Heres my rambler project. took the cute little thing and changed her around abit. Straight axle out of a 52 ford truck,muncie four speed,stock rearend (should last awhile) and a big whoopin 160 hp oldsmobile 215 all aluminum v8. Oh this baby will fly. well maybe not but she looks pretty good and will be a good driver for my voodoo donut sundays.
That little thing looks awesome! Amazing how good they look as wagons. (Please God...don't let fitzee see this! The "Flatliner" might never get done. LoL)
You have any pictures of the motor in the car and how much work was it. I have a 58 American. I am looking for idea to doing something like that. Either straight axle or mustang II with either a small V8 or V6.
Both gasser and low, those are cool. What years is that wagon body style? It does have some nice body lines. Like a weirdo mini ranch wagon! Burt I like your engine/drivetrain choices, that olds alum v8 does go well. Would like to see some pics of the install/product. ~It could really fly if you do it right. I had the four barrel/automatic version in my '63 olds cutlass and it was a sweet car with just the right power to weight. I would like to have one or two of those aluminum blocked engines to fool around with. cheers, n
that is a badass looking rambler man. I bet it does fly with that olds engine though. they aren't heavy car to start with. Being a 58 I think fatman fab. makes IFS kits that will fit it. If I remember correctly up until 63 ramblers front suspension was the same as Nash and Hudson. Ask Farna on here on the forum to make sure though. He is like the AMC/rambler guru.
I had an aluminum small block 4bbl Olds engine years ago with a stick conversion and 4 spd. I looked for a couple of years for a properly sized small vehicle to put it in and do exactly what you've done here. After awhile I got sick of moving it out of my way and gave it to a kid that needed a project to rebuild for an engine class he was taking. No more than two weeks later I had a cusomer give me a rust free '48 Jeep after I gave him an estimate to replace the blown up engine. As they say, "shit happens" Frank
Here's one I did back in the 90s with a Javelin 390 and 280ZX front suspension. I remember enough of the details if you're interested...
Looks cool! You don't see Gasser Ramblers that often, and especially rambler wagons! I love it! I bet it's a fun ride. -Steve
Like discussed around the shop, anyone can make a 32 ford or 57 chevy cool, but a rambler takes real work.... http://diversstreetrods.com/ferrambo/ I had my hands in this car a little bit.
Too late Bill!! Like to see pics of the front end.how it is mounted?? Did you keep the stock rear spring location?? I have a 59 and all the parts to build something much the same.
Here's what they looked like new.....sans steroids! www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5717157&postcount=78 (Pic - www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1108974&d=1286234982) ------------- Mart3406 ======================
Update well shes allmost on the road,have to do a new tranny mount and get brakes redone but will take pics of motor tonight.I moved the back spring mounts back about 2 inches to get tires to fit in middle. the tires are on 15x12 american slotsso tires are about 12 inches wide on back. Fired her up the other day and god did she sound wicked.At 310 lbs for motor weight this little lady is light.horsepower to weight ratio I dont know but she shluld do ok.Still has the stock rearend in her for now but will be putting a narrowed chev or 9 inch later on. front seat is in getting recovered with 1 1/2 inch tuck and roll black. Shes coming along. thanks for all the good comments.
Bringing back memories, may childhood was spent in the back seat riding with mom and dad in a 60 white 2 dr rambler station wagon....VERY COOL!
This thing has some great lines to it, the power to weight down the road could make this a handful but that is even better. Look forward to seeing more of this. Jon
Great car. Looks right to me. Don't do low. Gassers are high. Don't do 22" wheels that spin, park bench spoilers, coffee can tail pipes or a sound system with no mix of sound only base. A hula girl on the dash maybe. Gene
I can cofirm the little Olds sounds great! Can't wait to take a ride in the Rambler once it's done Burt!
Burt21, I would REALLY like to get some under hood pics, details on the sides (how close the engine fits, if you had to do any cutting). The stock axle is the AMC 15/Dana 35. 7-9/16" ring gear. It will easily hold up to 300 hp.300 ft/lbs of torque, but you need to retorque the axle nuts. They are like a front wheel drive car. Loosen the nuts (probably stuck tight, but stuck isn't the same as properly torqued!) then tighten back to 250-300 ft/lbs. Book says 250, but 300 is okay -- no point in going over 300 though. If you put slicks on it and over 300 hp you're pushing it, but for a street car with street tires under 10" wide you shouldn't have a problem. The stock suspension is technically better than a Mustang II (popularity doesn't make batter!). The trunnions are a bit strange looking because everyone has used ball joints for so long. The old 196 L-head or OHV is a HEAVY little motor -- ~500 pounds. A small block V-8 (iron!) doesn't weigh but 40-50 pounds more. The front end doesn't look like much but will easily carry the weight. The lower trunnions are cheap and easy to replace, the uppers are expensive if they have to be replaced but can usually be fixed -- just gotta know how. If the pin isn't frozen in place it's just a simple disassemble, clean, coat with anti-seize, put back together, then grease. Lack of lubrication (greasing once a yea/every 10-12K miles) is about the only thing that can kill a trunnion. These were cheap used cars and many haven't been greased in years!!
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