Something different, "El Ramblero".... My sons first custom **UPDATES**

The first car I ever drove (stole) was a Rambler. It was my parents car and it had the most awesome reclining seat made just for drive ins.

I always thought they were cool cars in their own strange way.

Good luck with your project and you won't see veyr many like that at the shows.

Joe Germann

 

Your hardtop is lookin' great .... nice work!

Glad to hear all the positive comments about the 287. I had a Rambler 660 sedan ('63 maybe?) back in the day, your basic 6 cylinder automatic. The car had a real solid "quality" feel to it. Unfortunately it died a premature death due to a series of screwups by a series of "mechanics" (sic).

One of my current projects cars is a '65 Ambassador 990 Cross Country wagon with the 287 / automatic combo. Never fiddled with a Rambler V8 so didn't know what to think about it.
Had a passing thought to stuff the engine in my '50 Chevy (no one could call THAT a bellybutton motor!)
However, the Rambler is an original piece, and too nice to use as a donor.

OK, sorry to ramble on so much (yuk, yuk).
Good luck with the rest of your build!

 

You each can be proud of each other!

In this day and time its hard for Dad and Son even to talk to each other ,

and to be able to work side by side and get it done is amazing....

So congrats to you Both from a Dad who Misses his now son.....

Remember the song (cats in the cradle)? ? ?

I DO..................

 

Got my '65 Rambler when I was 13. Been enjoying it for 18 years now. Tell him to hang onto it.

What transmission does it have? The three speed, air-cooled Borg-Warner auto can be a bit of a pain in the ass. At least in my experience.

 

The light duty air-cooled BW trans (T-35 or M-35/36/37) was only used behind sixes. Up through 1966 all V-8s used the cast iron BW M-8. Starting in 67 a heavier aluminum trans was introduced, the M-40 (Later an M-42 also), and it was used in the big cars (all but American and Javelin) with the six and the 290 V-8 w/2V carb, and later the 304/2V. The 290/4V used the iron M-11 (M-11 and 12 were used behind all V-8s from 1967-71). The M-36 and 37 were used in the American and Javelin through 1969, then the M-40 from 70-71. In 72 AMC switched to Chrysler auto trannys, which required a change in the crankshaft flange. The trannys are identical to Chrysler models with the exception of the bell housing bolt pattern -- parts interchange, but you need an AMC specific main case. There are adapters to mount an AMC model TF to a 67-71 AMC V-8, but not the earlier 250/287/317 V-8s.

65 & 66 model M-8s have a throttle valve cable AND a vacuum reference signal, BOTH must be used or the trans will burn up. Prior to 65 the M-8 had a vacuum modulator only. M-35 has a throttle valve cable only, the M-36/37 has a vacuum modulator. All M-35s are air cooled only, but there were two versions of the 36/37 -- one air cooled, one oil cooled. Haven't been able to determine if that's the difference between a 36 and 37, but have been able to determine that it would take major mods (drilling the case for one thing) to convert an air cooled model to oil cooled.

The air cooled trannys are fine for their intended use, and take a good amount of abuse. They were only used behind sixes in economy model cars. One fellow I know has had one rebuilt twice over about a 30 year period, and he hauls a lot of camping equipment in his 64 wagon (232 six), has even driven it through Death Valley a few times, stopped in the middle for a 30-40 minute break to allow it to cool a bit, but that was all. I never had a problem with mine in a 63 American, and towed a utility trailer cross country a couple times, once on a four day drive.

The cable (on TV cable models) needs to be adjusted right and most importantly connected and free! If you can't easily push and pull it holding the clevis in two fingers (disconnectedfrom the throttle), it's too tight! I've seen a few burned up due to the cable getting stiff and bending at the linkage rather than pushing in/pulling out as it should. Cable controls internal pressure, if the cable doesn't move there's not enough pressure at high speeds and the bands slip excessively, eventually burning up both the 3rd gear band and drum.

 

Makes me miss my 65 convertable. A disc swap is real easy if you guys go that way. I nabbed the whole set up off of a '79 Spirit and it bolted on. Spindles and all.

