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5-29-21: Well everybody, I ran across this little car and absolutely could not pass it up. It's a 1960 AMC Rambler American Super. It's powered by a 90hp 195 cubic inch flathead. It has a 3 speed "Flash-O-Matic" automatic transmission. The previous owner is 71 years old and had owned the car for 8 or 9 years. He pulled it out of a friend's personal junkyard (I'll upload those pictures later), where it had sat for more than 20 years. It was last licensed in Iowa in 1975 before the previous owner got it road worthy. So everything was wrong with the car. The previous owner said he took that as a challenge. The car has a rebuilt engine, transmission, rear differential, carburetor, all new brake system, exhaust, new aluminum radiator, new tires, new interior (less headliner and dash), new gas tank, new battery, tune up, belts hoses, voltage regulator, new floors welded in, leaf springs re-arched, new shocks, and a few other things I've forgotten by now. There's about 4,000 miles on the rebuild. It starts right up and runs perfect. The previous owner wanted to leave the original paint, or what's left of it anyway, which is exactly what I like. In 1958, which was the first year of the little Rambler American since the Nash Rambler in 1955, company members drove it from California to Florida at an average of 40 mph and achieved over 35 miles per gallon. I'm interested to see what we can get just putzing around town. I'll bet that we'll get over 20 for sure and maybe even 25 mpg. Anyway, the previous owner was reluctant to sell it, but he was downsizing and had sold his Corvette and mustang before this. He knew that he would never get out of it what he put into it so I got it for a song. I got a darn good deal. It really attracts a lot of attention! There's some rust and dents, but like I said before it's just the way I like it. I took the kids out for a cruise and each of them got a chance to drive it. It only weighs about 2,500 lb, so it actually has decent power. It would certainly beat the Meadowbrook in a race. The thing is so darn ugly that it's beautiful in my opinion. What am I going to do with it? Drive it of course....

Big hit yesterday at my friends graduation party

Still working on making it look better, but out for a drive today. First stop O'Reilly's to say thanks to the team for helping us find a lot of the odds and ends. Fasted speed on the main road the speedometer read 55, but the gps tracker on my phone clocked me at 60. That was just comfortably going with the flow of traffic. Engine running at high rpms at that speed so pretty sure that top end for me anyway.

hey what's not to like.....its a two door and true to the SPORT name...the rear aerial and twin mirrors add a nice touch.......these are getting harder to locate also...my latest is not an American..but an America.....

Congratulations Nick! You have accomplished something that very few young people attempt and have formed memories with your dad that you will cherish for the rest of your life. Yep, 55-60 mph is the sweet spot for these cars and the stock brakes are pretty much maxed out in modern traffic at that speed as well. Be safe and enjoy.....you earned it! ?

Motors should be in everyone’s library who has an old car. A re-printing of this volume would be in order. It often outshines my shop manual.

The "Story of the Carburetor" Mr Tech is a very good watch if available online. Sorry for the sideways pics.

I have a 1947 P15 with the original 6 volt positive ground. There is a 6 volt lead acid battery in the car now. At idle the volt meter reads 8 volts at the battery. With the engine revved up it reads 9 volts at the battery. After running for a while and then shutting the engine down the battery reads 6.9 volts. Could this car be set up to use an 8 volt battery? I am getting ready to switch to a sealed battery and wondering if I should go with an 8 volt. Or does the charging system need to be fixed.

Test drive results: Dead spot just off idle is gone. Great results. I am losing a some power at high rpm. I can feel it. On another web site a member mentioned that the Holly fuel pressure regulator will cause a leaner condition. If that’s true, maybe I’ll set the float to be a little richer. Maybe the bowl can’t deliver enough fuel at high load and rpm. I’ll play with my timing a bit first. I been screwing with it a fair bit over the past few days troubleshooting. Getting closer!

I bought a gallon of Barrymans carb soaker. It comes in a paint can type container and has a plastic strainer for small parts. Over night in that and stuff comes out amazingly clean been finishing up with brake clean and compressed ait. Gloves and safety goggles strongly recommended. https://www.walmart.com/ip/B-9-Chem-Dip-Parts-Cleaner-w-Basket-and-Armlock/226784113?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=15321&&adid=22222222227311868762&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=390072145599&wl4=aud-430887228898:pla-829702952085&wl5=9005095&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=125215384&wl11=online&wl12=226784113&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIirWt-LTy8AIVy8DICh138g2XEAQYCCABEgIUf_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Troubleshooting, finding and fixing this stuff is so fun. Rewarding. Addicting. It gives me a little natural high. Some Purpose. It Feels good. This small win exemplifies pretty well, why I am into old cars. Fingers crossed this find and fix offers some improvement!

