This mint colored 1969 AMC Ramber is a tired example of a very special model. This is a Hurst SC/Rambler (often known as Scrambler) and only 1,512 were built specifically for drag racing. Of those cars there were two paint schemes; A and B with the A scheme being the most bold and the B scheme slightly more subdued, although rarer. Rumor has it that AMC didn’t have much money for advertising so the cars themselves became a rolling billboard. At some point in this car’s history, someone decided to cover up the red, white and blue paint for this mint and blue paint scheme. But this appears to be a genuine SC/Rambler so it will be worth a pretty penny when it is restored. Find it in southern Ohio and here on eBay where bidding is under $2,000 with no reserve!
This photo of the rear window and deck lid shows the original A paint scheme underneath the green paint. (It also shows a rusty rear parcel shelf behind the glass!) These cars would have had 390 ci 6.4L V8 under the scoop-adorned hood, and it produces no less than 315 horses and 425 pound-feet of torque. They were intended for NHRA F/Stock drag racing class and could compete with the best muscle cars of the day.
This car is in poor shape but the blacked out grill, blue wheels, and original paint peeking out from under the minty green indicate that this is the real thing. Excellent examples of the SC/Rambler fetch $50,000 or more but as always, your mileage may vary. Even though the Hurst badges and 390 badges are no longer present, there are still many details that could prove that this is a real SC/Rambler.
Unfortunately that 390 ci V8 is missing. That is the biggest let down with this car. But the white paint on the inner fenders helps that this has the proper paint scheme for a real SC/Rambler. The seller says that there is an engine block but the transmission (and everything else) is missing. I’d guess it is going to be difficult to track down all of the correct components, but with how frugal AMC was I wonder how many of the SC parts came from other cars?
The seller says that his father rescued this car from a farm field but cancer got in the way of restoring it. They are selling it because they won’t be able to perform the restoration. It is going to take a lot of work, but less desirable cars have been back from worse shape!
please somebody save this piece of history.
I am forever baffled that cars this rare are left to rot, there are so many-when the pictures of the mopars rotting in the back yard of some redneck who thinks they are still perfect sucks.if you aren’t going to do them justice,put them in the hands of someone who will.
Difficult to find the correct components for this car, but not impossible. I sure hope someone has the money and the inclination to restore this baby.
Underneath would be more. clues if it is real or not. Frame conectors, staggered shocks with special plates welded in.If it is real someone needs to save it.
Just sold one last year. Found it sitting in a driveway in Mesa, AZ. Sold pretty quick at 12k.. and was not very pretty..
By the way calling this car Minty Fresh is an allusion to Minty Fresh in the Christopher Moore novels. It fits too considering what happened to him in the course of the two novels he’s featured in: A Dirty Job and Second Hand Souls. This car appears to be an automotive tribute to him.
Around 1978 during college I worked for an auction in Eugene Oregon transporting cars to and from dealers for the sale. I drove a ‘69 SC/Rambler from Springfield to the sale – ran on 7 or so cylinders, had a plaid bench transplanted in and that dealer was trying to get $150, it didn’t sell so a couple weeks later I chugged it back. It was a sad car but pretty complete with original paint scheme and all – a 9 year old at the time rode hard pot lot used car.
I remember when I was a kid in the early 1980s there was a largely original 1970 GTO Judge, 4-speed, red with black interior and top, left to rot engineless behind a local transmission shop. I distinctly recall the funky “Ram Air” pull knob on the bottom of the dash and the very faded but still brash judge stripes and decals.
It sat back there for like 3 or 4 years before it finally disappeared. And it looked like it had been sitting there for at least a few years before I first saw it. if I had offered them 200 bucks they probably would have given it to me enthusiastically, and helped me tow it home too.
People forget that a lot of very desirable muscle cars went down during the 1970s before they were valuable. They didn’t cost much to buy after the first gas crisis, and many ended up in the hands of abusive drivers, young hot rodders with widely varying degrees of taste, money, and talent, and drag racers.
It would be nice to save it but I don’t have deep enough pockets or the ambition to find the parts needed to do it correctly.
If the US Forest Service bought one,it’d be this color.
Those are WAY COOL cars!
