Event Coverage The Rambler Adventure-Up The River

I'd like to find some old ones that are actual chain, because, well, if you're driving a 59 Rambler, you're a glutton for punishment....

 

When my dad passed I inherited all his tire chains sets, they’re the ones that are in canvas bags. Some of them are from the 50’s, he never tossed anything! Since I live in Arizona (Flagstaff) I won’t be needing 15 sets! I’ll look and see if what you need is in that pile of heirloom….

 

What does that size translate to in old tire sizes? 7.00-15 or so? These chains are old!

 

6.70-15 I think

thanks

 

I’ll get out there today and see what I’ve got, let ya know before the rally

 

Here’s what I’ve found so far…

And then there’s these two pair. Maybe some of you frozen tundra guys can let Squirrel know if either will work for him.


This first set has added cross bars/ice biters. The second set is 10” shorter and 2” narrower than this set, and is just plain chain.

Just noticed that the cross chain are twisted links for more Rambler traction action! Lol
Let me know if any of these work for you.

 

Pick me up in Indiana. I’ll ride along!

 

pm sent!

Oh...Friday's adventure. I drove the rambler into town to get some stuff for yardwork, but as I started to turn left into the shopping mall, a little "pop" or something, and no more driving.

Turns out the nut on the hub where I fixed the rear wheel bearing, wasn't quite tight enough, and it spun the axle in the hub. So I need to get another hub, as they have some weird splines that are formed as you initially assemble the hub to the axle, and they hub is now stripped.

 

I got stranded in Wickenburg, AZ with the same problem on a VW Bug. The drums are splined to the axles, and the axle nut wasn't tight enough. I thought I had smoked the clutch until I took off a rear hubcap, let the clutch out and could see the axle spinning.

 

Wow, that sucks man. What about just having some key ways cut in the axle and drum and add a key like early Chryslers. Or have the inside of the hub spray welded to build it back up?

 

I can get a hub, so I'm not going to do those things, which had crossed my mind....

 

I bought a VW bug one time that had a supposedly bad transaxle. Got it home via a tow bar, jacked it up and started taking the transaxle loose. When I got to taking the axle loose from the torsion arms, for some reason I noticed the shiny ring around the axle nut. Same thing had happened, nut was loose, wallowed the hub out. Changed it out, hooked everything back up I had taken loose, had a driving bug for $150. Made about $500 when I sold it a few weeks later.

 

Little bit of farm weld will fix that stripped hub fine. !

 

I ordered a new hub today...we'll see how it goes.

 

At least it had the good manners to do it close to home.

 

That's a fact jack! My car, I had a connection at the HL switch come loose, was glad to make it home with the headlights still working. Then I broke the Muncie going to the gym, a short ride home in 4th. The next year it was the shifter, on my block. Then my starter jumper was nice enough to crap out in the driveway.

 

Did you go out and buy a lottery ticket after all that Bob?

 

Yep, It could have happened in Bisbee on the shakedown run, or anywhere in California on the rally!

 

The axle nut on a Rambler needs to be tightened to 250 ft/lbs. Even the little 196 can spin a hub on a 60+ year old axle. The end of the axle stretches ever so slightly over that time, reducing the hold. Stuck on is not the same as properly torqued! About 1960 they started putting a key in the axle, but that's not for strength, that's to keep the hub aligned if you ever have to take it off -- which must be done for seals or bearings. As squirrel mentioned, the hub is a bit softer material than the hardened axle. Brand new hubs are slick inside and the axle presses splines into the hub when it's first assembled. You're not supposed to take a used hub off one axle and put it on another because of the formed splines, but I don't know of anyone who has found a NOS, unused hub in the last 40 years. the best solution used to be to find another axle with the hub, but Ramblers got crushed in the 70s and 80s due to few parts sold, so finding a 50s-60s Rambler axle is tough. Many HAVE put a used hub on and got by with it, but those are on basically stock, normally driven (well, seldom driven now!) cars. Some axle swaps have occurred, but that's a big job if you have a torque tube car (have to build a suspension). Hardened keys were used in the early 60s by drag racers to increase strength. Two 3/16" keys were added in addition to the factory 1/4" key (1960 and later). Not long after aftermarket one-piece axle/hub assemblies became available though. You can get one for the V-8 AMC/Rambler axles from Dr. Diff and cut them to length (splines on inner end are extra long).

 

another fun thing is that there seem to be at least 3 different rears that were used in the big Ramblers in 1959, and it's really hard to figure out what rear you have, and what parts fit it. Hollanders doesn't list the hubs, they have a note saying that you can't reuse them, go buy a new one at the dealer.

I ordered one that's supposed to be NOS, we'll see if it shows up, and if it does, if it's the right one, and if it is, whether it's really new (no splines) or not. Should be interesting.

 

My limited knowledge on the Rambler, seems they made as little parts of their own that they could.
They borrowed parts from Ford, GM, International .... Whatever got the job done.
So yeah can be difficult to figure out what part you have.

First car I ever bought & actually fixed & drove was a 1962 Rambler American.
I was 16 and bought it from a Lady on my paper route for $65. Needed a new clutch & it had the torque tube driveline .... what a pita for a 16 year old kid. ... I can only imagine your 1959 has the same drive line/rear end.

Good luck with the new Hub fitting.

 

very similar. It has a coil spring rear suspension, with a torque tube, radius rods that connect to the front of the tube, and a panhard bar. It's not really hard to work on, just different.

 

Basically, American Motors kept using what everyone else had already given up on. They were the last holdouts for flathead engines, torque tube drivelines, and the '69 American that my cousin bought for use as a winter beater in the late '70s still had vacuum wipers!

 

But they got self adjusting brakes in 59, and unibodies, and other highly useful stuff ahead of their time. And they beat Chevy to building a 327 engine. It just wasn't as good.

I think there are several reasons why Ramblers never really caught on with a lot of guys.

 

Went to a dual master cylinder in '62...good thing, because you need the best braking you can get when you can't see in the rain!

 

How does a dual circuit master make braking better exactly?

 

We know about safety ... That does not make braking better.
The simple fact you could more easily designate the brake fluid 60/40 pulling a # out of my tail.

With a single bowl master you could change the size of lines to send correct fluid to front or rear ...
I wonder when the inline proportioning valve was created & first used?
The dual reservoir master cylinder was simply the first step to improve equal & better braking.

This post ... posted from possibly the most ignorant Carpenter on automotive brakes.
I'm only suggesting the dual circuit master was a huge jump in quality .... Last big jump was probably when they switched from leather shoes and manual linkage to hydraulics.

 

this car had a crimped off rear brake line, so it only needed a single MC....

 

Not necessarily better, but safer should a brake line break.

 

Let’s hope it’s not a front line that breaks in the rain.