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1961 AMC Rambler classic deluxe cross country wagon review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ส.ค. 2024
- Today Special treat 1961 amc rambler classic deluxe cross country wagon.. ( what a mouth full) break down of the car 1961 is the year AMC is the brand. rambler is sub brand. classic is the model. Deluxe is the trim, cross country is what amc called their wagons and wagon is body style.
This is the most in-depth review out there on this 61 classic wagon enjoy.. history of amc lots and lots of information period correct ads as well as specs. Take the tour go over all button switches and knobs and drive this one. Special thanks to the owner for making this episode possible =)
if you’d like to get in touch with me leave a comment in comment section or check out Facebook group
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SURFIN
Who sings it??
@@What.its.like. beach boys
You got it
Nice reportage! I own a 1964 Rambler Classic 770 completely original and have some of the same experience as this owner. I can go to a car gathering parking up with som Caddilacs or Chevys. People go like "Nice caddy" and then just "oh what is this!!??"
One day I hope to own one I’m into all the off the beaten path cars so many I want to get to before this years end but if not there is always next year
my parents had a 61 classic 4 door, 250 V8, with ac, one time with 4 aboard i had the the speedo on 11, it was a very solid car.
That’s awesome was it stable at that speed
@@What.its.like. yes like a rock
Rambler American was available with optional automatic transmission. This would have a shift selector on the column instead of push button selection found in the Classics and (I think) also on the Ambassador models. .
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing that =)
I had a 1960 wagon that got me through college. My dad loved Ramblers and had a few. He also like dodge darts with that incredible slant 6 engine, but he and my mom mostly had ramblers. Love those wagons
Me too I love the Nash rambler wagons as well hope to cover more Nash on here this year
Back in the 1970’s I owned a 1961 AMC Ambassador. 327, automatic. Very nice car although I ended up rebuilding the entire front suspension from stainless steel. Also painted the entire car. Wish I still had it.
I love how rambler stepped up and all the models had different bodies like in 59 the ambassador was longer than the cross country same body style just longer I have never saw a 61 or any rambler ambassador in the wild
@@What.its.like. Actually, the Ambassador has the same body as the Classic, and the extra 9 inches was all ahead of the firewall. With the 117 inch wheelbase, AMC considered the Ambassador full size, not Compact. Both series are coil sprung, front and rear. That, and the unibody, make for a better ride, than the leaf springs, of the competition. The Rambler's #3 in sales was by division, didn't put it in the big 3, as GM, Ford, and Chrysler had other divisions, in addition to the top selling divisions. The Deluxe series wasn't bought by many individuals, most were sold to fleets, or the military. The super was the top selling series, being reasonably optioned, and economical. The aluminum block engine would have been the only one to need the head bolts re-tightened frequently, the others might have required it at the 1,000 mile service, only. Enjoy your deep dive down the AMC rabbit hole, there is much to learn down here!
My first car was my grand uncles old car a 1961 rambler wagon. I spent many hours in gas lines in it. Going up hill in the rain you had 2 choices. Power to go up hill or Power for power for the windshield wipers. God I hated those vacuum wipers. You didn't mention the option for plad seats and the automatic push button transmission that lights up like a Christmas tree.
Thank you for adding that information, vacuum wipers do suck never understood why they went to that some cars even in the 30s had electric wipers I think I’ll have to look that up for certain but yeah weird
My first car was a 62 Classic! Bought it from a proverbial "little old lady" in summer of '70. It was supposedly low mileage but I think the odometer was messed with. Didn't have any blue exhaust when Mom & I looked at it. But I think it had about 50/50 crankcase mix of 30 and STP!! It had 3 on the tree and the 6 cyl. The oil filter was on top of the engine.
AND had the infamous vacuum wipers! Thejjy weren't worth 2 dead flies during any acceleration or engine load but during braking it seemed like the wiper blades might be launched to the next county!!😱😱😱😱
The only reason i can think of was the car companies used vacuum wipers was many cars still had generators rather than alternators. Generators were very dependent on engine RPMs. At a stop light a generator equipped car's headlights would dim greatly. If memory serves, I believe such a car also may have had problems with the idle dropping and the car wanting to stall under a heavy electrical load. I think electric wipers would just overwhelm the generators electrical system and drain those old batteries too much.
If money was no object (😉) I'd love to have a 62 to play with. The idea of sticking a hybrid power train sounds intriguing. Something I would never have thought but I would go with a Ford system. I have 2014 Ford C-Max hybrid and I love it!