This car was quite a farewell to the Rambler name in its last year during the muscle car era. As a kid, my grandfather had a 68 American 2 door sedan fairly similar to this.
Another one of my “Bucket List” autos. I still pine for them whenever they come up. I came across one for sale on CR, in about the same condition, in a town about twenty minutes away. It looked to be, quite unbelievably, a “B” Scheme. Regret to this day, not taking the chance on that one. Truly the time to buy them is when you see them. Too old now to undertake this girl – I’d bet her to be an “upside-down” car when finished – But hope some philanthropist sees to it that she gets back into The Registry.
This things going to need lots of expensive love, and it will never be numbers matching. It’s going to be a labor of love, no profit here.
AMC never had “numbers matching” on any of their vehicles ever, so that is not a worry. There are plenty of doner cars out there and 390 can be had.
Can’t get over that it still has the original wheels but not paint or motor. Great cars. Save it someone.
I can’t believe it has the original wheels too! Somebody save it and keep most or some of it original!
like….
We are used to seeing pristine examples of these cars, but the reality is, this is what many looked like in the day. After the original owner got done with it, they were sold for less and less, and every owner took their turns at beating the crud out it, ( they were fun cars) and this is what remained. Even with it’s rarity, at some point, you have to say it’s not worth it, and this car is there. Even though, parts are around( the Kenosha reunion swap area had lot’s of SC parts) They do bring big money( Hemmings only has 2, one for $59g’s, the other $170g’s, and that is nuts) so the return is there.
You can have a Rambler with a V8 but you can’t have a Rambler Scrambler without the X in the vin. That is what separates the real cars from the clones. The X clearly posted as with the many other details like the X on the frame rail (IMPORTANT) she is real.
There are parts missing that can be replaced. Guys you have to find them. With only about 200 some odd survivors (most over restored) known the chances of finding a real one even in this shape undocumented is beyond rare. A savvy builder can take this and be on the upside. You don’t have to have a TV show to build a car. Guys do it all the time in their two car garages. The scoops,interior and even the headrests and mirrors are being reproduced.
AMC didn’t make special mechanical parts for this car. They were ending production and everything was off the shelf. There is NO numbers matching issues to contend with.
For about $500. you could get a complete floor cut with rockers from a junkyard out West. $1500 for a 390 a Super T10 $300-$600. Hoods doors and trunk lids interchange from 66-69 Not impossible. If you paid $10,000 you could still build it for under $30,000 or much less depending on what you wanted. A replica street drag racer, Rat rod, tube chassis? Lots of possibilities.
I have seen worse put back together and AMC value wise this is the top dog. You want a better AMC you need an SSAMX .Plan on about $150K or more for one.No thanks. I’ll take the Scrambler Great car and great project. It deserves a second chance. Good luck to the seller.
My favorite was always the Rebel Machine. I was in Kenosha that fall and saw them in every color. The dark green was my choice. I cannot fathom a S/CRambler at $170,000.
Save this beast and paint it back white with proper stripes or labels.
Drop a 401 with traction bars and four speed to make it rip them rear wheel threads again at the lights to all millennial in their Hondas with bszooka mufflers thinking that’s a hot rod. They annoy me as in my day a muscle car was more than an exhaust tip. Some get it with bigger engines and turbos but others only dream it 😜👀🙀
Everything one would need, as another poster pointed out, is available. And not that expensive.
Fella in Seattle actually fabricated the wider front engine and cross over frame mounts.
Body still just an american. Multiple engine choices can be used, even older 343 mills.
EVEN without original mill and tranny and correct I’D tags, to A M C BUFFS it is wanted as long as original electrical carb tranny and factory motors are used.
I have seen a few of SC at Nationals without original but era engines and still high value.
T-10 Tranny from Ford Stangs can be used, just change front input.
Remember to place a bushing in T-10 bolt up holes as original AM C diameter of bolts too small, leading to eventual breaking of of bolt hole ears on tranny case.
I know oh a #1 or #2 example sits in a back woods barn garage,; know owner well and once in blue moon he takes for short drives.
He will never sell, already promised to car nut gearhead grandson.
