The Rebel was the first 'muscle car' with the magic formula of hot engine, 4 gears, positraction, and dual exhaust without requiring an upgraded trim/interior package. It was actually a 3 speed w/overdrive if you want to nitpick. The factory did put a fuel-injection car onto the dragstrip a few times where they consistently spanked the Vette and everything else, but it was done as "demo runs" and not championship competition. Most folks tend to think of Bosch as inventing EFI, but it was the radio division of the American company Bendix who sold them the system that put them on the map. It doesn't look it, but given the unibody construction and avoiding excess weight plus the performance features, this car was WAY ahead of it's time.
They wanted to sell the fuel injection to the public and it would have been rated at 288 HP, but they could not get the bugs worked out. Same story as Chevrolet problems with refinement. Studebaker played with fuel injection as well.
I had a 1964 Rambler Classic 770 with the 287 V8 in the late 70's. It blew a head gasket almost immediately so I got a 327 from a junk yard that also installed it. That engine was the smoothest and torquiest that probably beats any V8 engine I've owned since. I now have a '72 Pontiac with the 350 and there is no contest. People would ask me if it stalled at stop-lights because it was so smooth and quiet. AND I out-ran a road rage dude in a big V8 pick up. Left him standing in an intersection in a plume of burnt rubber smoke!! The look of surprise on his face was everything! I don't get why these weren't famous!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience what great memories. I got to drive a 70 Pontiac GTO judge last year with a 400 in it and I was surprised how smooth it was all things considered it had hurst shift in it and I wasn’t crazy about it it’s super Notchy.. but I will say the clutch worked beautifully as did the Excelerator and from what I’ve learned the Excelerator is cable not linkage and there’s a huge difference. I’ve always found Pontiacs from that era to be pretty responsive. I also got to drive the bandit car last year and I never got to drive one up until that point I rode in one. I was disappointed I shifted the car manually even and it wouldn’t get out of its own way, it was an automatic.
I'm the guy who started the use of "Gen1/2/3" for the AMC V-8 engines. First used in an article in "American Independent Magazine" which I edited and published. In the third issue (Apr/May/Jun 1998) I first used the terms when editing two articles, one written by Ron Waters (on Gen2/3 flywheels and flexplates) and another by Larry Daum (on engines design by AMC engineer Dave Potter). At that time I used "GEN-1" in much the same format as GM does and got criticized for "copying GM". I explained to some other AMC guys that GM had nothing to do with it -- it just made sense! Later writing it as Gen1, etc., caught on. Some still prefer to call them "Rambler" (or "Nash") V-8s and AMC V-8s, but the Gen 1/2/3 nomenclature is more accurate. You only mention Gen1 and Gen2 in your article. The Gen2 and Gen3 models are so similar and so many parts interchange you might ask why separate them? Well, there are a couple major differences -- different block and head castings. Of course the displacements changed due to the taller deck block (about 1/16" taller, IIRC -- I'd have to check!), which also affected the intake castings due to the slightly wider V created by the taller deck, but the casting change is the main reason. The heads will interchange between Gen 2 and 3, but the difference in exhaust ports created a new casting, and also new exhaust manifolds. These are distinct differences, and some major components, such as flywheels and flexplates, do not swap between the two.
Wow that’s awesome what a treat thank you so much for everything that you did =) do you have any links to any of the articles that you’ve done for AMC engines I’m gonna come back and hit the third generation I’m not entirely sure when.. I figured I would put the first and second generations together because the second GEN was only made for four years.. whereas the third generation was made from 1970-91 and figured that engine alone is going to take a lot of time just to talk about all the differen cars that it was offered in. I was just gonna break it all down and do generation one generation to generation three in their own episodes.. in hindsight I probably should’ve done it that way because they created a lot of unnecessary confusion. I did an episode on the 196.5 flathead to overhead valve The crazy thing about that engine is they built the overhead valve version to replace the flying Scott engine but the flying Scott engine actually outlived the overhead valve in the US market. I’m a huge orphan car fan and I try to make the orphan cars front and center ( we cover everything ) but the orphans is where my heart lies. AMC Nash Hudson studebaker packard Pontiac Oakland Auburn cord Duesenberg Pierce arrow Mormon Jordan list goes on and on =) Thank you so much again for introducing your self and the work you’ve done for the car hobby =) If you ever want to just talk cars here is my email What_its_like@yahoo.com
Awesome work as always - thank you! WYR: SC/Rambler and 1959 wagon. I wanted to check my memory so I did some quick reading. The 57 Rebel was the quickest sedan in 57 at 7.5 seconds to 60. The Vette was the only car quicker at 7 seconds. From the article - both of these numbers seem high, but that’s what was published by Motor Trend back then. These AMCs were so far ahead in so many areas, like you said, it’s a shame. ~ Chuck
I saw some figures say he could do it as little as seven seconds 327 equipped ambassador wagon with a manual Will do 0 to 60 in 8 1/2 seconds which is impressive.. I really want to set a golden hawk and a rambler rebel up I have a friend who has a 57 Corvette that I’m pretty sure he would race I just have to find somebody with a rambler rebel I know somebody that has a 57 Hudson hornet with a 327 in it.. that’s like them next best thing
@@What.its.like.Only the FI equipped Corvette beat the Rebel's time to 60mph, in 57. The Ambassador and Hudson with the 327 outweighed the Rebel by 500 lbs. The overdrive on the 3 speed worked on 2nd, and 3rd gear, giving 5 speeds. In the Daytona Speed Trials in 1961, a Rambler Classic with the 250 engine, 4 barrel carb. Dual exhaust (215 hp) and 3 speed overdrive (4:10 rear gear) set the record in the 250 ci class, for quickest 0-100 mph, and held it into the nineties (and still, maybe). I had a 64 Classic 2dr sedan, with a 287, 2 barrel, with a cam and solid lifters from a 57 Rebel, a 2:94 gear, and 3 speed automatic. I raced a 68 El Camino SS 396, on Fenkell Ave in Detroit, from a 10mph roll to 70 mph, without shifting out of first gear, while the SS was rowing thru his 4 speed, straining to stay even. The Rambler would do 110 in second gear, but was hp and aero limited in third. My 66 Ambassador hardtop, 327 four barrel, auto, 3:15 gear would run even to a 351 Cobra Jet Mach 1, with a 4 speed. Great cars! My 68 Javelin, built 343, 5 speed Tremec, 3:73 twin grip, has yet to turn a wheel, but I have high expectations for it. On the Station Wagon questionnaire, I'm going with the 60 Ambassador, which was offered also as a 4dr hardtop model, from 58-60 (as was the 56-60 Rambler, but only with the 195 6cyl, or the 250 V8). Good luck finding a 57 Rebel owner, only a few left! 😎👍 12:24
I think I like the '57 Rebel and second, the 1961 Ambassador. Thanks for the forgotten AMC. I would like to have a 1972 Ambassador 2 door, if I could afford one. AMC as well as Nash/Rambler had a lot of styles I liked. An underappreciated brand.
I’m a huge Nash Fan i’ve been looking for some bathtub Nash is the feature they’re getting really hard to find they’re still underappreciated for what they were the only thing is now nobody knows what they were..
That’s awesome did it have the 250 or the 327.. i’ve heard nothing but good things from both of those engines they a lot of people said the 250 was drastically underrated as well..
Been many years, I am pretty sure the engine was the 250 V8 4 barrel , since my Rambler was the Custom model in between the standard and Ambassador. The Ambassador. only had the 327 1959-60.
My first car was a 1973 AMC Gremlin X that I pulled the 6cyl 232 out of and installed a 1968 343 from an Ambassador, was a great fun little car.... Wish I hadn't of sold it.
Super video! My personal experiance with AMCs 327 dates back to 1971 when i inherited my parents '59 Ambassador. The guys in my high school's autoshop would tease me calling it an old mans car or the batmobile due to its fins. The first time my best friend rode in it, i floord it away from a stop sign and when she hit second gear, there was a definite chirp from the rear tires! My buddy who was a motor head teen like me looked at me in amazement and said "was that what i thought i heard?" I said "yup". Still have it today 52 years later. It also has the super rare air coil ride suspension with belt driven air compressor and would love to know how many so equipped still exist. It was more common on rhe wagons but mines a 4door sedan.
Thank you glad you dig this episode =) Thank you so much for sharing your story with us what did you think of the 59 ambassador did you have a sedan or wagon the wagon is my favorite wagon of all time I’ve never seen an ambassador version that is a car that I really want to drive on paper it does 0 to 60 8 1/2 seconds with a manual transmission.. which I was told anything under nine seconds with a rocket ship in the 50s.. also love the fact that the seats fold down into a bed so you can go camping in that car Thank you so much for sharing those memories really appreciate the story =) Sorry I just saw that you had the four-door sedan what did you think of it did you like it was an all-around good car like I said I’ve never seen the ambassador version of any of the 50s cars I was really hoping to see I think it’s a 61 ambassador it has a totally different fronted than the Rambler version I really wanted to find one this year but I’ve never seen that car either they look different
@@What.its.like. it's a powerful dependable car. Only flaw would be poor cornering ability. But that was typical of alot of the 50s cars especially Buicks. That 327 puts alot of weight on the front end. Mine has 187.000 on it now and still runs great. No oil burning but the rear main seal leaks some. '59 Ambassadors were rarely seen when I got mine in '71.
Great choices Sometimes I will get more than one song stuck in my head sometimes I could get the rhythm or melody of one song in my head and then put words to another song over top of it and make my own version.. I’ve had two song stuck in my head for the last couple days left is gone by George Strait and Black is Black by los bravo
My mom worked for a AMC/Rambler dealership in Sarasota Florida when I was growing up. We always had AMC cars, all the way from several AMC Americans and Classic's with the 232 cid, and the 289 cid engines. My dad had a Javelin with the 232 cid and my mother had a Javelin SST with the 290 cid. I had both a Ambassador with the 343 cid and a Gremlin X with the Levi interior with a 258 cid. All of these engines proved to be pretty reliable and easy to work on. wish I kept some of them.
@@rickfunk1355 Maybe you're thinking of Ford or Studebaker. They each had their own 289 V8s but AMC never did. AMC did have a 287 V8. It was a first generation engine, along with the 250 and the 327.
In 1970 I owned a 1967 Rambler American. My biggest complaint about the car was , it was equipped with vacuum wipers. After someone told me that electric wires were an option on the car my best friend and I went to a local salvage yard to look for a wiper motor and the switch to go with it. we found what I was looking for and while I was paying for it a tow truck pulled in with a 1968 AMC Javelin. It had been hit very hard in the passenger side door and it bent the unibody and the car was totaled. I always loved them so much and after some long negotiations with the yard owner I bought the driveline. 343 4 speed and the driveshaft and rear axle. With the help of 4 friends and a lot of work we got it into the American. I later went back for the front suspention and brakes. AMC being AMC the javelin unibody was based on the same unibody under the American and so most things just swapped. What a car it was, I really need a time machine to go back to those wonderful days.
You are one of a few as most people did not like the unusual front on the 1961 Ambassador. I did not mind it at all. The following year they dropped the 117 inch wheelbase for the Ambassador and just used the 108 inch wheelbase of the Classic, and the Ambassador was the only Rambler with a V8. I Prefer the 1962 myself as I like the styling plus 1962 was the first year for the split two separate system brakes.
