Thought I would put up a few pics and a photoshop of my plans for my 65 Rambler American. Bought this Fall of 09 and been collecting parts. Plans are to swap in a Mopar 318 with a few performance parts and a 727 Tranny. Going to use a Ford 8.8 rear end. Tell me what you think. Planning on painting the top Maroon with metal flake, running 14"/15" Aluminum Slots. Going to have to stick the breather out of the hood a little to make the 318 sit in the car right. Looking forward to warm weather so I can finally shoe horn the 318 in and get this on the road. The car in the back ground is my dads 39 Ford, sitting on a 89 Dakota frame and has a Big Block 429 in it.
I like the sleeper look of that little car. Keep the steel wheels and white top, a 318 should make that thing haul ass but a 360 would be better!
I just sold a 65 American with a sbc. It was fun,fast and missed...........Have fun with yours..........
Had a white one just like that, it had the aluminum sixbanger. I thought it would have been a good car with a real engine in it, you seem to be solving the problem! 318's are my favorite engine. Some of the compact car engines had a really low intake, one of them might fit under your hood. The single plane 2bbl will work if you don't want a 4bbl., it's quite low.
i like it but i would put an amc engine in it!!theres no reason to put a 318 in it when you can put a cheep 360 or even a 304 and get some real "american" hp!!!
Run whatever motor you want - it's YOUR CAR for chrissakes! Sheesh! Since when did "purity" have anything to do with building Hot Rods???? I first put a SBC in my American - it was TIGHT around the steering column. Later I put in a Chrysler motor - had to move the steering column over and up some. Whatever you decide - it can be made to fit nicely. Keep on truckin' !!!
The main reason I went for a 318 is a lot of Mopar shows include the AMC's and also cost of building a Mopar 318 is much less and easier to find used parts than building a AMC motor. A buddy of mine has a 65 American 2 door and we are putting in a AMC 360 in it because he wanted to stay with a AMC motor. It is amazing the cost difference he pays for parts to what I am paying for parts. Not to knock the small block chevy but I went Chrysler to stay away from the typical cookie cutter SBC. Seams like anymore if it does not have the same make of motor it ends up with a SBC. They are good motors and cheap to build but I went for the middle of the road with the Mopar. Not to mention I had a heck of a deal on motor as well. Picked up a 318 / 727 for 150 bucks from a friend of the family. Then a week later the guy told me he wanted to give me another one that was better. So for 150 bones I get two 318 / 727's. One has a fresh rebuilt motor and tranny, 360 J heads that have been machined to help compression come back up, after market springs for a bigger cam, and is complete minus a intake. The other is complete with 2bl but by rights should be rebuilt before using. Then I picked up a few other goodies. Tell me what you think about what I am using: 318/727 Fresh rebuild 360 "J" Heads - machined to bring compression back up Edelbrock Performer 4bl Intake Edelbrock 750 Carb Summit Block Hugger Headers / Thrush Weld Mufflers Plan to pick up a mild Cam and lifters MSD SS Blaster Coil, MSD Wires and MSD Distributor. Plan to buy a MSD 6A Box as well Ford 8.8 Rear end with posi - Not sure what gears yet Traction Bars I am kinda new to V8's ( Use to build Honda VTEC B series and turbo kits) But I think this should be a heck of a combination for my little Rambler. Gonna nick name it "The Rumbler"
You're going to need to budget some machinework cash for shaving the intake to match those heads. you'll probably want the machinist to measure for the pushrod length to make the geometry right now that the heads are lower. lots of options. do a search here for 318/360 builds, there's a link somewhere to some magazine builds that are VERY interesting. I'm running a 415inch 360 in my 61 Falcon. Don't know what your rambler weighs but with light cars and a torquey build, you dont need much gear, which is good for mileage, and what i like to call "squirtability" (where you dont need to spin the wee out of it to get going)
If the fellas around you are like the ones here you might be a little disappointed with the shows. I recall taking my Rambler to a Mopar/Amc show once - which I thought was a good match since I have a "mopar" engine. I run a 392 Chrysler Hemi in mine so I figured at least a couple Chrysler guys would get a chuckle out of it. Well - NOPE! Not even the Hemi motor could allow the MOPAR contingency to put down their "Mopar or no-car" attitude. Not a single mopar guy would take a second look at my little Rambler and the AMC guys were worse since I "desecrated" my Rambler with a non AMC motor - the Rambler is a car they wouldn't have looked at either way - so I find that finda funny. So the bottom line - build what YOU LIKE and forget what the rest of us say.
The type of guys you discribe here really need to get a life. I guess they are all over, we have them here too. They criticize everyone else's choice of car, then if you build the "right" car according to them, they will critique it to the ninth degree and tell you that you used the wrong valve stem caps. These guys would bitch if you hung them with a new rope, so you're best off doing what you want and screw anyone else's opinion. Hot rod Rambler.......pretty cool I think.