What I was originally thinking of doing in '71 was dropping a 290 or 390/401 V8 and a 4 speed in it. And DEFINITELY an alternator and electric wipers!!😷
Unfortunately, the little white Rambler Classic got totalled when a nitwit in 69 Plymouth Grand Fury tried making a left turn right in front of me and then panicked and then stopped. The Classic wrapped its front end around the right front corner of the Fury. Meanwhile, I wrapped my right side of my ribcage into the steering wheel breaking the steering wheel in one spot and my knees leaving dents on the bottom of the dash. My car didn't have seat belts (not required til '63) Luckily it was low speed and I just had badly bruised ribs and very sore knees.
Oh, vacuum wipers in a 56 Caddy. On a curvy road was it goose the gas to see the curve and the coast or coast to be Ble to see. Fun/scary times with my big sister. But nothing stopped those tailfins and Dagmars!
One of the first cars I remember was my mother's 1961 Rambler Classic (both my parents had cars, which was unusual back then-- Dad's was a '59 Ford Ranch Wagon in two shades of green). It was pale yellow and had the same front end and the same boat-shaped taillights. Don't remember much else. Not sure if it was bought new or used, but almost certainly at Tufano Rambler in New Britain CT, about a mile from our apartment. That's where my mother traded it in for a light green '65 Rambler Classic a few years later.
Great story I like the styling 1958-1961 the most the 61 wagon lines doesn’t matter what model they all have an individual style and all look good I really like the styling of the ambassador model from this year never saw one in the wild
1961 Rambler Classic! My first car! Mine was also white with the grey interior. I had the sedan but this certainly brings back the memories! It never let me down, it started every time. I've owned a lot of cars but this one is the one that I remember the most fondly. I always loved the roof profile on the wagon. It was done for economy reasons so that was so that the rear doors were interchangeable with the sedan, saving American Motors additional tooling costs, but it gave the wagon that distinctive profile. It's nice to see a survivor. It's only original once!
Totally agree I have a 52 Chevy truck I love the Worn look it gives the car character.. And it’s different than a pristine car because the worn effect cannot be replicated no two are identical
My dad my brother and I took a trip from San Francisco California to thief River falls Minnesota in one of these station wagons in the 1960s. 6 cylinder stick on the column. My father rebuilt the engine before the trip. Put it together too tight. Was heating along the way. Had to tear it down in Minnesota and loosen the bearings up. You could sleep in those cars the seats laid down.
Great story thank you so much for sharing on here =)
"Surfin" by the Beach Boys (Or Pendletone's) as they briefly went by. This was their first single as far as I know.
You got it somebody got the name of the song earlier so I have to give credit to them because I asked follow-up question who was the band and they responded faster than your comment but awesome try..
Several of those engines have solid lifters, which means you have to adjust the valve lash at least every year or 12,000 miles. Rambler focused on the practical, economical buyers, which was great for awhile. I’m glad you pointed out that American Motors was the 3rd best selling brand for a year. If you notice in movies in the 50’s and 60’s there are plenty of American Motors cars.
Yeah I was gonna bring that to White as well Ford outsold Chevy and amc was next but Chevy and ford both sold over a million units each.. AMC Was knocked to the 4th position in 1962 Pontiac was third.. they made great cars just stinks they rusted out easy
Adam 12 is an example. The cars that were used as police cars were from AMC. As I remember.
@@What.its.like. They didn’t do a very good job of rustproofing on any car in the old days. I understand from Scotty Kilmer that Toyota was one of the best cars for rustproofing and paint jobs and they still are.
Solid lifters were even set up so it was not all that tricky to adjust them. I have a 60 ford that has solids and it certainly took no more than an hour to adjust the lifters. You could do all of the yearly 'major' maintenance on a Sunday afternoon and still catch dinner with the family.
@@aldenconsolver3428 , Thanks for your comment. From 1972 ~ 1974 I owned a 1970 Boss 302, which had solid lifters and required setting the valve lash while hot and running. Prior to that I got a hand me down 63 1/2 Falcon Futura with a 170 six cylinder, which also had solid lifters which were probably never adjusted. My comment was related to all the engines that needed to have the valve clearance adjusted, but never did, because owners weren’t aware.
AMC could not afford a separate station wagon body so the "roof dip" was caused by grafting the rear quarter to the sedan body. With the base engine I doubt that car would have hit 90 mph, especially with a driver & passenger onboard. My Uncle had this same car & it was a strain to do even 80 mph as we crossed the New Mexico dessert from Las Cruces to White Sands in 1962.
Great information and awesome story thank you so much for sharing =)
AMC sold a lot of those wagons. Lotta bang for the buck... VERY ACCURATE review and info. Fun to watch. Thx for the post.
