1962 Factory A/C Rambler Ambassador 400 No Rust V8 Auto 1961 1963 1964 1965

Description

This listing is for a very nice original "survivor" 1962 Rambler Ambassador 400 sedan. This car is from here in relatively dry Montana so it has absolutely no body rust problems anywhere. Even the trunk floor, spare tire well and battery tray are not rusted through anywhere. This "gem in the rough" even has factory air conditioning which is very unusual for a Montana car of this vintage.
According to the Montana license plates, I suspect this his car was last driven in 1973. I suspect it was stored outside here in Montana for over 40 years or perhaps even longer. The paint is wearing thin and is washing off of the roof. The original vinyl interior has some damage from the sun. The very special headliner is in superb original condition with no soiling or damage that I can find and it is not coming off of the roof anywhere.
This car has had some minor damage to the front bumper, left front fender and rear bumper at some time. All of the chrome plated die-cast zinc metal emblems, letters, lamp bezels etc. on the outside of this car are in unbelievably nice original condition with no pitting or "spider webbing" due to our dry climate here in Montana.
This car is very well equipped with the following interesting features and factory options:
Interesting Features :
73,132 original miles
Engine still turns but I have not tried to make it run yet
Air conditioning belt still in place & compressor turns over
Front seat backs recline
Front seat backs fold down flat to make a bed for camping or traveling
1st year of B
endix dual circuit master cylinder (federal mandate in 1967)
Dual ash trays in dash
Original American Motors ignition & trunk lock keys
Original owner's manual
1968 Bison Ford from Great Falls Montana dealer's used car
invoice
for 0 minus 0 for 1949 Nash 2 door trade in
Factory Installed Options :
American Motors factory A/C (notice chrome emblems on front doors)
270 HP 327 V8 engine with 4 bbl carb (250 HP 327 with 2 bbl carb std)
"FLASH-O-MATIC" Automatic Transmission - left dash push button shift
Power steering
Power drum brakes on all 4 wheels
Windshield washer with foot pump
Dual horns
AM push button radio with front and rear speakers
Trunk center mounted radio antenna
Electric clock
Full wheel covers
Day / Night inside rear view mirror
Driver's side outside rear view mirror
Headrest on passenger's front seat
"Lounge Tilt" hydraulic bottom seat cushion tilt - passenger's front seat
Parking brake red warning light on left side of dash
History :
I really enjoy researching and preserving the history of vehicles and other things. Therefore, I want to share with you here what I have learned about the history of this very special automobile. The original owner's manual was in the glove box and is in good original condition. A plastic covered Whitaker (automotive wiring products) notebook contained the carbon copy of the used car sales order mentioned below.
According to the information in the back of the original owner's manual, this car was bought new on March 13, 1962 by August Keil of Lincoln Montana. He purchased it from Zarske Rambler Sales in Conrad Montana which was located 125 miles north east of where the new owner lived in Lincoln Montana. He would most likely have traveled through Great Falls to get to Conrad so he must have found a better deal or a car he liked better in Conrad rather than Great Falls. Perhaps he wanted a car with air conditioning and there were not at the Great Falls dealership at that time.
According to a carbon copy of the original sales order from Bison Motor Company, the Ford dealer in Great Falls Montana, the last known, and probably the next owner of this car was Irv Sturm of Belt Montana. Belt is located 22 miles east of Great Falls. Mr. Sturm purchased this car on April 23, 1968 for 0. He traded a 1949 Nash 2 door sedan on it and was allowed 0 for that car. He also owned the nice original and very solid 1947 Nash Ambassador coupe that I have listed elsewhere here on eBay. He operated a car, truck and tractor repair shop in Belt Montana for many years.
Engine :
I put a socket wrench on the crank pulley nut and turned the engine only a few degrees with not much effort. Evidently this engine was not stuck at all so that is good. I plan to remove both of the valve covers and make sure no valves are stuck in order to avoid bending a push rod or breaking a rocker arm.
My next task will be to drain the engine oil and see if any coolant or water is present. I will then replace the engine oil and oil filter. I may then remove all 8 of the spark plugs and squirt oil into the cylinders before I attempt to spin the engine with the starter.
I will add notes to this listing to keep you informed of my progress in making this car run again.
Transmission :
The oil on the transmission dip stick appears to never have been overheated and it smells OK so that is good news. Until I get the engine running, the condition of the transmission remains somewhat of a mystery.
Rear Axle Asssembly :
This car has the typical Rambler enclosed drive line from that period. Neither rear brake drum was seized up when I went to move this car so that is good. It appears that this car does not have a locking differential of any kind. Much like the transmission, u
ntil I get the engine running, the condition of the rear axle assembly remains somewhat of a mystery.
Front Suspension & Steering :
When I upgraded the old tires and had the front of the car on blocks, I could find nothing obviously wrong with the steering or suspension. Neither of the front brake drums were seized up so that is good.
Much like the transmission and rear axle assembly, u
ntil I get the engine running and drive this vehicle, the condition of the front suspension and steering remains somewhat of a mystery.
Brakes :
As one might expect, the service brakes on this car do not work at all. I am sure that one will have to replace all of the wheel cylinders and brake hoses to make this car safe to drive again. As I recall, the parking brake is not working at all so it probably has some corrosion on the actuating cables.
What impressed me most about this automobile is the fact that it features the dual hydraulic braking system that came later on the competition's vehicles. I know GM did not adopt that feature until 1967 when the federal mandate took effect. I suspect Ford and Chrysler upgraded their vehicles at the same time but I am not sure about that. As a mechanical engineer, I have been amazed for many years that so many millions of vehicles were built with hydraulic brakes that had an unsafe single hydraulic system.
I have about 80 more detailed photo of this car that I can email to your regular email address. Please do not ask or expect me to send they to you using the eBay email system. That system drastically reduces the size of photos sent that way. I can only attach 5 photos per email using the eBay system.
I will be adding more information soon. Thanks a lot, Bob Woodburn - phone 406-799-1847 in Bozeman Montana USA