Hot Rods '63 Rambler Classic 550

put it up on jackstands and test it with someone listening under the car...? good luck

 

Only in gear. We are thinking it's drivetrain related now. I'm gonna see if I can get my driveshaft/gear guy to check it out tomorrow

 

Driveline is definitely modified chevy 350, turbo 350, shortened chevy driveshaft, ford 8" rear end with a used gear set plopped in.
Gonna try to see a shaft and gear guy tomorrow

 

Btw thanks for the helpful input guys, I appreciate it. I'll update yall when I get more info

 

Changes while turning? Axle bearing. Mine did the same thing, bearing was bad. Turning or changing load to it would change the sound.

 

I like it. Look up a gear noise chart. Old car manuals used to have them. So it is loud on a coast condition, a good place to start.

If you have an axle bearing making that much noise, it may be obvious once you take a wheel off. You may already have a grease seal gone bad.

 

That might be it Bob. I did notice the drivers side backing plate had a small leak yesterday when we were checking bolts before we went for a cruise. We had new bearings put on the axles when we had the drive shaft shortened.

 

Man if this thread don't bring back memories!
In high school I bought a Rambler American a yr or so newer than yours. The trans was gone & it was on a back lot at a car dealer. I paid $50 for it & the owner wanted to keep the engine for another Rambler he had. A bud & I got over in there & took that engine loose & chucked over the fender out on the ground & towed it home!
We put a 327 & a powerglide in it but never finished it, a boy rode by one day & bought it for $150 & a Quality Hardware .30 Carbine & two spam cans of ammo.
Last time I saw that car was at Magnolia Dragway in Gulfport Mississippi & it was sporting two carbs poking outta the hood & a straight front axle. He took off & started spinning 2/3 way down & as he went thru the lights something big & smokey came out the bottom of the engine!
Man that was 50 yrs ago!
I stopped tonight to get something to drink & started reading your thread & here I am & aint gonna get anything done rest the night!
Great job & great to see the family unit is alive & functioning!
I did the same with my son & it has paid BIG dividends!

 

Let us know what you find

 

I did end up getting it jacked up yesterday and turned the wheels. The one wheel that was leaking (driver side) does have a bit of a noise to it. Not super loud but I'd imagine it being louder under load and going faster than hand spin speed. So I'm really hoping it's just that. I really don't want to locate another gear carrier just yet.

 

Hopefully that's it, certainly all signs point to it. They never work perfectly on the first few drives, there's always bugs to work out, but it'll get there.

 

It's been awhile, I still haven't gotten around to figuring out and fixing the noise thing. Tbh it's low on the list of problems I need fixed. I've been having reoccurring vaporlock problems. I'm going to have to reroute the fuel line. And prob check the fuel filter

On the 4th of July I decided to try to get it through a local parade, which I knew was a bad idea but I still had loads of fun pushing it. Odd thing was that time, the exhaust wasn't nearly as hot as it normally was and fuel was gushing out of the fuel neck vent hole. When I removed the gas cap, fuel shot out of it with great pressure. When that finally stopped, it ran without problem. It has since sat in the garage with the occasional small neighborhood drive.

I've still got a small leak at the gas neck. I'm seriously considering getting a different tank and neck.

I'm really hoping to get at least the fuel issues fixed well enough by September. There's a rod run I want to go on but am unsure if I can trust the car to do it.

 

Sounds like the fuel filler is lower than the vent tube - The tank pressure builds up inside the tank and pushes fuel up the filer pipe and out under the fuel cap. A very temporary fix is to only fill the tank 1/2 full.

Check if your fuel cap is designed to be for a newer fuel system with vapor recovery. I've had this problem in several 1960' and 1970's vehicles. In the past, I have needed to drill a small pressure relief hole in a modern fuel cap.

 

You need a vented gas cap!

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

I'd hate to get rid of or alter my locking gas cap. It's the only option the car came with. You'd think the dried, cracked-up rubber on the other side of the cap would've provided enough ventilation

 

At least buy a venting gas cap to run to verify that will cure your problem and then decide what to do after that!

 

Update:
Fuel line was rerouted further away from the exhaust and that had helped very much. Can drive in 80-90 degrees no problem. Only slight stumbling uphill but nothing serious.
Next thing I want to focus on is finally fixing the nocking noise, is very annoying.

 

Finally got around to taking the Rambler to the driveshaft and gear guy. He is thinking the sounds were coming from the transmission area/ perhaps a loose bolt or 2 on the torque converter or a crack somewhere. So I guess I'll get the thing up on stands and see what I can do. I'm going to be more than pissed if I have to get a whole different transmission because of a noise.

In better news, I got my club plate. I feel more like an official Rapid Shifter now!
I was thinking of making a bracket that wraps around the backseat and displays the plate in the back window. Not sure. Would like to mount it before the shifter run in September.

 

Have you got a vented gas cap yet, so you eliminate that problem of it quitting on you?

 

Well it hasn't had a problem since the fuel line was rerouted so I'm not too worried. Plus finding a gascap that would fit seems like a pain in the butt. I like my key cap.

 

Good luck with it, just that the way you described it sounds like an unvented cap leading to it running out of fuel. It doesn't matter how much you like the locking gas cap, if it needs a vented cap that is what it will take to cure the problem.

 

Take you gas cap off and drive it a while ( on a nice day, not when it’s raining). That will tell you if you need to put a small vent hole in it or get another cap.

Did you check the rear axles for play? I still think you might have a bad axle bearing, but I’ve been wrong before….

 

License plate light decided to start working. Love the orange glow.


I ordered a vented gas cap to try on the rambler for now. I'm doubtful that it'll be the cure to the gas neck thing but It's worth a try, especially with a 170 mile trip coming up here in September. Hope the weather plays nice during that trip.

 

Update from yesterday's post. This is the only vented gas cap I could find that fits the fill neck. I refused to buy it cause it looks terrible.

Dad and I will look into alternative ways to vent the tank.

Any recommendations or input would be appreciated!

 

On my IH tractor, the replacement cap I bought was supposed to be vented, but wasn't. I drilled a tiny hole in the center, I don't remember now what size, but it's smaller than a pencil lead. The tractor would run until it quit because the air in the tank would become a vacuum, stopping the gas flow. After I drilled the hole, it now runs until it runs out of gas in the tank. I get very little water in the hole even with it being on top of the flat mounted cap. Driving regularly, you'd probably never notice any water getting in, if it did.

 

See this is what confuses me, the vent hole on all these caps are so small. Surely the cracks in the gasket are big enough to vent the tank;
I think the problem may be greater than venting. Then again, I'm learning. Maybe I'm missing something. One of these days I'll give it a go without a cap on it.

 

Look for a way to adapt the outer portion of the OG cap to the new one. How about one of those old style chrome ones for pickup trucks? I'm sure you can find one.

Back in 1974 during the 1st gas crunch, I went to school with a guy who had his gas siphoned and he lost his gas cap. So he just out anything on for a cap. Gas stations used to have boxes of them when people forgot to put them back on. Within a few days, the tank was sucked in at the top and bottom. He used a non-vented cap. I can agree that your problem may not be the cap.

 

Have you tried running it without a cap at all? That would for sure rule it out if it still did it. Try driving it a few days without the cap, weather permitting of course.

 

This gets you a new cap for under $20.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1633255856...HcSvSL9V0Zv5yy1y3da4E+2YJF|tkp:Bk9SR8qhyIrWYA