 

www.scarebird.com now makes a disc brake conversion bracket that will fit ANY Rambler (or other AMC), although they advertise it for 64-70 AMC. It should easily fit anything back to a 50 Rambler, 52 Nash. Total cost including the Scarebird kit is $400-$450 using all new parts. It uses late model GM calipers and Ford Range rotors. The kit is just the bracket, seal adapter, and parts list for the rest of the stuff, sourced at the local parts store. Just keep the list with you in case road side repairs are needed, or the car is sold later.

 

all the AMC stuff bolts right on. and is still available. so why? Just wondering. And it seems to be less expensive.

 

Man, iI was like Fencepost and Rocky fearing seeing the top wacked off a Rambler. But thank God we were mistaken, what a kick ass job on a cool hardtop rarity. Atta Boys!! ~Sololobo~

 

Makes me wanna go get my neigbors '62 2dr hardtop with buckets and console. I really don't want another project! Nice job on a cool little car!

Brian

 

zman, you haven't been in the junk yards lately! While all 71-83 AMC disc brakes will work, 79-83 are preferred due to higher cost of rotors for the older ones (rebuilt calipers are still cheap, but they cross over to other makes -- AMC bought from Kelsey-Hayes 71-74 and Bendix 75-81). You might be able to find a good set of rotors, might not. When you need replacements in a few years they will pricey and may not be available. Only one or two suppliers still have them, some of the chains can't get the older rotors. The Scarebird kit doesn't cost much more than getting the parts from a salvage yard then turning around and getting rebuilt calipers and new rotors. The plus part is that you then have parts that will be readily available at auto parts stores, probably even in stock, for anothewr 20+ years. The AMC specific parts (namely the rotors) are starting to be harder to find, and will probably dry up over the next 5-10 years, and prices will start to go up as supply dwindles. They certainly won't get easier to find and less expensive! So if you plan on keeping the car, the Scarebird setup is the most economical and practical.

But by all means, if you can still readily find factory brake components in the local salvage yards, use them! 82-83 are low drag GM calipers, 79-81 are Bendix sliding calipers (both use the same rotor). Scarebird uses a low drag GM caliper similar to the AMC 82-83 factory caliper.

I don't work for Scarebird or get anything by promoting them. I just think it's the best solution for upgrading brakes on AMCs. I have a set of 79 factory brakes on the front of mine now. When the time comes to replace the rotors I'll see how much they are, and it might be better for me to switch to the Scarebird setup then. I do have the most available rotors (79-83), so it might not be worth spending the extra for the brackets. If starting from scratch with no caliper brackets, the Scarebird setup is more cost effective in the long run.

 

The paint combo on the engine is just right man. That is really going to be sharp when finished.
Looks like you and your son are spending some quality time.

 

I always wanted to build a 60's custom like that..good idea

 

I'm in the yards all the time, they try and give the weird stuff to me.
I still see plenty of AMC's, can get the parts from the local supply house, and I think if we start having a problem getting those rotors the others are right behind. Though I must say I do find it easier to find a set of Spirit spindles easier than finding a set of 65 Rambler spindles. Just saying. Pick your battles for which parts are gonna be around.

 

or for that matter 65 rambler anything!! i'm not going to do anything brake wise right now only because the previous owner just redid the whole brake system including drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, and master. don't get me wrong, if i happen to come across a car with disc brakes i'll definitley grab 'em. kinda piecing this car together with all the stuff i had from other cars. the whole air ride came out of my 53 buick, switches, tank, pump, and bags. fuel cell from an old nova i had. tires and rims were a freebie. the 2 biggest expenses are to rechrome the bumpers and do the interior. everythng else were doing in house. the thing that really surprised me was i was able to find a complete front end polyurethane bushing kit, and the shit was actually pretty good! another thing was the radiator, every one i called wanted around 300 - 350 to recore the original radiator, i was shocked to say the least. i found a mustang aluminum radiator online with almost identical dimensions brand new for 200 bones! it's always the little shit that nickel and dimes ya to death. all the fittings , brake lines, etc. gonna try to do this whole car for under 10k done and driving. i'm even making my own candy and base to paint the car with, like you see in the engine bay. painted the trunk floor this past weekend and going to bolt the fuel cell, air tank and pump, and battery back in it and try to fire it up. i'll keep you guys posted as we make progress. thanks

 

My first car was a 65 Rambler Classic that I bought from my dad for $1. You could put 14 kids in it if you stacked them right.....That and the seats folded flat into a bed......

