Unfortunately, the net can sometimes be the enemy... The Volare was the fix BEFORE the MII gained so much popularity. I chased this too when I was looking at my American and thinking "what could I do to....." I ***ume this has the 196 pig in it, can't blame you for wanting to use this as an anchor. Just don't get too locked into a SBC plan, listen to some above who have actual experience with swapping something into these cars.
NEVER cut the MII suspension from an MII. I've repaired DOZENS that collapsed for lack of structure. Buy or fab a MII x-member if you must. I think the Volvo idea above is probably better, but not nearly as good as the original parts refurbed. The ford is wider than an SBC. The 4.3 is probably the best fit. If you have never driven the original straight six, you are missing out. Hot Rod that and I would be impressed. Put in a V6 and I'll be bored. Don't get me wrong, I have a Falcon in the works with a full on EFI 2.5L 4 banger and 5 speed. It's getting disc brakes and coil over front suspension, the whole bit, because my wife wants to drive it every day in a metro area with 75 mph speed limits on the freeway. I'm just not putting it on the HAMB.
I will have to do some measuring in the engine bay, but it looks very similar to my fairlane. i dont want to rebuild the motor to find the ****** bad or build the ****** to find the rear is bad id rather stick a sbc in there and have all there parts available that i could ever think off. i dont want a four banger or 6 cylinder in there or i would just keep my original stuff in there
Your car has the torque tube...that is a pain...the little Americans are open driveshaft...talk to Farna on here..he can tell you what works and whats really involved with changing out the drivetrain on the bigger Ramblers..You may want to keep what you have..
If you're not VERY experienced in metal working and suspension set-ups, you will go from bad to fail in a hurry. Either rebuild the original suspension (parts are available) or send it out to a good experienced shop. But then you still have a closed tube rear with few options to convert it for a V8. Or... you can wait a few months and see how my car (1960 CrossCountry wagon) turns out. I am not a fabricator so I took my wagon out to Fat Man Fabrications - they are R&D'ing a new front and rear suspension package for Uni-body cars using my car. M-II front/open 8" rear with coil overs all around. They have been at this for 28 years. It won't be a "cheap" solution, but hey it's just your wife and family at stake!
This seams like a budget vs all out build correct? If so I have built an American and they are built like tanks. Mine was done with a Mustang 2 type set up whih wasn't really just a plate and go deal. The aprons required quite a bit of work to get them to look correct. They are double walled. Art Morrision has proven front suspension that is comparable to mustang 2 but uses their own geometry. It is so cheap that I couldn't imagine doing it any other way especially since they have different widths. Those cars have a wider track then most know. I think it is 2" narrower then stock M 2. DSE now sells a front crossmember for using Camaro components. To me this seams like the best of them as you can use OEM size bushings instead of those generic ones that everybody lazily uses in their kits. Why do you say Camaro geomoetry is horrible? I think DSE has proven that with quick Camber or Caster fixes it is just the opposite? Also what year Camaro are we talking about? 70 up different then 69 down. Also 69 down drum vs disc has 2 different track widths. I think what he is trying to do is cut the entire front clip aprons and all off the car and run frame connectors front to rear and then weld his Camaro clip onto it correct? This is so much more work then any of the above and also wil be more money even if you simply add the cost of tubing and sheet goods. The Rambler suspension can also be simply rebuilt and coil overs added. You can also adapt sway bars and bigger brakes quite easily. There is someone on here in another Rambler tread who is quite knowledgable and even listed what is needed to these stock parts. Good luck and think simple. Sometimes cheaper costs 2x what you think it will be.
OP's car is NOT an American, it's like an Amb***ador but slightly shorter wheelbase. Transmission in these cars is a Borg-Warner unit that was also used by Ford - if not the same trans, then nearly identical, to the point some Motor's Manuals cover them all in the same section - it should be pretty reliable, and if not, it should be rebuildable. There may even be a combination of parts and cases that would let you bolt a Y-block (or a Studebaker V8, for that matter, they used it a few years too) up to it. But with the torque tube drive you're very limited on options unless you're a master fabricator. There's nothing to locate the rear - the torque tube does that - so to put an open rear in you have to come up with trailing arms, truck arms, put a 4-link in it, something. This is why I considered a full ch***is swap on mine - it's more work, but less engineering, to just cut it apart like a model car body shell and drop it on the frame and pans from another car. But it's a low priority project. An early AMC 327 V8 should be a bolt-in, if you can find one.
