Re: [AMC-List] (one of the) most beautiful cars I've ever seen...

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 2006-06-09 at 04:44 +0000, francis.swygert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
wrote:

> NH -- who doesn't -- but the plain thing on p. 70 is a goddamn Nash
> Rambler channelled, roof chopped off, cab moved back, and to me pretty
> much the prettiest two-seat car I've ever seen, bar none, no exceptions.
> Inline six! Three speed! Side curtains!
> 
> So I've been thinking, how could I make one? I care not for
> authenticity, Cars Are For Driving. Clearly it's a stock Nash grille
> (article says so and it's also obvious). Hacking a bathtub Rambler is
> probably crazily impractical. It's vaguely Healey-ish, but far more
> Nash-ish. Oh woe is me.
> ------------------------------------------------
> 
> Well, you could do the same with a 58-60 American, except the headlights
> would be out on the fenders. What you describe is exactly what I have
> planned for the 62 American two door sedan I have stashed back home
> though.

(The car in HCC has the headlamps out on the fenders...)

For me, right now, this is worthless hot air, but this afternoon it
occurred to me it might be easier to make a hotrod chassis, and skin a
bathtub American to create a body for it; that way I could get around
the unibody structural problems I'd create, or the weakness of removing
the roof, etc.

It would need to be sectioned the entire length. Probably could use the
hood close to as-is. Leave cowl-forward intact, gut firewall for the
motor length. Roof, off. The rear quarters would be actual work though,
to get the classic line (from the front fender down) to the rear haunch.

I don't have an indoor place to work on cars; I have too many things to
do; we already have a full stable of cars; I don't have the body skills
but hey perfection isn't needed for fun or reliability.

Eh. Nice to think about though. I'll keep a mental eye on this project
though. Maybe I can find a Healy with a bad driveline, gut it and
Ramblerize it, call it a Rambler Healey :-) Won't be as pretty as that
thing in HCC though.


>  I've even considered moving the cowl back, but that would be a
> much more difficult to do thing than sectioning the body -- which will
> be hard enough around the firewall. I plan on cutting 3-4" out, but
> leaving the vent windows and roll-up windows in the welded shut and
> smoothed over doors. I considered moving the cowl back just enough to
> eliminate the vent windows, but that would leave a very short roll-up
> window. I didn't want to get into cutting the door latch pillar and
> moving the window mechanism back. A longer hood (ala Budd XR-400, a
> modified 62 Ambo) would be nice, but I think way more work than I'm
> willing to do. I have an article on what was done to make the XR-400,
> and I have a 62 four door for extra parts, but it's still more than I
> want to do. With a slab sided car like the 58-60 American a four door
> could be used and the front door and cowl moved back then use the rear
> door as a filler panel in front of the cowl. That "arrow" indentation of
> the 61-63 means you can't move panels like that without major surgery. 
> 
> For pics of the XR-400:
> http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/pic/1999/99.sep.html
> And here's a good article on Budd with factory photos of the XR-400 at
> the bottom left. Just above it is what appears to be the prototype for
> the Nash Rambler, but it could be the earlier 600. I believe it to be
> the Rambler due to shape of the body and the front suspension. The Nash
> 600 used a Lancia type suspension that resembles MacPherson struts. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
World Power Systems
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