 

Signed up so I could subscribe to this thread.
Had my 64 for 4 or 5 years now, looking forward to seeing where you go with yours.

 

Nearly all Ramblers had "Airliner Reclining Seats" since the first one. They were an option in the bigger mid 50s and smaller late 50s cars though. I've only seen a few without them, real base model strippers!

autobodyed, the drum brakes stop fine for a cruiser. More aggressive driving would leave a bit to be desired though. You could put later model larger drum brakes on the front. I did that on a 61 American (64 Classic Six brakes... same diameter but 1/2" wider and slightly larger wheel cylinders) and you'd think it had discs on the front. Hard to come across larger drums though, discs have been standard on the front since the mid 70s.

I have four wheel discs (79 AMC Spirit in front, 86 Jaguar in rear) and four wheel independent suspension on mine. Until the "Ferrambo" I had the only such Rambler known to exist, at least I'm pretty sure of that! I pretty much discount "Ferrambo" though -- not enough Rambler or Rambler related left to call it a Rambler -- it's a one-off custom that couldn't be easily duplicated. Don't think I'll have any argument there!

AMC used the same separate spindle construction for the front suspension from 1952-1983 on ALL their rear drive only cars. The spindle bolt pattern is the same on all also. As long as you change everything from the backing plate or disc brake adapter out you can swap ALL AMC brake systems to any AMC. Easy availability of parts is another matter. That's why I wouldn't recommend anything other than 79-83 front disc brakes -- the others are harder to find and cost more, and will be the first to go.

 

the stuff is out there, just hard to find, there is a big time AMC guy here in NC that has a couple acres of nothing but AMC's. Kind of legendary in the AMC community. They are cool cars... makes me miss mine...

 

Nice job! I was wondering about the name too, but it's all good.

 

Its Very kool to see the younger generation getting into the scene.. Congrats on a nice car and quality family time.

 

farna, that's a good lookin' wagon you got there. yeah the drum brakes will be fine for now, he drives my marauder with drum brakes so he's gotten used to them, but i'll still be on the lookout for a disc brake setup. zman, who's the guy in NC?

 

Great car! But you either need a new name or a bed transplant

 

I have the info written down somewhere, he's right outside of Goldsboro NC, I know someone posted it as well in one of the other AMC threads a while back, I'll do some digging this afternoon

 

awful name, cool car, hell anything with chrome slots is cool.

 

That would be Collier Motors, Pikeville, NC. Old dealership that closed around 78-80 right after Renault bought into AMC (in 1980). Sold used and serviced old customers for a short time after dropping the franchise then shut the doors. Here's a site with some pics taken in 2002:
http://www.gremlinx.com/AMC-Pikeville.htm
Mr. Collier still sells a few parts and will still sell whole cars, but they are all a bit on the rough side now. He retained all his old inventory when he dropped the AMC franchise and sold out of that for several years, I would think it's pretty much run out now. The guy has a couple collectible cars, including Barry Goldwater's highly modified AMX (dash looks like the cockpit of an airplane, gauges for EVERYTHING!) -- or at least he did have it. A few cars are stored inside the old dealership, but it pretty much looks like a junkyard now. Someone described it as "a ghost AMC dealership". That pretty much sums it up! I'd like to have one of the AMC signs for my shop, but not willing to give $1000 for one (have seen one for that amount). Can buy too many parts for that amount, and projects come first!

 

Yep that's it, nice enough guy, sometimes grumpy. But a wealth of knowledge and had the parts I needed.

 

thanks for all the info, and yeah there is stuff still out there but it's as rare as hens teeth, just picked up a couple nos tailight lenses and shocks. like everything else, just takes a little time searching. and about that name, i think every name that's goes with a rambler has already been done, and some are just as corney if not cornier (ramble on and ramblin' man, just to name a couple!) so i think with a little lowridin' tijuana flare the name should fit just fine when she's all done!

 

My oldest sons first car was a 66 Rambler American that I found in a guys front yard in 1989 for $250.00. We towed it to the shop and did a 350/350 combo, gutted a VW Rabbit interior and used the seats and console. Painted it white, Craeger SS's and he was the happiest Senior at his school. His friends still talk about that car. You'll never be sorry you're doing this. I'll ask him if he has any pics and try to post em.

 

How bout calling it El Conquistador?

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