Loved my 59 Rambler with 250 V8. Had so much fun beating the larger engine Ford 289 cars and Chevy 283 cars. Those guys really hated being beaten by a Rambler 😂😂😂.
Haha great story thank you so much for sharing that incredible memory, I have a Prius that I drive for the long commutes people absolutely hate it when you pass them in a Prius and they hate it even more when they can’t catch up to you hahaha So I totally know what you mean
In that era Ramblers had the reputation of being either old lady cars or ones that skinflints would buy. In reality, they were very good cars. We had a 1965 Rambler Classic 660 as a second car. It had the 3-speed manual transmission, 287 2 bbl. V-8. It was a very quiet, smooth running engine & durable. Never gave us any problems. I didn't like shifting but Dad made me learn on it. My sister & I were rough on that car at times but it took abuse without complaint. Burned a bit of oil after the 80,000 mile mark which was common back then on most cars with higher mileage.
The thing that always stood out to me right through the AMC-Eagle Concord era is that there are so many examples of Ramblers and AMCs still around today with interiors in great shape including fabric seats without wear. Most of them are not only in better shape than Chevy, Ford and Plymouth interiors but also better than Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler and interiors and surprisingly some European brands of those years.
Just to remind those who where not there in the late 70’s , doing street racing , my co worker had a 1974 amc hornet with 401 , warmed over , would give Chevys , dodge , fords a hard time . He would loose at times , but very few times , I raced against him . I had a1970 Chevy nova ( SS) with a z28 350 transplant . I would beat him , by a fender or small amount each time . The American motors had it , if they would of kept going , who knows how far they would of gotten . They where easy to work on , reliable. But Chevys ,where cheaper , more plentiful , plus I loved them ( Chevys ) . But I learned a long time ago, all of the car manufactures had great cars , these where the golden years of cars . I miss them
Late 70's muscle cars were winding down. Late 1960's early 1970's were the golden years, I know I was running on the drag strips at the time. First time at a drag strip was 1965. I know what I am talking about.
Did he put the 401 in himself because Hornets were never from the factory available with a 401. Biggest engine in Hornets was the 360. And the only 4 barrel 360 was the SC. But two barrel 360's were available most years of the Hornet production. My uncles owned a Rambler dealership for years.
My dad raves about the Fuel Injection on the Rebel. Dad says it was wicked fast. He worked at a Rambler dealership and got to drive one. We had several Ramblers with 327 4 barrel engines. Tough and reliable engines.
It was the fastest car in the 50s I was serious if I can find somebody with a rambler rebel that wants to run straight track against the 57 Corvette I’m willing to bet the Rambler is faster
The AMC 327 was quite a peppy engine. You have to remember though, when comparing engines of different manufacturers, In 1957, Chevvy's top engine was the 283 with Rochester fuel injection. It was rated at 283 h.p. The 1957 Corvette was around 500 lbs. lighter than the Rebel, so, the Corvette would blow the doors off of a Rambler Rebel. Now, the Rambler Rebel could well be the fastest 4 dr. sedan of 1957, in carbureted form, but it was 37 lbs. heavier than a 1957 Chevy 210 sedan. If, by chance, that 1957 Chevy 210 had the 283/283 Corvette engine, forget it. A friend of mine had a 1966 Rambler Rogue 2 dr. ht with the 287 2 bbl. V8 and 4-speed manual when we were in high school. It was a pretty cool car.
I think it would be an epic race because I think the Rambler is faster I think now this is all my opinion of course Chevy smudge the numbers I saw a figure 0 to 60 in seven seconds for the Rambler Rebel.. The ambassador wagon with a manual transmission goes 0 to 60 with a 327 in 8 1/2 seconds that is impressive.. it’s something I wanna do one day it’s like a holy Grail/Hail Mary episode I would really like to race a golden hawk in that mix as well.. But even those are getting hard to find
@@What.its.like. A comparison like that would be very interesting. The Studebaker Golden Hawk had two incarnations. The first 1956 used the Packard 352/275 hp V8. It was put in a competition with the Chrysler 300B and the 1956 T-bird. It blew the other two cars off the road. Having experience with the 1956 T-bird, even with the 312 4 Bbl. V8, it seemed to me like a camel with broken knees. The 1957 Chrysler 300C and '58 300D, nobody could touch them in their weight class. The 1957 and 1958 Golden Hawks used the 289/275 hp supercharged Studebaker V8, but was actually heavier than the Packard V8. These also just had a 2 Bbl. carb. It wasn't until a few years later that the face-lifted GT Hawk got the monster Avanti R2 engine. One time, driving a 1963 R-2/automatic equipped Avanti, I have never been so impressed with any car. It sure beat the heck out of my 285hp 351-4V Ranchero by leaps and bounds.
My Aunt had a 59 Rambler Ambassador with a V8 push button trans I just remember my Uncle saying it was fast and way too powerful for a 15 year old. (Grandpa bought it for her) I was 5 (1965) I just remember the back seat being huge to myself and 2 younger brothers.
I start my automotive career with AMC dealer , but I believed amc was so advance in horse power and torque . If they sold more cars than the big three , they would’ve never went under . I don’t know if more advisement would made a difference . But they made better v8 in the late 50’ and late 70’s . I drove a 1970 amx with 390 , it ran with a 440 Chryslers and Chevys on the street . They ran great . But amc lacked the research and testing . They where sleepers . I love Chevy . But American motors had it over Chevy . I could not say anything bad about them , I love the amc hornet , with the 390 , with rebel .. I worked on all of them . I cut my teeth on them ..
I totally agree.. I know where there is a 57 hornet with 327 in it going to do that car hopefully soon =) Thank you so much for sharing all that memories amc sold out to Chrysler before I was born.. but just love the orphan brands
440 was not on the S/C Rambler it was on the Rambler American Rogue as the top trim model. While the Rogue was still the same car as the S/C Rambler the 440 was a vinyl top plushed out American with the top engine either a 290 or 343 depending on the year.
@@scrambler69-xk3kv Correct 💯 I had a 1966 440 great car very similar in size and style ☺️ it rode comfortable 😉.. she got sideswiped and I let the insurance company take her 😢💔 .. That's probably why I'm attracted to the scrambler ?? If you owned one you know how good they are 👍☺️. Enjoy Happy Motoring ✌️
Used to have several AMC cars including a 1970 Javelin Mark Donohue 390 4 speed. I still have a 1980 Jeep CJ7 with a 304/4 speed and a 360 and 401 engines sitting on pallets.
@@What.its.like. Yeah, my photo here is of me with the Javelin in about 1982. I was young and got motorcycle fever. With no money I sold the car to pay for the bike. Dumbest thing I ever did. I later got an earlier model with the 290 engine but wasn't the same.
At one time I had those aluminum 5 slot mag wheels on it. The backs were wide and had those N50/15 Big Boss tires (that everyone had to have lol). On a damp street with slight incline I dumped the clutch and ran through all four gears and I doubt the car move 20 feet. Those tires kind of sucked I guess but it looked damn cool in those days. The car was fairly quick but traction was always a problem.
Kaiser had started a V8 design and AMC hired the designer after Kaiser decided to exit the car business. He brought most of the design features with him and produced the AMC V8 in record time which was a shock to Packard who thought AMC was their customer for V8 engines and automatic transmissions for years to come. Packard's Ultramatic transmission was required with the V8 and AMC didn't like that. With a design from Kaiser that was largely done AMC got the V8 into production in less than a year and broke Packard's heart. Very shortly after that Packard merged with Studebaker who killed the Packard V8 and the Ultramatic after 2 more years. The AMC engines were better than most gave them credit for and that included the straight 6 which Chrysler kept in production long after they dropped the famous slant 6.
Thank you so much for adding all of that I really appreciate it it was conflicting information some sources said that that happened some sources said it didn’t happen so I didn’t include it..
I have a 327 in a 59 custom. it has a 2 barrel Holley . 3 speed /od . has solid lifters. and 492k mils on it. the car has topped out at 135 mph. very solid engine.
Some of my AMC memories- my parents had a Rambler, I think a 50's model, when my brother and I were small and we went fishing over night. As I remember the interior folded down flat to sleep in. One of my friends older brother had a new SC/Rambler and I rode in it a couple times. In the early 70s my friend had a '64 Rambler 287/automatic with buckets, console, & floor shifter. It was pretty cool and moved pretty good. Not long after that I bought a '73 Matador Oleg Cassini Coupe haha. It had a bad rear wheel bearing. I only bought it because I got it for next to nothing from a young couple going to school to be doctors. Their parents bought them a new car. It was actually a pretty cool car if you could get past it's weirdness. All black with Magnum wheels. I didn't keep it long, though. There was a plain looking green "Machine" with full wheel covers (hubcaps) in the area where I lived throughout the 1970s. I know that very few people knew what it was but I did. No mistaking that hood! I never saw the owner but I always thought it belonged to a lady working at a store that it was always parked in front of during the day for years. In the 1980s I was at the track with my friend and he was draggin' his 340 Duster. It was slightly modified and running 13.50s. There was a young guy that had just bought an AMC Hornet. If I remember right it was a 304/3 on the floor and similarly modified to my friend's Duster but he was running in the 12s! My only hands on experience with an AMC came a couple years ago with a 1969 Javelin 290/3 on the floor. I wasn't very impressed with it when my friend bought it other than it was a good condition old car. It had a Performer RPM manifold (I had no idea they made 'em for AMCs), headers, and you could tell by the idle that it had a mild performance cam. It wasn't running very well. I put a 600 Holley on it, a Pertronix conversion in the AC Delco distributor, new plugs & wires, a new exhaust was installed, and that little motor ran VERY nicely and was impressively strong. Not only did the motor run great but it was such a nice DRIVING car and confident at speed. I also remember my friend's mom driving us to school in her '65 Marlin in the rain and when she stepped on the gas the vacuum powered windshield wipers would slow down or stop haha. Regardless of any negative qualities I love old American cars of all makes.
Great information thank you so much for sharing all those memories as well as stories I totally dig this =) I’ve owned a couple vehicles with vacuum wipers totally know what you mean also have had cars with generators with HID headlights that’s a hilarious combination. Add a red light the lights will be as bright as candles and jam jars but when you put your foot into it it gets brighter and brighter and brighter the faster you go the brighter the lights are
Oh man I had to re-read that I thought it said that you had What is it called the country club hard top wagon those are extremely rare apparently they made a Rambler version of the hardtop wagon as well also extremely rare.. What were the positives and negatives of those vehicles
Negatives: the unibody designs were great at hiding bad rust and that killed all my cars eventually… the ‘60 Ambassador wagon was the biggest/heaviest car AMC ever made and regularly averaged 7-9MPG… Pluses: bulletproof mechanically and built like Tanks, great for long trips and the reclining seats were super-comfortable
Brings back memories when my dad worked for AMC from 1963 till his retirement in 1991 from AMC/Chrysler. I test drove the 68-72 Javelin, 68-70 AMX and 69 Scrambler when my dad had these as demonstrators. My first choice would be the 69 Scrambler.
57 rambler rebel (its just a neat looking car, but the muscle car is maybe better than most conceivable affordable muscle cars.) and I would grab any of those wagons, the 59 is probably my favorite but the difference is only in the engine/transmission/differential
The 1957 Rebel was the 2nd quickest US car for 1957, beat only by the fuel injected Corvette. Road tests of the time showed the Rebel did 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, and the fuel injected Corvette did it in 7.0 seconds.
