Question for the Rambler experts.

It just refers to the new way the engine and trans was mounted. Two motor mounts on the engine and one transmission mount. It's what you see today. I didn't know what it meant either until the good people here educated me. If you look under the hood of an older Rambler there are 4 motor mounts. I don't know about the transmission though.

Go back a number of years, many cars had the 4 mounts system. AMC just advertised/used the change for marketing more than some.

I'm glad someone else asked...was a question I was going to pose to the board .

That would be "7" main bearings bigbad! One on each end, one between each cylinder.

Prior to 1958 or so all cars had four mounts. There was no transmission mount, it just hung off the bell housing. The four mounts were two in front, usually near or on the timing cover, and two on the bell housing.

One reason for this was so that the oil pan could easily be removed for cleaning, something that was supposed to be done roughly once a year. Many cars didn't have oil filters, or they were optional partial flow types (like on the 196 six, except for 65 models). Non-detergent oil was supposed to be run and the trash in the oil would settle to thebottom of the pan and stay there (most would, anyway) until cleaning. There was usually a bit of space between pan and pick-up. I know it sends shivers up the spine to think of running a car with no filter now, but they ran for years that way! Detergent oil was developed to keep more of the trash suspended so that the filter would take it out. Engines without filters should really use non-detergent oil, but my lawn mowers are still running strong...

I still (vaguely) remember grand dad straing oil through a cheese cloth between changes for an old 40s Ford tractor.  Oil doesn't lose lubricity, just gets dirty and the additives break down/deplete. Well, oil in the 30s and 40s didn't have many additives, if any. He'd let the oil sit between changes and add about a quart to make up for the sludge in the bottom of the can. He said they always did that for Model Ts and As!


Edited by farna - Jul/29/2008 at 1:47pm

things might not have worked the way the designers intended, but the way the engines were designed, the oil pan was easilly removable, to clean the sludge, which is why the engine was mounted the way it was, on many pre 1960 vehicles.  pretty much by 1965 all engines were designed for detergent oil, with full flow filters and all- engine mounting reflected that