Thank you it means a lot was happy I was able to find all the information and explain the differences in trim levels (which I found the information in the ads themselves)
@@What.its.like. The guy said “a lot of bang for the buck.” 🤭😱. Was the “bang” when the car threw a rod?
@@What.its.like. You mentioned going to a car show where there was a Chevy Corvette parked next to a Rambler. The Rambler got all the attention from viewers and they would ignore the Corvette! That’s pretty remarkable.
Corvettes are everywhere unless your into all things corvette they just look alike like c3 was made for almost 20 years with very little changes, I should’ve said that Corvette could’ve been Pepto-Bismol pink and nobody would’ve gave it a look.. ramblers are different.. I was at that show so I can contest to his story. There was so many people around his car.. this is actually the second year the first year last year I met the owner but I didn’t have a TH-cam channel or anything at that point I just said that man you got a really nice car in might have planted a seed or two I really should’ve started this 10 years ago.. that’s all I talk about my family they get so sick of hearing about cars and it’s great because I can talk about cars to you guys and it kind of feels a void in my life that I always had but never had an outlet for it I had car friends I still have car friends but They get sick of hearing about weird obscure cars from days gone by
Fond memories of when I was very young standing in the front seat as mom drove a '59 Rambler to the grocery store, hovering precariously near that metal dash. The safety police would have a fit, nowadays. But not to worry, the car was equipped with the "Shirley-O-Matic" safety arm restraint system.
Awesome memory thank you so much for sharing on here 59 cross country wagon is one of my all-time favorite well it is my favorite wagon of all time Maybe I’ll make a list of my top 10 favorite wagons one day after I review all of my favorite wagons
@@What.its.like. Great Job, as always. Keep it up.
my uncle's sister and her husband had one just like this one, it was a very comfortable to ride in
We had one in early seventies, mama's car,the fifty-nine is the best looking of all ramblers,my father said it was unique even then,best built car we ever owned.
Awesome thank you so much for the memories =) 59 is still my favorite wagon design of all time
These things were all over the place when I was a kid. Grandparents also had a 66 wagon.
I really love the 59 and 60 they're my two favorite years and the 62 ambassador maybe it was the 61 ambassador, the funky looking one one year only I have never seen an ambassador wagon. I would really love to drive the 327 model if I ever find one.
AMC definitely filled the bill for different and unique styling, and in my opinion I think pretty cool and reliable automobiles. I've always liked the styling of the mid-60s ramblers the most, and after having an in-depth look at this one, I think it is pretty cool as well! Always like looking at the vintage ads with the different color options and looks offered. This model looks like it did provide everything needed for a good cross country driving experience.😎
Totally agree I love the old ads because the ads themselves give one all the specs needed.. my favorite year is 1959 I think it’s the best looking one
I had a neighbor who had a 59 ambassador wagon it was black with red trim and interior you’re talking about a sharp looking car in those days I remember when he bought it I was a kid back then I was about 10 years old
59 is my favorite year.. that’s awesome I’ve never seen the ambassador in the wild homing this year to find one =)
No sound. I almost bought one of those in California 6 months ago, I wish the deal would have gone through, it was a wagon too, extra beautiful, with under dash air I think
Nice, just checked sound is working for me idk click out and then back in again I’m a huge cross country wagon fan
My Late Dad had a 1962 Rambler wagon it was a really nice car it had the push bottom transmission very nice car
I really wanna find the ambassador version this year I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ambassador version of any year definitely gonna focus more on AMC this year in a lot of orphan cars =)
You killed this jay! 🔥
Thank you =) this is the most informative rambler video on TH-cam
"I'm a ramblin man. Not the tune, just for the Rambler.
Thanks Jay.
=) I should have went with that song I plan on hitting all the cars
@@What.its.like.
Cool
My dad loved AMC cars many different Ramblers up to a Gremlin.
I plan on hitting all of the models in some models for AMC on this channel eventually as well as Studebaker and I’d love to do Packard and Nash and just about any American brand from 1930 to 1980
AMC's were definitely "Dad Cars". My Dad had two '60 Wagons. Traded one of them in to get a '65 Ambassador 880 Sedan (which I ended up learning to drive on).
Which did you like better did you like the 60 wagon or the 65 I know by 1965 they become huge I kinda have a really big soft spot in my heart for the 59 it’s my absolute favorite I have never seen the ambassador version in the wild of any year I really wanna find a 61 ambassador they are so nice looking just different
@@What.its.like. Loved the '65 because I learned to drive on it. In fact I bought a '65 Ambassador 990 about 3 weeks ago with 80,500 miles on it. Love it.
