History Did you have a Rambler?

I had a '78 Gremlin X. Technically not a Rambler, but in the DNA.

 

The great rambler Shootout from the 1st HAMB Drags

Courtesy of @Rocky

I was testing out my new computer back in '99 or 2000 or so. I typed in hot rod and eventually I was lead to the HAMB. WOW! Like hotrodA said...what a bunch of characters! I jumped in with both feet and unlike some of the other guys, I had no hesitation. I was home.
Kevin Lee had some car parts for sale and I drove down to Kansas City to get them and met Kevin, a bunch of the K.C. HAMBers and Ryan hisself.
That did it, I was hooked. I found myself spending a lot of time on the HAMB and meeting like minded people. I got invited to the first HAMB Speed and Power meet in KC..took my ratty ol 33 pickup and had a blast spending time with the KC HAMBers. In 2001 Ryan once again restructured the web site and I ended up as a moderator for the brand new classifieds forum. Then the big shit happened. The very first HAMB Drags!!!! Before the event there was so much shit talking going on online. I needed a drag car so one of the guys at work sold me a ratty ol 63 Rambler American for a couple hundred bucks. Tuck [he went out and bought a '65 Rambler] and I sparred back and forth verbally until somebody named our competition the Rambler Rumble and we raced our asses off at Joplin....all discussed and photographed at length on the HAMB before and after. Never had so much fun!!!
Bob K and I became friends at Bonneville, we captured Richie the greaser at the HAMB get together at BTT50s, HRLC use to stay at my house when she traveled through, same with TIM and Tuck and I had a great time driving my 33 pickup through the snow in Omaha just for the hell of it. There have been many many more friendships made, events attended etc etc. Hell, I remember driving to Minneapolis in the dead of winter to attend a HAMB Christmas party and making friends with Steve Hendrickson and later his dad, Roger and after Steve was gone, making friends with his lil brother, Eric at Pete and Jakes on our way to the HAMB drags a few years ago. None of this could have happened if not for the HAMB.
I think I'll sprinkle a few photos into the text and get back to work on my coupe.

 

I can't remember ever owning a rambler but one of my best buds bought a rambler scrambler for 600 bucks.
The car with a shaker hood and the 390 and 4 speed.
That car was fast,back in the 70's on old street tires and pure stock with exhaust manifolds and glass packs it ran low 14's at the drag strip.
That's not fast today, but for a 600 dollar car and a rambler to bootie was fast.
He kicked lots of butt on the street.
It was the red, white and blue careen had red, white and blue head rests on the front seats.
I think that car was a 1969?

 

That brings back memories of mine. V-8 4spd. Burnout king.

 

My wife's little American. First "classic" car she bought, about 35 years ago. Dusty, and the picture doesn't do it justice, 'cause it's still bright red, and runs like the proverbial top !!

 

When I worked at a Dodge dealership, one of the salesmen came across a guy in a parking lot with an old Rambler that wouldn't start. He said he would trade the car for almost anything. The salesman had a side gig selling CB radios. He traded and old CB radio for the car. He got it running, cleaned it up, and put it on the back of the lot for sale. He had a customer drive it and they came back complaining that every time they put on the brake, the driver's seat would raise up. He came and got me and asked me to take a look. The first thing I noticed was that the driver's fender and door didn't line up very well toward the bottom. A look underneath confirmed that the car was rusted almost in two just behind the driver's seat. When I told the salesman he just shrugged his shoulders and said the radio he traded for the car didn't work worth a damn anyway.

 

Never owned a Rambler but always liked this song.

 

Had a’51 Aeroflit and ended up building a plywood lift off top as I couldn’t afford to replace the canvas and mechanics to operate the top. Worked as a Rambler salesman in 1960-61 and never had n easier job that paid so well!

Got a ‘27 T as a trade in at the dealership and I called George Barris and brokered the sale of what was to become the AMBR Twister T. Drove it from San Diego to Barris’ house at night. Scary drive!

 

I never owned one, but a good buddy of mine owned an early 60's American when we were in high school, and we drove that ugly old car everywhere, out to party on Friday nights, and to the beach on Saturdays. It was good just to have some wheels. I still remember getting ready to head to the beach one day, and the top radiator tank was leaking. Searching through my dad's garage we found a can of bondo, we covered the leak in bondo, let it dry for a short while, and took off, LOL!

 

My first new car was a 63 American 220 -2 door, later I had a 66 220 - 2 door, both stick shift, I bought the 66 in Virginia and it didn't even have a heater. That was a little tough when I got back to MN with it.

My oldes brother had a 59 and 60 Classic and a 62 and 63 Ambassador. Our middle brother had a 69 Javalin.

 

my Mom drove a red two door Rambler with black interior in the mid 60's. after that we had a 66 Caprice,, moving up in the world right? soon after my folks trade in the Caprice and bought two 1967 Datsun's, a red wagon and a white 4 door, they were crappy little cars even when new, now they are collectors items..

