This 1969 AMC Rambler American Wagon is a surprising build. It’s not really the first car that would come to mind when you’re thinking of doing a LS swap, but it’s more than just a muscle car with a LS. When it shows up for a drive at The Smoking Tire, Matt Farah takes it out, and it’s an interesting ride along.
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One of the genius things about putting an LS into a Rambler wagon is, it’s really not that heavy of a car. It’s around 2,600 pounds, or a thousand pounds less than 2000 Camaro F-Body the engine came out of. It doesn’t take a lot of power to make it get up and go, and that’s what this LS AMC Rambler is ready to do. That’s exactly why the owner/builder of this car chose to use it — the 300-ish RWHP is going to go a long way, and no one expects that.
Backing the LS1 is a T-56 drivetrain, it rides on a double wishbone suspension, and has big brakes for big stopping power. Thanks to the right set of tires, this build is quite the curve carver. It takes Matt a little while to build up to pushing the car, but it has no problems going through the turns, and obviously it’s a great straight away car too. Rear gears also make it very responsive and peppy.
During the drive, the seatbelt comes unlatched, and the owner gets to see what it’s like to drive his Rambler from the passenger seat while Matt works to put it back on. Also, the only readout that works in this Rambler is the fuel gauge, so you have to play it by ear when it comes to shifting. Otherwise, it’s a complete mechanical rebuild, despite the way it looks. The car’s owner even shares that it gets 31/32 miles to a gallon of gas. Matt says it best when he calls this car “unbelievably capable,” we can’t think of a better way to describe it than that!
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
