panels available for these cars, BMM had to fabricate them from scratch.
Once the repairs were made, the car was sprayed in its factory combination of Matador Red paint and a contrasting blacked-out hood. In June 2014, the freshly painted shell was delivered back to the O’Connors for the car’s complete makeover.
While the car was away, Patrick went through the engine and trans again, freshening up his engine work of 30 years previous.
The O’Connors decided to go strictly in the factory stock direction when piecing the car back together, other than one major liberty taken during the final build. Over the years, Patrick and Lori collected many parts for the car, including a nice set of 1971-only nonsmog AMC Free Flow exhaust manifolds. It was a better option at the time than paying through the nose for a set of ultrarare Machine-only manifolds. “I like the look of them, and if they were available a year earlier, I bet the Machine would have used them anyway,” admits Patrick.
The dash was restored by Patrick and his good friend Bob Willoughby using SEM products. Legendary Interiors supplied the seat covers; it was the only company the O’Connors could find that was making these AMC pieces. The grille was repaired by the couple and took more than a few weekends to complete. Bumpers were rechromed by Keystone/Goodmark Plating in Brainerd, Minnesota. Paul’s Chrome did the eyebrow trim and air cleaner lid restoration.
Patrick’s brother Butch, neighbor Barry, and friends Bob and Ray helped reinstall the motor in the freshly painted car. Barry also helped with the T10 rebuild. The original AMC Model 20 Twin Grip differential was rebuilt and stuffed with 3.54 gears. Classic Car Exhaust supplied the prebent exhaust system, though the mufflers were replaced with Dynomax VT units. Patrick liked the deep, muscular growl the mufflers produced.
After 11 months of hard work, the car was back together. The restoration took every moment of free time—every weekend and every weeknight hour available—but the couple will tell you in the end it was all worth it.
“First time out we almost hit a turkey, and, well, that would have made a mess of the grille,” says Lori. The freshly restored Machine made the rounds at many of the local shows, where Patrick says he was often thanked for bringing it, as it is a car not often seen. At the Connecticut American Motors Association meet it won People’s Choice and Best of Show (on the couple’s 33rd wedding anniversary), and it also made the Designers Dozen at the Syracuse Nationals. Not bad for its first summer!
Today, the Rebel Machine lives the life of luxury, making appearances only in the warmer months. Patrick and Lori would like to give a big shout-out to the great people that contribute on www.theamcforum.com , for their help with “many a restoration question” thrown their way.
At a Glance
1970 Rebel Machine
Owned by: Patrick & Lori O’Connor, Boonville, NY
Restored by: Owners; Brown’s Metal Mods, Port Leyden, NY
Engine: 390ci/340hp V-8
Transmission: T10 4-speed manual
Rearend: AMC Model 20 with 3.54 gears and Twin Grip
Interior: Black Ventilair bucket seats
Wheels: 15×7 Machine “mag” style
Tires: F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT
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