I would love to race those one day and find out once, and for all, which one was the fastest because to my knowledge, Corvette only made seven of those units, whereas the rambler rebel I believe there was 1500 of those produced. It’s almost like saying the double supercharged 427 Shelby cobra was the fastest car in the 60s Only two of them were made…
It would be epic to see which one was really the fastest because I’ve seen numbers for the rebel 0-60 7-7.5 seconds golden hawk was also a fast car in 57
Your BEST review yet, Jay. I would choose the 1957 Rebel over just about anything. You really understand the appeal of this model, and the excellence of some of AMC's engines. I had a flawless 327 in a 1966 Ambassador convertible, which unfortunately got swiped a body shop in 1991.
I've had several AMC cars/engines. I currently drive a 67 Ambassador 2 door and a 68 Ambassador wagon. Both have the 343 4BBL. The gears are a little longer in the wagon so it's better on the interstate while the 67 is more fun around town. Both have been on many long road trips with no serious issues. We drive the wheels of 'em.
In the video I said that I wouldn’t want to drive it I should’ve said I didn’t wanna race it that is a car that I would love to drive I got to drive a 56 cross country wagon that drove a whole lot better than I ever thought it would very floaty ride.. but it’s not overly floaty and it doesn’t drive like an Econo car or at least not the Econo car that you would picture when somebody says Econo car to me I think Chrysler K car but even those didn’t really ride that bad Out of all of the options I would really like to find an ambassador cross country wagon from 59 and 61 I’ve never seen an ambassador wagon in the wild I’ve seen Rambler’s but I’ve never seen the ambassador version
Awesome.. I never got in the 45s I got into album collecting when I was at the high school I stopped at some point I had just about every single Beatles album and beach boys album up to smiley smile I have smile too I never opened it. Listen to it on my Crosley suitcase record player =)
I had a '68 Ambassador 343 4bb, I wrecked it racing a 383 Dodge. I beat him all the way to the phone pole. It broke my heart. My granddad sold steel to AMC for Republic Steel so the family had a love for AMC cars. I'd take the '60 station wagon. I had a '60 Super. it was a great car and I loved the looks.
3:18 I've read that Bosch developed the D-Jetronic based on the technology they had licensed from Bendix, and that the two shared technology during those years, so that the Bendix EFI in the 1976 Cadillac Seville (which was optional on other Cadillac models) was very similar to the system in the 1968 US-spec VW Type 3 (the first mass-produced car with standard EFI) and the systems AMC and Chrysler attempted in the 1950s. Of course, the electronic components available in the 1950s, particularly capacitors and transistors, were ill-suited to use over a wide temperature range, making the systems intolerably unreliable.
I should read all the comments but here goes opening my big yap again. Same for AMC as it was for Chrysler and Pontiac. I had a '73 450SE and a '74 412 (at different times) I have a copy of the Bosch Service Manual. A smarter man than me who was one of the only men I know of retrofitted VW's with injection, and then hopped them up, told me that basically D-Jetronic was a 2 variable analog computer, one of the key differences was that Bosch used PC board . transistorized Controller box a significant advance over what Bendix had available to them. What I also found out was that Bosch bought all of the Bendix patents several years before releasing D-Jetronic. Now I'm making the chips that are responsible for the cutting edge technology of today's and tomorrow's vehicles.
The comment section is one of the best parts of this community lots of really cool information in the comment section Thank you so much for sharing your experience with owning these cool cars =)
Good research and graphics. As you mentioned, with these engines AMC should have competed better. I think Romney was too focused on building economy cars at the expense of everything else. Big mistake. In 73-74 one of my friends was considering a Rambler Scrambler. I went along for the ride. It was way faster than we expected
WYR1: The Rebel is a potent sleeper, and would be my choice except for the torque tube drive shaft. The S/C Rambler is a bit more brash about showing its performance potential,, but it would be my choice. The AMX is a bit over-the-top, but if the Javelin were in the mix, I would consider it. WYR2: All three wagons have the torque tube drive shaft, but I think I would make an exception to my prejudice if I found a correctly equipped (overdrive, factory air) '61 Ambassador wagon. Distinctive and very attractive styling in comparison with the rest, sets it apart from the more mundane Rambler Six and Classic styling. Load up with vintage Garcia Ambassadeur reels and Conolon rods and appropriate lures and bait and head to the lake for a week's fishing.
Awesome choices. Thank you so much for sharing all the information and insight greatly appreciate it. I've been looking for a Rambler rebel there's one for sale in Wisconsin for a really reasonable amount $13,000 is what they want.
You failed to mention the 1st gen V8's oiling system (considered one of the best ever produced), and their siamesed (shared) exhaust port for the center two cylinders (which is what gave it a rather unique "almost a flathead" exhaust note). The 2nd generation engines, while getting many things right, also took everything good about the oiling system on the first generation, and did basically the opposite. The irony of AMC v8's is that the first generation had a bottom end that was capable of making serious power at higher RPMs- but cylinder heads that were not good for higher performance and the 2nd generation had cylinder heads that would flow enough for serious performance applications, with an oiling system that wasn't up to the task. The 1st gen is one of my favorite engines as a daily driver. Quiet, smooth, and reliable. Always wanted to put EFI and electronic ignition on one and drive it daily.
Those electronic fuel injection systems are more finicky than carburetor especially if you don’t drive them because the computer has the relearn itself and it takes time and then.. I used to think the same way but I worked at the Classic Car dealership last year and I drove tons of vehicles that had electronic fuel injection if the battery goes dead it has to relearn itself.. and that takes a while if you bring it back and the battery goes dead again it has to relearn itself. Where is the carburetor if you set it up properly. Clean it every now and then it works great generally.. I put electronic ignition in my Mustang and I wish I never did I had problems with the distributor all the time they kept tearing pens off at the bottom of the shaft.. but I have electronic ignition in my Chevy and I don’t have an issue with it but it’s old-school electronic ignition it’s not anything new. For what it’s worth
I honestly don’t think that it was I would love to put that to the test I would love to line both of them up one day and Run them I know a guy who has a 57 Hudson hornet with a 327 in it I’m hoping to go down there this week and do it The owner was telling me stories that he takes people for rides and that all the time because he said that that was the fastest car in America aside from the prototype Corvette that they took to the salt flats.. Nobody believes him so he’s like get in the car and I’ll take you for a ride everybody that comes out of that car is just utterly speechless because what that car can do shouldn’t be possible
69 Scrambler 61 wagon , Dad owned a 62 Rambler wagon , It was his daily driver . We would take weekend drives and picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway in that car . Used more oil than gas .The thing smoked like crazy when he got on the accelerator. Our family doing our part for🦟 mosquito control and global climate change . circa. 1972.
Awesome choices =) I have never saw AMC rambler machine until this year after I did that episode I probably seen 10 more lol I even saw one incognito that was not the red white and blue
My first car was an AMC Ambassador DPL 2 door hardtop with a 343 4 barrel carb. It was coral pink with a pink and purple brocade and vinyl interior. Mustangs and Camaro’s laughed until they saw my taillights.
I know when I was in high school, my best friend used to drive his dads 1963 Rambler Ambassador that had the Rambler 327 which was standard in all Ambassadors to school and many days we would ride around after school and I will tell you that car surprised many so called muscle cars. It would smoke it's tires as long as you wanted it to. I loved it.
Yeah thank you so much for sharing those memories with us I’m a huge fan of the underdog and win the underdog is better than the popular dog I totally dig that. =)
I had a 1969 Ambassador SST, with a 343 carter 4 barrel 2 door hard top fast back! it originally belonged to my late Grandfather and he passed it down to my father and eventually my Father passed it down me! It was a forrest Green with a black vinyl roof and wood styled stripe down the sides! I had the car because of poor body work from a few fender benders repaird repainted and replaces the fax wood grain stripes with painted black stripes and pin stripeing. The engine had lots of gaskets leaks and i had it rebuilt back about 1990! The old mechanic tuned that engine where it was at top horse power and when you kicked in the 4 barrel carburetor it sounded like a race car and it was underratted for horse power by AMC at 280 horsepower which actually put out about 320 horse power! For a large car this would litterally fly down the highway as i took it to Calgary From Edmonton and man it was fast! Thw RCMP after stopping me had to write me a ticket but reduced the amount of Kilometers over to just a speeding onstead of adding the danergouse driving charge! Because he was impressed with how emacilent the car was! I had to sell the call when i was laid off inorder to pay bills! And it was just to much to keep this car running perfectly and looking good! It had to run on high octane gasoline with a lead subtitite because of the valves were not made for unleaded gasoline!
My Grandpa once told me that the folks who purchased these "Hash's and Ramblers" in the late 50's were either "Odd Ducks" or old people. Just saying. He was around then, I wasn't, but probably because the awkward styled package Romny was pushing was a little ahead of its time and never sold well which is why you just don't see them. It's my honest opinion that Jeep was the glue that held AMC together until its demise in the early 1980's. If Studebaker had purchased Jeep instead of AMC? Who knows. The AMC V8 was a fantastic engine and even the later generation engines, despite their wonky timing cover that integrated the water pump, distributor and oil pump.
I think their goofy styling and emphasis on small, unprofitable cars, were what did AMC in. In the mid 1970s, they had the platform for light efficient big cars, something the Big 3 were scrambling to develop, but instead of using it to perfect something like the Matador/Ambassador, they squandered it on cars like the Gremlin and Pacer, which, being based on a big-car platform, were never going to be competitive with the likes of the Rabbit and Omni/Horizon. If they had put a more conventionally styled car with the wheelbase of the Matador sedan and wagons up against GM's B-body and Ford's Panther sedans and wagons, they could have been first to arrive at the party, instead of last.
Uncle Tony's Garage has a video about a guy who managed to identify and fix the problem with the Bendix Electrojector fitted to a Chrysler 300. It runs very strong now.
Hi Jay!: ANOTHER interesting and informative engine episode!! Would like to see one of those early Rambler Rebels in action! The PERFECT sleeper car! WYR#1 EASY! AMX BABY! What a cool car those were! Now almost overlooked! #2 Hmmmmmm. . .you know I kind of like that HOMELY 1961 Rambler wagon! I would tool around town in one of those! At one time an aunt of mine had a 1965 Rambler 4 door. It was brown. My Mom and I would ride with her from time to time and one time we were behind a Corvette somewhere between 1968 and 1972 version. Anyway I was in the back seat and I told her to pass that Corvette! She floored the little rambler and went around him! That car had one of these little AMC V-8's in it. I still think that was the coolest thing I had ever experienced up to that time. The day my Aunt blew by a Corvette with her little brown Rambler!!
Sweet choices =) I want to review an ambassador wagon like nobody’s business I’ve never seen one in a while I should rephrase that I’ve never seen an ambassador wagon from the 50s or 60s I saw 70 once =)
For WYR, I'd take the'68 AMX and the '61 Ambassador. Out of curiosity I wouldn't mind watching the Rebel vs. the Corvette. That would be an eye-opener.
I have a friend with a 57 that I would just have to find a rambler rebel but I have another friend with a Hudson hornet 327 V8 just like the Rambler rebel that might be a possibility..
