It’s hard to believe now just what a modern update this 1963 Rambler Classic 550 wagon received compared to the previous generation cars. This original long roof is located in Paoli, Indiana and it can be found here on Craigslist. The seller is asking $4,500 for this Aegean Aqua beauty and they say that this Classic has the original paint and original interior. Thanks to Rocco B. for submitting this Rambler wagon!
What a nice, solid-looking car. The second-generation Rambler Classic was really an upgrade from the previous generation cars and it was enough to be named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. This car is a 550 which was the bottom of the line, trim-wise, but still a nice car. They were basically fleet spec, as in enough to get by but nothing overboard – classic Rambler philosophy. There are no heated and cooled cupholders on this baby! Next in line would be the 660 and finally, the top of the line was the 770. The seller says that this wagon has a “new radiator, master cyl. some brake lines, heater core repaired, all glass in excellent cond.”
She looks good, no? This reminds me that I need a carport, too. My wish list is getting longer every day. These were the first really new cars in eight years for AMC. Along with the Rambler American, which was also revised in a more streamlined, svelt, modern design, the Classics were quite a departure for the company. The seller says that this car has “surface rust only” and given a couple of the close-up photos that they have provided, it sure looks solid.
The interior looks good in the two photos that they have provided but there are no photos of the back seat or cargo area at all, bummer. There are also no engine photos, double-bummer, but that’s not really surprising given the trend of showing engine photos only about 50% of the time in Craigslist ads. This car should have AMC’s 195.6 cubic-inch inline-six with around 120 hp or so and you can see that this wagon has a three-speed manual shifted on the column – an almost guaranteed theft-proof car in 2018. I learned how to drive in a ’67 VW Beetle with a 4-speed on the floor when I was 12 years old, but the second vehicle would have been a three-on-the-tree, I love those for some reason. The memories, maybe. Have any of you owned a 1963 Rambler Classic wagon or any Rambler wagon? Or, a car with a column-shifted manual transmission?
I owned the near-twin of this car, 1964 Classic 770 wagon. Mine had the 195.6 engine with automatic transmission. Pretty much the same color. A friend had a ’63 sedan with 195.6 and 3-on-the-tree.
It will scoot along pretty well with manual trans. The Borg-Warner automatic used by AMC at the time was inefficient, very noticeable difference in performance. (The later 232 six worked a lot better with the automatic.)
The usual Ramblerisms apply – trunnion upper front suspension, vacuum wipers (most likely), check carefully for rust underneath. Classic and Ambassador have torque-tube drive, so replacing the clutch is a bit of a project. Manual steering is truck slow at six turns lock-to-lock. On the plus side these cars were equipped from the factory with dual master cylinder, and upgrading to front disc brakes is straightforward.
I think I see a reclining seat lever in one of the interior shots, also an AM all-transistor radio – and a blank plate where the clock would go. The grille is in unusually good condition – it’s a light aluminum stamping on these cars and they get dinged up really easily.
This is unlikely to be a 3-seat wagon, but if it is there would be no spare tire from the factory since there was no room to store it. (Original tires on Rambler 3-seat wagons were a run-flat design.)
Another place to check for rust is the heater box area. Due to a design defect water will pool in that area and over the decades rusts out the cowl. This can lead to a serious structural rust problem if not attended to. The most obvious system is water on the front passenger floor in a rainstorm or while washing.
Oops, that should have been “the most obvious symptom”, above. :)
Yes I have owned and drove many coloum shift cars including a couple of Ramblers they were good cars. Cheves had a vacuum shift that made it easy to shift Ford had a roll pin in the lever shaft you could drive out and change the lever to the left side which made your right hand free. That open up lots of opportune its on date night. Yes I have many memorys of coloum shift cars. Oh to be young again.
I actually like the previous generations styling. It has a way nicer grille more curves more chrome. The engines and drive lines were very tough and reliable which is what you want in a car, but this thing is sure nothing to look at. No ooow no wow factor at all. It did however actually fill the needs of a growing family in its day guite well.content.
1963 Rambler was Car of the Year, as well it should have been. oh my god, we had the exact same car (same color and everything, including no clock. We NEVER had a car with a clock.), I was thrilled to see it again. I continue to look for the actusl car; the memories are so rich. Thank you!
Yes one of these brings back memories. I borrowed a wagon like this to drive on prom night. And yes the seat backs folded down to make a bed.
I don’t know why but I always thought the lines of these cars lended them selves to be an El Rambler (Ramblero?) kind of truck. I think I would still like to build one with a 258 6 cylinder punched out to a 300 and install a 5 speed and throttle body injection. Ok, I will get back into my cage now.
the later jeep 4.0 liter six adds some additional stroke and with a .060 overbore and the 4.0 crank you will end up with close to 300 ci !
