What to check/ fix for a daily driver

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   Ah yes I got my 199 and 232 mixed up! Any checks on the 232 that should be done? Also the route I'll be daily driving has a 3% grade and an elevation gain of 1700' over 10 miles. Anyone have concerns or ideas? I plan on adding a better radiator and changing the thermostat and the water pump before summer hits again. 

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Beyer13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Aug/03/2020 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 20	Post Options Post Reply Quote Beyer13 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/21/2021 at 12:24pm
	Ah yes I got my 199 and 232 mixed up! Any checks on the 232 that should be done? Also the route I'll be daily driving has a 3% grade and an elevation gain of 1700' over 10 miles. Anyone have concerns or ideas? I plan on adding a better radiator and changing the thermostat and the water pump before summer hits again.

Beyer13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Aug/03/2020 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 20	Post Options Post Reply Quote Beyer13 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/21/2021 at 12:26pm
	The intake is cast. It's also badged 232.

tomj Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/27/2010 Location: earth Status: Offline Points: 7544	Post Options Post Reply Quote tomj Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/21/2021 at 8:42pm
	Over all, keep this in mind: that car was parked for a reason, and that reason is definitely NOT that it was in great mechanical road-worthy order. It was parked because it was not oeprable. It still isn't. You'll have to make it so. It is extremely unlikely that you can do a couple things to it and make it "reliable" daily driver. It's a fine car and will be a great driver if you fix what's broken. I'm not a pessimist, my daily driver is a 1960 American. 195.6? 199? 232? which is it? Its probably a 195.6 and those are more delicate things. 199 and 232 are the same -- from the outside. If the valve cover has two screws on top, the carb bolts to a flat aluminum (dirty?) plate, if the oil filter is to the left or the right of the radiator and on top (I forget, and they moved them around) it's a 195.6 OHV, a totally different beast than the 199/232. The 232/199 has a valve cover held on with a lot of small bolts around the eddge, the carb is on a cast iron manifold, and the oil filter mounts upwards, passenger side, down low. Bad gas is ruining engines left and right. The tolerance for bad gas in the system is now zero. It makes intake valves stick and bends pushrods, and requires head removal and rebuild. AND go back and drop the gas tank to clean out the bad-gas residue. I'd lift the front up and pull off both front brake drums and look. Often easier to remove the cab, cotter and big nut and remove huba nd drum from the spindle. Check for leaking wheel cylinders. If its sat a long time, they might not leak now, then start leaking when in use, in a day or a week. The rubber cups rubbing against pitting in the cylinder causing leaks. If the drums and shoes are "OK" you can probably get some use out of them. If the shoe is real thin -- or if metal is showing! -- replace. Assume the drums are bad. The drums DO COME OFF the hubs. It can be easy, or hard...
	1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto 1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com

tomj Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/27/2010 Location: earth Status: Offline Points: 7544	Post Options Post Reply Quote tomj Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/21/2021 at 8:44pm
	I'd assume also thatr the carb is shot, at minimum needing disasembly and cleaning. ID the thing and buy a rebuild kit (gaskets, etc). But disassembly first, see if the float is OK, those cost more. You might get away with cleaning and new gaskets. New needle and seat wouldn't hurt... And change the fuel filter.
	1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto 1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com

Beyer13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Aug/03/2020 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 20	Post Options Post Reply Quote Beyer13 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/21/2021 at 9:05pm
	I appreciate the info all good stuff. It can be real hard to distinguish a guys level of competence in a couple of paragraphs so I'd like to clarify I'm in no way new to rebuilding vehicles. That being said I have never worked on an amc other than jeeps and as long as they kinda ran we were ok with it lol! It is 100% a 232 So all filters were changed including the fuel filter. The guy that parked it had emptied the tank so I'm not too worried about bad fuel. He also parked it because he had given it to his daughter who drove it for a couple of years and then parked it because it "wasn't cool anymore". So not too worried about inoperable I've drove her on the highway a few times. My main concern was things that are prone to failing on the 64 american 232 specifically. Carb could definitely need a rebuild it looks like it's seeping fuel in more than one spot. Unfortunately a good majority of the screws on the carb are striped out... so I'll probably see if there is enough material to tap a larger screw size, if not I'll have to get a new carb.

tyrodtom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/14/2007 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 6213	Post Options Post Reply Quote tyrodtom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/22/2021 at 7:24am
	The problem is 64 Americans never had the 232, it wasn't a option until 1965. But there is a rumor some late production 64's got it, because there might have been a shortage of 196's Or someone swapped in a 232 later Is it a shaft rocker head or pedistal rockers ? If it's the shaft rocker head, they have a known problem with oil to the rocker arms, and you remarked they were noisy. With the engine sitting several years, oil could have dried and hardened in those tight passages. There's several threads on this forum on that problem, and several solutions.
	66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va.

Beyer13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Aug/03/2020 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 20	Post Options Post Reply Quote Beyer13 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/22/2021 at 9:08am
	Well... dang... going to have to double check years then. Going to feel pretty dumb if I've had the model year wrong for over a year!! Oh well crap happens lmao! But the rockers are shaft mount. They are completely coated in oil which makes me happy! it might be a normal sound for these 232s just seems loud to me. There is an oil line going from the valve cover to the lower end of the block. This line is braided stainless and not factory looking after some searching it would appear that someone added it to fix the rocker oiling issue. Car looks pretty rough but the deeper I dig it seems that someone used to love it like I do now.

Beyer13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Aug/03/2020 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 20	Post Options Post Reply Quote Beyer13 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/22/2021 at 12:11pm
	Going to have to eat crow here it's a 65... American rambler 330 station wagon with a 232 1965 Sorry for the confusion hahah

tyrodtom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/14/2007 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 6213	Post Options Post Reply Quote tyrodtom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/22/2021 at 7:52pm
	Even semi-AMC nuts sometimes confuse the 64 and 65. If it's been in New Mexico most of that time it might not have the problems most old AMCs have, rust. A station wagon with a 232, you're a lucky man. Now if you tell me it's a 3sp with OD, I'm really going to be jealous.
	66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va.

Beyer13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Aug/03/2020 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 20	Post Options Post Reply Quote Beyer13 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Oct/23/2021 at 12:20pm
	So I need to double check the transmission. Appears to be a t96 maybe? As far as the rust it is very minimal the passenger floor pan had the worst with about a 3 inch hole. Underside still looks good pretty dang dirty.... makes me wish that car washes had lifts or ramps!