I have a book that's called the American Motor Motors Corporation buyer's guide and toward the end of the chapters on the engines all AMC V8 engines used high-grade nickel steel and high quality Parts in their Motors whether it was a small block 304 or large block 401 they were well known to go over 100,000 miles without major engine service if maintained well i had 2 amc matador coupes Barcelona 2 with the 360 just to let you know awesome Channel
My best friends dad worked at a local AMC dealership so they always drove Ramblers in the 1960's until one day dad came home with a 1968 Ambassador SST with a 343 in it. I loved the dash in it so much with that crazy vertical radio. The one thing I loved was the AC vent on top of the dash in front of the driver. It had a little door over that vent that you could close. Crazy. He was always power braking it to get it to burn tire. That was great until the transmission went out, and dad knew why it went out, so that was the end of him driving it.
It was said the design engineer for the 1st gen amc engine took the plans from the Kaiser 288 v8 which was never finished to amc. The engine does look very similar to the Kaiser.
@@What.its.like. AMX but it was only a car for 18-20 hours after I bought it. Drove 40 miles to buy it, drove it to a friends place 2 miles from my home and put it in his paint shop to do some touch-ups. Building burned to the ground overnight, '72, he didn't have any insurance. Of the Scrambler and Rebel mom had I borrowed the Rebel a lot more than I did the Scrambler. '72 I also had a '69 Rebel 4-door, 6 cylinder 3 on the column/overdrive for work driving. If you burped wide open throttle in each gear it kicked into overdrive for that gear-nearly like a 6 speed. It put a lot of late '60s factory small block Camaros, Stangs, Fairlane's, etc to shame on the local street quarter mile spot-even losing by a fender they caught hell over it.
According to Patrick Foster’s book on George Romney, Romney did not “want to make his own V8”. The book says that Nance had refused to buy bodies from AM (which Packard needed) while AM bought engines and automatic transmissions from Packard as per their agreement. After Nance put him off, Romney ordered his engineering department to begin work on a Nash V8. Nance did not like Romney and had demanded to head AM if Packard were to join. Mason said no. Romney had declined to run Packard (which he was offered) and took less money at Nash because he wanted to learn the auto business from Mason. Nance then got the job and told the press he would acquire AM in 2 years. Romney scored a major hit with his Rambler and the big three followed him. We all know what happened to Packard.
Thank you so much for adding that information there was so much conflicting information it’s really hard to sometimes cut through the crap so to speak and figure out what his facts and what is fiction. There was a source saying that Packard also tried selling them other parts along side the engines and Romney wasn’t interested.
I have a n AMC 1959 sedan with a 327 2 barrel Holley carb. it has 495000 miles on it . dad bough it new. also a 72 360 4 speed Javlin. a little over 100 k miles. parked is a 66 American with a 232 6 500 k miles on it. back in the 70s I installed turbocharger on it. 300+ hp. ran 13.5 1/4 mile. I was accused of having a sleeper. then I would demonstrate the seats.
There’s a car that I really want to drive I’ve read that it will stay with the GTO‘s which is saying something. And some people claim to beat GTO‘s in that car.. I see a few driving around here but that’s another car that doesn’t come up very often at car shows
All 3 early amc v8s had 3.25 stroke not 3.3 or 3.5 Bore centers were 4.75 same as Buick which came with a 4 5/16 bore Special hD amc v8 for Nascar or Hayden Proffits blown fuel car had 4.25 or 4 5/16 bore. We ran a 'Trans AM: 302 motor with 4 5/16 bore and short stroke Moldex crank (heads flowed better the larger the bore) Neither the 390 or 401 had a 3.5 stroke
I like your engine series. My parents had a '65 Rambler Classic with the 287 V8. I have heard that this engine was not actually produced by AMC but farmed out to Continental Motors Company. If that is true, I'm guessing the engineering department at AMC didn't have the production capacity at the time. Any AMC gear heads know if this was true?
Awesome =) 327 equipped AMC marlin is definitely a car that I really want to drive. The forged internals are also a good feature.. boost power with confidence
Yes that’s a really rare car I’ve only seen one in my lifetime and that was earlier this year and it took everything within me not to stop my truck and say hey my name is J I have a Classic Car TH-cam channel can I feature your awesome ride on the channel instead I just watch the driveway in my rearview mirror
Yes, they had very thick block which made them a heavy engine. Studebaker had the same problem. That is why so often you would read in various articles when discussing an engine,you would hear the term thinwall block.
Great guess for the song but no I totally agree with you on the choices it would be really hard but above all of them it would either be the 59 ambassador cross country wagon or the 61 because it looks so different than anything else..
I’d have to take the amx, grandfather has had his 68 343 in viper blue and his buddy his has a SC/rambler (390) does not matter. The amx will have people asking questions, wondering what it is or unlocking a memory. Even calling it a Camaro or mustang out of quick glance just to learn what amc was, scrambler and machine are cool but the amx holds a place ❤️🇺🇸 (only 68-70s sorry javelins AMX guys)
i can tell yu that the 250 cid and the 287 cid engines you could not kill, and the rebel was fast, light weight and plenty of power, yes the fastest and probably also got the best fuel mileage as long as you didnt stomp on it which would be fun to blow off the big three. as the song goes the little nash rambler and the caddy look it up.
.....thanks for the vid....AMC should have just continued to make Ramblers and never tried to compete with the Big 3 with fancy full-size and performance cars, which drained capital that they could have used to keep their compacts and mizsized economy cars updated and quality-built..... the Gremlin, Hornet, and Pacer were decent and timely designs, but AMC build quality was far below average....
Hi Justin, good cars, good video! 1970 was a big year for "Am" (American Motors). #1; Am bought Kaiser Jeep. #2; Am came out with the brand new "Generation 3 V8" with different block, cylinder heads, connecting rods and crank shaft. Last but not least, American Motors, went from "Am" badging to "AMC" badging i.e. "American Motors Corporation", I think because it was easier to say. American Motors flagship car the "Rambler American" that was dust in the wind. If you bought a 1969 or below American Motors the car was title would state "Rambler". A buddy of mine owned a 1969 Am AMX with a AMX 390 4 barrel with a close ratio 4 speed, low geared twin grip differential and he would give big block Corvettes a run for their money! Please reply. Dave...
They removed the Rambler badging on all except the American in 1968. It was felt that the Rambler name was seen as cheap, and they were trying to give their cars more prestige in the eyes of the American public. The Rambler name died when they ended production of the American in 1969, replacing it with the AMC Hornet for the 1970 model year.
The big mistake Am made in the 327 after 57 is they decided to use single ssh instead of the 57s dual, and the engine never really made the factory hp rating.
My high school auto shop teacher was a huge AMC/ Rambler fan. He had (from his own garage) a 327 from a 1929 T- Bucket he built and got back from the fellow who bought it (along with a Borg 4 speed). He explained the differences between that motor from a Chevy and Ford small block. In your scenarios, I'd take the S/C Scrambler, and the 59 wagon. The 61 wagon was butt ugly.... The S/C Scrambler was a turn-key 13 second 1/4 mile car.
Wow that’s crazy I’m hoping next year to compare some cars and I mean compare some cars like find two people take them to the race track and set up a race to see which one was really the faster of the two cars last year I had the opportunity to do that with a 413 max wedge and a few injections stingray but they said no.. but I feel like if I asked the right people could’ve made something happen but then again those are two really expensive cars..
@@What.its.like. These cars are stupid expensive these days. There was a track that still runs street stock cars somewhere on TH-cam but I can't remember.
Yeah that’s the other issue.. I’m going to make an episode I think this week describing or at least telling what goes on behind the scenes I’ve been getting a lot of questions on how I put episodes together figured I just break it all down in a video.. =)
Sweet i’ve been looking for one to review I found one at Mecum but the more I looked at it the more I was finding that wasn’t right about it and then found out that it was a tribute car..
Los Bravos Black is Black ???
Yeah buddy congratulations you got it =)
I never would've guessed that.
Awesome job .
@@andreamills5852 🌼 Thank You ☺️✌️❤️
C'mon, that was easy! Haha.
The Rebel was the first 'muscle car' with the magic formula of hot engine, 4 gears, positraction, and dual exhaust without requiring an upgraded trim/interior package. It was actually a 3 speed w/overdrive if you want to nitpick. The factory did put a fuel-injection car onto the dragstrip a few times where they consistently spanked the Vette and everything else, but it was done as "demo runs" and not championship competition. Most folks tend to think of Bosch as inventing EFI, but it was the radio division of the American company Bendix who sold them the system that put them on the map. It doesn't look it, but given the unibody construction and avoiding excess weight plus the performance features, this car was WAY ahead of it's time.
They wanted to sell the fuel injection to the public and it would have been rated at 288 HP, but they could not get the bugs worked out. Same story as Chevrolet problems with refinement. Studebaker played with fuel injection as well.
I had a 1964 Rambler Classic 770 with the 287 V8 in the late 70's. It blew a head gasket almost immediately so I got a 327 from a junk yard that also installed it. That engine was the smoothest and torquiest that probably beats any V8 engine I've owned since. I now have a '72 Pontiac with the 350 and there is no contest. People would ask me if it stalled at stop-lights because it was so smooth and quiet. AND I out-ran a road rage dude in a big V8 pick up. Left him standing in an intersection in a plume of burnt rubber smoke!! The look of surprise on his face was everything! I don't get why these weren't famous!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience what great memories. I got to drive a 70 Pontiac GTO judge last year with a 400 in it and I was surprised how smooth it was all things considered it had hurst shift in it and I wasn’t crazy about it it’s super Notchy.. but I will say the clutch worked beautifully as did the Excelerator and from what I’ve learned the Excelerator is cable not linkage and there’s a huge difference. I’ve always found Pontiacs from that era to be pretty responsive. I also got to drive the bandit car last year and I never got to drive one up until that point I rode in one. I was disappointed I shifted the car manually even and it wouldn’t get out of its own way, it was an automatic.
AMC was always the underdog but they had heart and it showed.
I'm the guy who started the use of "Gen1/2/3" for the AMC V-8 engines. First used in an article in "American Independent Magazine" which I edited and published. In the third issue (Apr/May/Jun 1998) I first used the terms when editing two articles, one written by Ron Waters (on Gen2/3 flywheels and flexplates) and another by Larry Daum (on engines design by AMC engineer Dave Potter). At that time I used "GEN-1" in much the same format as GM does and got criticized for "copying GM". I explained to some other AMC guys that GM had nothing to do with it -- it just made sense! Later writing it as Gen1, etc., caught on. Some still prefer to call them "Rambler" (or "Nash") V-8s and AMC V-8s, but the Gen 1/2/3 nomenclature is more accurate. You only mention Gen1 and Gen2 in your article. The Gen2 and Gen3 models are so similar and so many parts interchange you might ask why separate them? Well, there are a couple major differences -- different block and head castings. Of course the displacements changed due to the taller deck block (about 1/16" taller, IIRC -- I'd have to check!), which also affected the intake castings due to the slightly wider V created by the taller deck, but the casting change is the main reason. The heads will interchange between Gen 2 and 3, but the difference in exhaust ports created a new casting, and also new exhaust manifolds. These are distinct differences, and some major components, such as flywheels and flexplates, do not swap between the two.
Wow that’s awesome what a treat thank you so much for everything that you did =) do you have any links to any of the articles that you’ve done for AMC engines I’m gonna come back and hit the third generation I’m not entirely sure when.. I figured I would put the first and second generations together because the second GEN was only made for four years.. whereas the third generation was made from 1970-91 and figured that engine alone is going to take a lot of time just to talk about all the differen cars that it was offered in. I was just gonna break it all down and do generation one generation to generation three in their own episodes.. in hindsight I probably should’ve done it that way because they created a lot of unnecessary confusion.
