i think i want my next project to be a 66 + up rambler. if i have my facts right, it has the kind of square front head light set up unlike the earlier model that has a round head light. kind of looks like a plymouth belvedere. my question is that i have a mopar 416 stroker motor w/ 4 spd combo. Will this motor fit in this car or will the bay be too narrow. i have heard that these cars dont have the biggest engine bays.
awesome, just the answer i wanted to hear. ill prolly look for a 4 door model, prolly nothin cooler then blowing someone away with 4 of your friends in the car. im pretty new to the amc scene, are there any strange quirks that these cars have?
sc/ramblers had 390s (amc not ford) in 'em damn amc stuff is starting to bring real money nowadays! i'm looking for a 68-70 amx so i kinda keep an eye on that stuff....
Anything wider than SBC is gonna get hairy quick. The AMC V8 motors (304, 360, 390, 401) are all pretty compact - externally they are all pretty much the same. I had a 327 chevy in mine and it fit good but was snug against the steering column. These cars are unibody so just whacking the shock towers while possible will need some careful consideration. I'm not familiar with your motor so all's I can say there would be to get a tape measure and have at it. If your question is "Can it be done?" Then sure - given the desire you can make anything fit. I put a Mopar in mine. Even though mine is the earlier one - the engine compartments are the same.
the motor im speaking of is a mopar 340 small block stroked to a 416. hemirambler, your rambler is a pre 65 right?
I just sold a 65' 660 classic to longbchcruzer that had almost perfect paint and was a good daily driver for 1800.00
There are some strange quirks, more like common advances that companies used and AMC kept using such as the front suspension which uses trunnion bearings instead of ball joints and up to 1966 on the larger AMC's (Rambler Classic, Ambassador and Marlin) they still used torque tubes, which aren't very easy to change over to a different drivetrain. One good thing is it's easy to convert an early one to disc brakes using later AMC stuff.
Yes mine's a '64. They're very similar from '64 to '69 - but as you already know the '66-'69 are virtually identical. AMC rear axles aren't anything to brag about - nor is that goofy driveshaft. I'd put a later, stronger rear in it - 8-3/4" if you want to keep the driveline all mopar or 9" - I've got a 9" Ford in mine - no worries now. AS I recall the 340's are nice compact motors - I'd guess you'll be able to slip that in there with little trouble.
whats the deal with the drive shafts? i read something like that they are motor specific or something?
The "new" Rambler design appeared in 63 on the Classic and Ambassador ("big" car), 64 on the American. 64-69 Americans are virtually identical under the skin EXCEPT for the front clip. 66-69 is 2-3" longer in front of the radiator support so the longer 199/232 six would fit (in place of the old, shorter 195.6) and leave room for an AC condensor. Any company's small block (or the GEN-2/3 AMC V-8) will fit under the hood. If you want a big block you need to get a Classic (61-66), Ambassador (63-74), Rebel (67-69), or Matador (70-78). All the big cars are built on the same body shell -- the Ambassador has an 8" wheelbase stretch in front of the cowl. From the cowl back it's the same as the "mid sized" car (which just changed names over the years). Before it was called Classic it was the Rambler six (56-60) and Rebel (58-61 -- all V-8 Ramblers were called Rebel, except the Ambassador, except for 57, when a V-8 was optional on the Rambler -- but there was only one Rambler model in 1957...). The only problem you'll run into is that 56-66 big cars used a torque tube. That just means you'll have to change the rear axle and suspension as well. Ladder bars work, but a four link or "truck arm" type suspension works better. A G body "Hot Rods to Hell" truck arm kit is easily adapted, just use the original Rambler spring mounts off the axle (springs sit over axle, just like a G body). Some welding required... ;> The point is, the 56-66 big cars were made to handle the first AMC V-8, which was the same physical size and weight as later big blocks even though it was relatively small displacement wise (250/287/327, depending on year and model). The front end might use trunnions instead of ball joints, but they are tough enough and work well. They're easy to rebuild and parts are available -- they're just different. Nash developed the trunnion when everyone else was using king pins, just four years before ball joints came out. So think of the trunnion as a big improvement over the king pin, just not quite the same range of motion as a ball joint (but not needed either). The only thing is the pre 70 cars don't have any anti-dive built in, but the high spring location means they don't dive like a low spring car does. I've driven Ramblers for years and didn't know what the big deal was about "anti dive" until I drove a friends 57 Buick (totally stock) about 15 years ago! No wonder everyone is concerned, Ramblers only dive half as much when you lay on the brakes hard! With the HD springs (recommended for normal driving now!) they aren't bad at all. With the HD springs they don't even lean much, another high mounted spring feature. AMC switched to a lower ball joint in 1962 for the big cars, 64 for the American. The upper trunnion lasted through 1969. Only the 64-69 small car (American, Javelin, AMX) trunnion is troublesome and relatively expensive to rebuild. But it works as good as any ball joint suspension once rebuilt. It is a lot more time and money to convert to something else. There are poly bushed rebuilds for the 64-69 small car trunnions that are far superior to the factory rubber bushed ones. The big car trunnions have never been a problem.
Here is a picture of my '66 Rambler more door that was my work car for a number of years. It was a 6 with automatic trans, good runner with pretty good gas mileage. I traded it off for 2 Ford F1 pick-ups, a '51 and a '52.
That mill will never fit in a thousand years. no not never. But it will fit between the rails of the Altered. If you find a javoline or an AMX it'll fit for sure, I've seen Big blocks in either of those at one time or another. Also a marlin (a rambler Charger) has all the room you'll ever need for one.
Hi! My 65 American Hardtop has AMC 360 under hood. There used to be Olds 455. Olds Big Blog fitted well between rails told those who worked with car that time (from mid 70s to early 80s). Only body modification was hammering of firewall on passengers side.
amc motors are now reletivly easy to find and cheaper to build. If your 340 has some good numbers you should sell it and buy a couple 360 motors and see the jeep guys, they have lots of parts....Car will be worth more in the long run also.....
Here's a 66 I picked up for a drag car project. Not sure yet,but may be ditching it to finish my 57 chevy wagon. Had a sbc and a 4.11 9 inch that was a blast to drive. Factory A/C car too, has a setting that says "Desert Only". Too cool!
The Jalopy Journal