As a teenager back around 1992, I drove our 1980 Ford E150 panel van with a 3 in the tree and a 300 i6 to and from school, and few other places. Open highway wasn’t bad, but it got a bit rough running the back roads in the Beartooth foothills. Fast forward 20 years, and there’s only 1 person in the shop who knows how to drive 1……
My first car, a 4-door 550, same color. Bought it for $20. Summer of ’76. Seats folded into a bed. Julie. Great summer.
I drove a three-on-the-tree from Montana to Oklahoma in ’69. The shift lever broke somewhere in Wyoming, leaving me about 2-3″ of lever to work with and it was sharp as a knife. I have the wrist scars to prove it :|
I’ve actually been eyeing this car since it hit CL a couple of weeks ago. It’s not terribly far from where I live, and I’m tempted.
I learned to drive a stick on a 3-on-the-tree paired to a 390/4V back in the early 90s. My ’60 Rambler has a column-shifted 3 as well, though the flathead six to which it’s connected is currently not running.
I have driven many cars with three on the tree and at least one with four on the tree; an early sixties Alfa sedan. When first married. I bought a TR4, and shortly after a Triumph Spitfire. My wife asked if I thought she could drive it. I asked if she ever had driven a stick. He reply was “Just my Father’s truck” And she lived in a very hilly town.
Our last stick shift car was a 2003 Acura RSX. Now we live in Southwest Florida with killer seasonal traffic. Which has just started.
“you can see that this wagon has a three-speed manual shifted on the column – an almost guaranteed theft-proof car in 2018.”
LOL. It’s quite true.
Nice little car for the $$.
My first driving experience was my grandfather’s brand new 1967 Rambler American. I was 6.
Had a 63-660 wagon, red/white, straight stick no OD, I found a OD unit and switched it out, got super gas mileage, nice vehicle. Traded it in for a 70 Ford Country Sedan that got 10 MPG downhill. That Rambler was around in 1980.
Sweet looking Rambler Classic wagon. I’d want mine with OD. That’d make for more economical freeway cruising. I’d also want to upgrade the brakes. Drum brakes are okay, but I hear disc brakes stop the car much better.
We had a 63’ Ambassador wagon when I was in high school. It had a 327 with a push button auto transmission. It was fast for its day. Mom used to race the kids in their “hot” cars. I have yet to come across one.
You must of had an earlier model and 1962 was the last year for the push button tranny on these. Just saying.
“…you owned a 1963 Rambler Classic wagon or any Rambler wagon?”
no, this gen. but a vert.
Was a very good runner, roomy, a kinda ‘big square box’.
Excellent size, quiet’n very smooth i6 motor!
Forget if auto or 3sp. Perfect as my 1st or 3rd car (kid under 20 yr of age).
My brother had that exact car in white back in the 1970s. Traded in his 56 Metropolitan at an AMC dealer even up for his. Had 80,000 miles and he drove it for several years then sold it to a friend who ruined it.
I learned to drive stick on a 3 speed 1965 Mercury Comet Caliente. This was in 2016, I’m only 19 years old. I can verify that a 3 speed is theft proof, at least in my old high school’s parking lot. The few that could drive stick had 5 speed Jeeps, 90’s Mustangs, or Civics.
My Grandfather bought a 660 four door, new in 63. It was the MT car of the year as I recall. Basic 6 cyl, auto, radio, fuchsia with a white top. My father was so impressed with it based on how Gramps drove (roughly) that he bought a loaded 66 DPL
I worked for a gardening company back in the 70’s. My boss Freddie always had column shift trucks. He had to go out of town and let me use his truck. He asked if I knew how to drive a column shift and I told him I did. I lied. I knew the gear pattern from watching him and my friend with a Rambler. I was a little shaky at first but figured it out.
I had a temp job while in college in the 70s, 80s. One of the requirements was being able to drive a standard. No problem! Show up the first day for a two week stint and it’s 3 on the tree on a brand new pickup. I just had to have the owner go over the shift pattern once or twice and I was on the road.
My first car was a 72 Duster with a 318 and 3 on the tree. My most recent daily RIP was a 77 Toyota with a 4 on the tree and I have driven some Toyotas and Nissans with a 5 on the tree definitely an anti theft device these days.
I would love to pick this wagon up but shipping to my side of the world makes it to expensive.
68custom, you need the longer stroke 258 crank added to that over bore to get the 5.0ccs.
My first experience with a 3 speed column shift was back in 1977 or ’78. The machine shop where i worked had a 1946 International KB 1 pickup. (And it’s still around). Currently I have a ’59 Chevy Apache and a ’61 Rambler American Custom 400, both column shifts. I hope this Rambler wagon gets a good home. I’ve always had a soft spot for Ramblers.
What a nice little wagon. If I had the cash, it would be under MY carport
right now. Except for the rust issues and
that god-awful torque tube that made
changing u-joints a pain in the ass, I’ve
never heard anything bad about these
cars mechanically. It’s just the little
old lady stereotype that turned people
away from AMC in the ’60’s and beyond.
If there’s a modern small car out there
that gives you room, ride, and 30+ MPG,
then buy it. I’ll take this car and beat
you hands down!
