'69 Rambler American Wagon Low Budget Build

[Samaleshi]

Hey guys, haven't been here since it was Freiburger's Junkyard, place is looking good!

I unloaded the Scamp 340 clone I had built about 16 years ago and built a family car...

Started with '69 Rambler wagon that had been in storage for about 10 years. Extremely solid car with 90% original paint and a 232 auto. It ran great, but the Borg Warner auto was not long for the new world, which forced my hand...

Now has a '95 Jeep 4.0, Aisin Warner overdrive auto(AW4), narrowed Exploder 3.73 limited slip 8.8, Crown Vic police front discs, doubled spring rates, poly bushings, KYB's, and 16x7 Grand Marquis wheels with used Potenza's. Grand total of about $2k in parts, what a difference!

Be happy to answer any questions, figured you all might be a bit more interested in a gravel driveway wrecking yard parts build than some of the other forums around here...

[milner351]

very cool! Did you pull the entire wiring harness and PCM from the jeep as well so the EFI runs as it did from the factory?

What sort of work did you have to do to marry the crown vic discs on the front?

[Bob Holmes]

That is fantastic.

Was that on the salt this year? I saw something like that and told my buddy Scott that it would be perfect to drop our EMC hemi in.

[Samaleshi]

All stock Jeep harness and ECU/Trans controller right now.

Crown Vic calipers were mounted using a bracket between the spindle and knuckle, AMC's are cool like that, see attached.

It was on the salt, here's some links to more pics/video.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXEqjx4hc49RnotLiE-2qw

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samaleshi/sets/72157635058375104/

[DanStokes]

Dude! Next time come look me up in Impound. After the weekend I usually have time to chat.

Cool little car! Is the engine a bolt-in (other than the electronics)? I don't know how consistent AMC was thruout the years.

Dan

[JOES66FURY]

those vic wheels look right at home on it...cool little car!

[SuperBuickGuy]

cool car, certainly outside the box

[Samaleshi]

Dude! Next time come look me up in Impound. After the weekend I usually have time to chat.

Cool little car! Is the engine a bolt-in (other than the electronics)? I don't know how consistent AMC was thruout the years.

Dan

ECU only requires 5 wires to run. 12V, Ignition on, Ignition on/run, 2 wires to the fuel pump. I used a returnless rail engine with a '88 Ford Bosch external fuel pump and a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 filter/regulator.

The Jeep 4.0 block casting retained the early motor mount bosses, the '69 232 mounts bolted right up! I bolted a Mopar 904/727 auto trans mount directly to the trans and re-used the original trans crossmember, moved back and down in the chassis. Junkyard Fairmont driveline. Used the factory column shift linkage too. It was way too easy.

[hauen]

This is great!

[Scott Liggett]

ECU only requires 5 wires to run. 12V, Ignition on, Ignition on/run, 2 wires to the fuel pump. I used a returnless rail engine with a '88 Ford Bosch external fuel pump and a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 filter/regulator.

The Jeep 4.0 block casting retained the early motor mount bosses, the '69 232 mounts bolted right up! I bolted a Mopar 904/727 auto trans mount directly to the trans and re-used the original trans crossmember, moved back and down in the chassis. Junkyard Fairmont driveline. Used the factory column shift linkage too. It was way too easy.

Way to go to be inventive and creative instead of spending big bucks.

BTW, that interior is the perfect color if the kids or the dog get car sick. No one will ever notice.

[Deaf Bob]

Love the sleeper look...
Mpg? 20's??

[racingsnake440]

Great project, love it!

[BangShift McT]

That is freakin' awesome!

[ChevyII Wagon]

Awesome Wagon, very creative. Well done.

[Samaleshi]

Love the sleeper look...
Mpg? 20's??

It got around 19 with about 500lbs of camping gear and a couple people in it on the way to the salt. Don't know what it is empty yet. Weighs about 500lbs less than a Cherokee, should be low 20's highway.