1960 AMC American

Custom Sedan

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

Gasoline

This is a rare 4-door Rambler American Custom. The 4 door model of this body style was only available for one year. The Custom was the top trim level for this car, which came with the upgraded overhead cam 195.6ci engine. Making it even more rare is the original color scheme of pink and white (Festival Rose and Frost White, I believe). I bought this car from a girl in LA in 2006 with the intention of making it a driver for my wife. Sadly, I have too many projects and this car isn't getting the attention it deserves. The car runs and drives but it still needs work. I have listed all the things I can think of good and bad. The Good - Professionally rebuilt generator, starter, heater core, radiator. Radiator hoses are new. The plugs, distributor cap and rotor are recent. The wires are probably from 2006. Special note - the man that rebuilt the starter and generator is a member of my car club, and he thought it would be amusing to paint the starter pink. Since it is buried at the bottom, I left it that way. All electrical including lights, fan, turn signals, etc work as they should. The radio does not work. There appears to be either an after market or dealer installed oil filter. I would replace the hoses going to it at some point. The milage is unknown but I believe it probably around the 100,000 mark. I don't delude myself into thinking this car is low milage, but I don't think it's very high either. There is NO ROT on this car. The floors are solid. I have included a photo of the driver side floor with the carpet pulled away. The dark patch at the top of the photo is because it is wet. The floor only has a slight discoloration where there is no paint. The previous owner had the trunions replaced. She also had the interior redone. The seats are great. The passenger door needs to have the arm rest re-attached. The kick panels need to be straightened, and the carpet was poorly laid. The car was beautifully repainted and buffed out, but it is an older paint job and it has seen some action. You can see the paint issues in the photos. The heat is flaming hot in the winter. The valve that opens flow to the heater core needs to be manually manipulated. My guess is near 50 years of non-use made it stiff. I have been able to move it with a tool under the hood, but it is too stiff for the knob inside the car. Currently I have it open so you can "try it out". The air tubes to the defrosters should be replaced. They are probably original. All the glass is intact, but the windows need the fuzzies replaced. The driver vent window needs to be reglued into the trim. The rear glass has been professionally tinted with limo tint. I guess that was to keep some of the LA heat out of the car. The Bad - The engine has never been rebuilt. It consumes a little oil, and if you leave it idle, you will see a small amount of blue exiting the tailpipe. The carb choke doesn't work. I was going to rebuild it completely anyway. The trans slips between 2nd and 3rd when it is cold. After that, it shifts well. The spring inside the passenger door must have sprung because the door handle doesn't return. You must manually return it. The horn and wiring is solid but the horn hit is missing a small brass piece, so there is no contact when you hit the horn ring. The vacuum motor for the wipers need to be rebuilt. The previous owner put radial trailer tires on the car. The antenna is missing. There are a couple of bubbles in the paint on the roof, and a large chip of paint missing under a door handle. The chrome on the bumpers should be redone. Currently it is thin and scratchy. I have purchased some parts to go on the car like the new fuzzies for around the windows, replacement tail light trim for the passenger side that is cracked, and maybe a few other odds and ends that haven't made it onto the car yet. Because this was an LA car, baking in the heat, some of the rubber has dry rotted and disappeared. An example is the rubber seals that are supposed to go around the doors. They are completely gone. This dawned on me when I drove the car through a brushless car wash and the water came flowing in - comically funny. The car has a reverse "Y" pipe which goes to two glass pack mufflers. The girl that owned it before me put them on. The Ugly - Prior to my getting the car, the rear was replaced with one from a stick shift car, so the gear ratio is incorrect. This limits the car to about 45 mph. The engine rpms are too high to push the car faster. The car has a few paint chips and a dent under one of the doors. As I mentioned, some of the rubber is failing or has failed. I believe there is a missing bushing where the front suspension attaches to the car. The car does not have a spare tire. Feel free to call me on my cell to ask questions - 215-284-0999 or email ahipdude at msn dot com.