freetheoranges Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Was holding out for a 510, but after no luck in Portland or the Bay Area, I found this sweet 1964 American Motors Rambler. We grabbed a trailer and snagged it for a little over a grand. The body is pretty straight, and only a little rust in the trunk and rear quarter panel. I grabbed a new battery today and some gas, and it fired right up. There's some decent body damage on the passenger side, but nothing to worry about. The car is a 220 inline six, with three on the tree. The interior is shot, but the dash is okay. It's going to become a daily driver / project car on weekends and evenings. I haven't been able to find much info online nor a user manual. One of my roomies has an International Harvester, and the other has a 70 Chevy Chevelle. I think between the three of us we can get it running really smooth. Quote Link to comment
djlotus Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I don't see how you couldn't find a 510 in either of those areas (maybe you just couldn't find one that fit your requirements?). In any event, that's a cool lil car you got there. Good luck with the build! Quote Link to comment
72240z Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I don't see how you couldn't find a 510 in either of those areas (maybe you just couldn't find one that fit your requirements?). I don't either. Explanation? Quote Link to comment
freetheoranges Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 It feels very datsun-esque. It'll become a ratrod of sorts... I love the two door, single mirror, huge headlights, slim profile, crisp lines. Anyone have any info on re-upholstering? I think after a little research and some practice I can sew up some decent bench covers... Quote Link to comment
freetheoranges Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I don't either. Explanation? It's not so much that I couldn't find one, as I either didn't have the cash at the time or they were out of my budget or project cars that I didn't know how to tackle. I still heart the 510. I saw one just yesterday in Santa Rosa.. a baby blue 510 that pulled out in front of me in the morning. That shit made my day. Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Nice car..they have kool body lines. Id paint it a Hot rods flat color with some wide whitewalls & roll it like that :D Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Maybe get in touch with this guy, I think he's in San Diego. http://www.ramblerparts.com/ He's well connected in the Rambler/AMC community, and if he doesn't have a Hornet, I'll bet he can find you one. Also hit Eddie up, he's got more stuff for the AMC rigs... http://www.planethoustonamx.com/ Since the consensus is bit sour on the AMC thing, I'll keep my long list of ownership to myself (for now). Here's my last one... There was an 'AMX' Hornet '78-'79 with a few 'boy racer' bits. Eddie might have them. Looks pretty good slammed. The one I owned was Orange. lol... Good luck with your search. This from another thread on an AMC hornet. http://forum.ratsun.net/showthread.php?t=8992 You didn't state if it's a flat head or OHV engine. Check the links above and/or contact those folks. Good luck with the car! Quote Link to comment
LAYEDOUTB2K Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 thats pretty sweet. my dads friend has a rambler wagon but his has a 454, full cage and tubbed.:D Quote Link to comment
philip1 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I think that rambler would be really cool with an RB25det lurking under the big hood Quote Link to comment
freetheoranges Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I don't know what that engine is, but the one in there is an L head, reminds me alot of the 1600. I'd kinda like to get a shifter on the floor but I've never done a mod like that.. Quote Link to comment
kiznook Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 SWEET! good to see you finally found a car! Quote Link to comment
72240z Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 It's not so much that I couldn't find one, as I either didn't have the cash at the time or they were out of my budget or project cars that I didn't know how to tackle. I still heart the 510. I saw one just yesterday in Santa Rosa.. a baby blue 510 that pulled out in front of me in the morning. That shit made my day. Ya 510's are pretty taxed. Best of luck on this one. Idk if I'd vote on a rb going in there, the hoods a lil short to opt for a I6 if there is a choice to be had. N/a I'd vote v8 and Forced induction I'd vote v6TT Quote Link to comment
ppeters914 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Funky cool, but isn't the mileage in the mid-teens on those old things? :( Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Look up '69 Hurst Rambler Scrambler. That was the fastest car I ever 1/4 mile raced against. Eventually Chrysler bought up AM. All that survived was Jeep. Quote Link to comment
DRIVEN Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 (edited) OH...HELL...YES!!! That totally makes me miss my wagon. Sold it a couple years ago. It was a '64 330. BTW, 220 is the trim level not the engine size. They were available with a 196cid OHV (probably what you have) or a 199cid flathead. It is also fairly common to swap in a later 232. I rocked my 196 for about 4 months until I decided it would be "safer" to have more power. It was alot easier to get parts for the SBC (duh) and actually got better MPG. Started with a 283/saginaw 4 speed then went to 327and eventually put in a T5 from a Firebird. A Chrysler A-body rearend is a direct bolt in swap. Later AMC disc brakes are supposed to bolt in also. I made my own disc brake kit with GM calipers/Pacer rotors and homemade brackets. Also note that a 280zx front sway bar fits perfectly and clears the pitman and idler arms. My wife's grandma made some slip covers for the seats that were red vinyl with red and white checkered cloth inserts. That car was a super fun sleeper. With the tall rear gears and the 5 speed it cruised at 80 and wanted to go faster. You are gonna love that car. They are much better built than the Ford, GM, and Chryslers of that era. Enjoy! Edited March 26, 2011 by DRIVEN pics Quote Link to comment
