1967 Rambler American V8 Rogue Convertible

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   This is my new post for my current project. Current as of today. Since the 70 BBG w/Shadow mask AMX is almost completed it was time to move the AMX out of the garage and move the 67 Rogue Convertable in. My wife Terry wants it driveable in the worst way. She doesn't care what it looks like at this time, she just wants it driveable as quickly as possible. However, it has been parked since about 1982 in Sedona, AZ, then trailered to Riverside, CA in 1987 and then trailered to Peoria, AZ where it has been under wraps at my house since November of 2005.

As found once it was pushed out of a shed in Riverside, CA.

The only work that I have done to it since I purchased the car is I have swapped out the 3.15 open gears for a set of 3.54 limited slip gears. I added one additional leaf to each rear spring pack and added a set of Mopar Magnum 500's with some decent tires.

I used the primary leaf from a set of springs off of my brother Mark's SC/Rambler. I cut the eyes off and drilled holes on the ends for the plastic slidder pads. These modified leafs became the second spring in the original rear spring pack.

Today my wife and kids gave the car a sponge bath in the garage as I unloaded all the extra parts from the trunk and the interior that i have been buying the last 5 years. The top had several holes so I cut out the rear window glass and removed as much of the top as possible with a razor knife. I added an old battery that I have been using as a door stop for several years and put it on a slow charge for a few hours.

I removed the top well liners and boot and all the screws that hold the rear of the top to the body. I removed the rear seats and the interior quarter panels and removed the front seats. I would have removed the carpet but my wife isn't ready to set it go yet. She wanted this to be simple work to get it on the road and not the start of a major restoration. 

I removed the top pistons one at a time and polished the piston shafts before trying to put the top down. I didn't want the surface rust to damage the seals. Once I had it back together I crancked up the rate of my battery charger and tried the power top switch. Wow, it worked on the first try. I ran it up and down a couple of times so I could check for leaks. No leaks at this time.

This week I will remove the fuel tank so it can be boiled out and I will flush the lines. Then I will start on the brakes. and then I will try to get the engine running so I can check out the biggest unkown, The Auto Trans!

The plan for this build at this time is to see if I can get the 290 2v auto working so we can drive it. If the tranny is shot then I will be doing a quick refresh on a 1967 343 4v motor that I have and converting the car to a 4 spd. I don't think that I have a flywheel for a 290 in my pile of parts but I am going to check tomorrow. The 343 4spd is the final plan but for the sake of time I am hoping the auto works ok. The car has just over 36K original miles but the time it has sat may have been too long.

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17tamx Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Dec/23/2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Status: Offline Points: 1170	Post Options Post Reply Quote 17tamx Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 1967 Rambler American V8 Rogue Convertible Posted: Oct/25/2010 at 2:20am
	This is my new post for my current project. Current as of today. Since the 70 BBG w/Shadow mask AMX is almost completed it was time to move the AMX out of the garage and move the 67 Rogue Convertable in. My wife Terry wants it driveable in the worst way. She doesn't care what it looks like at this time, she just wants it driveable as quickly as possible. However, it has been parked since about 1982 in Sedona, AZ, then trailered to Riverside, CA in 1987 and then trailered to Peoria, AZ where it has been under wraps at my house since November of 2005. As found once it was pushed out of a shed in Riverside, CA. The only work that I have done to it since I purchased the car is I have swapped out the 3.15 open gears for a set of 3.54 limited slip gears. I added one additional leaf to each rear spring pack and added a set of Mopar Magnum 500's with some decent tires. I used the primary leaf from a set of springs off of my brother Mark's SC/Rambler. I cut the eyes off and drilled holes on the ends for the plastic slidder pads. These modified leafs became the second spring in the original rear spring pack. Today my wife and kids gave the car a sponge bath in the garage as I unloaded all the extra parts from the trunk and the interior that i have been buying the last 5 years. The top had several holes so I cut out the rear window glass and removed as much of the top as possible with a razor knife. I added an old battery that I have been using as a door stop for several years and put it on a slow charge for a few hours. I removed the top well liners and boot and all the screws that hold the rear of the top to the body. I removed the rear seats and the interior quarter panels and removed the front seats. I would have removed the carpet but my wife isn't ready to set it go yet. She wanted this to be simple work to get it on the road and not the start of a major restoration. I removed the top pistons one at a time and polished the piston shafts before trying to put the top down. I didn't want the surface rust to damage the seals. Once I had it back together I crancked up the rate of my battery charger and tried the power top switch. Wow, it worked on the first try. I ran it up and down a couple of times so I could check for leaks. No leaks at this time. This week I will remove the fuel tank so it can be boiled out and I will flush the lines. Then I will start on the brakes. and then I will try to get the engine running so I can check out the biggest unkown, The Auto Trans! The plan for this build at this time is to see if I can get the 290 2v auto working so we can drive it. If the tranny is shot then I will be doing a quick refresh on a 1967 343 4v motor that I have and converting the car to a 4 spd. I don't think that I have a flywheel for a 290 in my pile of parts but I am going to check tomorrow. The 343 4spd is the final plan but for the sake of time I am hoping the auto works ok. The car has just over 36K original miles but the time it has sat may have been too long.
	Kirk P. Fletcher 70 AMX BBG w/Shadow 390 4sp 71 SC360 Wild Plum Ram Air 4sp 67 Rogue Convert 343 4sp 66 Rogue Hardtop 290 Auto 66 440 Convert 232 Auto

