You Texas boys are spoiled - that's in better shape than most people's daily drivers here in the rust belt. I say save it or sell it, it's way too cool to scrap and would make a bitching grocery getter with what looks like relatively little work.
I'll tell you the truth if the car doesn't appeal to you, and you dont have the time to play with it ,well then pay it foward find a yound kid that has no money to buy a project and hand him the keys, it is a great way of passing this on to the youger generations, especially in the days of rolling boom boxes and Jap crap. I had a Cutless that didnt appeal to me I gave it to this 15 yr old kid it was a 71 2 door. You should see what he's done to it way more love than I would have given it. And just think of all the trouble the car might have kept him out of. So dont scrap it donate it and maybe when you pass it on the road as I do with the Olds ,it gives you a warm feeling inside about the life you may have changed........
It would have to be cheap for me to invest any cash into it. I certainly wouldn't junk it. If it was too costly to make an ugly beater out of it, I'd find an AMC junkie that would probably love to have it. Personally I think it would make a cool winter time beater.
I didn't realize you got the car for free ^^^^^^ Giving it to a potential hot rodder is a good idea too if the car doesn't lift your skirt.
Those are unibody by 1960, correct? I think a full frame swap would be way too much work, but I wonder if you could take that front subframe out and swap it for a solid one. Or just build subframe connectors from box tubing, going full length plus extra long in the front to eliminate the rotted sections of the front frame. That's fixable. If you do decide not to build it, at least part it out before you scrap it, to throw it away for steel money is a huge waste.
Scrap is going crazy here. I wouldn't scrap it, I'd fix it but I like off brand weird cars more than the mainstream ones.
save it if not for yourself, then offer it here on the classified for someone else to try. If nobody steps up, then part it out....looks too good for that tho....
You may love the car but most of the reality factors are saying no.First you can"t afford to transport it,2nd you mother wants it out of the garage,3rd you are not a welder or mechanic 4th you can"t sell it. Heck find a high school in the area where the car is that has a shop class,donate it to them and use it as a tax write-off,or some of these School shop classes will do the work,you just pay for the materials and parts.Just an idea but the longer it sits the worse the thing is going to be.
That's a shame about the rust issue. I was told that it was very common with those cars. Alot of Ramblers literally rotted away. Besides the rust problem, the car looks restorable/driveable. I would definitely not part it or scrap it... Get it fixed. Ramblers are neat classics. I regrettably sold my 1962 Rambler Classic... it was a clean, dry SoCal car though and didn't have to deal with the typical rust issues. Good luck!
Yes, they are Unibody... which is why it has been difficult to find someone who wants to work on it. I am sure if it were a 55 chevy, it wouldn't be difficult at all. I love the off-brand's too. Always have. I haven't come across another car like this before... and I love that it is so unique. I have seen cars saved that look much worse, but then again those who were saving them were able to do the metal work on their own. I bought a 76 regal for cheap back in 2004, and traded it for the car. Intended to drive this daily, but that obviously didn't work out in my favor.
If you are out of state and would have to pay somebody else to work on it, THEN ship it to TX... you are probably better off buying another one in better shape in TX.
If you can't keep it or build it pay it forward, like suggested before...... Oh, and this guy IS the definition of a Janet.
Rick Finch I have to agree that post came from a guy that doesn"t know the difference between a 32 Ford and a 32 Chevy.
Hes had a rough couple of days. He thought he could pass his 350 off as a 265 by changing the valve covers and adding an oil fill tube. Gotta cut him some slack till his heartbreak heals.
The question becomes do you have something else to drive and would you be embarassed to be caught crising in it? I have been known to save some pretty unremarkable old heaps in my lifetime. Some because I just liked 'em and others because it was what I had to get me too and from. I haven't regretted any of them and never worried about my return for investment. If you like the car and you want to get it on the road it is worth doing in my opinion.
I say even if you can't do the work, give it a shot and start learning. After all, the alternative was scrapping it, right? I love the S10/360 idea. That's a very cool wagon. -Dave
Ok, I dont mind being called a "Hater" or any of that other half-witted bs, so I am gonna call this as I see it. Clearly, you are unable to do the required work yourself. If you pay someone to do this job properly, assuming you can find someone to do it, its going to be some SERIOUS $$, and you are going to spend a LOT more than the finished car is worth, and probably alot more than you can really afford. Remember thew old formula for estimating the cost this kind if work. Take the original estimate, double it, multiply that by 1.5, and you are getting close. The only people who can afford to have an "old car" maintained by someone else in this day and age are the much maligned "gold chainers".I would suggest paying this car forward. Then, if you REALLY miss having an old car, step 1) Start learning some basic mechanical skills. Step 2) start saving, step 3) once you have learned enough to maintain an older car yourself, and saved up about 5-7K, go shopping for a decent finished or near finished car that appeals to you. Step 4) Once you think maybe you have found something you really like, before you lay out any money, take someone that REALLY knows about restoring fifties/sixties cars with you, and have them look at it. If they give it the thumbs down, don't let yourself be blinded by automotive lust like the rest of us would do, keep looking. There are a lot of nice cars around for reasonable money, and I dont see the economy improving for a long time, so its a buyers market out there.
I've got the same car! The engine & trans is actually falling out of mine. I can't decide wheather to crush or replace front frame with a camaro subframe & put a fuel injected 350 in it. I have all the parts, engine is a stock '89 w th400.... I think about it.. Have to see about a pic... Cheers! Matt
the 78-80's monte carlos have the same 108" wheelbase, and if you can find a whole roller, you can even use the front floor area too
Jessica, Since we both like the same kind of cars, FL and Ramblers, we have to eat the Elephant one bite at a time. Since I too have a Rambler Cross Country I think you and your hubby should pull the motor to expose the rust and to make it easier to work on. Lets say you buy a DD for 4k and 2 years later its worth 1k, I think the 3k that it cost you to drive the DD would not be lost in fixing the Rambler. Wagons are coming on strong, even RAMBLERS!!! I know there are a lot of hungry body men in TX that need some work. 1st lesson: Don't pay for work until you see finished product. The color "PINK" probably matches a new dress you own. ---Dorsey
The Rambler looks very complete and fixable. My parents had one of these when I was young. My older brother sideswiped a tree and flattened the whole side of it. I'm sure someone could redo/replace the subframe. I would love to have the Rambler in my stable of mismatched cars.
I think the monte/gutless/gran prick/ track width is too wide. I got no way of knowing but I remember the ramblers being small. could be wrong though.
Keep it and fix it, I could fix the rust in a weekend, you could learn to weld better in one weekend and then fix it the next.
If the car is mechanically sound, get the thing structurally safe and drive the hell out of it. Reminds me of one a girlfriend in high school drove, loved that car because all the seats layed down and it was flat from the dash to the tailgate.
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