i had this car listed for less at the beginning of winter but i've done some work to it and picked up several nearly impossible to find parts.
1966 rambler classic 770
factory v8 with new holley 2bbl carb. just rolled 40k. runs smooth and has good power.
interior needs some help by way of seat covers, carpet, and general cleanup. all glass good. gauges work. all seatbelts good, and they cinch down nice on a baby seat.
needs repair: turn signals. the front buckets are in the glove box and the wires are there. it appears as though one could hook them back up and be good to go. as it is i use hand signals when i drive it. brake lights and all others work.
RH exhaust manifold is cracked clean in half at the rear cylinder. i have sourced a replacement and it comes with the car.
goes down the road straight. has new brake master cylinder and steering idler arm. stops good. all 4 tires have lots of tread but they are old and show cracking.
the only rust i can find is a small hole on the cowl at the wiper motor, and down low on the quarters has surface rust inside the trunk and some light small bubbles outside. i believe that if you were to blast the inside and outside you would have some pinholes that could be repaired easily with your choice of bodywork. underneath is excellent, all doors good, fenders good, rockers great, floors nice. paint is meh. it was a powder blue repaint, then they spray bombed low gloss black over that except on the roof.
i currently drive the car to cruise nights and around town. i can take pics of anything you want. i have it for sale locally for $2800, my no BS make it go away GRM price is $2200. it's a hop in and go old school cruiser that you could drive while you do cosmetics. it turns lots of heads and i get all kinds of compliments on it.
turn signals will be fixed this week. i ordered new sockets for the housings, and there is nothing wrong with the wiring. it may or may need one lens, i got a message out to my rambler parts guy to see if he has any extras.
don't make me keep it
as of 8pm this evening the exhaust manifold no longer needs replaced. i was feeling adventurous and knocked it out. i believe it now needs a donut gasket on the driver's manifold. i will probably order one shortly.
things i noticed with car in the air:
it's damn clean.
front brake stuff under the drums is all brand new from the wheel cylinders to the shoes.
ramblers use a very interesting rear suspension with a torque tube and triangulating links from the torque tube to the rear axle out by the shocks/springs. looks cool.
front strut rod bushing on right side could use attention, i'm pretty sure it is worn out. just trying to be 100% honest.
That blue over black paint is really striking, I like that.
patgizz
UberDork
7/16/13 10:10 p.m.
the new sockets for the turn signals are pretty well crap and i shall inform the seller of said sockets as such. so for now i have rigged some sockets with amber bulbs dangling behind the grill so there are working turn signals.
one willing trade:
a VW rail buggy, 2 seats, street legal(ish), with title and vin tag. ohio title would be best if possible.
i can get a $450 engineless one with no title so i figure one that runs good and has a title is worth about what my rambler is worth.
final offer here before i release it to the CL vultures or ebay.
$1800 cash
One last try. I've been too busy working to deal with CL.
Car is getting a new starter next week. I bumped the key with it running and cooked the old one.
New project on way in a couple weeks so need to get this one moved
$1700
yamaha
PowerDork
8/30/13 12:33 a.m.
GLWS, I would love it, but alas........way wrong time.
Fwiw, someone could probably tow with this.
If it makes you feel any better, I thought about this one for a few minutes.
JThw8
PowerDork
8/31/13 6:43 a.m.
David S. Wallens wrote:
If it makes you feel any better, I thought about this one for a few minutes.
Yep, me too. Seriously contemplated taking it in partial trade on the Wartburg. I think if I didnt already have the Colony Park to satisfy the big american car itch it would have been a no brainer.
Ya wanna Yugo ;)
No yugo! A guy locally has 3 for $600 each if i got that itch, one is even the sporty gvxhwtf with the red and black trim down the sides.
I have a 92 caprice wagon from down south on the way slated to get something bigger than a 350 when it arrives. And i've been out of town all weekend and found the elusive stepside 8' box for my 68 c20 so i'm in a making room mood.
JThw8
PowerDork
9/2/13 8:34 a.m.
Yeah, those were actually posted on another site I frequent. Decent deal for someone looking for a Yugo.
MMM....big caprice, good choice.
this probably gets what 8 mpg? it would be, pardon my french, a bitchin' road trip vehicle
I can't believe nobody has bought this yet.
In reply to CarKid1989:
Closer to double that number, probably 18-20 highway(sub 70mph) all tuned up.
CarKid1989 wrote:
this probably gets what 8 mpg? it would be, pardon my french, a bitchin' road trip vehicle
With the 2bbl on the high way I bet you could see high teens. Around town should still be 12-13. Not much worse than a lot of pickup trucks that are driven like sedans anyway.
i wouldn't be surprised to see 20 mpg out of it. small v8, highway friendly gear, 2bbl, and it's light.
i never checked. all i know is that it's been on E for about 30 miles and moving it around. it's parked at my parents house for the winter.
That's a pretty car. I don't understand why Rambler's and early AMCs don't get more love.
DrBoost
PowerDork
1/10/14 9:06 a.m.
I like it. The color combo is sweet. And I'm with HappyAndy, I dig AMCs. But I hope people keep passing them up, cuz I want the price to be low when I'm ready to pull the trigger one day.
When I was a kid we had a boat with an AMC V-8. It impressed me with power and economy. Better than the other boats with Bowtie power, much to my chagrin.
Sorry, no room at the inn.
no worries. it's still in hibernation. i'm more concerned with finding it a good home than anything. it would not make me sad if it stays in the stable for a few years.
patgizz
PowerDork
4/23/14 9:08 p.m.
it's out for spring. fired right up and drove home. ran it several times over winter, tank still on E. not sure i want to find out how low it goes. if someone wants it i'll put gas in it, i'm not that big an a-hole. i hate buying a car and the seller says "better stop at the closest gas station"
at any rate, the rambler is now at the mind boggling price, for you guys, of $1350 because the transmission in my daily needs the money. it's at my house, ready to roll. i drove it sunday. it still makes me smile to ride around in it, and i'll be sad to see it go.
I'm glad you are so far away.
Someone buy this thing before it explodes. Pat's got the curse.