Looking good. I guess I better get that adapter plate done pretty soon

I've been a slacker on posting, but not at getting parts. Have everything to complete the front disc conversion install, got my replacement rear axle. Dana 35, 3.73, disc from a 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Got the pasg. floor board repaired with a trunk/floor pan kit from POR-15. Got all grease zerts replaced on the frame and greased the every living S*** out of them last weekend. This holiday weekend has been getting the new to me rear axle ready for install. Got some help from a friend with some good tools, and the help from my son to finish it off. If weather holds out tomorrow, son and I will get it in. 2nd note, a promotion at work always adds to the budget, and my wife agreed, LOL.

The Ficken company on Long Island specializes in vintage wiper systems. Try this link: www.wiperman.com

Normal mode of operation in most rebuilders of the flathead era. So much part interchangeability, all were torn down, cleaned and parts stored. If building an engine, just grab a block, rods, etc from the clean parts shelf, pistons, rings and bearings from stock. I've seen a number of engines with rods from other engines, like two of the same number. So, I developed the habit of punch marks on all rods, cap and mains before unbolting. That way I can put them back where they belong, not follow the numbers.

Nice car! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Race Glaze polish/sealant. I've been using it for years, even on cars that I just painted and buffed. It still allows your paint to breathe even though it is called a sealant. When I detail cars, I use Meguiars carnuba then Race Glave over it for a final finish. It can be applied with an orbital and soft foam pad but I prefer hand application. Make sure to allow it to dry fully before removing.

The old battery was a little over two years old. It didn't have the cranking amps to do the job. The new optima spins it like a 12 volt. This is a picture from yesterday. Not a good picture. My car is the one in the middle with the stick holding the hood up. It's missing one of the hood springs. It really amazed me that so many people were interested in that old crusty car. Most of the cars there were modified and mine is original. Modified is OK. As people looked under the hood I could almost heat them think "does that run". There were many younger people looking and asking questions. That surprised me.

Cool little buggy. My Dad started at AMC in 58, so he probably touched it.

The reason the car has a Lucas alternator is that when I was building the car the closest Auto Electrical shop to my work was the one I pestered continually regarding wiring questions etc and when I decided to swap from the original generator in 1975 after the V8 swap in 1973 this shop was who I went to, remember this was before the internet, and all the various sources for bits & pieces..........this alternator was bought new from them and as these guys knew the car and what the wiring setup was it was where I sourced various electrical things............and no I don't drink warm beer, in fact I also prefer my red wine with a couple of ice cubes in it, buggar this room temperature thing.....lol...........anyway I had a "feel" for any loose wires under the dash, checked the various connections in the engine bay and gave it a couple of pumps............started right up no problem and the gauge needle went positive and settled down to just past the postive edge of the centre mark on the gauge at a fast idel.............let it run for a few minutes and turned it off.........started it up a few more times and it seemed o/k..............left it for a 20 minutes and went thru the proeedure again and it, the needle seemed to sit just on the negative side of the centre marker...........................................so am gunna take it down to the local sparkies again this week and see what they say..............lol...........will update the thread .........oh....and heres a pic of the engine bay & alternator........andyd

Cool car. I have a confession to make. I love the ugliness of a 48-49 Nash Statesman. LOL

A Motors Manual was the first tech book for autos I ever bought,and this was back in the mid-1960's. Maybe the smartest money I ever spent,and I am always recommending them to newbies.

SWEET...that's almost a classic buggy for every day of the week ?

I've tried simple green, pine sol, acetone, and lacquer thinners. I blow out with air after soaking over night but I still seem to have slight residue, inside the carb parts like in the float bowl etc. I've thought about getting an ultra sonic cleaner for years. Sorry Keith I don't mean to be drifting away from the topic.

additional information - temperature gauge gland nut additional information - engine speed calculator

That’s why our brothers in the UK drink warm beer. Because Lucas also wires the refrigerators LOL

maybe the answer isn’t a rear ended/trans swap. Check out the thread on adding an overdrive. Laycock J-type Overdrive

What size tires are you running? With mine, 65 on the speedometer is 62 on the GPS. The rpms work out to 3280 at that speed my rear tires are 225 75 15.

Time to grab a set of trim rings just to set the wheels off a bit.

I find a mix of black sabbath and the 1812 ovature effective.

It will actually work either way, but sparks are stronger when connected as stated above

Our daughter Natalie was FINALLY able to get married this past weekend after two postponements and over a year delay due to Covid. It was a great night. She was beautiful, the weather was beautiful and we had friends and family from Colorado, New York, Ohio and Texas make the trip to Florida. The wedding was outside under massive live oak trees with Spanish Moss hanging from the limbs beside a lake. Temps in the low 80s and a steady mild breeze. They used the trunk of my 37 Plymouth coupe for the guests to place their gifts then at the end of the night used it as the get away car. Hopefully you all are seeing things loosen up around you and having opportunities to reconnect with family and friends.

