As I was traversing the Daytona International Speedway this past weekend, I walked through the area where all the race car driver’s motorcoaches park during race weekends and realized this was the location of this year’s featured marque, the Rambler of the late 60’s. I spotted more Rambler Scramblers gathered in one spot than I had ever seen previously. Not to mention AMX’s.
But wait! What is that down this row?
Yeah, my fellow Hoons, it is what appears to be a 1969 Rambler Station Wagon. It is my understanding this was the last year prior to becoming American Motors and this wagon was the last of that dying breed of Ramblers. I spoke to the female half of the ownership of that longroof, seen in the background of the above image, and she mentioned they found this longroof in a barn up in Georgia in the fall of 2010. It was missing its engine and transmission and while her other half was getting the drivetrain together
she was responsible for gathering the interior bits together for use and display.
She mentioned it was a work in progress and that 258 transplant was not quite getting its fuel supply correctly and thus, she sheepishly admitted, they had trailered it up from Melbourne, Florida, about an hour south of The World Center of Racing.
The interior was pretty much complete save the headliner. And just like this olelongrooffan in my olestationbus, the liberal use of expanding foam can silence a lot of squeaks in the roof section of a longroof.
Interestingly enough, the interior door pulls on the front doors were brown but on the rear doors they were green! At least the respective doors matched!
And the owners installed a nice set of aftermarket gauges.
All in all, a nice, rare longroof with work in progress!!
Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday: The 1969 Rambler Edition
By LongRoofian
Mar 30, 2011
By LongRoofian
No biography of the LongRoofian would be complete without [edited for length and adherence to subject matter] and your continued enjoyment of these ramblings is certainly welcome.
Jeff Glucker 
Kamil Kaluski
I remember a Scrambler greeting me on a run as my first V.I.S.I.T. of spring.
This year I have a feeling that VISIT is still waiting in the garage.
Ooooh, a "B" series SC/Rambler third in the row in the lead picture. I'd take one of those over the three other "A" series cars pictured – the "B" cars are rarer and a little more subtle-looking.
I love it, but I wish it was a little less shiny. Bit more pitted chrome, a little stain of old, seeping oil around the headgasket, a little more "life in the fast lane" and it would be perfect. Only time will tell whether this ends up as drag king or trailer queen.
Nice post, LongRoofian. Could do with a little of that FLA sunshine about now.
well, the inside of the roof still looks like hell, at least until a new headliner goes in. But yes I agree. Also the faded door trim looks weird next to the too-new dash and seats. But hey I'd drive it in a second.
I like the fact that they dropped in a 258 six, rather than something like a 304 V8. You can do a lot with a 258 six, companies such as Clifford Research sell all kinds of nifty go-fast parts for them. I imagine they'll get the fuel problem sorted, and they'll end up with a real nice car to park on the beach when they go to Daytona. You can still do that, right?
Giving a whole new meaning to "park on the beach" Yeah that was me and my olestationbus a couple years ago!
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpgRDHf6yiw/TZOORYLvbPI/AAAAAAAAPD0/wgGBzoi_t3s/s1600/1+022.jpg" width = 500 end>
Whoops.
I dig it, and it look pretty clean for a work-in-progress. The whole time I was reading, Ramble On was blaring in my head.
I like in-progress cars. You can simultaneously see in it the spit-polished, flawless end result and the rusty, banged-up "before" photo.
Sigh… Ramblers. Be still my heart!
While it's correct that 1969 was the last year for the Rambler name (in the US and Canada) it's not "…the last year prior to becoming American Motors…" – AMC was formed in 1954. What is often forgotten, though, is that the "American" name was dropped from this model for 1969, and it's properly a 1969 AMC Rambler.
I'd love to build a wagon homage to the SC/Rambler out of a Rambler wagon, with all the goodness of the hardtop coupe. A-series style paint job, hood scoop, lotsa powah, suspension work to improve handling, etc etc.
There's a potential problem with the wild Red/White/Blue paint jobs, though. A recent-model beige-on-beige Toyota sedan doing 85mph on the highway doesn't even get a raised eyebrow. But you'd best hope the third state trooper who pulled you over this week is an auto enthusiast who "just wanted to see the car up close".