I bought a couple of gray marine engines didnt realy know what they were as far as I can figuer they are 327 AMC. They are realy realy clean inside dont look like they have many hours on them. But they arnt much good to me was thinking about scraping them but hate to do it as they are so clean.
Send a PM to "Curator". Don seems to be quite knowledgeable about these AMC's. (almost a car) LOL I do know they where offered in the 64-67 era Marlins. JT
They're hard to find, my '65 Rambler had one originally. I'm sure the AMC restorer's will be interested, the AMC performance guys will pooh pooh them for the 390/401.... Probably not goin gto be a quick easy sell though...
As I remember, one of my buddies had one when we were in HS. They had pretty small head ports and were not a HiPo type engine compared to the Chevys. Those AMC cars were a shopping trip thru the parts bins of all the US manufacturors. We had a Rambler dealer just around the corner from where I grew up, so I saw a lot of them when I was a kid. When AMC got the Jeep franchise, they were forced to move and get a new dealership with more room.
I've got an AMC 327 and I dig them. They're pretty indestructible and with their center-bolt valve covers and conjoined center exhaust ports, they're pretty old-school looking. If you want to deal on the manifolds and intakes, or heck the whole motors, PM me. Hank
thanks for the plug JT.....cant use the 327 stuff, it is all way different than the later 290-401 stuff. However, for those of you that want to build a different jalopy with a different power plant, do not look past these motors. Many people don't know that the 1957 Rambler Rebel would beat up a chevy of the same vintage.....oh, and the Rebel had the 327 in it.....If I was you I would list them in the Hamb Classified or on Ebay before you scrap them....
For Kenosha's sake, don't scrap 'em. I"d drive to Michigan to haul one home. Then I'd stuff it in my '62 Rambler... tee hee hee.
"The Vigilante!" At least that's what they called 'em in Jeeps. Good torque, not real high revers, pretty solid dependable motor. Not the kind of go fast support the 360-390-401s have though.
these what you're talking about? neat looking mill http://10n9th.com/BakerBoats/HeartOHiggins/NewDonort.htm
One of the last engines built with machined combustion chambers in a "modern" V8. A 327 overdrive Ambassador is one of the all time sleepers
Ummm.. Pontiac V8's have fully machined chambers.... Those 327's are actually a Kaiser engine, AMC got them when they bought out Kaiser-Fraser and Jeep years ago. My 1966 Gladiator had one in it but the P/O blew it up and replaced it with a Buick 350 from a 1970 truck. Everything I've heard about them is good, apparently they can be found in the Kaiser and AMC full size cars from the early 60's. I'm not sure what the bellhousing pattern matches but when Jeep used the 327 they had an optional TH400 behind it which had a GM bellhousing (don't know if it was BOP or Chev). The factory made up their own adapter plates to fit the TH400 to their engines. Might be helpful to find one of these if you need a transmission. Dont scrap them, the Jeep guys love those engines in full size jeeps, someone will probably buy them. Shawn
The AMC 327 was a sweet little mill; the '57 Rebel was the fastest car on the street - after the fuelie 'vette. With a Holley 4bbl and dual exhausts, the 327 was rated to 275 HP, and would roll a Rebel to 60 MPH in just 7.5 seconds. I had one inna '63; good strong motor!