Nice Rambler. I realize the owner probably likes the patina look although I think it would look awesome with an original paint job to match that great interior. My friends mom had a '60 Cross Country wagon back in the late sixties. It was fun to ride in. Thought I might have seen this car at Das Awcht Fest. Thanks for sharing.
Mid 70's, my brother had a 62 wagon. Loved the seats that became beds, good engine, but the 3 on the tree transmission linkage kept jamming. You might be stuck in 2nd gear or you might be in reverse. We drove 3 miles backwards to get it home once.
Great story thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory
The '62 Rambler station wagon was underrated. Wish I had owned one back then to use as a surf wagon.
Best cars are either beat up, or mint. Great content as always, keep it up!
Thank you glad you dig this episode.. I love the look of this car it’s got the sweaty look, I was telling the owner looks like the furniture I make lol =)
The song was Surfin by The Beach Boys! Those were good cars with great engines!
You got it someone beat you to it for the pin I love orphan cars that just happen to be wagons
Wow!!! This video brings back memories. I remember going with my dad to the Rambler dealer in 1963 where he traded in his 57 Thunderbird for a brand new Rambler Classic Cross County station wagon!!! It had the rear facing third seat so it had the door instead of the tailgate. It had air conditioning & automatic transmission. It was so gutless. The one you just reviewed is nice & straight & looks to be in good shape. Throw it paint job on it & it will be fantastic!!! Oh yeah, dad got $800 trade in allowance for the Thunderbird!!! 🙄
That’s crazy that they only gave $800 for a 6 year old thunderbird.. glad to bring back those memories that’s what this channel is about education and reflection =)
@@What.its.like. my family teased my dad for the rest of his life for trading in a 57 Thunderbird for a Rambler station wagon. 🙄
I had a 1961 American, the lower end model. I think I paid $75 for it in 1974. I got it running and drove it around for a bit. Man, that thing was like a washing machine, primitive metal dash. As I recall, 3 of my friends and I drove to a concert in San Francisco, and they were giving me a hard time about my weird car. I was sticking up for my car as best I could and then BAM, the rear universal joint went out on the Bay Bridge. Luckily I was able to coast downhill at least 2 miles without the driveshaft coming up through the floorboard. I can't recall how we got out of that fix, but I think I pulled over we got onto the flat and crawled under the car and wired the U joint together, missing the bearing cups of course, and we ultimately made it home.
Yes, that's Mittens Romney's Dad on the right.
Great story, just the fact it can be fixed on the side of the side of the road can’t fix new car computer problem on side of road
Try not to feel too bad. That same year, my brand new 74 Oldsmobile convertible over heated in stalled traffic on the bridge between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati. Antifreeze all over the road and I had to get back to Michigan. I could write a book about that disastrous trip. That was just the 5th chapter but just let me end it by saying that I ended up with a 100 lb. Bag of cement spreading all over my windshield in a monsoon rain storm near a Detroit auto factory while suffering from a blistering sunburn a burning sore throat and laryngitis. Spent 9 hours in a flood in Cincinnati trying to get the thermostat replaced on a brand new car. Had better luck in a beat up 65 Classic 770 on the military tank trails in Grayling. At least we've got the memories.lol. 1974 really sucked. Without Aerosmith, it would have been a total washout.
@@kenglavens6455 So you were Rescued by a Rambler? There's a country song in there, somewhere. I'll certainly agree with you, the early 70's were really pretty cruddy, with a few bright spots sprinkled here and there.
Excellent video. Very informative. A very unique car.
I’m willing to bet this is the most informative Rambler video on TH-cam =)
I have seen lots of tall people reclining the seat all the way back to drive the car.
AND I could carry my 3 big dogs in that back with the seats folded down, they would just so love this thing
Hey my first car was a 1961 Rambler Station Wagon Deluxe light green with a white top 6 cylinder 3 on the tree so. I bought the car in 1970 for $75. It's smoked a lot it was good for keeping the mosquitoes away. I bought a 61 Chrysler Newport 2 door sand beige with a white top 360 1/2 Barrel V8 3 speed manual on the floor no Synchro in first. It was beautiful and perfect one owner little old man. 125 dollars in 1973. One day when I went to school my mother had the Rambler towed oway. I was very sad I wanted to keep the Rambler but I wasn't allowed to have two cars. She gave me no warning! Or I would have found a place to store it.
Wow thank you so much for sharing that story sad memory of a cool wagon.. weird parents back in the day sold stuff that didn’t belong to them
That part about going to car shows is very true. We have a 1961 Classic sedan and people seem to really like it. For many years nobody wanted anything to do with these things, but now that you almost never see them it is the exact opposite. People are always happy to see the car.
