written by Frank Swygert 03-31-2026, last update 03-31-2026

There are various reasons one would want to swap engine in their Nash/Rambler/AMC. Both of my cars are engine (well, drivetrain) swapped. My reason is I like to drive my cars and wanted something more modern and reliable than the old 195.6 OHV both originally sported. Now the 195.6 OHV can be made reliable enough with just a little work. But there is still the issue of parts availability. If you drive it long distance and a water pump fails, it will take a minimum of three days to get a replacement, and it could take longer. The same for a fuel pump. There are ways around both issues, one is to carry a spare on long trips, another to update both the cooling and fuel system with more readily available parts (electric options for both). In my case I wanted a more modern driving experience, but love my old Ramblers. So the 63 Classic I built to be a daily driver got a 4.0L with EFI and AW4 transmission. I considered restoring my 61 American convertible, but in the end decided to install a modern four, partially because my wife wanted to be able to drive it.

Another reason is it’s getting hard to find AMC engines and especially transmissions in some areas. This is even harder for non-US owners!

Whatever your reason, it’s your car. I’d rather see a Rambler on the road with a “foreign” engine than rusting in the back yard. Other’s will disagree. I certainly wouldn’t swap a rare or valuable car, or a car that was in pristine condition. Hot rodders will tell you to start with the best car you can afford, but when I was building my 63 Classic in 2003 I turned away from a couple cars that were just in too good a condition to modify. I bought one that needed everything but still had a straight, almost rust free (bottom of tailgate was rusted out, and cowl above heater — both common rust areas) body to work with.

 

1960 Rambler 6 199/232/258 Swap

The info in this page also applies to replacing the 195.6 in a 64-65 American with a later six.

V-8 in 1954-55 Nash Rambler/1958-63 American