I did an episode on the 196.5 flathead to overhead valve The crazy thing about that engine is they built the overhead valve version to replace the flying Scott engine but the flying Scott engine actually outlived the overhead valve in the US market.
I’m a huge orphan car fan and I try to make the orphan cars front and center ( we cover everything ) but the orphans is where my heart lies. AMC Nash Hudson studebaker packard Pontiac Oakland Auburn cord Duesenberg Pierce arrow Mormon Jordan list goes on and on =)
Thank you so much again for introducing your self and the work you’ve done for the car hobby =)
If you ever want to just talk cars here is my email
What_its_like@yahoo.com
1960 Ambassador Wagon, Rambler Scrambler. Love those cars.
Great choices totally agree =)
Awesome work as always - thank you! WYR: SC/Rambler and 1959 wagon. I wanted to check my memory so I did some quick reading. The 57 Rebel was the quickest sedan in 57 at 7.5 seconds to 60. The Vette was the only car quicker at 7 seconds. From the article - both of these numbers seem high, but that’s what was published by Motor Trend back then. These AMCs were so far ahead in so many areas, like you said, it’s a shame. ~ Chuck
I saw some figures say he could do it as little as seven seconds 327 equipped ambassador wagon with a manual Will do 0 to 60 in 8 1/2 seconds which is impressive.. I really want to set a golden hawk and a rambler rebel up I have a friend who has a 57 Corvette that I’m pretty sure he would race I just have to find somebody with a rambler rebel I know somebody that has a 57 Hudson hornet with a 327 in it.. that’s like them next best thing
Dude, u r sooo right...390's and 401's were runners.
Stout, very stout.
@@What.its.like.Only the FI equipped Corvette beat the Rebel's time to 60mph, in 57. The Ambassador and Hudson with the 327 outweighed the Rebel by 500 lbs. The overdrive on the 3 speed worked on 2nd, and 3rd gear, giving 5 speeds. In the Daytona Speed Trials in 1961, a Rambler Classic with the 250 engine, 4 barrel carb. Dual exhaust (215 hp) and 3 speed overdrive (4:10 rear gear) set the record in the 250 ci class, for quickest 0-100 mph, and held it into the nineties (and still, maybe). I had a 64 Classic 2dr sedan, with a 287, 2 barrel, with a cam and solid lifters from a 57 Rebel, a 2:94 gear, and 3 speed automatic. I raced a 68 El Camino SS 396, on Fenkell Ave in Detroit, from a 10mph roll to 70 mph, without shifting out of first gear, while the SS was rowing thru his 4 speed, straining to stay even. The Rambler would do 110 in second gear, but was hp and aero limited in third. My 66 Ambassador hardtop, 327 four barrel, auto, 3:15 gear would run even to a 351 Cobra Jet Mach 1, with a 4 speed. Great cars! My 68 Javelin, built 343, 5 speed Tremec, 3:73 twin grip, has yet to turn a wheel, but I have high expectations for it. On the Station Wagon questionnaire, I'm going with the 60 Ambassador, which was offered also as a 4dr hardtop model, from 58-60 (as was the 56-60 Rambler, but only with the 195 6cyl, or the 250 V8). Good luck finding a 57 Rebel owner, only a few left!
😎👍 12:24
I think I like the '57 Rebel and second, the 1961 Ambassador. Thanks for the forgotten AMC. I would like to have a 1972 Ambassador 2 door, if I could afford one. AMC as well as Nash/Rambler had a lot of styles I liked. An underappreciated brand.
I’m a huge Nash Fan i’ve been looking for some bathtub Nash is the feature they’re getting really hard to find they’re still underappreciated for what they were the only thing is now nobody knows what they were..
I like the fins of the 1960 and 1961, but the 1962 without the fins has the split dual circuit brake system, the first year for it.
Well done AMC engine episode, briefly had a 59 Rambler V8 sedan in 1976, it was a lively runner. First pick, 68 AMX, 2nd pick the 59 Ambassador wagon.
That’s awesome did it have the 250 or the 327.. i’ve heard nothing but good things from both of those engines they a lot of people said the 250 was drastically underrated as well..
Been many years, I am pretty sure the engine was the 250 V8 4 barrel , since my Rambler was the Custom model in between the standard and Ambassador. The Ambassador. only had the 327 1959-60.
Excellent video. Thank you for sharing the spec,s.
=) you bet
My first car was a 1973 AMC Gremlin X
that I pulled the 6cyl 232 out of and installed a 1968 343 from an Ambassador, was a great fun little car.... Wish I hadn't of sold it.
Oh wow manual transmission that engine probably made that car haul some serious but talk about a hot hatchback
Yeah 3 speed on the floor made the little Gremlin X sleeper go!@@What.its.like.
Super video! My personal experiance with AMCs 327 dates back to 1971 when i inherited my parents '59 Ambassador. The guys in my high school's autoshop would tease me calling it an old mans car or the batmobile due to its fins. The first time my best friend rode in it, i floord it away from a stop sign and when she hit second gear, there was a definite chirp from the rear tires! My buddy who was a motor head teen like me looked at me in amazement and said "was that what i thought i heard?" I said "yup". Still have it today 52 years later. It also has the super rare air coil ride suspension with belt driven air compressor and would love to know how many so equipped still exist. It was more common on rhe wagons but mines a 4door sedan.
Thank you glad you dig this episode =)
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us what did you think of the 59 ambassador did you have a sedan or wagon the wagon is my favorite wagon of all time I’ve never seen an ambassador version that is a car that I really want to drive on paper it does 0 to 60 8 1/2 seconds with a manual transmission.. which I was told anything under nine seconds with a rocket ship in the 50s.. also love the fact that the seats fold down into a bed so you can go camping in that car
Thank you so much for sharing those memories really appreciate the story =)
Sorry I just saw that you had the four-door sedan what did you think of it did you like it was an all-around good car like I said I’ve never seen the ambassador version of any of the 50s cars I was really hoping to see I think it’s a 61 ambassador it has a totally different fronted than the Rambler version I really wanted to find one this year but I’ve never seen that car either they look different
@@What.its.like. it's a powerful dependable car. Only flaw would be poor cornering ability. But that was typical of alot of the 50s cars especially Buicks. That 327 puts alot of weight on the front end. Mine has 187.000 on it now and still runs great. No oil burning but the rear main seal leaks some. '59 Ambassadors were rarely seen when I got mine in '71.
SC Rambler, 1959 wagon. Thanks for the earworm!
Great choices
Sometimes I will get more than one song stuck in my head sometimes I could get the rhythm or melody of one song in my head and then put words to another song over top of it and make my own version..
I’ve had two song stuck in my head for the last couple days left is gone by George Strait and Black is Black by los bravo
My mom worked for a AMC/Rambler dealership in Sarasota Florida when I was growing up. We always had AMC cars, all the way from several AMC Americans and Classic's with the 232 cid, and the 289 cid engines. My dad had a Javelin with the 232 cid and my mother had a Javelin SST with the 290 cid. I had both a Ambassador with the 343 cid and a Gremlin X with the Levi interior with a 258 cid. All of these engines proved to be pretty reliable and easy to work on. wish I kept some of them.
Thank you so much for sharing those memories with us and experience all of those cars seem like they would be really cool to have now.. =)
289? No, 290.
@@Rick-S-6063 The 289 was before the 290.
@@rickfunk1355 Maybe you're thinking of Ford or Studebaker. They each had their own 289 V8s but AMC never did.
AMC did have a 287 V8. It was a first generation engine, along with the 250 and the 327.
@@Rick-S-6063 Sorry, my mistake, My dad had the 287cid in his Classic 660 while I had the 232.
In 1970 I owned a 1967 Rambler American. My biggest complaint about the car was , it was equipped with vacuum wipers. After someone told me that electric wires were an option on the car my best friend and I went to a local salvage yard to look for a wiper motor and the switch to go with it. we found what I was looking for and while I was paying for it a tow truck pulled in with a 1968 AMC Javelin. It had been hit very hard in the passenger side door and it bent the unibody and the car was totaled. I always loved them so much and after some long negotiations with the yard owner I bought the driveline. 343 4 speed and the driveshaft and rear axle. With the help of 4 friends and a lot of work we got it into the American. I later went back for the front suspention and brakes. AMC being AMC the javelin unibody was based on the same unibody under the American and so most things just swapped. What a car it was, I really need a time machine to go back to those wonderful days.
Cool story thank you so much for sharing those memories with us =)
That’s crazy that most everything is interchangeable =)
The '57 Rebel and '61 Amb wagon have always been among my favorites.
You are one of a few as most people did not like the unusual front on the 1961 Ambassador. I did not mind it at all. The following year they dropped the 117 inch wheelbase for the Ambassador and just used the 108 inch wheelbase of the Classic, and the Ambassador was the only Rambler with a V8. I Prefer the 1962 myself as I like the styling plus 1962 was the first year for the split two separate system brakes.
Agreed, great cars, great styling (especially the '61 Ambassador), surprising performance.
Loved my 59 Rambler with 250 V8. Had so much fun beating the larger engine Ford 289 cars and Chevy 283 cars. Those guys really hated being beaten by a Rambler 😂😂😂.
Haha great story thank you so much for sharing that incredible memory,
I have a Prius that I drive for the long commutes people absolutely hate it when you pass them in a Prius and they hate it even more when they can’t catch up to you hahaha So I totally know what you mean
In that era Ramblers had the reputation of being either old lady cars or ones that skinflints would buy. In reality, they were very good cars. We had a 1965 Rambler Classic 660 as a second car. It had the 3-speed manual transmission, 287 2 bbl. V-8. It was a very quiet, smooth running engine & durable. Never gave us any problems. I didn't like shifting but Dad made me learn on it. My sister & I were rough on that car at times but it took abuse without complaint. Burned a bit of oil after the 80,000 mile mark which was common back then on most cars with higher mileage.
Thank you so much for sharing those great memories I really dig the story I would love to own an AMC product soon lol =)
The thing that always stood out to me right through the AMC-Eagle Concord era is that there are so many examples of Ramblers and AMCs still around today with interiors in great shape including fabric seats without wear. Most of them are not only in better shape than Chevy, Ford and Plymouth interiors but also better than Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler and interiors and surprisingly some European brands of those years.
Just to remind those who where not there in the late 70’s , doing street racing , my co worker had a 1974 amc hornet with 401 , warmed over , would give Chevys , dodge , fords a hard time . He would loose at times , but very few times , I raced against him . I had a1970 Chevy nova ( SS) with a z28 350 transplant . I would beat him , by a fender or small amount each time . The American motors had it , if they would of kept going , who knows how far they would of gotten . They where easy to work on , reliable. But Chevys ,where cheaper , more plentiful , plus I loved them ( Chevys ) . But I learned a long time ago, all of the car manufactures had great cars , these where the golden years of cars . I miss them
Late 70's muscle cars were winding down. Late 1960's early 1970's were the golden years, I know I was running on the drag strips at the time. First time at a drag strip was 1965. I know what I am talking about.
Did he put the 401 in himself because Hornets were never from the factory available with a 401. Biggest engine in Hornets was the 360. And the only 4 barrel 360 was the SC. But two barrel 360's were available most years of the Hornet production. My uncles owned a Rambler dealership for years.
My dad raves about the Fuel Injection on the Rebel. Dad says it was wicked fast. He worked at a Rambler dealership and got to drive one. We had several Ramblers with 327 4 barrel engines. Tough and reliable engines.
