Rusty_OToole

You would have to scan the part to make a virtual part in the computer. Then correct or modify the virtual part ala photoshop. Finally use the 3D printer to make the part, or the mold. For example if you wanted to make a casting you would have to make the pattern bigger to allow for shrinkage. About one sixteenth inch per foot for aluminum. This would be childs play on a computer, not so easy on the actual part.

Engine number is on left side of block, at the top edge of the block just below the head, near the front. Above the generator ahead of the distributor. If it is the original engine the number will start C16

Chevrolet. You can kill the rotten music by the sound control at the lower right of the screen. This would be a good video to illustrate why sedans and coupes had fabric inserts in the tops until the mid 30s. Note the size of the sheets of metal going into the stamping press around the 6 minute mark. Such wide sheets were not available before 1934. The Chevrolets shown are the Turret Top model, first to have a solid steel roof.

I am beginning to wonder about the continental kit and fender skirts. The way the skirts match the line of the fender and blend into the continental make me think they were made specially for that car. I doubt AMC made the skirts, or the continental kit. So either some aftermarket company tooled up for them which is unlikely, or someone had them made for the car, or someone was very lucky in buying universal parts and having them fit perfectly. It would be interesting to know where the accessories came from. Incidentally the Ambassador should be easier to get parts for than your Jeepster or Willys wagon.

Black soot means too rich mixture in other words too much gas, nothing to do with spark advance. Did they even have automatic advance in 1928.

Another empty dream.The education system today is all about milking the suckers, I mean students, into paying big money, mostly borrowed, for a worthless degree. There are thousands of graduates each year who cant find a job or if they are lucky find a low paid job the could have done with a high school diploma. Except they are starting out in life with $1OO,OOO in student loan debt that they cannot repay, and that they cannot escape even by bankruptcy.

If the car was near here I would be tempted to buy it myself. There is a restoration shop owner near here who uses a red 1966 Rambler Ambassador sedan regularly in the summer.

Motor parts are not hard to find. Most can be bought from your local parts stores. The rest are available from antique car specialists like Egge Machine. If there is anything specific you need, ask on the Olds board. Fixing the old motor would be way easier than installing a new one.

Hemi and poly trans should be the same based on the fact that they use the same block but I could be wrong. There is also the flathead six version, I bet most of them had manual trans. I know where there is a 55 plymouth 3 speed stick and six parts car. The bellhousing will be wrong but the driveshaft, trans, pedal assembly and gearshift might work. Whether a 55 plymouth uses the same parts as a 56 Dodge is also an open question. To the idea of using a SBC I still say, if you want a Camaro buy a Camaro. I like the pushbutton automatics and even if I didnt I wouldnt go to the trouble of changing one out. Id learn to like it before I did that.

Right now a lot of people are hurting for money.Unemployment is high. One American in seven is on food stamps. Could be a lot of customers have lost their jobs and are trying to struggle through the next week or month, hoping something turns up. Then again modern cars need so little maintenance they think they can get away with none at all. And they can as long as they trade the car in before it blows sky high.

Some have reported less vapor lock and more power and cooler running by adding kerosene to the gas. Low compression engines, like 7 to 1 or lower, 1O%. Up to 25% if your compression is real low like below 5 to 1. Todays gas is too light and too high octane for old low compression motors, they need more heavy ends to develop full power.

I believe the bolts were dumped into vats of oil as they came off the assembly line, still hot. This gave them a black finish that was moderately rust proof and of course a slight coating of oil would preserve them in the box until they were sold. Today they use some kind of zinc or cadmium plating.

If you go to an old car flea market you will see lots of 198O magazines cheap. Buy a few and you will soon find what you are looking for.

By the way your Jeepster and Willys are related to the Ambassador by marriage. American Motors bought Jeep in 197O.

The car you show has been slightly modified. The rear tire continental kit is likely an aftermarket accessory. The fender skirts are called cruiser skirts and they are also an aftermarket accessory. The wheels were not painted red. The red top, I cannot say for certain, but I believe they did not make a red top. I thought that in their day, Ramblers were one of the more popular American cars in Europe. They are smaller than most American cars, and were known to be very dependable and economical on fuel. They were also known to have a very smooth quiet comfortable ride and for having the best heating and ventilating system in the industry. In America they were thought of as a boring car, bought by older motorists looking for the best value, economy, comfort and long service at low cost. They were not thought of as a car for swingers and young folks. The Ambassador was AMCs largest, most luxurious model. Your convertible is likely the most expensive car they made. Common repair parts are generally available through normal channels.There is a loyal AMC car club. They can help you with the hard to find parts. The Ambassador will be harder to find parts for than the common Chevrolet and Ford models but not impossible.

If you really want a stick shift the easiest way to get one would be to sell your car and buy one with a stick. There is no easy way to do this unless you can find a complete stick shift car and swap over everything.

When I say bark I mean the engine responds right away. If it poohs out for a second then catches it is too lean. If it blubbers it is too rich. Black smoke out the tailpipe means, way too rich. The vacuum gauge method is excellent. If you have a vacuum gauge and know how to use it you can get more out of this one gauge than any other piece of diagnostic equipment.

The rule is to turn the screw in until the engine slows or hesitates then back it out until it runs smooth, half or three quarters of a turn. An old timer told me when you get the adjustment right the engine will bark when you open the throttle ,

You know if they would only set the engine back about 2 feet, and use old style wheels and tires it wouldnt be so bad.

There is a very old way to put a black finish on hardware. Heat the bolt with a propane torch and drop it in a can of linseed oil. It will come out with a hard black coating. I think when the bolts were made, they did this.

If it has the tower filter it is a later model 1951 or newer and may be a 265. It would be a valuable find for someone who needs a flathead Chrysler six.

In addition to the engine number stamped in the left side of the block there may be an industrial engine ID tag riveted to the block on the right side, low down and about half way between the front and back. It will have the IND model number and the displacement.

The engine is not worth a large amount of money, $5O to $1OO maybe more according to condition. However it will fit A LOT of Chrysler cars, trucks, not to mention marine and industrial aps. What is the displacement, the 265 cu in is the largest and most desirable with its long stroke crankshaft. Also industrial engines have hardened cylinder sleeves and other heavy duty parts. Does it have the oil filter tower on the left side, or a remote filter with 2 small oil lines. The primo engine for a rebuild or hop up would be a 265 industrial engine with full flow oil filter (tower filter]. It would likely be worth more as a working fork lift. However if you want to scrap it advertise the engine, someone may want it before it goes to the crusher. I would buy it if it was not so far away.

sadidaO11, there have been several in depth discussions of this transmission on the Chrysler and Dodge boards especially. It was known as Gyromatic, Fluid Drive, or Tip Toe Shift on Dodge, Chrysler or DeSoto but all were the same transmission. Do a search on the Chrysler board for Fluid Drive and look at some long threads from around 2OO8. There is a lot of good info on there. It took hours to type it all out and I dont want to do all that work over again. Read the threads on how to service the transmission, and the best way to operate it. They should clear everything up. If you have any questions we will try to answer them but please, save yourself some time and do the search first.

Smiths gauges were as common on English cars as black noses on dogs.