Introduction

Introduction

I’m Frank Swygert, known on several AMC/Rambler Facebook groups, “farna” on www.TheAMCForum.com and a few other sites. Welcome to RamblerGuy.com, an appropriate name since that’s what many friends call me! This is a partial mirror of Tom Jenning’s www.RamblerLore.com site, with some of my own material and comments added. I basically copied Tom’s site content (with his permission) and made changes as I deemed appropriate to my tastes. So there is some direct copying and/or edited text — not blatant plagiarism, I give Tom full credit! Tom and I have been “Internet friends” since the days of the old AMC List mail list from the 90s. We have discussed many of the things that he has documented, especially concerning 58-63 Americans and the 195.6 OHV six. In fact, he “stole” my idea for his Rambler Roadster! I say that half-way in jest – I did mention (several times) wanting to take a 61-63 American, cut the roof off, and weld the doors shut to make a roadster. He just got around to it before I did (and I may never). I’m glad he did – he had my full support for his project! I have to admit, he did a lot more than I ever would have as well. It was a well thought out and executed project, and I was a bit envious! When he put it up for sale in 2024 it was very tempting, but I already had another project started. But I did seriously consider flying out to California and driving it back to South Carolina! It had already made that trip once. In 2018 he drove it in the Hot Rod Power Tour through SC. It wasn’t far out of his way to swing by my house and stay over one night, then we both drove to Darlington in our Ramblers the next morning. His documentation is on this site.

This site consists of Rambler and American Motors technical information collected by Tom Jennings (who has done masterful at documenting!) and myself. Like Tom, my main concern is driving, not restoration, though restorers will find much of the information very helpful.

Replacement parts are increasingly difficult to source. Retail stores and online catalogs no longer accurately make available parts for cars that haven’t been made for a half century, so a large part of Tom’s work is identifying parts by aftermarket part number (as opposed to application) and in more and more cases, fabrication and modification. See the Parts List Spreadsheets within this site; Tom has further parts lists and cross-references in the works.

My (Frank’s) current Rambler has been with me since 2003. It was built from the start to be a reliable daily driver, a resto-mod if you will. I retained as much Rambler as possible while making it reliable and comfortable. It has a hopped up AMC/Jeep 4.0L (originally a 1988, but has newer parts added over the years, still retains the RENIX injection system) with AW4 automatic transmission. The torque tube axle was replaced with a 1987 Jaguar XJ6 independent rear suspension (IRS) – which turned out to be a rather costly venture compared to a standard live axle. Seats came from a 1991 AMC/Renault Premier, steering is 1990s Ford Thunderbird rack and pinion (something I wouldn’t likely do again, just like the Jag IRS). In all respects it’s a modernized Rambler. It was my daily driver while I was in the USAF (1983-2007) and for about seven years after, though it shared those duties with my truck. Since I started a Handy Man business in 2014 I pretty much use my truck daily and the Rambler spends much more time parked in my shop, only getting out occasionally.

Prior to that I owned a green and silver (Eddie Bauer Ford colors from the 80s) 63 American 440 sedan pictured. I purchased that car in 1984 while stationed at Mtn. Home AFB, ID. I had sold my previous 62 American two door sedan (with flat-head six and OD) prior to enlisting. I drove that 440 from 1984 through 1998, eventually building a 170-175 hp 195.6 OHV (cast iron block) and making many handling improvements. A friend who owned a 1975 Trans-Am was often surprised at the handling – it handled as good as his T/A! He suddenly clung to the dash after we went around a curve rather fast and I asked why, he knew the car would handle it! His reply: “yeah, but it’s not supposed to!” What a compliment!

My first Rambler was a 1961 American four door wagon – just like the black and white photo on the first page (mine was solid black). I forget the model, but it had a flat-head six and three speed manual transmission. A furniture store had used it for a TV service vehicle throughout the sixties and early seventies. A friend’s grandfather owned the store. I inquired about the car and he told me I could have it for $100 if I could get it running. It had been sitting in the parking lot at least five years, but that summer of 1978 it came back to life with little more than a jump start and some gas poured down the carb! My older brother helped me trailer it home as it was jammed in third gear. A friend of my father owned a shop and told me to take the trans out and bring it to him. He reahed in and pulled the last of three “dog clutches” out of the synchronizer and told me I’d soon get the hang of shifting it, and how to double clutch to down-shift. In a couple weeks you couldn’t tell it didn’t have a synchro when I was driving!

The front end of that first Rambler was so worn out I was the only one who could hold it straight on the road with one hand. Had at least ¼ turn of play in it! I found a parts car, a 62 two door sedan, with a blown motor at a local garage. It had been towed in and abandoned. Rather than swap the front suspensions I managed to obtain a title for the two door and swapped engines instead. The wagon engine needed rebuilding and was getting pulled anyway.

I have since written three books and many magazine articles concerning AMC cars from the early 50s (and some Nash ancestors) through the end. All the books were self-published as it was hard to get a publisher interested in a Rambler or AMC book, other than a few covering the muscle cars. I wanted to cover EVERYTHING! The muscle cars got a lot of interest, but the more mundane cars were AMCs bread and butter. The most well known book is “The Red White and Blue Book” numbers decoding guide, currently available from The Olde Milford Press.

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In 1998 I decided to launch a magazine, more appropriately a “fanzine” concerning AMC/Rambler cars. I ambitiously titled it “American Independent Magazine” and included articles on other AMC related independents, such as the Willys Aero, and made an effort to entice other independent make clubs to submit articles. That never came to fruition, and the name was changed to “American Motors Cars” in 2006. I would have changed it earlier, but in 2002 a fellow tried to launch a magazine with the same title. We talked about the prospects of an AMC magazine, and I wished him luck. He folded after three issues. I had to wait until people forgot about that (he left subscribers hanging!). My magazine was intended to be a research vehicle for a new AMC book, but the magazine took all my spare time! I intend to write a new book one day, mainly an improved version of my last one, “The Compact Chronicles”, published in 1992, and will use a lot of info from my AMC magazine articles. If I ever get the time…

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