It was the fastest car in the 50s I was serious if I can find somebody with a rambler rebel that wants to run straight track against the 57 Corvette I’m willing to bet the Rambler is faster
1st choice 57 Rebel, 2nd choice 59 Ambassador hardtop wagon.
I had a 65 Ambassador 990 sedan with the 327 and that thing would move!
Awesome memories =)
The AMC 327 was quite a peppy engine. You have to remember though, when comparing engines of different manufacturers, In 1957, Chevvy's top engine was the 283 with Rochester fuel injection. It was rated at 283 h.p. The 1957 Corvette was around 500 lbs. lighter than the Rebel, so, the Corvette would blow the doors off of a Rambler Rebel.
Now, the Rambler Rebel could well be the fastest 4 dr. sedan of 1957, in carbureted form, but it was 37 lbs. heavier than a 1957 Chevy 210 sedan. If, by chance, that 1957 Chevy 210 had the 283/283 Corvette engine, forget it.
A friend of mine had a 1966 Rambler Rogue 2 dr. ht with the 287 2 bbl. V8 and 4-speed manual when we were in high school. It was a pretty cool car.
I think it would be an epic race because I think the Rambler is faster I think now this is all my opinion of course Chevy smudge the numbers I saw a figure 0 to 60 in seven seconds for the Rambler Rebel.. The ambassador wagon with a manual transmission goes 0 to 60 with a 327 in 8 1/2 seconds that is impressive.. it’s something I wanna do one day it’s like a holy Grail/Hail Mary episode I would really like to race a golden hawk in that mix as well.. But even those are getting hard to find
250 cu. in. Ramblers would give a 265 a hard time.
So would 232 Sixes with the 2 barrel carburetor (would beat the Chevy off the line IF the chevy had the Powerglide)@@scrambler69-xk3kv
@@What.its.like. A comparison like that would be very interesting.
The Studebaker Golden Hawk had two incarnations. The first 1956 used the Packard 352/275 hp V8. It was put in a competition with the Chrysler 300B and the 1956 T-bird. It blew the other two cars off the road. Having experience with the 1956 T-bird, even with the 312 4 Bbl. V8, it seemed to me like a camel with broken knees. The 1957 Chrysler 300C and '58 300D, nobody could touch them in their weight class.
The 1957 and 1958 Golden Hawks used the 289/275 hp supercharged Studebaker V8, but was actually heavier than the Packard V8. These also just had a 2 Bbl. carb. It wasn't until a few years later that the face-lifted GT Hawk got the monster Avanti R2 engine.
One time, driving a 1963 R-2/automatic equipped Avanti, I have never been so impressed with any car. It sure beat the heck out of my 285hp 351-4V Ranchero by leaps and bounds.
My Aunt had a 59 Rambler Ambassador with a V8 push button trans I just remember my Uncle saying it was fast and way too powerful for a 15 year old. (Grandpa bought it for her) I was 5 (1965) I just remember the back seat being huge to myself and 2 younger brothers.
Great memories thank you so much for sharing with us
I start my automotive career with AMC dealer , but I believed amc was so advance in horse power and torque . If they sold more cars than the big three , they would’ve never went under . I don’t know if more advisement would made a difference . But they made better v8 in the late 50’ and late 70’s . I drove a 1970 amx with 390 , it ran with a 440 Chryslers and Chevys on the street . They ran great . But amc lacked the research and testing . They where sleepers . I love Chevy . But American motors had it over Chevy . I could not say anything bad about them , I love the amc hornet , with the 390 , with rebel .. I worked on all of them . I cut my teeth on them ..
I totally agree.. I know where there is a 57 hornet with 327 in it going to do that car hopefully soon =)
Thank you so much for sharing all that memories amc sold out to Chrysler before I was born.. but just love the orphan brands
Rambler Scrambler I've had a 440 great little car 👍 getting parts was a nightmare 😢..
Another great episode ☺️👏👏✌️
440 was not on the S/C Rambler it was on the Rambler American Rogue as the top trim model. While the Rogue was still the same car as the S/C Rambler the 440 was a vinyl top plushed out American with the top engine either a 290 or 343 depending on the year.
@@scrambler69-xk3kv Correct 💯 I had a 1966 440 great car very similar in size and style ☺️ it rode comfortable 😉.. she got sideswiped and I let the insurance company take her 😢💔 ..
That's probably why I'm attracted to the scrambler ?? If you owned one you know how good they are 👍☺️. Enjoy
Happy Motoring ✌️
Glad you dig this episode great choices =)
Used to have several AMC cars including a 1970 Javelin Mark Donohue 390 4 speed. I still have a 1980 Jeep CJ7 with a 304/4 speed and a 360 and 401 engines sitting on pallets.
That’s absolutely crazy that you had a Donohue javelin any cool stories about that car why did you sell it?
@@What.its.like. Yeah, my photo here is of me with the Javelin in about 1982. I was young and got motorcycle fever. With no money I sold the car to pay for the bike. Dumbest thing I ever did. I later got an earlier model with the 290 engine but wasn't the same.
At one time I had those aluminum 5 slot mag wheels on it. The backs were wide and had those N50/15 Big Boss tires (that everyone had to have lol). On a damp street with slight incline I dumped the clutch and ran through all four gears and I doubt the car move 20 feet. Those tires kind of sucked I guess but it looked damn cool in those days. The car was fairly quick but traction was always a problem.
Kaiser had started a V8 design and AMC hired the designer after Kaiser decided to exit the car business. He brought most of the design features with him and produced the AMC V8 in record time which was a shock to Packard who thought AMC was their customer for V8 engines and automatic transmissions for years to come. Packard's Ultramatic transmission was required with the V8 and AMC didn't like that. With a design from Kaiser that was largely done AMC got the V8 into production in less than a year and broke Packard's heart. Very shortly after that Packard merged with Studebaker who killed the Packard V8 and the Ultramatic after 2 more years. The AMC engines were better than most gave them credit for and that included the straight 6 which Chrysler kept in production long after they dropped the famous slant 6.
Thank you so much for adding all of that I really appreciate it it was conflicting information some sources said that that happened some sources said it didn’t happen so I didn’t include it..
I have a 327 in a 59 custom. it has a 2 barrel Holley . 3 speed /od . has solid lifters. and 492k mils on it. the car has topped out at 135 mph. very solid engine.
Some of my AMC memories- my parents had a Rambler, I think a 50's model, when my brother and I were small and we went fishing over night. As I remember the interior folded down flat to sleep in. One of my friends older brother had a new SC/Rambler and I rode in it a couple times. In the early 70s my friend had a '64 Rambler 287/automatic with buckets, console, & floor shifter. It was pretty cool and moved pretty good. Not long after that I bought a '73 Matador Oleg Cassini Coupe haha. It had a bad rear wheel bearing. I only bought it because I got it for next to nothing from a young couple going to school to be doctors. Their parents bought them a new car. It was actually a pretty cool car if you could get past it's weirdness. All black with Magnum wheels. I didn't keep it long, though. There was a plain looking green "Machine" with full wheel covers (hubcaps) in the area where I lived throughout the 1970s. I know that very few people knew what it was but I did. No mistaking that hood! I never saw the owner but I always thought it belonged to a lady working at a store that it was always parked in front of during the day for years. In the 1980s I was at the track with my friend and he was draggin' his 340 Duster. It was slightly modified and running 13.50s. There was a young guy that had just bought an AMC Hornet. If I remember right it was a 304/3 on the floor and similarly modified to my friend's Duster but he was running in the 12s! My only hands on experience with an AMC came a couple years ago with a 1969 Javelin 290/3 on the floor. I wasn't very impressed with it when my friend bought it other than it was a good condition old car. It had a Performer RPM manifold (I had no idea they made 'em for AMCs), headers, and you could tell by the idle that it had a mild performance cam. It wasn't running very well. I put a 600 Holley on it, a Pertronix conversion in the AC Delco distributor, new plugs & wires, a new exhaust was installed, and that little motor ran VERY nicely and was impressively strong. Not only did the motor run great but it was such a nice DRIVING car and confident at speed. I also remember my friend's mom driving us to school in her '65 Marlin in the rain and when she stepped on the gas the vacuum powered windshield wipers would slow down or stop haha. Regardless of any negative qualities I love old American cars of all makes.
Great information thank you so much for sharing all those memories as well as stories I totally dig this =)
I’ve owned a couple vehicles with vacuum wipers totally know what you mean also have had cars with generators with HID headlights that’s a hilarious combination. Add a red light the lights will be as bright as candles and jam jars but when you put your foot into it it gets brighter and brighter and brighter the faster you go the brighter the lights are
Owned 1958 Ambassador pillarless 4-door and 1960 Ambassador wagon, great cars and loved the sound of the AMC V8 327 with 4Bbl
Oh man I had to re-read that I thought it said that you had What is it called the country club hard top wagon those are extremely rare apparently they made a Rambler version of the hardtop wagon as well also extremely rare..
What were the positives and negatives of those vehicles
Negatives: the unibody designs were great at hiding bad rust and that killed all my cars eventually… the ‘60 Ambassador wagon was the biggest/heaviest car AMC ever made and regularly averaged 7-9MPG…
Pluses: bulletproof mechanically and built like Tanks, great for long trips and the reclining seats were super-comfortable
I own a 1969 Corvette ZL1 convertible. You should do an episode on that brah
Brings back memories when my dad worked for AMC from 1963 till his retirement in 1991 from AMC/Chrysler. I test drove the 68-72 Javelin, 68-70 AMX and 69 Scrambler when my dad had these as demonstrators. My first choice would be the 69 Scrambler.
Awesome story thank you so much for sharing those memories with us that would’ve been a really cool time to be alive..
Great choice =)
57 rambler rebel (its just a neat looking car, but the muscle car is maybe better than most conceivable affordable muscle cars.) and I would grab any of those wagons, the 59 is probably my favorite but the difference is only in the engine/transmission/differential
The 1957 Rebel was the 2nd quickest US car for 1957, beat only by the fuel injected Corvette. Road tests of the time showed the Rebel did 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, and the fuel injected Corvette did it in 7.0 seconds.
I would love to race those one day and find out once, and for all, which one was the fastest because to my knowledge, Corvette only made seven of those units, whereas the rambler rebel I believe there was 1500 of those produced. It’s almost like saying the double supercharged 427 Shelby cobra was the fastest car in the 60s Only two of them were made…
@@What.its.like. Chevrolet built 1040 1957 Corvettes with fuel injection.
It would be epic to see which one was really the fastest because I’ve seen numbers for the rebel 0-60 7-7.5 seconds golden hawk was also a fast car in 57
Your BEST review yet, Jay. I would choose the 1957 Rebel over just about anything. You really understand the appeal of this model, and the excellence of some of AMC's engines. I had a flawless 327 in a 1966 Ambassador convertible, which unfortunately got swiped a body shop in 1991.
Glad you dig this episode I love engine episode Wednesdays
I've had several AMC cars/engines. I currently drive a 67 Ambassador 2 door and a 68 Ambassador wagon. Both have the 343 4BBL. The gears are a little longer in the wagon so it's better on the interstate while the 67 is more fun around town. Both have been on many long road trips with no serious issues. We drive the wheels of 'em.
Awesome =)
Hello Jay I would rather the 57 rambler..good to see you buddy. I heard that song today.
=)
Rambler rebel all the way! I would love to drive one of those.
