Has he thought about the 401 route? I remember a car at ocir that had a amc 401 in it that ran JR pro gas at the time! I think he finally got it to run PG. That way it's closer to "original" I believe the name of car was "ALIEN"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gasman,

My son wants the '64 station wagon to be a daily driver, something to go cruise' with the wife and his tribe on week ends. He wanted to keep it a 287 but it's beginning to look like a 327 is more practical. The transmission has been rebuilt and he has a new converter for the car, the engine is the last item for the drive line.

Bob

The late 50's, early 60's engines are different than the later 60's and into the 1970's engines

I doubt much of anything interchanges...

The 304,360,390,401 being later engines....

Jeep used them in the 1970's in a lot of vehicles....They would be easy to find...

A nice junkyard in the desert of Arizona like the TV show where the guy roams around looking for cool old cars.

I saw a show once where he found an Aluminum block 6 cylinder Rambler I think it was !! Never heard of that one....

There is a website called searchtempest.com. It allows you to search Craigslist for a much wider area- Craigslist only shows you local listings a a few surrounding areas, but Searchtempest.com will let you search up to 500 miles around a chosen zip code.

Yes Rich, that mid 60's window is short, maybe only two or three years, '64 through maybe '67.

We are more likely to find a Non-Confrontational Antifa Pacifist.

Bob

I had one sitting dead in a gas station where I worked.
That was probably around the late 60's or early 70's and I had started taking the engine apart for some reason. Maybe it had a dead cylinder ?
The engine was nasty like they usually were back then from poor maintenance and the oil back then was way worse than todays oils....

I recall thinking a 327 ? What like a Chevy ?....NOPE....

Try Paul Schneider, he races AMC's at San Antonio

He has Facebook page

Look up Ramblin Garage on You Tube?

Aren't Ramblers technically Mopars now? Put in a 318 w an automatic overdrive. Probably doesn't look much different either.

Right now he's pursuing several leads on a 327 (AMC). This has turned into looking for a needle in a haystack, a really small needle.

Thanks for all the leads folks.

Bob

Back when I was a kid, my neighbor across the street had one of those cars. He was doing some valve work on it one day and told me that the engine was almost identical to the SBC. I only saw it with the valve covers off that one time but I thought I was looking at the top of a Chevy engine. If memory serves, I think these cars had a Chrysler transmission? If push come to shove to get it on the road, maybe a Chevy 327 adapted to the trans or even a TH350 might be easier on the budget?

I voted to use a small block Chevy but he is adamant about keeping it all AMC. So far the leads we've followed haven't paned out but I'm not discouraged we'll find a rebuildable core. The few that we have found were in worse shape than the 287 that was in the car, and it's really bad.

That Chevy suggestion is slowly moving to the head of the list. Unfortunately he had the transmission and converter rebuilt before we found a rebuildable engine. If he does find a 327 (AMC) the next step is fabricating (since they are not available) a set of headers, fortunately we have the means to build them ourselves.

Bob

I have got to ask again. What makes the engine in there not worth rebuilding? Is the block cracked? Can it be sleeved? I'm being serious here. If the kid is adamant about keeping it near original, this is something to be considered. As you've already said, the cores you've seen out there don't even look as good as what you already have. Give him all the facts/options. If it were a Model T, would he be looking for running engines, or would he be looking more closely at making what he already has work? Take care. Tom Worthington

The 287 has a bundle of issues that make rebuilding it a very expensive proposition, 8 sleeves, new crank, line bore, rods are junk, lifter bores sleeved and machined just as a start. We first decided to look around for a rebuildable core 287 or a 327 but are not having any luck with the search. We'll keep looking, there has to be a good one out there and this project isn't a rush job. The station wagon is fairly nice and it will be different street rod.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and help, it's appreciated.

Bob

ps: Tom we just passed by Rocky Mount recently headed down to Charleston

Tom Goldman - (610) 395-5585

You might try posting on this AMC forum.
AMC Forum

Dave

I just googled AMC 327 engine and came up with BJs off-road offering rebuilt ones

I just sent Brian these AMC leads.

Thanks guys.

Bob

Hi Everyone, this is Brian (the son with the Rambler). I must be a glutton for punishment because this project has been a challenge at every step. That aside, this has been a fun one. The "hunt" has added a challenge rather than ordering parts out of a catalogue.

As my dad mentioned, I am on the hunt for a 63-66 AMC (not chevy) 327. The 287 and 327 are identical with the exception of a larger bore and 4bbl carburetor. I already have the 4bbl manifold and carburetor, just need the block.

The 287 that came out of the car has a spun main. Fixing the main and putting it back together is the backup plan. Since i have it apart, id like to upgrade to the 327, but its not my only route.

I have tried Galvin's Rambler Parts (who is a great guy, by the way), AMC Forum, and Facebook groups. I really appreciate everyone's input and advice on this. Ive had the pleasure of talking to a few of you on the phone as well. Ill try to keep everyone updated as things move forward!

And, i think pictures are cool, so here's the car.

When i found it, it had been sitting under a tree:
Picture 1
Picture 2

After i spent about 60 hours in polishing:
Picture 3
Picture 4