I had the above 65 Rambler American for about a year before I took it on an ill-fated trip down to Milwaukee. Wound up spinning a wheel bearing and sold it to some guy while broke down on the side of the road. I swapped in a 258 six out of an Eagle. Puppy had a lot of pep after the swap. Those Americans are incredibly light. Without the motor or trans I could easily pick up the front end of the car off the ground like a couple of feet. This one is a 63 Classic. Was all original, drove it all summer. Motor had some issues, sounded like a very quiet diesel at idle. Eventually it met it's demise after 7,000 miles. Used like a quart of oil every 100 miles or so. Since the Classic has a torque tube style driveline and the locating arms bolt to the driveshaft housing I elected to sell it instead of putting in a different motor (old Rambler engines don't grow on trees). Car was nearly rust free and in excellent shape otherwise. What motor you runnin' in that puppy now?
I am a Mopar guy at heart but with the spirit of a hotrodder. I believe in doing what you need to do to make the car an expression of yourself. These cars are our pieces of artwork. I got sick of going to Mopar muscle car shows because of the attitude you describe. I did keep my muscle car and I drive it for fun not for show or trophy. The smile on my ten year old's face is all the reward i need. I love your rambler and say do it!!! I understand the sbc route if a budget is tight but sometimes doing something a little different sparks interest in the next guy. Also agrree with above that 750 cfm is too big for a 318 and 600 cfm would be just fine. Maybe even a three deuce intake down the road for wow factor and get up and go. Keep it up!
I appreciate all the thoughts on the car. As far as a 750 vs 600 m dad picked up the 750 for me at a swap meet and gave it to me so I have nothing in it. Figured I would put it on the car and see what happend. If it really is too big then I will downgrade. Wasnt sure with running a mild cam, and having those J heads if I would need the 750 or not. I am already a steph ahead as far as machine the intake. My dad works at a machine shop and has a couple friends who have been down this road before and machined there intakes and heads to fit on a 318. I figure I get the motor in the car and see how it does then figure what changes need to be made to the motor. Not planning on it being a drag car or anything just want enough muscle to it to surprise the usual hot rod guys around. Best of all this build will only be about 2500 total after I get the top painted and the car on the road. Got the car for next to nothing, motor was cheap, and all the parts I have acquired were used and picked up for great deals. My dad's cousin knows how to paint so he is doing the top so all I will have there is just the cost of paint. My dad and I are doing all the work for the swap other than machining the intake which a friend of his at work is doing. Again thanks for all the advice and espcially the "do it how YOU want to do it advice" Nothing is better than seeing your own creating go through the build. I truly can not wait to throw in a set of seat belts in the back so my 2 and 4 year olds can hop in and go for a ride. Thanks.
If you are going to make good power with your V8, weld in frame connectors, very easy to make. I slit the rear floor pans to weld them from the top also. it will reduce the twist and make it launch straight. Also gives you a place to mount front of the leafs or ladder bars, etc.... Why, all of a sudden are Ramblers being hot rodded? Cheap buy in? My dad bought mine in 78 for $200.
hell dude put anything you want in it for drivetrain. AMC was a mutt to begin with and i say that as a former owner of 63' classic and 73' javelin. helped a guy put a turbo v6 buick in one and that thing screamed! blew the 10 bolt GM rearend a week later then we put a TOYOTA truck rearend in and couldn't kill it. i do gotta say they handle like shit.
As stated the 750 is way overboard, 600 cfm will be more than adequate for any 318 unless you plan on 7000 RPM. Find a 904 tranny and shove the extra low gear set from a Jeep in it, you will love it. The 904 would be a good choice for a car that light. Good luck.
Pretty new to Mopar and V8's in general for that matter but isnt the 727 better than a 904. I had heard that from a few mopar guys. Gonna run a Ford 8.8 Rear end as I have one lined up that is posi for 50 bucks. That and the width is perfect at 56 inches.
American Motors used Torqueflite transmissions for years, both the 904 and 727. If yours had one, the 318 should be an easy swap.
The 727 is bullet proof, but uses more power. The 904 would be adequate with a mild cam, but not much else w/o beefing up.
I'm an AMC guy, BUILD IT THE WAY YOU WANT! Too many of us AMCers have thin skin 'cause our cars get looked down on by alot of so called car guys. When I'm at a show I'm looking at all the cars, not just ramblers. You could probably build an AMC drive train (360/727) for about the same coin, but, you have to take time to find the parts at the right prices. My 360 build is comming in under 3k, but I waited and collected parts for 1 1/2 years. I'm using a T-400 tranny from a '70s jeep with a short tail house that cost me $200. Right place, right time.
Dont worry what they say about the combo, I had a SBC in a 52 dodge pickup (all most got my ass kicked for that one, now i have a 360 in it now). I am putting a SBC in my rambler to begin with, then when time and money are right i will build a 401. love those odd little cars..
Again thanks for all the advice and the positive feed back. I figure as long as the car hooks up decent it should have enough power to at least surprise a few people, that and for the local shows around me I don't think I will get to much flack for putting in a Mopar motor anyways. If I do then too bad for them I like it. Thanks
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