We also had a similar show experience with our daily driver once, which is a beat up and worn VW Beetle from 1963. We parked next to a Ferrari from the early 1990s at a show and the Beetle got more attention than the Ferrari.
Average down to earth people I’ve found could care less about the expensive cars.. with some exceptions..
I have a 52 stake bed and I’ve parked next to corvettes and the same thing happens.
The other thing I’ll say is I have never gotten a girl because of a car I owned a 67 mustang when I was 21 I used to take that out and try and meet someone it never worked out I just never had that personality. Never worked for me I’m happily married I had the car when I met my wife but she never rode in it was broke then.. I always wanted to take her down this dirt road not far from the house where three roads meet there is a triangle where they meet and drift sideways around the triangle.
My father had one. The push buttons that controlled the transmission were always falling into the dash. Lots of fun when you needed reverse and the button disappeared.
Thank you so much for sharing that story that’s crazy I never knew that the push buttons could sink into the dash
Love the Ramblers!!
Me too
I’m friends with both the owner of the 59 as well as the owner of the 61 hoping I would really like to find a 60 but I’m hoping next year they both go to the same car show as I do I’m hoping to get both of them together to see if we could do a comparison video of the two of them that would be awesome
@@What.its.like. yes it would be for sure! Thank u Sir
Glad to see another AMC review and if you can't tell by the name I'm a big Rambler fan too.
I want to hit more AMC Studebaker Packard Nash Hudson I want this to be the go to Classic Car channel for the cars that are off the beaten path
Good job with the Rambler! I had a 59 station wagon, and a 69 American coupe. Loved them both.
That’s awesome 59 rambler is my favorite wagon =)
Dad had the '60 V8 Rebel 4 door sedan. Cool......
I really wanna drive a rebel V-8 powered wagon I really want to find an ambassador with a 327 and know what that’s like I have never seen the ambassador version in the wild before
@@What.its.like. Saw one or two after Dad bought the Rebel. Looked cool, had a longer wheelbase that was expanded at the front fender to front doors.
@@billiebobbienorton2556 I'd love it if you could review a 1957 Rebel. That was the purist idealized Rebel.
That is a cool car that is very underrated.
Yeah it is super underrated
I’m loving your Rambler videos. You rarely see these on the road, but I remember them from my childhood. There was a time that you saw them everywhere. I love AMC. Wish they’d have survived. I think this Classic wagon had more interior room than the Lincoln you just featured. 😊
Your right about the rambler having more room I filmed both of those cars Sunday, as well as two others and a comparison... I was think that then filmed rambler first build quality was about the same
@@What.its.like. The sad part was AMC invented the SUV crossover with the Eagle but didn't live to profit from it.
My dad had the 61 wagon. It looked nice with a two tone paint scheme, a really good shiny paint job, but it was gutless. It was fine as long as the road was flat, but any kind of a hill and it was questionable if the thing would make it up. Forget passing anyone. He didn’t have it very long.
This one wasn’t bad gutless to me is a vw beetle that is gutless..
@@What.its.like.In 1963, my parents bought our first Rambler, a '63 Classic 770 4dr sedan, with the 127 hp six, and automatic. We took it from Southern Michigan, to Disneyland for a three week vacation, towing a rented 13 ft. Little Gem travel trailer. It seemed to keep up with traffic most of the time, but when going over the Rockies on US 40 ( no interstates on that trip, except a ten mile strip of I-70, coming into Kansas City, on the way home), we really struggled going up those, with two adults, three kids and all our luggage, and the trailer. We may have been passed by some trucks, going up those steep sections. Only 1 problem on the trip, when my dad misunderstood the instructions from a flagger in a construction zone and pulled off to the right of where we were supposed to go and sunk axle deep in loose dirt. One of the bulldozers had to pull us out, in the process the transverse mounted muffler, was ripped off by the dirt being scooped up by it. It was replaced by a dealer in Salt Lake City, under warranty.
On my 62 Classic the oil filter was mounted on the top of engine. And on hard right hand turns the float in the carburetor would swing over and cut out until it swung straight. Luckily it didn't do that on left turns. Like so many of the cars back then the Automatics failed early. But I did like it.👍
Yeah I was wondering about that when the change happened owner said this was an older version of the 196 the filter wasn’t on the top but on the side
The easiest car to change an oil filter on EVER.
