[BaadAssGremlins] Re: grant rebel engine ...topel rambler kenosha wiscon
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[BaadAssGremlins] Re: grant rebel engine ...topel rambler kenosha wisconsin





Somewhere here in my array of stuff I had some articles about how it was done back in 1967, rather indepth article if I recall. I have some old photos of the Grant Rebel(s) on my site I sell:
 
 http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/67_grant_rebel.jpg
 
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/grant_rebel_irwindale..jpg
 
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/grant_rebel_xray.jpg
 
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/68_grant_rebel.jpg
 
and I'll see if I can find one of the articles.
 
The seller of the engine is Don, not Brian, I still get them confused after 30 damned years, or maybe I am still thinking about mysterious seat belts and Houston Police.
 
The seller just emailed me and said that he thinks the first Grant Industries Rebel Funny Car shown in some of the photos above was destroyed, I had not heard that just know no one knows what happened to it.
 
The Topel Rebel was a 67 Rebel that was pulled off the line and raced in the Wisconsin area. Painted red, white & blue in AMC's new "corporate" colors (not matty red, frost white & commodore blue either....these were Rangoon Red, Porcelain White also known as Refrigerator White and Persian Blue) but the Topel Rebel was more of a AMC skunkworks car under Chakmakian...a "test car" if you will, as AMC jumped head first into performance and well, all those aftermarket suppliers willing to find new market where there had not been one with AMC!
 
Here is early Trans Am paint scheme with codes off my site:
 
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/main/amctransampaint.htm
 
the Topel Rambler (was still called Rambler Rebel in 67) Rebel is still around and popped up on ebay about 5-7 years ago and sold for (I believe) $19,000. I do not remember if it still had it's original engine or replacement engine though, was a neat looking car, and I remember seeing a article about it.
 
Ah yes, figured if I looked hard enough....John Donnelley & Patrick Foster had a article in Hemmings back in 2004 about this car:
 
http://jakesgeneralstore.com/cars/project-car/1967-amc-rebel-factory-built-drag-car
 
if you have Adobe, click on the 'racing rebel pdf' file below photo as there are some vintage photos there. I believe the 'jakes general store' are the one's restoring the car now. Again, I do NOT know if the 'grant engine' for sale on ebay is a 'grant' or a 'topel' though!
 
Topel Rambler of Kenosha Wisconsin was immortalized several years ago in one of the little 'AMC Miniature Dealerships' me & the boys put together:
 
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/amcdealerships/amc_miniature_dealership.htm
 
I'm also trying to remember who I spoke with several years ago up in Kenosha who gave me the lowdown on Topel, they called me when a google search pulled up something on my site, and if I recall, they worked for Topel back in the day, so took notes.
Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planethoustonamx.com
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 2:24 PM
Subject: Re: [BaadAssGremlins] grant rebel engine ?

Interesting to know how they got an extra 100 cu in to make it a 443?
Olly

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network


From: "Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:17:32 -0600
ReplyTo: BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [BaadAssGremlins] grant rebel engine ?

 

Neat to see stuff pop up like this....I told Brian, the seller that this could be the
Grant Rebel engine, or one of them Hayden Proffitt used to campaign....one of the engines
from the Grant Rebels was a bored out 343 to 443cid and with supercharger, was 1200
horsepower at 9000rpm according to one of the little press thingies I have here.

Someone emailed me asking about the 68 Grant Rebel...it is in Louisiana, guy bought it off
National Dragster in I believe 1993 for $800, no drivetrain, sort of body, chassis only,
and he literally built a barn around the car, so it is immovable.

I tried to get him to bring it to the nationals we did here in 2001 in Houston, but that
would have meant taking down a wall to bring car out! Didn't happen, nice guy, hope he
sees that old engine on ebay, which may or may not belong in the Rebel...could be one of
the Topel Rambler (Kenosha) 343s AMC was testing all their happy Group 19 items on up
there in 66-68!

I don't know what ever happened to the 67 Crane Industries Grant Rebel car, hopefully
still out there in someone's collection perhaps.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AMC-Grant-Rebel-Funny-Car-Blown-Injected-Nitro-motor-/170587860221?pt=Race_Car_Parts&hash=item27b7d42cfd
Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planethoustonamx.com



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