dgi Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 That brings back memorys. A buddy had one of these that we drove the p**s out of. Hadd to take the push rods out about every 6,000 miles and hammer them back straight. Finally got enough money together to buy a new set. Those were the days. Here you go... make it look like one of the SCramblers. This one sold at the Barrett Jackson auction recently.... they sold two of them actually, one of each color scheme. 1969 AMC Scrambler Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 Wow! There are some Rambler fans here :D The flat head (L) and OHV engines were both 196 cu displacement. They were a 4 main engine descended from Nash. The 199, 232, 258 are essentially the same, more modern engine, all OHV, but a completely different block design than the early 6. In the 80's it was common to put a Pinto 4 cylinder in these cars. The primary advantage to an American (over a Classic/Ambassador/Rebel) is that it's an open driveline. The wagon above shows the ability to interchange is relatively straight forward. Swapping engines on a torque-tube car requires a lot more pieces, and fabrication skill. 1964 saw a redesign for the American, the green one I posted is a '63. Obviously different from your '64. The primary reason was to stretch the front end an additional 2". This made room for the new 199 series six. I don't recall, but I believe '64-'65 retained the independent trunnion front ends. If you've messed with kingpins on Datsuns, then you *might* be prepared to work on trunnions. Ancient technology, and a bear to work on. In '66 there was another body redesign which was retained through '69 (see the Hurst SC/Rambler). Rambler introduced ball joint suspension, additional frame supports and the introduction of a factory V8 option. In '69 Rambler became American Motors, and the American series went 'bye-bye'. Enter the Gremlin/Hornet chassis... I did own a '70 American, and a '70 Gremlin at the same time in NH. The American was a '69, but didn't sell until late in '70 and was registered as a '70. Ad infitium, I'd forgotten what a Rambler geek I am. :lol: Anyway, if you are considering a repower, I agree that an I4 is the way to go. I don't see why a Datsun/Nissan engine wouldn't work. A jeep 4.0 will fit too, but it's tight. Watch ebay for a center console, and you'll be able to move the shifter to the floor with that setup. Get in touch with Doug Galvin (rambler parts guy in socal). Even if you just need points and stuff like that, he'll have it and he's close by. One of my favorite body styles for the American, hands down. The L head sounds particularly good with a Smitty on it, and you can build a dual carb intake for it pretty easily. A couple of PICT bug carbs work well. Good find! Quote Link to comment
DRIVEN Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 BTW: When I got mine it had a 3 page list the PO had found online crossing the original parts to current NAPA (and some others) part numbers. It listed many common wear items like suspension, brakes, tune-up and gaskets. If I had kept it stock for long it would have come in very handy. I no longer have it but I ran across the list several times on the interweb. Go ask Google and I'm sure you'll find it. If you aren't planning on keeping it stock, and it's within budget, you might consider a turbo 3.8 (ala Grand National). I always wanted to do that but couldn't afford it. So many projects, so little time...:( Quote Link to comment
HP11 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 I'll have to chime in on this too. The first car I ever owned was a powder blue 1958 Rambler American. I don't have any pictures as that was over 40 years ago. I paid all of $50 for it, running, and drove it until it dropped, about three years. Quote Link to comment
freetheoranges Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Heh damn. Awesome stories and info. I, admittably have never driven manual before this car. We got it running, turned the idle up quite a bit to get the engine used to running again lol. Running with the gas in milk carton in engine bay. Tons of room for air and not too hot. Got the carb tuned a little better, runs smoother, timing is mmm. So in love with this f*cking car. My roomie talked to me while i was trying to get the clutch and gas figured out. Meanwhile, no brakes. Just chillen in the car stalling and dying over and over. Made it down the street and back and into the garage. How is the column shifter set up? An H? Any one have a picture of it...? My neighbors complained today. I was wrenching on the rambler in the early afternoon and my neighbor comes over and tells me to turn down the music, and quit revving our cars... hah! Quote Link to comment
DRIVEN Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 It is an H pattern. Toward you and up is R. Toward you and down is 1st. To the dash and up is 2nd. Toward the dash and down is 3rd. You mentioned adding a floor shifter (which someone had installed in mine). Those transmissions don't like to shift very fast so there's no real advantage. Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Driven beat me to it. Great explanation of an 'H' shift pattern. There is an electric OD available for the 3spd trans. I'm much more familiar with the air cooled Borg Warner automatics. Some of the console units had a push button in the end of the shifter to activate it. It's been a long time, but I'm pretty sure you'd actually need a factory OD trans to use that feature. I don't think it can be added to a normal 3 speed without pulling the guts apart, and cutting the case. If you keep it stock with the L head, you should be able to get in the 30's (mpg) if you tune the carb right. No kidding. :D Quote Link to comment
freetheoranges Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 You guys rock, like seriously. I was pretty sure I'd figured out the shifting pattern but wasn't positive, thanks! I'm fine, I don't need the OD option. Yeah I'd read about the great mileage it can get, which is really sweet. I'm not going for speed. Just something I can drive daily and mob around in. I recorded the exhaust with some audio gear I have... It sounds pretty awesome. Needs a little timing work and carb rebuild or replacement, but it sounds like a beast and the whole car rocks back and forth just slightly... love it. http://freetheoranges.com/rambler_exhaust.wav Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 If you plan to daily this thing, you can look into upgrading the front brakes. Gremlin/Hornet spindles w/discs should bolt in. Stay away from the 4 piston AMX/full size Kelsey/Hayes setup, they are a real pain. I've been away from this community for a long time, but there is a American 'guru' out there. His name is Frank Swygert, he did most of the work on the green American in the photo. You can reach him here: http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html He can tell you exactly and succinctly what you need to do to upgrade the brakes. He's a cool guy, very creative and down to earth. He put a 4.0 fuel injected engine, and jag rearend under a '63 Classic wagon. Remember the part about a torque tube car? Yeah, he put IFS and an electronically controlled engine/trans in one of those. He knows his stuff. PS - Loved the sound clip... :D Quote Link to comment
freetheoranges Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Sweet, will do! http://www.vimeo.com/3329970 Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.