I had mentioned in an earlier post of my Parents buying a new 1966 Falcon. The car had a 3 on the tree, and was basic transportation: the only option on the car were whitewall tires. The car had a heater, but no radio, and no carpet. After five years it became a weekend car, used only occasionally after the 1971 LTD was purchased. Once you understood a standard H pattern for shifting, a three/tree was a matter of paying attention to engine speed, your surroundings, basic coordination. Old dog still knows the old tricks, I could do it again.
I have two column shift cars now—a ‘46 Hudson and a ‘54 Peugeot. Hate column shifts! All that monkey motion getting from the column to the tranney is a pain in the a**. I don’t know why anyone thought moving the shifter up to the column was a good idea.
It gave more room for the center passenger in the front seat.
@ Howard A. Not only that, but it would make more room for a centre console should one so choose. I’d say screw the bench seat. I’d go with bucket seats and a have a centre console or something installed. You’d still have the bench behind you for friends to ride in with you.
Still wasn’t a good idea. Now we have it back on the floor and have eliminated the center seat. With an auto, it doesn’t matter where it is, but with a stick, put it directly into the tranny.
Great car, but again, we all ooh and ahh at the styling, but it’s a ’63 Rambler, and drives like one. I’m reminded of the author, who clearly loves vintage Ramblers, took a test drive on a ’61 Classic( I think) and was quickly reminded of motoring in a Rambler may or may not be like you remember it. For the ’60’s 2 lanes @50 mph or to the dentists office, they were adequate. 1st, I always thought the steering wheel on these was too big, and all the other shortcomings listed by others, these cars need updating. Fun car for around town, but there’s better classic cars for road trips today.
Ramblers were much like other cars of the era as far as driving goes. Had a big steering wheel just like most cars back then. Dont try and compare them to todays cars that drive themselves more or less.
Drive themselves? You kidding me? Even today, you still have to do some things in order for a car to do anything.
Lane assistance, power steering, power brakes, braking assistance, ABS, traction control, blind spot assistance, self parking, rear view cameras, electronically controlled transmissions, tire inflation monitors, cruise control, power windows, seats and locks, automatic climate control.
Just getting in and putting it in drive are the only things a “driver” has to do today. Very little participation required.
I have a 63 Valiant with six and three speed on the column. No power steering or brakes. I have to participate in the driving of the car, unlike the effort required on a more modern car. Driving it is deliberate and not for the distracted.
Ramblergarage was using hyperbole, but his point is correct.
I have owned four 3-on-the-tree vehicles.
Love them.
First one was a 64 Rambler Classic wagon with V-8 and overdrive in 1972. The OD made it great on the highway until it quit working. Unfortunately it had many mechanical problems which would be easy for me to sort now but were impossible then.
Traded it for a ’70 Maverick- excellent car but the column shift was rubbish and would hang up in 2nd, requiring me to get under the hood and pry it out with a screwdriver. New bushings fixed it.
Later I had 66 Ford and 58 Chevy pickups with column shifts.
Would love to have a wagon like this one, but it’s just not at the right time or in the right place……
@ dweezilaz – I agree. The next thing you know, we won’t have to do a damn thing. You just program where you want to go, and the car does everything for you, accelerate, decelerate, steer, forward, reverse, etc. I hope not, not in my lifetime. I like there to be *some* driver input. I don’t like the idea of a car doing *everything* for you.
Well, after the admitted texter smashed into the rear-end of my truck yesterday, it’s clear the millennial generation needs self-driving cars. They are just too stupid and lazy and distracted to drive themselves.
I lost a freshly-restored ’69 Volvo 1800 in the exact same way 5 years ago. Texting is the elephant in the room that the insurance industry won’t stand up against. The EMT yesterday told me that the insurers won’t try to eliminate texting/driving…they simply jack up EVERYONE’S premiums to cover the losses caused by texting. I asked the EMT…”You must see these rear-end collisions a lot”. He replied: “ALL DAY”.
My very well cared for 2003 F-150 workhorse pickup truck will likely be totaled by the goofball’s insurance company. It looked new and drove like new before the dumba$$ hit me.
Hey rex install a big class 2 hitch and weight distribution receiver on your next vehicle. I have an 04 f150 a lady rammed me doing 25 in a 2018 grand Cherokee the hitch acted like a battering ram and tour off her bumper and set off her airbag. Her car never even touched my bumper not even a scratch
As far as the rambler drove a powder blue 770 classic cross country in high school it had the 327 and 3 speed with overdrive that thing flew it was a great car what a sleeper surprised many guys in muscle cars
Although 10 yrs. before I was born, I remember seeing cars like this when I was a boy. While there are some things today’s cars have that I appreciate, such as rear-vision camera to help you see what’s behind you when you reverse (I still use mirrors in addition to the reverse camera), there are some things I don’t appreciate. Although cars today come standard with automatic gearbox, I also appreciate being able to manually upshift and downshift as needed.