Go to: http://theamcforum.com/forum/forums.html Lots of good info there. Join the forum and if you are doing a search for info use the ADVANCED search method it works better. Nick
i have a neighbor whose a fabricator/body man and a neightbor whos a mechanic who also has done camaro swaps and they seem to think it wont be a problem doing, BUT none of them have worked on a rambler thats why i ask here, and i got alot of knowledgeable help. what about hooking up a 4link for the rear? i know a guy who has a 63 rambler cl***ic. he said a 350 fit right in and put a ford 8in and made a 4 link for it and he said it was really easy.
I'll "but-in" here, as a former owner of a 1957 Rambler wagon 250 V8 and a 1957 Rebel. Rework your stock suspension. It's easy to do, and not too bad. The post Custom wagon was ridgid enough to hold the power of a 190 hp V8, but the postless Rebel's doors would fly open if I nailed the stock 255hp 345 torque 327cu.in. V8 in the corners. Remember, this was the fastest metal bodied car in 1957, 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. I'd upgrade the brakes too. Otherwise, it is as fast and economical as they come. Keep your foot out of it and you might see 20mph, not bad for what is basically the same body as your 1959 Super. Now that I've done you this enormous favor in saving you time and energy, tell me what to do so I can make my 1950 Nash Amb***ador into a convertible.
ur right u dont get it because u dont know about amc unibodys. they are not like gm unibodys that have a front frame that bolts to the body. they are actually a fully integrated frame into the entire unibody structure. far better design im my opinon. I have a 64 american with a 350 in it. check it out in my photo albums
Anyone used a 97 trans am subframe or know it it will work? My buddy has a wrecked one and is selling the whole thing for a grand so my dad wants to put it under his 58 rambler
I think a complete S-10 ch***is would be a better fit because they fit under everything.................
I used a stock Ford crossmember on both of the swaps I did... If one can weld one can install these Ford crossmembers sucessfully with excellent results.... you are welding 10 Ga crossmember to a more similar unibody inner structure versus welding a thicker metal part to a thinner sheet metal structure..... I did quite a lot of reinforcing of stress areas on both swaps.... I am sure some of us are not engineers in any sense,and I have seen where someone trys to cut a crossmember from a stock MustII and in effect seperates it into three peices instead of leaving it as one peice... that is probably what Scotty is referring too. some folks just cant do anything right.... these Original parts are totally safe and were the mainstay until a lot of repop copys were made and sold... I drove one of these 60 Rambler Americans a few years and then I drove it from Missouri to Torronto Canada when it was sold to it's new owner....
If you have to use another suspension then use a Mustang II kit. The existing "frame" of the Rambler is plenty stiff. Look under it -- it has sills ("frame rails") that run the entire length of the body, looks a lot like frame rails welded under the car. The stock front suspension looks funky but is actually very simple and effective. Geometry is BETTER than a Mustang II or struts in all EXCEPT caster. The design was made for zero degrees caster and you can't get more the 2-3 degrees out of it, but it works fine when set at zero degrees. Camber doesn't change as much as the MII or strut designs. Unequal length A arms has always been one of the best suspensions, others were devised to be cheaper to build, not better in geometry. Cars like the Camaro are a unit body with a subframe, but the unit body front sills are recessed or made higher into the body to accomodate the hefty subframe. The G-body subframe might work, but cut the crossmember out and just use the crossmember, not the whole subframe. I haven't looked at one to see how that would work. I HAVE studied the Volvo 240 strut setup and it could be made to work -- would require reworking the tops of the Rambler spring towers to take the struts. The 58-62 Rambler used four point engine mounts like a 57 or so Chevy, but the crossmember is heavy enough to have engine mounts welded to it like more modern cars. A transmission crossmember would have to be fabricated and installed as the stock rear crossmember is under the bell housing. It's not hard to install a universal four link kit, or to modify a Hot Rods to Hell G-body truck-arm kit to fit. The Ranger axle is a good choice -- the early model 7.5" will suffice but the 93+ 8.8" will fit. The Explorer axle is a bit wide (1.5" wider than late Ranger, 3" wider than early Ranger). With the late Ranger axle deeper offset wheels might be required -- the Ranger wheels would work. The front spindles can be spaced out if necessary to run the deeper wheels on front. I use a deep wheel and spaced spindles on my 63 so I wouldn't have to narrow the Jag IRS I installed back in 2003. Front disc conversion kits are available from www.scarebird.com. The kit they sell for Javelins and Rebels will fit the Rambler. If they balk tell them it's for a six cylinder Javelin and be done with it!
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