It is time to get serious about reviving it. But, OG flathead 6 or turbocharged vr6? This body is very solid and complete. I even have the brightwork for it.
There is a guy over here working on a 58 2dr Nash Ramber Sedan. Thought you might like to read the thread. Start at page 30 of this thread March 2022. https://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/threads/bit-of-this-and-a-bit-of-that.503826/unread
A GM V6 might be a good choice, like a 4.3 liter from a later Monte Carlo. Then you the AC and other good stuff with it.
Depends on where you live and how you plan to drive it. Around here slow cars are frustrating to drive with all the impatient Starbucks fueled drivers. Different if you're in a less populated area.
vwfye - Very cool. I had ideas about building one of those years ago. I found a VERY good one a few hundred miles away. A friend and I drove up to take a look. The seller said that it "should" make it home !!?? We got about 5 miles and the problems started. A LONG...two day ordeal, but we made it home, in what should have been just a few hours...but we made it. I drove it around the city for a few months, as needed. Blew a head gasket, fixed that. Drove it some more. THEN, after all of that, and a lot of figuring and soul searching, I came to the conclusion, that I didn't have the money that I needed to do to the car that I wanted to do... So...I sold it without digging into it, in anger...at all. I got a lot of comments while driving it the few months that I did, fun car, sad to see it go. Have fun with yours. Mike
500 caddy motor. Small size. large torque. There is a reason Sawsall's and welders were invented. Just keep in mind the playground you're in and always, always, ask for permission before you make any changes to your car.
IIRC, those are a unibody, which means adapting a different engine and running gear will take some planning and fabrication skills. I believe they use a torque tube as well. So.... a lot of work involved in a swap. Having said that, a not-too-radical swap would make for a nice driver: 4.3L GM, AMC (Jeep) inline 6, or maybe some OT late model stuff. It looks like it's in pretty good shape, so a good starting point..... I'd install OEM reclining seats because, wel..... ya never know when you might need them.
The engine bay is sooo narrow. Thus the vr6 idea. Oh, and I have one on a stand with a turbo the L-head was under a bench for over 25 years and needs built and I am not sure it could take more than 5 psi boost. Stock is a whopping 87hp. The bolt pattern is Ford, so my pln is some 17" modern mustang cobra styled wheels and lowering blocks.
HEMI My father took one for o.t.r. salesman job. They were rated at 30 MPG. He was gone years. Bragged of top speed travels Stepdad showed me the tools, the motors.
The VR6 will be regarded as dangerously OT here, for reasons which are ultimately wholly sound. That said, I'd really love to see a decomputerized VR6 with carbs and distributor in a north-south, RWD application. I've speculated about this kind of thing before: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/modern-ohv-on-vintage-engines.1206711/#post-13842770 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...itional-hot-rod-builds.1259839/#post-14431282 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/traditional-looks-for-late-model-engines.372446/
His website is great, full of useful and fun info. And is this a Squirrel sighting? (photo Tom Jennings)
Hello, What a cool station wagon. Whatever direction you go, it will definitely stand out as a cool hot rod. The original 6 may be enough power for your use, but getting parts will be a tough one. Also, if you drive on a relatively flat area for your daily driving, then the stock horsepower of the 6 will suffice. But, you are in a nice area with plenty of cool mountain driving scenery. If slight hills are in the itinerary, then low power motor is not the best thing to have. When we drove up there one year, we had a small 4 speed 115 hp motor for power. We were always in 3rd gear and when we had to slow down for the big logging trucks on the coastal roads, 2nd gear following them up a sloping, curving road. We have gone through that portion of the coastal and inland PNW many times with cars ranging in horsepower from 115 to 300hp. The 115 hp sedan was a little underpowered through all sorts of driving. The 300 hp station wagon had no qualms about any level of driving on hills or steep mountain roads. Jnaki So, for our choice of motors, a stock unit will just be under power and hard to find parts when needed. Keeping it relatively light weight makes larger size motors not in the picture. So, the roads lead to a simple 283/327/350 or even a crate SBC motor that should fit right into place. Any SBC will make more hp than the stock 6. Transmission and rear end gearing will be your choice for the Rambler. Parts for any repair, there are quite a few parts everywhere for the SBC motors. If you get a 350 crate motor, it won’t need repair or replacement parts for quite some time. If it were our Rambler Station Wagon, it would get the new 350 crate motor/auto transmission and kit. Plus A/C. YRMV Note: When we went to Kauai for a month one summer, my wife and I, along with our friends who owned the house, bought a 1962 Rambler sedan. It was very nice and roomy inside. The Rambler had the standard motor and it was fine on all highways on the island. When it was loaded with 5 adults and one little kid, it was a little slower. But in Kauai, who cares about being slow. The whole island was on "Kauai Time..." It ran like a top and we only had to put in a new set of plugs and some new gas. We drove it all over the island and it did not sputter once. The stock suspension was good, but with 5 adults and a little kid, the 4 door sedan was a lowered "Surfmobile" constantly searching for a good wave location. There were plenty of those spots, too.
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