Re: [Amc-list] Info on a Rambler/interchange

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

As far as the 195.6 (196) goes, there is a split at 63. As far as I have seen ALL 63-65 blocks have the bosses for side engine mounts cast into them. There may have been some blocks without side mount bosses used in 63 Americans, which still used the four corner mounting system. Those should only be in early production if at all -- the side mount bosses don't interfere with four corner mounts, so AMC wouldn't have cast two different blocks. 

* 63-65 195.6 blocks (OHV, L-head, or Aluminum) can be used in ANY car that used a 172.6, 184, or 195.6 engine, 1950-65. Of course it could be installed in a 65-66 Classic or 66-69 American, but I wouldn't know why. There is a plate that mounts behind the timing cover that holds the front mounts, no bosses on the engine. The plate from a 50-62 (63 American) engine must be transferred to the 63-65 engine. 

* 50-62 blocks can ONLY be used in those year cars. There IS a way to use them in a newer model, but you'd have to change the bell housing to the old type, use the transmission crossmember form the older car, and weld in mounts for the front engine support crossmember from the older car. That or make an engine plate that bolted behind the timing cover and stretched across the engine bay. Where there's a will there's a way, but probably not worth the effort! 

* 64-up Classic uses a different crossmember when using the 195.6 rather than the 199/232/258. The crossmember itself is essnetially the same for Classics and Americans with the 195.6 or 199/232/258 (the crossmembers won't interchange from Classic to American though). The difference is the 195.6 mounts directly to the crossmember, the 199/232/258 has "perches" welded to the crossmember that hold the engine up higher. So what Tom said about the 64 is essentially true, but you'd have to cut the perches off to put a 195.6 in a 232 equipped car, and weld perches to the crossmember of a 195.6 equipped car to mount a 199/232/258. I made perches using 5" lengths of 11 gauge 2"x3" steel tubing. Bolted them to the 258 mounts, then drilled and tapped the tubing so a 3/8" fine thread bolt would go up through the 195.6 crossmember mount holes into the tubing. Or you can locate the correct crossmember and bolt it in. I just couldn't find one locally when I needed it, and was modifying the
  car in other ways also, so factory look didn't matter as long as it was SAFE.

----------------
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:49:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>

Frank's right... here's a brief sumary:

* 64-up classic, you can drop in a 232, 199, or 195.6
* 63 classic, you can do that if you get a 64-up crossmember.
* This is true for manual or automatic.
* I have personally done these swaps in a '63.

BUT! The 195.6 (either flavor) has to have side mounts (if it
came from a 63 classic, it will) and not the mounts under the
front timing cover. (Frank might know if all 195.6 blocks have
the bosses but I don't think so).

BUT! the 199, 232 has to be pre-72 (starter on driver side).

PLUS! there are some minor issues between various combinations,
nothing fatal: radiator brackets (fore or aft), throttle linkage,
trans linkage, slightly different wiring but these are all easy
and/or inexpensive.

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)


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