1965 AMC Rambler American, Inline 6

[mechjames]

I'm going to be picking up a 1965 AMC Rambler American with the AMC inline 6 engine tonight. It is either the 3.2 or the 3.8, i'm not sure.

Am I on the right track to run a Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 or a 15w40 Rotella in this motor? Unsure how many miles original, odo says 70,000 but i'm unsure if it has rolled over once or not.

 

[addyguy]

Go with a HDEO like Rotella, either 10w30 or 15w40.

Would love to see some pics, big fan of AMC cars!

 

[mechjames]

I can get ahold of the Rotella 10w30 at the parts store. Since its an inline 6, i'm more concerned about mileage, because it might turn into my daily driver. Going to sell my new yorker and might drive this for a while.

I will get pictures when I bring it home. It starts and runs, I just have to patch up the exhaust and give it a full brake job.

With my friend's 1950 Dodge Wayfarer, and my 1965 AMC Rambler American, it could be a fun cruising summer.

 

[Johnny]

Ah, the good life.

Neat old cars.

 

[addyguy]

A 10w30 HDEO is about as thin as I'd go on an old inline AMC six.

Hate to say it, but you don't buy an old car like that for mileage - if you're really concerned about mileage, I'd use the Stratus.

 

[Jim Allen]

I think 10W30 would be prefect, especially for the cooler Canadian climate. Not sure why people think older cars should always be running super thick oil. Unless the engine is totally worn out, anyway. If you look in the old manuals, a car like that '65 was likely recommended for a 30 or 10W30 grade oil. The viscosity ratings are something that pretty much carry over from the original period recommendations.

'65 was the first year for the 232ci but the 196 was still on the books. Knew a guy back when that had the aluminum version of the 196.Seemed like a good revver for a six, IIRC.

 

[Mustang2008Z]

It is either the 232 or the 256 cu in motor. The 256 was a better motor. Actually, the V-8 was better than any of the in-line 6's. In my opinion. I owned a 1971 AMC Hornet with a 232 cu in motor. It really s*cked. 10w30 SL would be an excellent oil for it. My opinion. I used 10w30 in my Hornet when I owned that piece of nothing.

 

[40Deluxe]

My first car was a 65 american,had a flat head six,i bought it in 1972 and used 10w40 pennz. in it until i traded it in 1974 for my 69 roadrunner,that rambler was a great car

 

[oilboy123]

I would run Auto-RX myself, second choice HDEO Rotella ect.

5 more years and it will be half a century old car. I was never a fan of the Ramblers.
But now that more time has gone by and I am, ahem a little older they would be kind of cool.

You could hop up the six........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambler_American

Did not know they made a SC/Rambler Hot Rod......

 

[demarpaint]

I rebuilt an engine in a 62 Ramble American as a HS Auto Shop project. One simple engine to work on, flat head 6 IIRC. Got me an A that semister.

Any 5W30, 10W30 or 5W40 or 10W40 should be fine in that engine.

 

[Mustang2008Z]

Ok, to correct my prior statement. AMC made the 232 and the 258 Cubic Inch 6 cylinder motors, and may have made a smaller 6 cylinder. The 258 was better, in my opinion, however, the V-8 may have been the best that AMC made when it was still a company.

The 360 Cubic Inch (Cu In) V-8 was nice.

 

[labman]

My dad had a '59 with a 327 cid aluminum V-8 and a Holly 4 barrel. Piece of junk. I think his last car was a Concord with a 327 cid iron I-6.

 

[Wilhelm_D]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I rebuilt an engine in a 62 Ramble American as a HS Auto Shop project. One simple engine to work on, flat head 6 IIRC. Got me an A that semister.


The flat head engine dated back to the 1930s.

It was a 195.6 cid engine.

It was a reasonably decent engine, but as with all flatheads prone to overheating under sustained heavy load. This is what happens when the hot exhaust travels through the cylinder block to the exhaust manifold.

In 1958 they made it into an OHV engine. The pushrods came up through the holes where the L-head valves used to be. Also the plates that covered the L-head valve adjustments were still there, although now decorative rather than functional.

As with all long-stroke straight sixes it was great at low end and not-too-hot at high speeds.