Look at the top of the block right behind the right side (passenger side) head. The bore of the block should be there. 4" = 327, 3-3/4" = 287, 3-1/2" = 250. AMC used the same FORGED crank and rods for all three sizes. Greymarine used all three. The 250 was made from 56-61, 287 63-66, 327 57-66. 250 has solid lifters, others have hydraulic. Parts interchange among the three. 287 and 327 have same size valves, not positive about thw 250 -- it might have the same, but could have smaller. The heads are the restricting point on these engines. You just can't put much bigger vlaves in them, and they have smallish ports (but plenty metal around them for hogging out, IIRC). The thick cast blocks and forged crank/rods make them very strong for turbo apllications. There are no aftermarket performance parts. BB chevy and later AMC intakes can be adapted, but a 1/2" thick beveled plate (pair) need to be made. I have also heard of BB aluminum Chrysler heads being adapted to the block (bore centers are the same). A chrysler intake can then be milled to match the angles/space between the heads and Chrysler headers used. Or late model AMC V-8 heads and parts. Bore centers are the same for all AMC V-8s and Chrysler BB, bolt patterns different. I've never tried adapting heads! AMC *DID NOT* build their cars from parts from all other manufacturers!! No more than 10% of parts were purchased from others. They outsourced some parts back when no one else was doing it, now every manufacturer does! It's simple economics -- R&D costs a lot of money! If hey could buy it cheaper than they could build it, they bought it! Always made their own engines (only a few exceptions, and those were temporary measures until their own designs were ready). Some AMC designed parts were outsourced and made at their factories, like rear axles (sourced from Dana/Spicer, the D35 is a copy of the AMC 15, not the other way around!). AMC never made their own electrical components or carburetors, nor transmissions. Steering columns were outsourced, and a few other components, but not many. Yes, I always hate seeing that stupid "all makes car" crap!! Use a few visible items and some idiot (not referring to anyone particular here, I know you're just going by what you've always been told) thinks they didn't make anything! AMC/Nash was buying parts from some of those companies (Auto-Lite and Delco, for example) before they became part of Ford and GM -- when Ford/GM was buying parts from the independent companies as well (30s and 40s). So the parts aren't really Ford/GM either -- they bought the whole company eventually, but didn't design the parts. Lotek is only partially correct in stating they are a Kaiser design. AMC didn't buy the Kaiser design, but they DID hire the Kaiser engineer (David Potter) who had designed a V-8 for Kaiser that was never produced. There's no documented evidence, but it's very likely that he used portions of his previous design in the AMC engine. AMC was buying engines from Packard, on agreement that Packard was going to reciprocate by buying parts form AMC. Packard backed out of the buying part, though they were happy to sell! AMC president George Mason got so ticked he ordered his engineering dept. to develop a V-8 post haste. The best way to do that was hire an engineer with V-8 design experience. That V-8 went from rawing borad to production in 18 months -- a record time for pre-computer design. That's one reason forged parts and a thick block were used -- no time to test materials and parts for cheaper stuff.
I remember an article in a '63-'64 vintage Popular Hotrodding or Car Craft about a Rambler dealership that was into drag racing, and built a drag car with a bored and stroked 327 that was punched out to 418, with a homemade 4x2 setup.
OK.. maybe I'm wrong but how is it an AMC engine if it came in Kaiser trucks from the early 60's to 1970 but AMC only took over Kaiser in 1970? Everything I've read says the 327 engine family was all Kaiser. Shawn
I'm showing my age but I remember a '57 Rebel kickin' ass at the strip back in the early '60's. They were strong motors and built strong. Also, try these links for further info and help: AMO - American Motors Owners Association NAMDRA - National American Motors Drag Racing Association Best of luck, remember it's GOOD to be different
If any of you want one of the I will sell them for what I paid for them $80 each but im keepin the boat drive and manifolds.
Hell, I just PM'd you on that one. I gotta buddy in Detroit who could pick em up and store em for me. Hank
Jeep trucks were Kaiser in name only. The 327 was Made by AMC in Kenosha, and sold to Jeep, and installed right here in Toledo. The CJ at the same time was using a Buick V6
Ahh.. I stand corrected.. I was wondering if it was something like that on the drive home today. Thanks. Shawn
If anything the Kaiser was more of an all-makes car, they always outsourced the engines. I think the only engines they made were the ones inherited when they took over Willys in 1954, flathead 4-cyl and for a while the F-head six that was used in the Aero and one of the Jeep models.
The first V8 car I drove was my dad's '62 Ambassador wagon. He bought it used in '63. The original owner traded it to get an Avanti. The wagon had a 327 4bbl, 3sp OD and a 4.11 posi. Also a handy split bench seat that reclined flat. It was a torque engine not a high HP screamer. It was pretty quick but it had the 3 "on the tree" which limited quick shifting. The OD would downshift at about 93mph! I never told my dad about that! It had a front mounted dist (ala SBF) with Delco parts. I think it had a Motorola charging system. Rambler/AMC engineers were willing to take chances on new tech. One example I remember was that the heater control cables were sheathed with semi-rigid plastic tubing rather than the spiral metal ones that other makers used. Never had a sticky cable. A bad chance they took was making some of the clutch linkage mounts from fabric reinforced rubber. One family trip ended with my dad driving from D.C. to NYC without a clutch release. There were some toll takers who went home with long arms that day!
I could be interested in one of the engines. Only need a block but could be interested in an entire engine. Benny Krebs 1-309-587-8185 New Boston, IL
I only need a block, but would be interested in an entire engine. Thanks, Benny Krebs New Boston, IL 7-309-587-8785
Benny, this thread is over two years old, doubt you'll hear from them. There's a yard outside Dixon, Iowa North of Walcott that had a bunch of old Ramblers but haven't been there since last year and he was talkin' about crushing stuff then. You tried DeLoose just outside Preemption? The Ford and GM stuff was getting real picked over but there used to be some old Ramblers in there too.
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