OT: New project car (56k slow)

[Ever Victorious]

OK... so I like to tinker with crap, and it's been a while since I'd had crap to tinker with.

I came across a very interesting deal on an old, running classic car, so this is what showed up in my garage today:



It's a 1964 Rambler American 330. And running is an understatement, it was flawless on the 50-ish mile trip from Des Moines to Everett. It's got a little body damage (driver's quarter, a few dents on the trunk lid) but it's in surprisingly good condition. No rust on the rockers, floor pans, or in the trunk... almost unheard of for a 44 year old Northwest car!

So I shall tinker and see if I can't restore some of her former glory.

[jfanaselle]

I'm jealous. Not so much that you have the rambler now, just because I wish I had a yard and a garage so I could tinker on a car like that too. Congrats on your new project.

[Ever Victorious]

I'm jealous. Not so much that you have the rambler now, just because I wish I had a yard and a garage so I could tinker on a car like that too. Congrats on your new project.

Don't be too jealous of my garage, it's pretty damn tiny. The Versa fits quite nicely in it. The Tucson is too tall, would never make it under the garage door. The Rambler... well, I got it in. Barely. 5 or 6 inches of clearance from the front bumper to my freezer, and about 6 or 7 inches of clearance between the rear bumper and the door.

Of course, this means that the Versa has been kicked out into the driveway.

Other than the leaks it had in the roof, my OLD garage kicked total butt. It was about 800 sq ft... had a comfortable sized bay on the right for my V, and an oversized bay on the left that would have been great for ANY project car short of an H1.

[bulld0g]

nice project car EV.....couldn't resist tinkering with it though.....how about some flat black primer...

[Ever Victorious]

Hey, thanks for taking the dents out of it.

The car is in excellent shape other than the interior being rather beat up (dur) and the dents in the quarter panel and trunk lid. There's so many things that can be done for dress-up because most of the car is metal. That includes the dash. Externally, it's in good enough shape I'd have a hard time repainting it anything but the original maroon. And I kinda dig the two tone look.

[weems84]

looks great! I haven't seen a rambler i think ever. Last time i saw one was in the cartoon Life with Louie on Fox. The dad was obsessed with that car. Keep us updated on the work you do on it.

Alriiiiiight(louie andersons voice)

[Bubs daddy]

My dad had a Rambler, three on the tree. Basically a grocery getter and around town. Good luck and have fun with the project.

[Ever Victorious]

Thanks guys! My dad's jaw will probably hit the floor when he sees it. More because he'd be expecting me to pick up a Subaru as a project car...hehe

[KimberKenobi]

hmmm... I think it's time for a road trip!!

oh wait... I have to move and find a job. crap.

[marleyfan]

The Pacer and the Gremlin notwithstanding, AMC actually made some pretty decent cars. I had a '68 Javelin with a 343 that you couldn't kill. It had over 200k miles on it and still got 2nd gear rubber (an automatic yet). Have fun with your Rambler. Hope you can get it looking new(ish).

[Vahagn23]

got your seatbelt hanging out the door you might want to check that one too, not too good to drive with a broken seatbelt.

[audtatious]

Interesting choice of vehicles there EV. Other than the 1/4 it looks to be in fine shape. The only problem with AMC products that I can think of is that unless it's an AMX then parts may be difficult to find.

What are your plans?

[Vahagn23]

YOu should take a pic of whats under the hood that would be pretty fun to see.

[Ever Victorious]

got your seatbelt hanging out the door you might want to check that one too, not too good to drive with a broken seatbelt.

Seatbelt is actually fine. Back in the 60's, they didn't have automatic retractors, so if you weren't paying attention, your belt would fall out of the car when you exited, and you'd close it in the door. Actually, the seatbelts in this thing are very similar to airline seat belts, but since the more advanced polymer strappings weren't available back then, it looks like it's made of big, old, burly Army canvas that was left over from WWII.

But I'll post a pic from the engine bay soon, I need to go through and document the interior stuff for later. It's amazing how little there is in there. I could almost stand inside the bay with the engine installed.

Interesting choice of vehicles there EV. Other than the 1/4 it looks to be in fine shape. The only problem with AMC products that I can think of is that unless it's an AMX then parts may be difficult to find.

What are your plans?

I've found all but 3 of the parts that I need for this car already. There's still a lot of NOS parts out there, a few junkyards that do nothing but AMC, and a few companies that make some high quality repro parts. When I get my next paycheck I'm probably going to order the trunk lock, backup lens, and either the trunk seal or the door windlacing. And I've got a friend keeping an eye on the local PaP yards for front disc conversion parts.