 

at age 16 took my driver's test in my mom's 62 Rambler, 6cyl 3 on the tree

 

I bought my Rambler on September 21, 2020. Started to get to work in November it's come a long way since.
It's no longer a dirty, trash filled, torque tube having, creepy ass spider housing, hunk of metal in a field.
Now it's a HOT ROD! Kinda, it's a sleeper hot rod I suppose.
But it's mine and I love it!

 

I never owned one but I would like to have one.

 

Word of advise. Make it a forever car. Don't ever sell it. You will never have another first car. Oh and on top of that it is cool as hell. Wait, hell is not cool, but you get my point. Definitely a Hot Rod.

 

I do not think anyone in my family owned a Rambler and I was the first to have a AMC product.

 

My Dads bought new and handed down 1965 Rambler Classic 770
wagon. It had all the accoutrements available at the time. 287 V/8,
tilt wheel, fully reclining seats, A.M.-F.M. radio. Also, air conditioning
and tinted windows. The wagon was ice blue with lots of chrome accents.
the only thing that was funky was the vacuum operated wipers. They
worked dismally. It was really nice, and a most excellent date
night vehicle. Especially with the plethora of drive-in movie that
still existed in this area at the time.

 

I didn't own one, but remember getting a buddy into an $85 AMC Hornet. Think we got it road-worthy for under $300. Cost him more to insure than the total cost. Good driver for a couple of years.
@Tman , nice intro to the HAMB thanks to some Ramblers. Sounds like great memories and friendships. Think a lot of us can relate to early long-lasting relationships.

 

Yes, I had a Rambler, and not just a Rambler car, but a '59 Rambler station wagon! I was early 20's and my daily driver '67 Chevelle SS needed a new engine. I needed to get back and forth to work, and the neighbor had that Rambler wagon, and wanted $20 for it. Not running, and needed a battery to start with. I told him if I tossed a battery in it and it ran good enough I'd buy it. So hauled the battery out of the Chevelle in it, hit it with starter fluid, and she fired up. A little noisy lifter rattle, but got a bit quieter as it warmed up.
Drove it a week as I swapped the engine in the Chevelle, and the last day I was leaving work when the left front wheel came off and went rolling down the street! Found all the pieces, except the cotter pin for the spindle inside the grease cap, so put it together and drove to a parts store to get a new cotter pin.
Got the Chevelle going the next day, and called a wrecking yard to see if they'd buy the Rambler. Guy told me if I could drive it in he'd give me $25. On the way there it began knocking badly, but I drove into the yard, where a guy began waving his arms and yelling at me to "shut it down"! Handed him the keys, and he grudgingly gave me my $25.

 

I have a 1955 Nash Rambler (Country Club). In really nice condition. Sure it has a 196 flathead six, but that will be getting replaced with a 374 Packard V8. Get me a spare tire and a continental kit wheel cover and away we go!

 

How about a picture?

The car in my avatar I picked up in September & it is my first Nash from the 50's , so I am still learning about them! I did not realize they were still available with the flat head six since mine has the Lemans package with the dual carb overhead valve Six! According to what I have read, my Continental Kit came from the factory. I don't think I would ever add one, but I am not taking it off either!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Yeap. Currently a 59 rambler custom cross country wagon. Built it, got t-boned bad, so had to build it again.

 

I once bought a 53 Nash [precursor to the AMC cars] 4 door airflite and photo shopped it into a huge Metropolitan.. I really wanted to build it but other more sane projects came along.

 

Bought a 59 wagon as a second car right after getting married. Loved going to the drive in movies. Never saw much of the movie.

 

My father bought a new 1951 Rambler wagon when I was four years old.
In 1954 my mother learned how to drive in it and got her license.
As a teen I mastered the three speed overdrive and got my license also.
At that time many young rodder's named their ride and painted the name on the front fender or trunk. I named it 'Snail' for it's shape and power. I painted the name on the rear quarter glass.

 

Same here, although mine might have been a 66. Some fake wood on the sides and just hauled ass.

 

My dad had 2 Rambler station wagons in the late '60s early '70s. One was silver with a red interior, one was yellow with a black interior. Don't remember much about them except for listening to Bill Haley on the 8 track and the black vinyl seats leaving a basket weave pattern on my legs (I was probably 5 or 6).

 

My buddy had a car accident (this was in the '90's) when we went to get the shop "loaner" car it was some old AMC with 3 on the tree and a FLATHEAD! This wasn't some mint original or car the body shop had restored it was literally a beat '60's Rambler being used as a loaner in the '90's! ...maybe they thought he'd shit kick a newer car cause he was young I don't know... but it was ridiculously slow and too ugly to be seen out in public!

 

Damn Rocky I love that BIG metro!!!! Ain't that great looking? You still have the airflite?? Lippy