Students at my local high school just finished building a 390 for an AMX. Awesome sound!
https://www.facebook.com/827141260738358/videos/1554023964716747/
Oh, for the days when you could identify an autos make by the sound at start-up or coming down road before seeing it.
you got it Still Rocks. It is what it is and it is like all the Indipendents, the put some great stuff out there with “What was on the shelf” Just like Studie with Hawk, GT Hawk and Avanti. First ne car was 68 2dr, best car I ever owned dollar for dollar never outran anything and drooled on the floor of the showroom over the AMX and other big blocks everytime I took mine in for sevice but never owned any of the fast boys but at 72 I still “Crave a 401 or other v/8 did keep a 290 sst loaded out mid series demonstrator for 3 days while mine was in the shop trying to find a Gremlin, you remember when there were Dealers that would do that when it was in warranty don’t you LOL, what I remember was as fun and fast as it was with the ac even at 37 cents gallon I was read to get my 6 banger back when I did. But man the looks and fun for a few days and that was just the lowly “290”. Nothing they had was a slouch.Even in the end the 78-80 or there about 3 years they recreated the little AMX with the 304 you didn/t want to mess with it with some of the crap the Big 3 had on the wrong night!! Had some Studebakers that were no shrinking Violets either, the last just sold not many years back 59 Hawk with a 64R1 from a Super Lark I wish I had but hope at 72 to be around a few more years and may be blessed it is gone but there is still that dream of that 401 4 spped AMC. Please save this rare fun car. Have respect for all Muscle but this is special
Rare machine indeed, and while it may be rough looking we have all seen a whole lot worse here. These came with a very effective hood scoop, one of the better ones of the day, and very low 14’s in the quarter mile right off the lot was claimed by several magazines. Maybe it will find new found glory again, hopefully as so many people seem taken to this car. I want to hear from some original owners out there on how people reacted to that red white and blue paint back in 1969, I really would.
As a RWB Rebel Machine owner and a person who’s known and still knows Rambler SC/Rambler owners and who has been heavily involved in exactly that colour/graphics debate for decades I feel l can answer Troy’s question from a lifer’s/participant’s point of view. When AMC came up with what is known as the A paint scheme then later due to unexpected popular demand the B paint scheme, the automotive world was caught by surprise. The public more so. The car accomplished exactly what American Motors wanted and needed it to do: draw new customers into their showrooms. At first the SC/Ramblers were ridiculed. That didn’t last six months. The weight to power ratio was perfect and the little car blew the doors right off nearly all comers on the street and strip in pure stock form. Their owners started winning their class at the drags all over the continent. Respect was earned and a lot of racers driving other makes learned to fear the little scrapper. Today as mentioned in a previous post the Rambler SC/Ramblers together with the Rebel Machines are the most sought after cars AMC ever made.
lots of stuff for these…i’m finishing my sunbeam tiger so not ready for a new project….but this looks easier ….http://www.amonational.com/
basically a rambler american so body panels wouldn’t be too hard to find, specific engine/driveline and specific scrambler parts would be harder to find, but, someone out there i’m sure has parts for this… if not then stuff a gm ls motor trans combo and paint it red white and blue !
Don’t think that because the bidding is holding at $1,770 that there is no interest in this car. Most likely there’s an army of bidders waiting until the last minute to attempt to pick the car up for a song. This car won’t be wasted. If it doesn’t sell I’ll buy it and use it as a template car to make the parts you guys think are squirrelled away in people’s garages. All the parts that are unique to that model I can make but I don’t have a body to work with. Oddly, I do have the drive train for it.
Sell it, reasonable?
No special parts except for the emblems. The engine was the standard 390/4V, trans the same T-10 found in other AMCs at the time. The body did have some modifications though. It’s a hardtop with all the convertible bracing in the body — the only one I can think of reasonably easy to spot is the doubled brace behind the rear seat. The inner rockers are reinforced also, but I don’t know for sure if they are just thicker metal or doubled like the rear seat brace, but you’d have to cut the car apart as if replacing the rockers to find out. The “X” in the IN that AMCFAN points out is for the engine code — the seventh character. X indicate 390/4V, and the SC/Rambler was the only car in the Rambler line (hardtop previously called Rambler Rogue, other body styles Rambler American, the line was renamed AMC Rambler for the last year, and was the last to bear the Rambler name in the US) to have a 390 ever.