I intend to do a restomod on it. I realize that making it 100% true factory is probably going to be a very expensive and long ordeal, and there are absolutely NO performance options for the 196. That said, the 196 WILL stay in there for a while because it runs fine.

I think I will, over time, collect the parts necessary for a V8 conversion. Nothing too extravagant... even a 290 has twice the power of the existing mill.

One thing I DO know, though... that body's gonna get fixed and it's going to get an OEM replica paint job (the same vintage maroon/frost white that you see) using modern base/clear paints. Probably find a set of 15" mag wheels (to accommodate the disc conversion), or even some retro styled MB wheels that I found yesterday.

[Vahagn23]

cool, how much HP does it have?

[Ever Victorious]

cool, how much HP does it have?

Well... they rated engines differently back then. It was in '73 or '74 that the SAE said that manufacturers had to start hooking up all the necessary accessories (Alternator/generator, water pump, etc.) before testing and coming up with a number.

Officially, it was tested as 125 HP with the 1bbl carburetor. There was a rare 2bbl carb version of the same engine that was 138 HP. By comparison, the 232 I6 (found in postal Jeeps for decades, also made by AMC and sometimes installed in this car) were rated at 145 hp, AMC's 290 V8 was rated at 200 hp with a 2bbl carb, and their monster 401 V8 was rated at 335 HP with a 4bbl carb before the SAE changed their testing methods.

Most engine power outputs dropped 20-30% after the SAE changed their testing guidelines, so MODERN power tests would put it at between 89 and 101 HP.

So... less than a Yaris.

BUT... there's no power ANYTHING on this car. There are a total of 3 pulleys that the belt runs across... water pump, generator, and crankshaft. No parasitic drain from AC, power steering, or anything else like that.

I'll have pics shortly. My wife ran off with the digicam to her mother's earlier today. :P

[Ever Victorious]

Per Vahagn23's request... engine bay.



And I buffed half of the hood with rubbing compound today to see what the paint looks like under all the oxidation. Guess which half has been buffed?

[BBISHOPPCM]

That is one beautiful machine! Reminds me of the 1970 Tempest I had... same color, too! My car had no options at all... no power brakes, no rear defroster, no power anything else, a two-speed automatic and a straight-six.

[kcourtad]

turn it in to a hotrod and take it to the track to do some 1/4 mile runs

nice find tho... im also on the looks for a old mustang or 68 or 69 SS to rebuild

[Ever Victorious]

Nah, drags aren't my thing. And it's too much of a boat to even THINK of autocrossing (that's what the Versa's for, anyway).

However, a nice cruise, classic auto show, or burger night at the local hot rod/burger joint is always nice.

[07Vsdn]

"see if I can't restore some of her former glory"

using the term "glory" a bit liberally...

but, should be fun though! i bet it's real easy to work on.

[Ever Victorious]

Hey, at least I'm not REALLY stretching the term by applying it to a chrysler k-car or a late 80's chevy lumina.

Looks easy enough to work on. I'm actually going to attempt to adjust the valves myself shortly, once I get replacement gaskets. I've never done ANY internal engine work before, but the car came with a FSM and it looks easy, and I've been given encouragement by other AMCers.

[Ever Victorious]

So an update for those who are interested...

I dropped off the Rambler at a body shop today to have the body fixed and the car repainted. It's going to be a single tone Black Cherry Metallic.

[alonsorules8]

That will look great on the car how much ios the cost to have the body work and paint done?

I tried to bring an early 80's Renault 18i back to it's former glory. That was a fun project and got a lot of looks when it was on the road. Hahaha.
Modified by alonsorules8 at 10:42 AM 3/15/2008

[bulld0g]

So an update for those who are interested...

I dropped off the Rambler at a body shop today to have the body fixed and the car repainted. It's going to be a single tone Black Cherry Metallic.

that should look sweet

[ilcapo21]

Nice Car. Congrats. Dayton Spoked Rims would like nice on there.

[ilcapo21]

kcourtad I might know of a electric blue 65 or 64 with white racing stripes but im in Michigan

[Ever Victorious]

That will look great on the car how much ios the cost to have the body work and paint done?

$1700.. that includes a full base/clear repaint, including under the hood and trunk, and door jambs.

Nice Car. Congrats. Dayton Spoked Rims would like nice on there.

I have to wait a little bit before I can buy some rims... get a little more cash to play with.

[kcourtad]

when will we get to see pics of the fresh paint job ???

[Ever Victorious]

when will we get to see pics of the fresh paint job ???

About a week.