Ok, so maybe this isn’t everyone’s American dream, but I love these cars. This is a 1966 Rambler Rogue and as you can see, it’s fresh out of storage where it’s been since 1997. This Rogue is listed on eBay with a bid of $200 and the reserve isn’t met. There are still six days left on this auction for you to find a junkyard that has an unbent front bumper.
Ahh.. the classic, modern trend of taking photos of a car on a trailer. I wonder when that started, I don’t remember it in decades past. The Rambler Rogue was basically an AMC Rambler American with a few trim and maybe performance upgrades. 1966 was the first year for this top of the line model for the Rambler American, being the new name for what was the Rambler 440-H in 1965. There’s a little rust in the rear quarters, but supposedly it’s a pretty solid car other than that.
Those factory seats and floor mats are great! Kidding, and I’m guessing that the front seats are in need of repair and the seller says that the floors and trunk are solid and appear to be rust-free! Now that’s good news. The back seat looks nice, hopefully some OEM seat material can be found to redo the front seats just in case they’re ripped up. The driver’s side carpet looks pretty wet, or is that something else going on there? You may need new windlace, carpet, and seat material, but the dash looks fairly good with one split that I can see. According to the VIN this car has a manual three-speed overdrive on the column. You can see the manual part, but the overdrive is nice.
Power steering! This is not AMC’s 225 hp 290 V8, unfortunately; I know that’s what most people would want to see under this probably-rust-free hood. This is AMC’s 232 six-cylinder, I believe. I bet the VIN was entered incorrectly since the 7th character should be a letter not a number. They show the number “8” and I think it should be the letter “B”, which would be a 232 straight-six with a two-barrel carb and around 155 hp. This looks like a nice project, depending on if there’s a reasonable reserve price on the auction or not. What a reasonable reserve is could be debated until the end of time, what do you think this car is worth?
I can imagine there is a lot of potential here. I personally see a compact lightweight body begging for a big V8/4 speed. These bones gotta fetch a couple of grand.
A guy from Ohio ( also named Howard) had the most beautiful Rambler Rouge I ever saw, at the AMC reunion. 343, 4 speed, and flawless paint job and interior. http://www.velocityjournal.com/images/full/2011/539/ra1967americanrogue53941564.jpg
Wow Howard, that is beautiful. Like the Marlin next to it to.
Hi BRAKTRCR, if you are in the Kenosha area this summer, the next reunion is July 29, 2017. If it was made by AMC ( or Rambler), an example probably will be there. Great time, be there AND be square :)
My last beater, which I miss dearly, was a ’64 Rambler American 330 two-door sedan. It was incredibly charming in its simplicity: flathead six, column-shift three speed and radio delete. Unfortunately, despite its low mileage (just over 30,000 when I bought it–still wearing 1963-dated plug wires) it succumbed to rust shortly after I sold it, though it is still in storage as a potential project for its new owner. I’d love to someday own a ’66-’69 car.
Power steering, and a console with bucket seats. Nice car. I had 2 1965 American wagons, one a 220 and one a 330.The 330 had a chrome strip down the side, but that was the only difference I could see.
Both had the 3 on the tree, with overdrive which worked fantastic. They were great on gas but with 199 cubes, they were pretty slow. The 232 is a great motor, and the 2 barrel makes it even better. I like the “Squareness” off the Rogue, and think it is a nicer looking car. Easy to work on, fun to drive, in the sense they are different. They didn’t corner, but with Cubic Dollars, anything is fixable. I would just clean this car up and drive it.
Rouge was , I f I remember correctly was the 2door hardtop model .what a great name, rouge, too bad they lost it to nissan .Another great name, lost to volvo was cross country
I had a,1966 rogue from 1990 to 2007 .Mine was one of the rare 290 4 spd car,gold with blk roof and trunk. I replaced the 290 with a 401 and a 69 scrambler rear end with 410 gears. Raced it a bunch in the 90s ran low 12s at 110..
Fun car for not alot of money
Dad bought a new American wagon in 1964 that we went to Carlsbad Caverns in and then my Aunt B bought a new 4 door also….mom later drove a 1966 American wagon…good little orphan brand……
And if you can’t find a front bumper, a rear bumper is the same. Loved my 66 220. The most dependable car I’ve ever owned.
“Ahh.. the classic, modern trend of taking photos of a car on a trailer. I wonder when that started, I don’t remember it in decades past.”
My theory on that is that it started when people realized that unloved and seemingly abandoned cars were an untapped gold mine. Rather than have individuals crawling the countryside all willy-nilly, “professionals” now scour the land in search of hidden gems.
The beauty in all of this is the advent of the smart phone. Why schlep your find to a warehouse, properly catalogue it and do a little research before marketing? Instead, once it’s on the trailer you can snap some quick photos with the built-in camera and upload your sale ad using the eBay or craigslist apps; start the sale before you even leave the county where it was found.
From a profit standpoint I’m sure that a fast sale is best. Better that you collect the sales money before you have to realize the purchase price. I suppose that part of it is about timing nowadays, but I suspect it’s really because some people regard classic cars as a commodity to be traded rather than potential projects. It’s the difference between a hobbyist and a profiteer.
Me? I love a good project, but I usually prefer to get mine from someone who owned the car before me, and who maybe loved it and saw it for its beauty. Sometimes you have to get them where they come from, and that may be some jerk flipper (law of supply and demand?), but for me I prefer to go a different route.
Had a 66 rambler Rogue with the 232. Wished I still had it. I sold it 30 years ago when I went active duty. Wish I could find another and convert it to what mine looked like.