If a tad messy.
my aunt had a 64 classic 770 wagon only hers was automatic and had power steering and brakes the rear window was electric I thought it was the most beautiful Rambler ever made the interior looked alot like the 61
That’s awesome thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory =)
My grandparents bought one of these new 1n 1961. It was a base model They bought a new 59 Chevy wagon but it was a big time LEMON!!!!!!! In 1965 they traded it in on a new
Impala hardtop and lived happily ever after.
Which car was the big time lemon the 59 Chevy or the 61 rambler..
From all the research and reading that I’ve done the ramblers are good cars if you maintain them if you don’t maintain them they are like the prince of darkness.. maintenance is key especially with the 196 six cylinder engine.. also this car has trunnions which need to be looked at periodically.
61, 9 passenger. It was really nice.
Do you have a 9 passenger 61 rambler wagon
I really like your video's!!!! You do an excellent job of presenting details and history!!! Keep the AWESOE work up!!!!!
Thank you it really means a lot I wanna keep this information of life for the younger generations be sure to give our Facebook group o’clock here is the link because sometimes we have group chats like last night it was great we’re going to do that more often it’s a car community I wish TH-cam implemented things that Facebook has because I like seeing your rides as well =)
facebook.com/groups/707697117215381/permalink/814212906563801/?mibextid=5QOMj7
LOL! Good (for me) description of the ride. We used to have a 1962 Savoy. 😁
62 savoy wagon that’s an interesting looking wagon =)
@@What.its.like. LOL! No, it was a four door Savoy sedan. We surmised it started life as a government fleet car. Very basic, originally pale gray, pushbutton automatic & slant six, but it had great positraction. I also recall the black over red 1955 Savoy my grandmother won in a drawing. V8 and three speed. My mother borrowed it and freaked Grandma out by telling her how nice and stable it was at 80 mph on the freeway.😅
My family had a '60 or '61 Rambler station wagon. I think the model was called the Lemon. It gave my mom a lot of problems.
As I’ve read these cars required some maintenance if one did not do the maintenance then it could be a very problematic car, I’m friends with the owner and he said there’s been nothing but reliable for him.
I have another friend who has a 59 cross country and he told me it only left them on the side of the road once and he’s owned it since 1970 something.
@@What.its.like. I don't know how well the car was maintained. I do remember there was a left turn from our street when my mother took it the car stalled a lot. Finally, one day when my dad was driving it, it stalled when he tried to make the same left. At that point he said "Let's get a new car."
I also remember some pushbuttons to the left of the steering wheel that were supposed to be illuminated when the headlights were on. I only remember them being illuminated once. The car we had was an automatic.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the car I really appreciate it and ads, to what these cars were like =)
That IS one cool ride! I remember those Rambler "drive in? seats in the front. I've always wanted to find a 1959 to 1964 Rambler and fit it with a GM "LS" motor and drivetrain keeping the stock look.
I was thinking the other day this would be total sacrilege but what if you put a Toyota Prius drivetrain in a 58 Rambler wagon I wonder if it would still get around 40 miles to the gallon.. could put the battery pack where the spare tire goes.. it was an intriguing thought if I could switch anything about the Toyota Prius drivetrain would be put a bigger electric motor in a slightly bigger battery but that would be a really interesting concept
@@What.its.like. That would be interesting. I think the Rambler is a heavier car but the economy would be better than the six cylinder.
I was at a car show last weekend, and there was a '62 Classic wagon, with a LS engine and a roll cage, and a '60 Rambler Custom wagon, with a stroker 383 SBC. Thought I was in heaven! Interesting AMC fact: they called their wagons Cross Country, and their Hardtops, Country Club, in the fifties. From '56-'60 they made 4door hardtop wagons, in the Custom and Ambassador Custom, series. Those were called Rambler Custom Country Club Cross Country. Quite the mouthful, for a compact car! They were the first hardtop wagons, before Buick, Oldsmobile, and Mercury joined them for '57.
My High School auto shop teacher was a big AMC/Rambler guy. He planted that seed in my mind, and always have a place in my mind for those. I ended up having mostly GM's with the majority of them Chevy's. Thus the thought of a Rambler with a Chevy Drive train.@@ramblerdave1339
Nissan Armada and the Infinity equivalent had the same style dip in the roof over the C pillar.
Nissan armada is the car that I was thinking of what model of infinity is it I’ve been trying to figure that out
QX56
There was also a smaller Nissan model aside from the Armada that used this roofline.
AMC merged with Chrysler in the 1970s or early 80s Chrysler wanted AMC because of Jeep. When Chrysler got control of AMC they kept Jeep and got rid of the rest of it. As I remember.
I believe they still have the rights so can in theory use any one name plate from that company if they wish
@@What.its.like. They are bringing out a 2023 model Dodge they are going to call the “Hornet “ which is a car that AMC used to make.
