barn find 1968 rambler american eco project!!

[metromizer]

Originally Posted by groundflyer

1969 6cly three speed under dash air Strange my seat are still good also.

My Mom's also had that goofy 'knee knocker' underdash air unit, 232cu in inline 6, automatic.

[freebeard]

groundflyer -- As I read that, you now own it? What model is it?

When I was in college, my parents had a Rambler 770 wagon. It had a beautiful paint color, not lavender, not fuschia, but something in that range.

It had the E-stick automatic clutch manual transmission. As soon as you touched the shift lever, the clutch actuated. There was a tiny, undersized fitting in the column shift linkage, and I snapped it off twice. My parents were un-pleased with me, until they broke it too.

When the last kid left home, they traded it for a Chevelle SS 396 convertible. I liked the Rambler better.

[NeilBlanchard]

My grandfather lived in Allentown and he had exactly the same car in the same color -- three on the tree, he said! He scoffed at the four on the floor...

Maybe you have his old car?

[groundflyer]

[QUOTE=freebeard;328684]groundflyer -- As I read that, you now own it? What model is it?

232 6 cly think
rambler american All there keys hub caps just need some aero style luggage for the the luggage rack

[slownugly]

NeilBlanchard

it might very well be his old car. it came from jersey about an hour and a half or so east. i actually work 15 min north of allentown and live in scranton. its about an hour commute.

groundflyer

if you want to know exactly what engine it is look on the block between number 2 and 3 cylinder there is a flat machined surface with 5 or 6 digits stamped in. post them and ill let you know what you have.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

When I was in college, my parents had a Rambler 770 wagon. It had a beautiful paint color, not lavender, not fuschia, but something in that range.

It had the E-stick automatic clutch manual transmission. As soon as you touched the shift lever, the clutch actuated. There was a tiny, undersized fitting in the column shift linkage, and I snapped it off twice. My parents were un-pleased with me, until they broke it too.

So, was that automatic clutch similar to the European Fitchel & Sachs Saxomat? That had a vacuum reservoir connected to an electric solenoid activated by a contact on the shift lever base which would activate a mechanical linkage which depressed the clutch, but there was also a centrifugal pressure plate to activate the clutch while idling.

shweb, Opel Rekord P2 Olymat

[freebeard]

Vacuum-controlled, hydraulically actuated with engine oil pressure. From the AMC Forum:

Re: Rambler E-Stick
Reply #1 - 01/07/09 at 21:53:56
E-stick was only on six cylinder cars, 62-64 Americans and Classics with the 196 OHV or L-head. It used engine oil pressure to activate the clutch through a series of mechanical and vacuum switches. A high volume oil pump was used with a special pressure plate and bell housing. The clutch arm was on the right side and worked in reverse of a normal clutch. A hydraulic cylinder that ran off engine oil pressure pushed on the arm and ENGAGED the clutch instead of disengaging it. The more engine speed the more oil pressure, the more oil pressure the more pressure holding the clutch engaged. A special cover for the oil pump held a valve assembly which fed the hydraulic cylinder. Switches on the shift linkage prevented oil pressure from being applied to the cylinder unless the trans was in gear. Trans was a standard T-96 three speed manual, but it could also be had with overdrive.

The system worked fine until the engine got enough wear that oil pressure started to drop. So for the first 80-100K miles, depending on how well it was taken care of, it was fine, after that the clutch would slip some whenever the car was under a load. The clutch slipped more than a normal clutch by design, and was accordingly a bit bigger in diameter and had a little more mating surface than the standard 196 clutch disc. It worked in principle like an auto trans clutch, except no fluid to keep it cool. An auto trans has some type of throttle cable or linkage (TV cable, kick-down rod, or vacuum modulator) to control internal pressure. The E-stick just used engine rpm.
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Frank Swygert
Publisher, American Motors Cars
www.amc-mag.com

[slownugly]

Franks a very knowledgable guy. He helped me decode the engine numbers for the one I got for the american

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

That automatic clutch seems quite complicated and not so much reliable at all.

[slownugly]

So I got my lean burn sedan civic project running and driving for winter so now it's time to start on the rambler!! I got the engine that was in the truck bed up on the engine stand and started tearing it apart. There was a lot of carbony oily gunk in the rocker arm area and after I got the head off I realized there is a noticeable ridge in the cylinder walls with Carboned up pistons and even some rust in some cylinders. So apart she comes for a rebuild. Before I send it to the machine shop I wana get the original engine out of the car and see how bad that is.