1968 AMC Rebel

[mercrocker]

The place I worked my first job at was an Opel dealership that had somehow picked up an AMC franchise, I don't think they ever got further than getting a box of brochures delivered, though....

I have a photo of PYP16L - another RHD Ambassador wagon, long gone now too. There was another RHD one that I recall (but never got a photo of despite seeing it every day) that belonged to a chef in one of the steak bars around the Southampton port area back in the late Seventies. I think the pink-sided one and that other blue one were taken at one of the Notts Americana rallies up at Newark showground. They were great weekends - loads of Yanks and high quality rock and roll. All gone now, like the Ramblers. No wonder I'm fucking miserable.

[Nibblet]

I regret not buying an early 60s Rambler sedan some years ago, straight six, RHD in good unmolested condition, I think it was £1800. I quite fancy a Yank at the moment but I'm very particular about it, would have to be a 4 door sedan and years 1963 to 70ish. A Plymouth or Dodge maybe.
Anything with fins is out and anything much after 1970. There are some earlier cars I like such as a '52 Hudson Hornet or the bathtub Nash or a Kaiser or maybe a pre war flat head Ford but realistically they've all been restored two or three times by now and badly too. That and they're stupid money of course.

[Nibblet]

Used to be an AMC Ambassador around here, in Tetbury of all places I saw it, white '71-'72 I think. A neighbour had a Rambler station wagon, still has a Rebel rag top, he had a Javelin back in the 80s. Noticed he'd got a big Jaguar, a mark VII? in the garage now, he must be early 80's.

[Warren t claim]

Didn't Chrysler make some sort of effort to punt these on here in the UK?

[AMCrebel]

Not AMCs - it’s a bit more involved. Chrysler bought Jeep which was owned by AMC for a while (up to about 1986), and AMC actually built Chryslers for a short time, but Chrysler never sold any AMC stuff as far as I know. Certainly in 1968 they were independent including here.
I do think the Rebel looks a bit like the Mopar B body of around the same time though.

[paulplom]

Looks great. More please.

[brandersnatch]

Approval rating achieved. Carry on thanks.

[AMCrebel]

Early works.

Soon after I got it I changed the battery (from a nearly dead Micra one).

Then I had to figure out why it stank of petrol -

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That bottom hose is (was) new as well as the old one was decidedly ropey.

[mercrocker]

Didn't Chrysler make some sort of effort to punt these on here in the UK?

You might be thinking of the period in the late 1960s when the big Humbers were finishing with no replacement planned for their dwindling market, leaving only the Arrow-based Sceptre in the Humber range. Rootes (then under Chrysler UK) dealers were offered the chance to sell RHD Australian Valiants in their Premium trim line. A few did get sold - our local landowner had a couple to replace Humber estate cars and they were a natural dovetail into the Rootes range with clean styling akin to the Arrow cars and extra touches like chrome integral roof racks on the wagons, vinyl roofs, plush trim etc.

Not a success, though and I think they only lasted a season. I still have one of the brochures.....

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[AMCrebel]

I (much) later found that the metal filter bowl on the bottom of the fuel pump had no filter in it.

A previous owner had added the plastic inline filter, as well as bits of rubber pipe in places.

The original version was a steel pipe - bits of which remained.

I decided to use the unions from each end and make a pipe from some fuel pipe I had left over from doing the front to rear on the Chevy.

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