amx39068 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Supporter of TheAMCForum Joined: Feb/21/2008 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 11576	Post Options Post Reply Quote amx39068 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/25/2010 at 2:49am
	Kirk, I have a 390 flywheel that was match balanced to a 290 flywheel that I got in one the 4 speed tranny deals that I picked up that you can have and also forgot to mention to you to be sure than pick up the full dual exhaust pipes that I left on the side of the garage which you can have as well that you could have grabbed when you picked up the trailer. I'll catch up with you next weekend and run the stuff over to your house or you can stop by and grab the stuff if you are out and about.
	Dan Curtis-Owner and CEO AZ AMC Restorations; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amcmusclecars/ & Curtis Real Estate Development

17tamx Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Dec/23/2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Status: Offline Points: 1170	Post Options Post Reply Quote 17tamx Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/28/2010 at 12:33pm
	Well I have been hard at work stripping the engine down so I can remove it. Here are some more pictures. I like to take pictures of things before and as I take them apart so I can put them back together correctly. I will be dropping the engine and trans with front and trans cross members as one unit out the bottom this weekend. I was worried about the condition of the trans and thought that the motor would be ok. The motor is seized and I think I know why. its hard to tell from this picture but the oil pan is crushed in as if someone placed a floor jack at the bottom of the oil pan and lifted the front of the car. There must be no clearance between the bottom of the pan and the oil pick-up assembly. I will check it out once the engine is removed.
	Kirk P. Fletcher 70 AMX BBG w/Shadow 390 4sp 71 SC360 Wild Plum Ram Air 4sp 67 Rogue Convert 343 4sp 66 Rogue Hardtop 290 Auto 66 440 Convert 232 Auto

67RogueX-Code Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/21/2009 Location: Sylvania, Ohio Status: Offline Points: 1302	Post Options Post Reply Quote 67RogueX-Code Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/28/2010 at 12:42pm
	Boy Kirk, this is a nice one!!! ... Electric-wipers, power-steering, power-brakes... but no A/C (oops). Keep us updated (love the pictures).
	Bob Wilcox 67RogueX-Code

RSX 401 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/21/2010 Location: Southeast Texas Status: Offline Points: 689	Post Options Post Reply Quote RSX 401 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/28/2010 at 2:51pm
	Kirk, You haven't mentioned any steps you took to free the engine up before deciding to yank it out. We all know the worst thing anyone can do is let an engine set for a long period of time. Besides, there's no telling how long the oil pan has been in that condition or how many mile have been put on the engine since it happened. Personally, I would have removed all the spark plugs, sprayed a little PB Blaster in each cylinder. While it sets, check the carb, the points, rotor, cap and coil. After a day or two, try to free up the engine. Once it spins, reinstall the spark plug and try to get it to fire. Just my 2 cents......
	I'll follow these lines a little ways more, Until I can find what I'm looking for. With the pedal to the metal, I'm gaining my speed. Riding down low in my AMC.....

17tamx Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Dec/23/2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Status: Offline Points: 1170	Post Options Post Reply Quote 17tamx Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/28/2010 at 3:41pm
	Hi Rick, I didn't mention that I had already pulled the plugs and sprayed PB Blaster down each hole and that I had removed the starter just in case the starter was jammed in the teeth of the flex plate and tried to turn the motor over the next day with a 1/2" drive breaker bar. The car has 36,412 original miles that are mostly short trip small town miles. Sedona use to be just a small Arizona town with lots of dirt and gravel roads and I can tell from looking at the underside of the car that there is lots of red dirt in the knook and crannies and a few scraps on the front cross member and the uni-body structure. I don't know for sure if the 290 is good or bad but I have a 1967 343 4V w/4 spd that I know has been rebuilt in the past that spins over freely. If I have to put money into the 67 290 2V auto to get it ready to go than I should put that same money into the 343 to freshen it up. The plan all along was to install the 343 4spd. Finding the 290 frozen just made the project longer and justified the 343 now rather than latter. I have had some experience with motors that have sat too long and on my brothers SC/Rambler we had to pull the motor and dis-assemble it down to the point that only one piston/rod assembly was left in the block. I used a big hammer and 2 x 4's to try and break the piston rings loose. We had to drill holes in the top of piston in a circle so we could get the rod out and then we keep removing material from the piston untill in came apart. The hole had to be sleeved so the motor could be rebuilt. I will post what I find at a latter date.
	Kirk P. Fletcher 70 AMX BBG w/Shadow 390 4sp 71 SC360 Wild Plum Ram Air 4sp 67 Rogue Convert 343 4sp 66 Rogue Hardtop 290 Auto 66 440 Convert 232 Auto