I really like the front of those, the whole car just talks to me.
In the video I said that I wouldn’t want to drive it I should’ve said I didn’t wanna race it that is a car that I would love to drive I got to drive a 56 cross country wagon that drove a whole lot better than I ever thought it would very floaty ride.. but it’s not overly floaty and it doesn’t drive like an Econo car or at least not the Econo car that you would picture when somebody says Econo car to me I think Chrysler K car but even those didn’t really ride that bad
Out of all of the options I would really like to find an ambassador cross country wagon from 59 and 61 I’ve never seen an ambassador wagon in the wild I’ve seen Rambler’s but I’ve never seen the ambassador version
I have an original 45 of that record. I bought it new when the song was on the radio.
Awesome.. I never got in the 45s I got into album collecting when I was at the high school I stopped at some point I had just about every single Beatles album and beach boys album up to smiley smile I have smile too I never opened it. Listen to it on my Crosley suitcase record player =)
I had a '68 Ambassador 343 4bb,
I wrecked it racing a 383 Dodge. I beat him all the way to the phone pole. It broke my heart. My granddad sold steel to AMC for Republic Steel so the family had a love for AMC cars. I'd take the '60 station wagon. I had a '60 Super. it was a great car and I loved the looks.
What an awesome story thank you so much for sharing those memories with us I love it when the underdog kicks ass
3:18 I've read that Bosch developed the D-Jetronic based on the technology they had licensed from Bendix, and that the two shared technology during those years, so that the Bendix EFI in the 1976 Cadillac Seville (which was optional on other Cadillac models) was very similar to the system in the 1968 US-spec VW Type 3 (the first mass-produced car with standard EFI) and the systems AMC and Chrysler attempted in the 1950s. Of course, the electronic components available in the 1950s, particularly capacitors and transistors, were ill-suited to use over a wide temperature range, making the systems intolerably unreliable.
Awesome information =) thank you so much for adding that
I should read all the comments but here goes opening my big yap again. Same for AMC as it was for Chrysler and Pontiac. I had a '73 450SE and a '74 412 (at different times) I have a copy of the Bosch Service Manual. A smarter man than me who was one of the only men I know of retrofitted VW's with injection, and then hopped them up, told me that basically D-Jetronic was a 2 variable analog computer, one of the key differences was that Bosch used PC board . transistorized Controller box a significant advance over what Bendix had available to them. What I also found out was that Bosch bought all of the Bendix patents several years before releasing D-Jetronic. Now I'm making the chips that are responsible for the cutting edge technology of today's and tomorrow's vehicles.
The comment section is one of the best parts of this community lots of really cool information in the comment section
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with owning these cool cars =)
Thanks jay id have to go with the 68 amx and the 61 wagon
Glad you dig this episode great choices
I owned all of these engines from 1959 to 1968. every one of them were mainly trouble free.
Good research and graphics. As you mentioned, with these engines AMC should have competed better. I think Romney was too focused on building economy cars at the expense of everything else. Big mistake. In 73-74 one of my friends was considering a Rambler Scrambler. I went along for the ride. It was way faster than we expected
Glad you dig this episode =)
Great vid!!!
WYR1: The Rebel is a potent sleeper, and would be my choice except for the torque tube drive shaft. The S/C Rambler is a bit more brash about showing its performance potential,, but it would be my choice. The AMX is a bit over-the-top, but if the Javelin were in the mix, I would consider it.
WYR2: All three wagons have the torque tube drive shaft, but I think I would make an exception to my prejudice if I found a correctly equipped (overdrive, factory air) '61 Ambassador wagon. Distinctive and very attractive styling in comparison with the rest, sets it apart from the more mundane Rambler Six and Classic styling.
Load up with vintage Garcia Ambassadeur reels and Conolon rods and appropriate lures and bait and head to the lake for a week's fishing.
Awesome choices. Thank you so much for sharing all the information and insight greatly appreciate it. I've been looking for a Rambler rebel there's one for sale in Wisconsin for a really reasonable amount $13,000 is what they want.
You failed to mention the 1st gen V8's oiling system (considered one of the best ever produced), and their siamesed (shared) exhaust port for the center two cylinders (which is what gave it a rather unique "almost a flathead" exhaust note).
The 2nd generation engines, while getting many things right, also took everything good about the oiling system on the first generation, and did basically the opposite. The irony of AMC v8's is that the first generation had a bottom end that was capable of making serious power at higher RPMs- but cylinder heads that were not good for higher performance and the 2nd generation had cylinder heads that would flow enough for serious performance applications, with an oiling system that wasn't up to the task.
The 1st gen is one of my favorite engines as a daily driver. Quiet, smooth, and reliable. Always wanted to put EFI and electronic ignition on one and drive it daily.
Those electronic fuel injection systems are more finicky than carburetor especially if you don’t drive them because the computer has the relearn itself and it takes time and then.. I used to think the same way but I worked at the Classic Car dealership last year and I drove tons of vehicles that had electronic fuel injection if the battery goes dead it has to relearn itself.. and that takes a while if you bring it back and the battery goes dead again it has to relearn itself. Where is the carburetor if you set it up properly. Clean it every now and then it works great generally.. I put electronic ignition in my Mustang and I wish I never did I had problems with the distributor all the time they kept tearing pens off at the bottom of the shaft.. but I have electronic ignition in my Chevy and I don’t have an issue with it but it’s old-school electronic ignition it’s not anything new. For what it’s worth
The fuel injected vette was faster which is why the 56 Rebel is known as the fastest steel bodied production car of 57. Cheers 🇨🇦
I honestly don’t think that it was I would love to put that to the test I would love to line both of them up one day and Run them
I know a guy who has a 57 Hudson hornet with a 327 in it I’m hoping to go down there this week and do it
The owner was telling me stories that he takes people for rides and that all the time because he said that that was the fastest car in America aside from the prototype Corvette that they took to the salt flats.. Nobody believes him so he’s like get in the car and I’ll take you for a ride everybody that comes out of that car is just utterly speechless because what that car can do shouldn’t be possible
69 Scrambler 61 wagon , Dad owned a 62 Rambler wagon , It was his daily driver . We would take weekend drives and picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway in that car . Used more oil than gas .The thing smoked like crazy when he got on the accelerator. Our family doing our part for🦟 mosquito control and global climate change . circa. 1972.
Haha great story
I want to buy a 59 or 61 cross country wagon eventually and travel the US in it with the family I think that would be awesome =)
Would like to see the last generation of engine's. Please and thank you ?
We will definitely do the last generation maybe that will be this Wednesday’s episode
I owned the 327 in my 63 Ambassador 880 - Very reliable. I owned the 360 in my 70 AMX 4-speed.
Sweet =)
My pick for WYR: would only be the AMX or the Rambler Scrambler
Awesome choices =)
I have never saw AMC rambler machine until this year after I did that episode I probably seen 10 more lol I even saw one incognito that was not the red white and blue
My first car was an AMC Ambassador DPL 2 door hardtop with a 343 4 barrel carb. It was coral pink with a pink and purple brocade and vinyl interior. Mustangs and Camaro’s laughed until they saw my taillights.
Your car sounds awesome thank you so much for sharing your car with us =)
I know when I was in high school, my best friend used to drive his dads 1963 Rambler Ambassador that had the Rambler 327 which was standard in all Ambassadors to school and many days we would ride around after school and I will tell you that car surprised many so called muscle cars. It would smoke it's tires as long as you wanted it to. I loved it.
Yeah thank you so much for sharing those memories with us I’m a huge fan of the underdog and win the underdog is better than the popular dog I totally dig that. =)
I had a 1969 Ambassador SST, with a 343 carter 4 barrel 2 door hard top fast back! it originally belonged to my late Grandfather and he passed it down to my father and eventually my Father passed it down me! It was a forrest Green with a black vinyl roof and wood styled stripe down the sides! I had the car because of poor body work from a few fender benders repaird repainted and replaces the fax wood grain stripes with painted black stripes and pin stripeing.
The engine had lots of gaskets leaks and i had it rebuilt back about 1990! The old mechanic tuned that engine where it was at top horse power and when you kicked in the 4 barrel carburetor it sounded like a race car and it was underratted for horse power by AMC at 280 horsepower which actually put out about 320 horse power! For a large car this would litterally fly down the highway as i took it to Calgary From Edmonton and man it was fast! Thw RCMP after stopping me had to write me a ticket but reduced the amount of Kilometers over to just a speeding onstead of adding the danergouse driving charge! Because he was impressed with how emacilent the car was!
I had to sell the call when i was laid off inorder to pay bills! And it was just to much to keep this car running perfectly and looking good!
It had to run on high octane gasoline with a lead subtitite because of the valves were not made for unleaded gasoline!
Thank you so much for all of that information and insight and story greatly appreciate it =)
AMC was always one of those underrated companies
My Grandpa once told me that the folks who purchased these "Hash's and Ramblers" in the late 50's were either "Odd Ducks" or old people. Just saying. He was around then, I wasn't, but probably because the awkward styled package Romny was pushing was a little ahead of its time and never sold well which is why you just don't see them. It's my honest opinion that Jeep was the glue that held AMC together until its demise in the early 1980's. If Studebaker had purchased Jeep instead of AMC? Who knows. The AMC V8 was a fantastic engine and even the later generation engines, despite their wonky timing cover that integrated the water pump, distributor and oil pump.
Interesting, have you noticed everything is coming full circle things that wasn’t cool back then or totally cool now.. it’s all very interesting
I think their goofy styling and emphasis on small, unprofitable cars, were what did AMC in. In the mid 1970s, they had the platform for light efficient big cars, something the Big 3 were scrambling to develop, but instead of using it to perfect something like the Matador/Ambassador, they squandered it on cars like the Gremlin and Pacer, which, being based on a big-car platform, were never going to be competitive with the likes of the Rabbit and Omni/Horizon. If they had put a more conventionally styled car with the wheelbase of the Matador sedan and wagons up against GM's B-body and Ford's Panther sedans and wagons, they could have been first to arrive at the party, instead of last.
Uncle Tony's Garage has a video about a guy who managed to identify and fix the problem with the Bendix Electrojector fitted to a Chrysler 300. It runs very strong now.
Good rollup. Thanks.
My brother had a 68 Javelin with the 343 4 bbl motor--fast car
Hi Jay!: ANOTHER interesting and informative engine episode!! Would like to see one of those early Rambler Rebels in action! The PERFECT sleeper car! WYR#1 EASY! AMX BABY! What a cool car those were! Now almost overlooked! #2 Hmmmmmm. . .you know I kind of like that HOMELY 1961 Rambler wagon! I would tool around town in one of those! At one time an aunt of mine had a 1965 Rambler 4 door. It was brown. My Mom and I would ride with her from time to time and one time we were behind a Corvette somewhere between 1968 and 1972 version. Anyway I was in the back seat and I told her to pass that Corvette! She floored the little rambler and went around him! That car had one of these little AMC V-8's in it. I still think that was the coolest thing I had ever experienced up to that time. The day my Aunt blew by a Corvette with her little brown Rambler!!
Hahaha great story thank you so much for sharing that memory
Great choices =) I want to find an ambassador wagon before this year is over
AMX
60 Cross Country
Many of AMC's autos were great cars that just never got the credit and appreciation they rightfully deserved.
Great choice =)
totally agree
The little Nash Rambler really did outrun the giant Cadillac.
Yeah =)
Awesome cars. I'll take the AMX and '59 Rambler wagon.