That’s awesome
1987
Most cars today have single unit construction except for pickup trucks which have frames underneath.
Everything is unit body construction now but back in the day most everything had frames underneath it that’s why I made a point to point that out
@@What.its.like. For American Motors didn’t they have unitized construction even in the late 1940s with Nash cars? I was thinking that the postwar Nash that looked like an upside down bathtub was unitized body and frame. Correct me if I’m wrong. Thanks
A beater with a heater
Nissan Armada/Infinity QX have that roof dip.
=) I was thinking armada
My grandmother had a grey 4 door sedan and so did her neighbor. I was about 2 1/2 years old and I never saw the 2 cars at the same time, so I thought that the neighbor was stealing my grandmother until one day I stopped seeing my grandmother's car and that the neighbor kept it. I found out years later that her's was totaled and she got a 1962 model. One of the things I liked was tail lights, they remembered of the bottom irons. My older brother used to love dropping the passage's seat down on me when he could.
Great story thank you so much for sharing =)
I'm glad I only had sisters, they wouldn't have thought of that! I don't remember ever dropping the seatback on them, but I might have. 😂
My cousins from California had a newer one. I just remember how roomy and comfortable it was. Now if you want to check out something REALLY rare, find a Borgward Isabella Combi wagon! My daad had one about the same age as this Rambler.
I still have yet to see a rambler ambassador either sedan or wagon in the flash
Wow ! We had one just like this one. It used more oil than it did gas and it "smoked like crazy" . I can remember as a child taking trips on the Blue ridge Parkway. Just doing our part as a family for global climate change. circa. 1972
That’s crazy I’ve heard mixed reviews about them some people said that they were great cars, and others have nothing but problems with them I know that the maintenance there is a lot of maintenance that goes into having that car. Like the head bolts need to re-torqued almost as much as the oil gets changed I know it’s not exactly to that time frame it’s every so many miles you have to re-torque the head bolts. Also that car has trunnions and they need to be looked at every so often because that could be a really bad day you driving down the road in the trunnion just let’s go depending on how fast you are going that could be the end.
The Nissan Nissan station wagon looks similar to this that’s my guess I got neighbors that have them and that’s what they look like and was like the rambler roofline for the station wagon
Yeah the Nissan Armada has the same exact dip in the roof =)
Great car! I wish I had one!
Me too
Where is this? How much do they want?? If the unibody is not messed up this thing could be a total joy to drive around. It could be repainted for a bit of money and a couple of your own weekends. Engine and clutch brought up to road worthy by a good shade tree mechanic. I'm head over heels for this girl!
That one is NOT for sale that one belongs to a friend of mine it’s going to be featured on the show hopefully this year I would love to compare a 61 to a 59.. I have friends with both of those =) hoping to find a 60 this year as well
Isn’t Mitt Romney, the politician, related to the guy who was president of AMC in the 50s. George Romney?
Yeah it is it sort of looks like mitt, did you know Rebecca the book expert from pawns stars is related to mittens As well
@@What.its.like. I didn’t know that. But I don’t watch tv so. Also I think Ronna McDaniel, a big person in the Republicans National Committee is related to the Romney family.
We had one for a family car many years one engine overhaul until it finally rusted out above the front wheels
That’s sad to hear I love these but they are very few and far between now
Awesome job!!!!
Thank you so much I’m so happy that you like this episode one of my favorite wagons of all time
Interesting
I was wondering where you are located. I have a 1965 Rambler Classic convertible, My parents bought it new and I have never seen another. If you have interest in viewing, let me know. Thanks.
I’m super interested I’m in western Pennsylvania
@@What.its.like. I'm in eastern Idaho, near Twin Falls. I don't think I can attach a pic here, but if you know how........
That’s one of the reasons why I started the Facebook group because you can’t share pictures on here it’s not very community like I wish TH-cam had that feature it’s also really hard to get in touch with people without everybody knowing what you’re talking about I wish that there was a Messenger feature direct message people on TH-cam because I don’t use email email to me is like sending a telegraph lol
What's the FB group, I'll try to go there!
Here is the link I post a lot of shorts on there as well as I try to take the ads and the specs out of each video and post it on there if you wanna screenshot
facebook.com/groups/707697117215381/permalink/804699137515178/?mibextid=5QOMj7
They didn’t have power windows for the tailgate? Sounds like it had a 3 speed synchromesh transmission so when you shifted into low there was no grinding gears.