School in session .... Lucas=prince of darkness .. class closed. I dunno just seem surprising to me that after switching to a V8 with 12 volt that Lucas would be involved. I once had a 1969 Triumph motorcycle and never had a good battery with Lucas. One day at work the Boss walked in and said "headlight is turned on your motorcycle" I was really confused because the battery never took a charge for over 2 years. Not saying was a bad battery, just a bad charging system .... today I cant even explain the zenor diodes & rectififers I replaced to make it work properly ... just never did work. Los hears Lucas ... throws arms in air and screams like a little girl & runs away.

Ammeters usually don't conduct, not conduct, then conduct again. Not going to say it can't happen, I've seen some weird electrical things over the years. But I wouldn't bet on that. A simple heavy gauge jumper bolted to the two studs on the ammeter would bypass it for testing purposes. Head, if you can route it safely it might be easier to jumper between the output stud on the alternator and the battery positive (assuming negative ground system). Not real familiar with the Lucas setup, but I'd be looking at the regulator and wiring as that is more likely to be flaky than the ammeter.

Wow! It's been a while since I gave an update. The ac leaked down so I had a local shop re-crimp the lines I made and replaced the dryer, so far so good. The ignition skip was solved by installing a cd ignition box and only using the points ad a trigger. I used blade connectors so I can switch it back to points in minutes....and that proved to be a good move one night when the condenser caused the ignition box to quit working. Otherwise, the car has been great! I'm back working on my 58 Plymouth. The transmission is going into limp mode when it tries to go into 3rd gear, fluid smells and looks bad so I found another transmission. Going to try it this weekend. Getting close to time to hand it to a painter.

I tinker on old radios and TV sets as a hobby. Over the years I've met a number of folks who were in the TV repair business and enjoyed our discussions. One Saturday about a dozen years ago I was driving through a small town about 30 miles from home when I spotted a small shop that appeared long closed and I lamented that I'd never had a chance to meet the owner. But, something caught my eye as I passed. Was it actually still open? I made a U-turn and parked. The door was indeed open. I introduced myself and the Mom & Pop behind the counter were somewhat stand-offish at first. I asked if they had any old stuff they wanted to get rid of and they showed me around, including some real gems that were hidden away. They took my number and a few weeks later I got a call. They were ready to retire, and might I be willing to help them out? Over the next year or two I was able to assist in them selling a lot of parts, tools, signage and such. It was a great experience; I basically just kept some things for myself as way of a commission. One day I was visiting them at their home and Tony asked if I might find a buyer for an old mechanic's tool box in his garage. Seems many years earlier he had loaned some money to the owner of a local service station and took the box as collateral. Since he still had it you can guess what happened. I never could find a buyer but in the end gave him some money for it myself and took it home. Mostly I got a pretty nice drawer full of older Craftsman wrenches in a cheaper old stacked box. There were a few oddball tools that I could never figure out so I just left them to gather dust. This spring I've opened an engine for the first time in my life. The tools? Nearly ever one of them came from that old chest, including some of those I couldn't previously identify like a valve keeper tool and a piston ring land cleaner. My dear friend Tony has gone to his reward but now, every time I work on the car, I think of him (and that unknown service station owner who obviously had worked on some flatheads himself!)

Well, cruisin the coast is next week! AC has been installed. We took the car for a long cruise with a car club last weekend as a test run. Car did great except for an ignition slip every now and then that I haven't figured out yet. Things done so far, new points (old ones were burn pretty bad) new plug wires (old ones was the ones on the car when I got it and starting to show cracks here and there). The distributor cap and rotor are not that old, cap looks new bur rotor is looking well used. I pulled one plug and it looks like the carb is spot on. I'll take extra ignition parts but it seems more of an annoyance than anything. Just a skip of fire now and then while sitting at a light with the car in gear and foot on the brake.

It's your dime so you make the call... for starters, the steering sounds like it needs adjusting, leaf spring bushings and shocks are probably shot too...that Dakota could be a good frame swap but it is A LOT of work that will take up a lot of space and time, which can also be said for a restoration...I have done mechanical restorations that allowed me to drive my old buggies for more than 10 yrs...several guys have made modifications to their existing powertrains to make daily drivers, such as front disk brakes and 3.73 rear axle (optimum for the original flathead), radial tires too...IMO the novelty of the 6V flathead 6 has its own WOW factor, but a daily driver is nice too, if there are not too many knucklehead uninsured drivers bouncing between the ditches...bottom line, the best approach is to plan ahead and proceed methodically, as tearing everything apart in fits and starts leads to loss of interest and unflattering yard art that causes friction with ppl within spittin' distance