The aluminum version of it was junk. AMC had so many problems with it they sold a kit engine - a cast iron block engine with a pile of adapters for every kind of transmission and installation you could imagine, and shims for the front springs to bring the car back up to level.

 

[Wilhelm_D]

Originally Posted By: Mustang2008Z
Ok, to correct my prior statement. AMC made the 232 and the 258 Cubic Inch 6 cylinder motors, and may have made a smaller 6 cylinder.


Yes, a 199 cid engine.

The seven main bearing six was introduced in 1964 as a 232 cid in a special model Classic called the "Typhoon" - yellow and black two door hardtop.

The engine was 232 cid.

In 1966 a 199 cid version replaced the 195.6 cid OHV and L-head engines.

Both the 199 and 232 had a 3.75 inch bore and either a 3 inch or 3.5 inch stroke. The 199 was discontinued in 1970.

 

[Wilhelm_D]

Originally Posted By: labman
My dad had a '59 with a 327 cid aluminum V-8 and a Holly 4 barrel. Piece of junk. I think his last car was a Concord with a 327 cid iron I-6.


AMC never made an aluminum V-8.

Their first V-8 was a shared engine with Packard.

Their own first generation V-8 appeared first as a 250 cid V-8, then a 287 cid, and finally a 327 cid.

It was engineered by David Potter, a former Kaiser Motors engineer. Potter took the engine from drawing board to full production in just under 18 months.

All three engines share external dimensions, forged crankshaft and rods, as well as most other parts. The stroke for all is 3.25 inches. The 250 cid has a 3.5 inch bore, the 287 a 3.75 inch bore, and the 327 cid a 4 inch bore.

The block features a deep skirt where the casting extends below the crankshaft centerline, forming a very rigid crankcase gallery. The oiling scheme is similar to the Chevrolet small block engine - it feeds oil to the cam and crankshaft first, then to the lifter galleries.

There was a 1957 special edition Rambler Rebel, which featured mechanical fuel injection.

The engine is not noted for good breathing. The reason is that Potter decided to make the fuel/air mixture between the cylinders as close to identical as possible (most contemporary V-8s run rich in the center and lean at the ends).

The result was a smooth-running engine in which spark plugs all looked about the same after use, but which did not lend itself well to hot rodding.

 

[4ever4d]

i'm not a big AMC fan but thats interesting reading Wilhelm!

 

[labman]

I happen to know what engine was in my dad's car.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Wilhelm_D
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I rebuilt an engine in a 62 Ramble American as a HS Auto Shop project. One simple engine to work on, flat head 6 IIRC. Got me an A that semister.


The flat head engine dated back to the 1930s.

It was a 195.6 cid engine.

It was a reasonably decent engine, but as with all flatheads prone to overheating under sustained heavy load. This is what happens when the hot exhaust travels through the cylinder block to the exhaust manifold.

In 1958 they made it into an OHV engine. The pushrods came up through the holes where the L-head valves used to be. Also the plates that covered the L-head valve adjustments were still there, although now decorative rather than functional.

As with all long-stroke straight sixes it was great at low end and not-too-hot at high speeds.

The aluminum version of it was junk. AMC had so many problems with it they sold a kit engine - a cast iron block engine with a pile of adapters for every kind of transmission and installation you could imagine, and shims for the front springs to bring the car back up to level.




This beast was all cast iron I think. The cyl head was quite heavy, the plugs went straight in. The ridge worn into the cylinders was close to 1/8" if not more. It smoked like mad coming into the shop. I would say top speed was probably about 75mph. A real dog. LOL I did this project around 1973 or 1974 so I'm a little fuzzy on details.

 

[labman]

Did it still have the grooves in the head in place of the intake manifold? Not only did the plugs set where you could use an open end on them, the carb was bolted directly to the head.

My first car was a Nash.

 

[Rob_Roy]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
A 10w30 HDEO is about as thin as I'd go on an old inline AMC six.


I agree, but my neighbor has proved me wrong. He has a mid 60's AMC Rambler Wagon with an I-6, over 200k on it with a steady diet of Pennzoil 10w30. The last time I asked about it he said it was finally time to have a valve job done on it.