First year was not synchronized in this transmission both second and third were
I’m not sure about the power window in the back I don’t think that they offered a power window because they didn’t offer an external door handle they might have later on I haven’t reviewed or seen early or mid 60s cross country wagon
@@What.its.like. I remember that in the early 60s both GM and Ford cars with 3 speed transmissions they were all synchromesh where you could shift into low without grinding gears.
Packard in the mid to late 30s had a synchromesh transmission.. It’s crazy to think it took 30 years for it to trickle down to the lesser cars
How many people have left their Rambler on the side of the road due to a busted knuckle and trunnion in the front end? These didn't have ball joints.
Thank you so much for adding that I totally forgot about that =)
The head has to be re-torqued and the valves adjusted every 2 years of 12,000 miles, not at every oil change. It's a piece of cake to do, and the valve cover gasket is even designed to be re-used.
Thank you so much for that correction =)
I'm going to guess an Oldsmobile Vista Wagon from the 80's with the "dip". But I'm probably wrong.
That was an awesome guess but that’s not what I was thinking I was thinking more of the lines of Nissan armada someone also commented and said Lexus made a car that looked like that and I could definitely see the design influences in both the Oldsmobile vista as well as Lexus
@@What.its.like. I certainly agree. The Armada (justifying it's namesake) fits. I'm not sure of the Lexus though -- what model?
Hi Jay, in your into, you say working cars. It sounds an unusual term to me. It always makes me think of 'working girls' Which you could always consider as an additional channel? With your wife's approval, of course.
Orphan cars (brands that don’t exist anymore Pontiac studebaker edsel packard Oakland Viking le salle Marquette cord duesenberg Nash Hudson many many others
They did the dip to save money. The roof was a 4 door sedan with a second piece added on. Big budgets it would have been one piece with different door glass too. AMC didn't have GM money to they saved when they could.
Awesome information =) thank you so much
It’s classic.😊
=D
@@What.its.like. I liked the AMC Classic that came out in the 1970s. The Ambassador too that had grills that jutted out of the front? Perhaps you can do videos with them. Thanks
I’ll look for one
The original V8 ford engine was a flat head engine?
Yeah Ford went through a couple different engine designs until they got to the FE engine or traditional engine design
Yes, it was and it first saw the light day in showrooms back in the early 1930's, maybe the 1932 model year late in 1931. Old Henry would not change it so
it stayed in the catalog until the 1954 model arrived.
Did you had the seat adjusted all the way back when you had measured the space between your lap and the bottom of the steering wheel?
No I didn’t move the seat I left the seat where the owner had the seat the owner and I are about the same size in the seat would’ve been in the position that it would’ve been in if I was driving the car anyway
Surfin' by The Beach Boys.
=)
Roof dip.??? Infinity suv.
I was thinking Nissan armada but I could totally see that as well
Cigar lighters were important in a family wagon ??
Apparently so like who knew those would be really good places to put power ports and now everybody will have the able to hook up there phones or whatever If you think of it that way it was foreshadowing
1st view
Actually Infiniti..!!!
I wasn’t thinking infinity but now that you mention it I can definitely see the resemblance I was thinking Nissan armada
Hi Jay. Good choice of car there. I like orphan oddities. Now, I do want to comment on an aspect of your delivery. This is totally my opinion, and others might disagree, but early in your clips, you're shouting some of the words, particularly 'YOU'. I'm sorry, but to my ear it makes you sound like a jerk infomercial salesman. No offense meant of course!
No worries I wanted to do something different the delivery still needs improvement in some areas but you have to admit it’s come a long way since the very beginning..
This channel has come along way.. I really enjoy all the stories I love the feedback I just like interacting with the audience I want this to be a car community channel =)
My dad bought a new rambler in 1960 v8 automatic. He said it the worst car he ever owned
I’m sorry he didn’t like it I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews maybe he just had a bad one
The comment about the "quality" metal dashboard is interesting. In a crash when your head collides with said dash, I figure you WILL have a lasting impression of that dashboard. These "quality" automobiles were absolute death traps. Please don't compare these cars to todays automobiles. They sold well because they were CHEAP!
Would rather drive old then new the metal dash was an accident deterrent..
Your pricing is BS. The price of a car is what people are willing to pay equal to the price owners are willing to sell,
known as the price point.
Those were NADA prices so if you have a beef with the prices take it up them i was just pointing out what they are valued at is all geez..
Was just meant to be a jumping off point no need to get offended
Nice car ! Does the seat go back further ?
Yeah the seat will go back further we couldn’t slide it up and slide the front seat all the way to the most position
Nissan Armada
That was the one that I was thinking of the roofline is almost a carbon copy just shorter
@@What.its.like. yep !