Sweet choices =)
I want to review an ambassador wagon like nobody’s business I’ve never seen one in a while I should rephrase that I’ve never seen an ambassador wagon from the 50s or 60s I saw 70 once =)
For WYR, I'd take the'68 AMX and the '61 Ambassador.
Out of curiosity I wouldn't mind watching the Rebel vs. the Corvette. That would be an eye-opener.
I have a friend with a 57 that I would just have to find a rambler rebel but I have another friend with a Hudson hornet 327 V8 just like the Rambler rebel that might be a possibility..
I have a book that's called the American Motor Motors Corporation buyer's guide and toward the end of the chapters on the engines all AMC V8 engines used high-grade nickel steel and high quality Parts in their Motors whether it was a small block 304 or large block 401 they were well known to go over 100,000 miles without major engine service if maintained well i had 2 amc matador coupes Barcelona 2 with the 360 just to let you know awesome Channel
Awesome insight and information thank you so much for sharing all that
Thank you so much glad you dig the channel =)
The 304, 360, and 401 were all the same size externaly. There wasn't a "small block" or "big block"
I had an Ambassador SST 343 two barrel two door hardtop with factory rally type wheels.
A strong running vehicle for it's engine size and two barrel.
Sweet thank you so much for sharing your experience with us =)
My best friends dad worked at a local AMC dealership so they always drove Ramblers in the 1960's until one day dad came home with a 1968 Ambassador SST with a 343 in it. I loved the dash in it so much with that crazy vertical radio. The one thing I loved was the AC vent on top of the dash in front of the driver. It had a little door over that vent that you could close. Crazy. He was always power braking it to get it to burn tire. That was great until the transmission went out, and dad knew why it went out, so that was the end of him driving it.
@garymckee8857: The 343 cubic inch V8 and the 360 cubic inch V8 are stellar performers even with 2 barrel carburetors.
My 64 Ambassador has the 327. Haven't messed with it enough to have a negative opinion all good for now.
It was said the design engineer for the 1st gen amc engine took the plans from the Kaiser 288 v8 which was never finished to amc. The engine does look very similar to the Kaiser.
Had a '68 AMX, Mom had a '69 Scrambler, then a '70 Rebel, I'd choose the '57 just because.
Sweet which car out of the AMX / scrambler was your favorite
@@What.its.like. AMX but it was only a car for 18-20 hours after I bought it.
Drove 40 miles to buy it, drove it to a friends place 2 miles from my home and put it in his paint shop to do some touch-ups. Building burned to the ground overnight, '72, he didn't have any insurance.
Of the Scrambler and Rebel mom had I borrowed the Rebel a lot more than I did the Scrambler. '72 I also had a '69 Rebel 4-door, 6 cylinder 3 on the column/overdrive for work driving. If you burped wide open throttle in each gear it kicked into overdrive for that gear-nearly like a 6 speed.
It put a lot of late '60s factory small block Camaros, Stangs, Fairlane's, etc to shame on the local street quarter mile spot-even losing by a fender they caught hell over it.
According to Patrick Foster’s book on George Romney, Romney did not “want to make his own V8”. The book says that Nance had refused to buy bodies from AM (which Packard needed) while AM bought engines and automatic transmissions from Packard as per their agreement. After Nance put him off, Romney ordered his engineering department to begin work on a Nash V8.
Nance did not like Romney and had demanded to head AM if Packard were to join. Mason said no. Romney had declined to run Packard (which he was offered) and took less money at Nash because he wanted to learn the auto business from Mason. Nance then got the job and told the press he would acquire AM in 2 years. Romney scored a major hit with his Rambler and the big three followed him. We all know what happened to Packard.
Thank you so much for adding that information there was so much conflicting information it’s really hard to sometimes cut through the crap so to speak and figure out what his facts and what is fiction.
There was a source saying that Packard also tried selling them other parts along side the engines and Romney wasn’t interested.
1st Choice: I''m good.
2nd Choice: Any of the three!
Hahaha nice =)
The 290 2-bbl had a 9.0:1 compression ratio while the 4-bbl version was 10.0:1. The stock 390 had a 10.2:1 compression ratio.
All good engines!!
I have a n AMC 1959 sedan with a 327 2 barrel Holley carb. it has 495000 miles on it . dad bough it new. also a 72 360 4 speed Javlin. a little over 100 k miles. parked is a 66 American with a 232 6 500 k miles on it. back in the 70s I installed turbocharger on it. 300+ hp. ran 13.5 1/4 mile. I was accused of having a sleeper. then I would demonstrate the seats.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your cars =)
scrambler hands down
Sweet choice =)
Without a doubt a 68 amx I got a hell ride in one back in 1976 it was fast to say the least
There’s a car that I really want to drive I’ve read that it will stay with the GTO‘s which is saying something. And some people claim to beat GTO‘s in that car.. I see a few driving around here but that’s another car that doesn’t come up very often at car shows
And the best part of that ride was I was the third person in the car I had to ride behind the front seats it's a 2 seater
I know the guy that owned it had it over 120 mph it was a thrill
The cylinder bore spacing is the same as a big block Mopar.
All 3 early amc v8s had 3.25 stroke not 3.3 or 3.5 Bore centers were 4.75 same as Buick which came with a 4 5/16 bore Special hD amc v8 for Nascar or Hayden Proffits blown fuel car had 4.25 or 4 5/16 bore. We ran a 'Trans AM: 302 motor with 4 5/16 bore and short stroke Moldex crank (heads flowed better the larger the bore)
Neither the 390 or 401 had a 3.5 stroke
Check the bore and stroke on the 390 mostly used in Ambassadors and in the 69 Rambler Rebel
I like your engine series. My parents had a '65 Rambler Classic with the 287 V8. I have heard that this engine was not actually produced by AMC but farmed out to Continental Motors Company. If that is true, I'm guessing the engineering department at AMC didn't have the production capacity at the time. Any AMC gear heads know if this was true?
www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/AMC_V-8s
I owned a 66 rambler American 2 door hardtop
Sweet what did you think of the car
@@What.its.like. had a 400 hp Chevy 350 with a Muncie 4 speed
Scramblers were quite rare. I would take one of those no problem.
Yeah they are very rare
❤. 57 Rambler Rebel. 61 Cross Country.
Sweet choices =)
Sorry, my "one year only" AMC hotrod of choice would be a 1971 Hornet SC/360 with Go Pack and 4 speed.
Sweet choice going to cover 3rd generation soon =)
Got a.64 990 ..327 very good car. Eats hwy. Get you one.
Awesome =) 327 equipped AMC marlin is definitely a car that I really want to drive. The forged internals are also a good feature.. boost power with confidence
@@What.its.like.the '67 Marlin looks cool.
Yes that’s a really rare car I’ve only seen one in my lifetime and that was earlier this year and it took everything within me not to stop my truck and say hey my name is J I have a Classic Car TH-cam channel can I feature your awesome ride on the channel instead I just watch the driveway in my rearview mirror
How about the 304?
3rd gen
Because the third GEN had such a long production cycle I figured split it up
Rambler rebel sst 1967 ❤343v8 great car😊😊Carter 4 barrel 3speed auto it beat 289 Ford full race 65rancharo like a 🥁🛢️ drum
Did the early AMC Rambler V8 weigh more than the later AMC V8s such as were in the 1970s cars?
Yes, they had very thick block which made them a heavy engine. Studebaker had the same problem. That is why so often you would read in various articles when discussing an engine,you would hear the term thinwall block.
Oh great. This is the guy that reads his slides.
I make the slides after the fact... I read from a script not everything from script goes on the slides
1 & 2: All three of them.
Tune: If I Had My Way by Ben E. King.
Great guess for the song but no I totally agree with you on the choices it would be really hard but above all of them it would either be the 59 ambassador cross country wagon or the 61 because it looks so different than anything else..
@@What.its.like. True.
I’d have to take the amx, grandfather has had his 68 343 in viper blue and his buddy his has a SC/rambler (390) does not matter. The amx will have people asking questions, wondering what it is or unlocking a memory. Even calling it a Camaro or mustang out of quick glance just to learn what amc was, scrambler and machine are cool but the amx holds a place ❤️🇺🇸 (only 68-70s sorry javelins AMX guys)
i can tell yu that the 250 cid and the 287 cid engines you could not kill, and the rebel was fast, light weight and plenty of power, yes the fastest and probably also got the best fuel mileage as long as you didnt stomp on it which would be fun to blow off the big three. as the song goes the little nash rambler and the caddy look it up.
.....thanks for the vid....AMC should have just continued to make Ramblers and never tried to compete with the Big 3 with fancy full-size and performance cars, which drained capital that they could have used to keep their compacts and mizsized economy cars updated and quality-built..... the Gremlin, Hornet, and Pacer were decent and timely designs, but AMC build quality was far below average....
I totally agree they should’ve done their own thing they should’ve went their own way.. it would’ve been cool if they Built econo cars with pep
1968 AMC AMX 390👍
Sweet =)
Hi Justin, good cars, good video! 1970 was a big year for "Am" (American Motors). #1; Am bought Kaiser Jeep. #2; Am came out with the brand new "Generation 3 V8" with different block, cylinder heads, connecting rods and crank shaft. Last but not least, American Motors, went from "Am" badging to "AMC" badging i.e. "American Motors Corporation", I think because it was easier to say. American Motors flagship car the "Rambler American" that was dust in the wind. If you bought a 1969 or below American Motors the car was title would state "Rambler". A buddy of mine owned a 1969 Am AMX with a AMX 390 4 barrel with a close ratio 4 speed, low geared twin grip differential and he would give big block Corvettes a run for their money! Please reply. Dave...
They removed the Rambler badging on all except the American in 1968. It was felt that the Rambler name was seen as cheap, and they were trying to give their cars more prestige in the eyes of the American public. The Rambler name died when they ended production of the American in 1969, replacing it with the AMC Hornet for the 1970 model year.
Thank you Dave for all of that added information greatly appreciate it.. =)
Black Is Black!! Los Bravos. 😁😎
Yeah buddy =)
The big mistake Am made in the 327 after 57 is they decided to use single ssh instead of the 57s dual, and the engine never really made the factory hp rating.
My high school auto shop teacher was a huge AMC/ Rambler fan. He had (from his own garage) a 327 from a 1929 T- Bucket he built and got back from the fellow who bought it (along with a Borg 4 speed). He explained the differences between that motor from a Chevy and Ford small block. In your scenarios, I'd take the S/C Scrambler, and the 59 wagon. The 61 wagon was butt ugly.... The S/C Scrambler was a turn-key 13 second 1/4 mile car.
Wow that’s crazy I’m hoping next year to compare some cars and I mean compare some cars like find two people take them to the race track and set up a race to see which one was really the faster of the two cars last year I had the opportunity to do that with a 413 max wedge and a few injections stingray but they said no.. but I feel like if I asked the right people could’ve made something happen but then again those are two really expensive cars..
@@What.its.like. These cars are stupid expensive these days. There was a track that still runs street stock cars somewhere on TH-cam but I can't remember.
Yeah that’s the other issue..
I’m going to make an episode I think this week describing or at least telling what goes on behind the scenes I’ve been getting a lot of questions on how I put episodes together figured I just break it all down in a video.. =)
Scrambler without a doubt....
Sweet i’ve been looking for one to review I found one at Mecum but the more I looked at it the more I was finding that wasn’t right about it and then found out that it was a tribute car..