My buddy just scored a 65 Rambler American for $200. He had bought a van earlier just for the 318/Auto for this car. Can hardly wait till we get it on the road.
Nope the also came with an AMC 327 V8. My '65 had a SBC/350 combo with a Ford 8.8 rear. And you can use the spindles and disc brakes off of a late 70's Spirit for the Rambler.
58-65 Rambler Americans only came with in-line sixes. To get a V-8 those years you had to buy the bigger Classic or Ambassador. Zman's pic is of a 65 Classic -- looks liek a convertible? The Classic only came with the 287, to get the 327 you had to go to the slightly bigger Ambassador (just longer wheelbase after 64 -- stretched a few inches in front of the firewall, so only the nose is different -- 62-64 Ambos have the same whellbase as Classic, just different grille/trim/and the 327). The only difference between a 287 and 327 is the bore and pistons -- 287 is 3.75" bore, 327 is 4.00". The spindles bolt off, and the same bolt pattern is used from at least 1950-83 (last 2WD car made by AMC in 83 -- discounting the front drive Alliance and Premier). Best brakes to use are 79-83 Spirit or Concord as parts are cheaper and easier to find, though you can special order older parts (at a higher price). www.rockauto.com is a good place to price parts and order from.
I scrapped a 65 classic with the 327, but motor was junk, I put a sbc in mine but if I did it over I'd find a 401 and 4 speed from an AMX
318 is not a bad choice but .. I'd keep it all AMC .. which stands for All makes Combined ! Get a 390 out of a old Jeep Cherokee ..
Back when I was young my buddy had arambler, sbc in it and the best thing was the front seat folded down into a bed, the whole inside was a bed, now is that cool or what
I'm taking delivery of a '62 Rambler Classic 500 in June. I have the option of scoring a '78 Cutlass for $350 along with it, but I'm gonna roll with the straight 6 for a while. I'll still probably grab the Olds as it is currently keeping a clean SBC 350 w/350 trans safe from the elements. Here's a pic, ladders not included and they aren't hiding any body issues. The hood needs a little alignment, but everything closes easy and it's never been in an accident. This is a clean, clean car.
I had a 65 Rambler and I used it to race ROCKY. the coolest thing about a 65 is that the seats lay down flat into a bed. and SBC's fit into them nice, I think Moriairty used to have one with a SBC in it. Enjoy the pics-
The reclining front seats into a bed feature actually began in AMC when it was Nash-Rambler in the late 40s. When I was in High School friend's Dads would say their girlfriends parents wouldn't let the girls date anyone who drove a Nash-Rambler for that very reason. A big old 48 Nash Ambassador would make my day! By the way, the layback seat feature was advertised as "a wonderful relaxing feature for the wife and kids on long trips, arrive refreshed!".
My mistake on the 65 Classic not having a 327! I checked my dealer lit -- 58-64 Ambo only 327, Classic 287, but starting in 65 either engine was available in either model. That little six is just adequate for the car, but you'll be running it hard to keep up in modern traffic. If you have good timing for pulling out you should be okay though... The good thing is almost any V-8 will fit under the hood and if you want to keep the stock running gear you can use a 64-71 AMC 232 six. That will require custom engine mounts, but will bolt to the existing drivetrain. If you have a stick the little T-96 trans won't take much abuse with the bigger engine though. If it's an auto they only made the HD unit back then. A later model 72+ 232/258 won't fit -- AMC changed the six bell housing pattern in 72.
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