Hot Rods '63 Rambler Classic 550

Hello,

Nice classic old Rambler. In 1963, we can remember being 19 and in the last throes of our teenage cruising and drag racing adventures. We tried our best to keep our cars running in top shape and to see the teenage locations that we hoped would be a lasting memory. Traveling as much as we could all over So Cal was one way to keep the fires going. Then we were off to our 20 something days with the more important part of our post high school days.

The Chevy sedans of our friends were our staple for fast, cool sedans. But we kept wondering why another car company that had similar v8 motors did not up the horsepower and extras for attracting teenagers by the dozens. Those cars were nice looking, but were falling behind in the total sales to the younger buyers. Most believed it was due to the less is more, in the horsepower offerings.

Jnaki

Here is one possibility on the outcome of the build. It is a great looking body and with some good accessories, could be a real sleeper on the street.

Keep up the build on your Rambler. To us, it has the basics, now, it is how you decide to build or modify it to your style. It certainly is a different style of car, but it is a classic Rambler.

If the color red was/is not in the picture, then perhaps a black one with American Racing Equipment 5 spokes?


When we were in our 20 something days, we bought a 1962 4 door Rambler Sedan for our month-long surf adventures in Kauai. It ran great, looked classic and held 4-5 people and boards.

 

Thanks for those great pictures. I'm planning on changing out my rambler for the same engine/tranny combo.

 

Your doing a good job.

I am not criticizing your work but have you considered adding another piece of metal, a gusset to the mount to prevent any potential flexing from the torque? HRP

 

They are triangulated enough to work. But could add a gusset to be on the safe side.

 

If yours is anything like this 63 a sbc fits in them like it was designed for it.

 

back in my teens my pal Dennis and I shoehorned a 500 CI Caddy and transmission in a '63 rambler and it was fast, it really needed better brakes. HRP

 

Holy cow I bet it was quick! Must have really settled the front springs.

 

Grabbed these pictures from another Hamber's 59 wagon build. There is a front cross member on these models that you can set up with motor mounts much like the round stock mounts after making the brackets like the Hurst cradle style mount.

 

I think that's a good idea. Better safe then sorry.

 

Congrats on starting your first hot rod build! Looks like a very solid car, and great progress is being made. I would consider some nice Keystone Klassics, or aluminum slot mags. They would really spruce up the appearance, and you can find used ones pretty cheap.

 

Enjoy your project & remember to keep the fun & enjoyment you will get from it!

 

Spent the night cutting out the rot. There's a bit more than I thought. Dad and I bead rolled a bit of sheet metal for a patch.
below is a patch dad did on the drivers side. here is the before and after patch metal

 

After investigating the trail of rust down the Inside of the firewall I’m wondering if the windshield leaked on the passenger side and rotted the floor out. I was thinking the heater core was leaking. One way or another we will have to figure out the culprit and get it fixed.

 

Looking great. I love it!!

 

Didn't get too much done today, but we did start work on making the patch for the floor. I also bought a radio from Matt F. on a rambler facebook group. I don't plan on making it work, I just think it looks way better than the boring radio delete plate. Now all I need is a clock. Dad and I spent a good bit of the day in the junkyard looking for 7 or 8 inch rims that we could use for the rear end. The problem is, we want to put the center of the rambler wheels on the wider rims and we couldn't find anything the same size. We want the original rambler center wheels because we want to run the original hubcaps. Don't know if amc made any wheels that were 7 or 8 inches wide. If they did, let me know

 

I sure enjoy following the progress on this thread! Keep up the good work!

 

Thank you!

 

Check AMC station wagons. Some manufacturers put wider wheels on their wagon lines.

 

I ran a set of these 15" Mopar police wheels on my '59 Studebaker Lark, but I also couldn't run the stock Stude dog dish caps. I can't recall the rim width, but they were either 7" or 8". I'm sure someone here will know. I also don't know if the inside diameter of the rim would match your Rambler wheel centers, but it's worth investigating.

 

Starting to think that banding the rear wheels might be the quickest and easiest way to get thicker wheels that can still run the original hubs. Have any of you had wheels banded before? Would like to know if you recommend it.

 

What’s a “banded” wheel?

 

In context, it's replacing the hoop/rim from one wheel with a wider/narrower one (aftermarket or from another OEM wheel).

 

I see, never heard it referred to as banded.

 

Here's a video on banding wheels.

 

Following and it's looking good!

 

Great thread and different build which is not belly button. Working with your dad is priceless.

 

Okay, looks like widening a wheel to me. What @Peanut 1959 describes is different. Either way works tho

 

Maybe "banding" is a British term. I've just heard it referred to as widening.

 

Yeah, I was describing a totally different process. I don't recall ever seeing the process in the video, before.