6768rogues Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 6236	Post Options Post Reply Quote 6768rogues Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/28/2010 at 6:50pm
	My Rogue convertible is the same color. At first I didn't like the color, but after a while it kind of grew on me.
	Content intended for mature audiences. If you experience nausea or diarrhea, stop reading and seek medical attention. Located usually near Rochester, NY and sometimes central FL.

17tamx Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Dec/23/2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Status: Offline Points: 1170	Post Options Post Reply Quote 17tamx Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/29/2010 at 2:28am
	My wife wants it painted Bitter Sweet Orange when the body work and paint is done. So, it is going to be Sunburst Gold for a few years most likely. You know what they say, "Happy Wife, Happy Life".
	Kirk P. Fletcher 70 AMX BBG w/Shadow 390 4sp 71 SC360 Wild Plum Ram Air 4sp 67 Rogue Convert 343 4sp 66 Rogue Hardtop 290 Auto 66 440 Convert 232 Auto

17tamx Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Dec/23/2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Status: Offline Points: 1170	Post Options Post Reply Quote 17tamx Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Nov/22/2010 at 11:17am
	Well I got a little time the last two weekends to work on the car. I was able to remove the front suspension on the left side two Sundays ago and this last Sunday afternoon I was able to pull the front suspension on the right side. At 5:30 pm I decided I was ready to drop the engine and transmission out the bottom. It took about 30 minutes to set-up the dolley that I made and the cherry picker, remove the front casters, drop the motor onto the dolly and then lifted the body up high enough to roll the motor and trans assembly out from under the body. I then lowered the body down and re-attached my front casters. It was a one man job without having to ask my wife or kids to help me. I took a few pictures as I was working. I redid my dolly from being equal width at each end to a taper at one end so it would fit deeper into the legs of the cherry picker. I used the boom at its shortest length since I could get the cherry picker closer to the dolly. Plenty of clearance between the legs and the dolly. The crossmember and the pan sit on the dolly and the trans crossmember didn't touch untill I pryed the rear crossmember down after removing the loose bolts. The trans crossmember bolts were mostly removed with just one bolt in loose on each side. I hadn't touched the front cross member bolts till the engine & car was sitting on the dolly. The right side was tight but the left side engine cross member assembly was loose. One bolt was gone and the other one was loose. This would have been a problem if I had just gotten this car running and put on the road. Only spillage was a little bit of coolant since the front of the motor is now lower than when installed in the car. When I put the 343 4spd engine & trans back in the car I am going to make my cherry picker legs a bit shorter by running them all the way in and drilling additional holes in the legs. These legs can go in about 6" more into the frame of the cherry picker. This will make it so the body doesn't have to be so high in the air to clear the engine as it is rolled out to the side. I could also just go to the next hole in the boom and this would make it easier to roll the engine out around one of the cherry picker legs. I will be going through all my front suspension parts looking for the best pieces to have sandblasted so I can get things rolling on the painting of the undercarriage and drivetrain. Power front drums and power steering came off of this car but power disc brakes are going back on. I am planning on using the 71- up Kelsey-Hays units on this car like I used on my 70 AMX. The real challenge is the engine compartment. The battery tray area is a total mess and the sheet metal has been eatten away. My brother Ken has a parts car with good metal so I need to plan a trip up to the Seattle area. The right side radiator support and the lower front cross member are very looseand very thin. My wife wanted this car on the road quickly but it just isn't going to happen. I can't put this car back together without doing this sheet metal work correctly. This had been addressed once before but not correctly. Someone welded in the battery tray to help stabilize the corner. Well I guess I have some time to get my wife to decide how she wants the car painted. She wants Bittersweet Orange for sure but she needs to decide if she wants the car two tone with Classic Black like my brother Mark's Red and Black 67 Rogue Convertible. If she wants it two toned then the engine compartment and the inside of the trunk will be black. If she decides against the two tone then the engine compartment and the trunk will be Bittersweet Orange. Now to start building my pile of parts to take to the sandblaster shop. Edited by 17tamx - Nov/22/2010 at 11:31am
	Kirk P. Fletcher 70 AMX BBG w/Shadow 390 4sp 71 SC360 Wild Plum Ram Air 4sp 67 Rogue Convert 343 4sp 66 Rogue Hardtop 290 Auto 66 440 Convert 232 Auto

jeepdog5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Jan/11/2011 Location: US Status: Offline Points: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote jeepdog5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Jan/11/2011 at 3:31am
	Nice build! Eager to see some updates!