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Vehicle Description
Cute, Economical Missouri-raised Rambler
We picked up this ’62 in North Carolina after it spent most of its life in Missouri. The engine, a 196-cubic-inch flathead, was seized from sitting so we loaded it on a trailer and took it home. The engine is in good shape and rebuildable and goes with the car. We swapped in a good-running 196 flathead from a low-mileage (43,000-mile) 64 American, and put in new timing gear and fuel pump just to make sure it would run smooth. Pictures of both engines are there. Peripheral mechanicals and electricals work fine.
It has the three-speed auto, not the two-speed Borgie, which shifts smoothly. Manual steering and brakes, no air.
The brightwork is exceptional and the body is straight with no rust. We’ve had lots of Ramblers but never owned one this shiny and rot-free. The car has one badly done repair in the passenger-side door (see picture) where someone tried to fill a parking-lot scrape with bondo. The car comes with a straight replacement door, although we would recommend using it as a donor for reskin as all the doors, windows and the trunklid hang perfectly on this car. Hood is also well aligned and hinged, although the latch should be replaced as it is worn. Will click into place, but a fresh one would make it perfect. Rear trunk lock body is gone, although we have the key and cylinder and the latch is there. These come up every once in awhile on e-Bay and can be sourced, we just didn’t have time with this one.
Glass is good, windshield pitted and delaminating a bit. Windows all roll up and down as smooth as they did in 1962. All the trim is there and perfect. Interior needs work, but is entirely useable for now. We have a new lower cover on the front seat since it was getting a bit ragged on the driver side. Front door panels, particularly left side, have warped and pulled back due to the Southern sun. Dashpad, steering wheel, instruments are perfect. Original trunk liner there but deteriorated by age. Tiny dots of surface rust in trunk floor that could be sanded away.
Tires are probably original and timeworn, wheels and dog-dish hubcaps definitely are original. Spare is there, but deteriorated like most 40-year-old-plus tires.
It’s a sweet little driver, comes with a clear North Carolina title. Fly in to Charlotte, put on some radials, drive it home and have a great experience. A perfect daughter car, but mine is off to college in Chicago and there hasn’t been a Rambler dealer there for a few years. We’d keep it, but other Ramblers and Studebakers are calling.
No original documents, although the car has lots of oil change, inspection and other stickers that could help history buffs track down the early owners. We will add the definitive Rambler American shop manual at no charge.
Please e-mail with any questions and we will answer promptly. This is a true auction, we won’t disclose reserve or end early. If you recognize the photos, we did offer this car once before but our account was hacked and it ended early. Please read the payment terms and follow them. We can arrange storage.
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