1959 AMC American

Super Coupe

6 - Cyl.

Manual

55810

Clear

Gasoline

For Sale: 1959 Rambler American Super Continental Such a big, pretentious name for such a modest little car. This car is being relisted because it was incompletely and incorrectly represented when I purchased it through e-bay. I had it shipped from California to Georgia only to discover that, oops, somebody apparently described another car in the listing. This is a nice car but a bit bigger project than I am prepared to tackle right now. I’ve gone over it carefully. Here’s what I know: Mileage: Odometer works. It reads approximately 18,000 but it’s clear that it has much more than that on it. More likely 118,000 or perhaps 218,000. Exterior Body: The exterior is fairly clean and straight. Some dents on the roof, some rust repair in the fenders, a spot of rust on the rear valence, a few bubbles on the driver’s door, coupla dents and dings but otherwise remarkably clean and straight for a car that has seen some serious use and lack of maintenance. Paint is a close approximation to the original color of Aqua Mist Metallic but it’s badly faded. Someone primed some areas where bent metal and/or rust were repaired. Underbody: Not horrible but not perfect either. Left rear floorboard is rusted through with a hole the size of your fist. Other floors seem fairly solid when viewed from above or below. There’s some pretty serious rust starting in the trunk along the seams though it has not perforated yet. The cowl and pillars appear to be in pretty good shape though there’s a small hole at the base of the cowl on the passenger side. It’s too small to take a picture of. Make no mistake, there have been, are, and probably will be structural issues but nothing that a reasonably competent pro cannot handle. Exterior Chrome: It’s all there and in fair condition. Bumpers and trim will need to be replated but there is very little pitting. The grille surround has a small dent in it. The grille mesh has a couple of segments knocked out of it. All trim is present and accounted for. Bumpers and bumper guards have a few tweaks in them but nothing that can’t be fixed when they are rechromed. Glass: It’s all there and fairly clear. The windshield has some normal pitting but nothing is scratched, cracked, fogged, or delaminated. The rear window seal has a big gap in the bottom but it doesn’t seem to let water into the cabin. Weather Sealing: All rubber is hard, dried, and cracked. All of it will need to be replaced along with the window channel and felt. Electrical: Every light on the car works as designed except for the license plate lamp. It’s a ground issue. Battery appears to be fairly new and reasonably strong. Taillight lenses appear to be brand new. Wiring seems to be okay for the most part. No bare or frayed wires that are carrying current. There are no back-up lamps on this car. Heater fan works on one speed. There is a problem with the OD kick-down switch but I’ll get to that when I cover the drivetrain. Dashboard: Neither the temperature nor the fuel gauge work. The radio does not work. The parking brake handle is missing. The defroster knob is broken off. No key for the glove box, though it’s not locked. Doors do not lock or unlock from the outside. Horns do not work. Steering wheel is cracked. Horn ring is starting to pit. Vacuum wipers do not work. I believe this is partly due to a bad fuel pump/vacuum pump. The dash needs to be repainted. The face of the gauge is reasonably clear. The Speedometer and odometer both appear to work though I think they read faster than the car is actually going. Shifter is worn and sloppy. It’s almost impossible to get it into reverse. The lever scrapes against the steering wheel in reverse and first gears. Turn signals work and cancel as designed. Cigarette lighter does not work. Interior: It’s a mess. There’s no headliner though all of the bows are there. The side panels are warped, torn, and misfit. They were sloppily painted aqua and black at some point in time. Seat upholstery is torn. I cannot tell whether the upholstery is correct. Front seat is not secure to the floor. Both front seatbacks recline fully. The rear package shelf is badly deteriorated. Kick panels are either missing, incorrect, or deteriorated beyond use. Black carpet looks like it was thrown on the floor. It doesn’t fit and it is not secure. It’s neither original nor correct. Brakes: The strongest part of this car. It appears to have four new wheel cylinders and a new master cylinder. Shoes appear to be new. There are no automatic adjusters and they need a little bit of tweaking but they stop the car straight and strong. Brake hoses appear to be original and should be replaced. Lines look okay. As stated above, the parking brake handle is missing so there’s no e-brake. The cables underneath broke at some point and where clamped back together. Front wheel bearings have recently been serviced. Brake lights work as designed. Engine: Won’t start if it sits overnight unless the carburetor is primed. Once running, it sounds pretty good. Has a bit of tapping but I don’t hear any serious knocking. Oil pressure light goes out and stays out once it’s running. I haven’t gotten it warm enough to know how oil pressure would fare when it’s hot. It definitely smokes – especially when underway. Add an engine rebuild to the list. It seems to have pretty good power. The radiator leaks badly. Clutch: The clutch chatters at start up and slips under hard acceleration. Apparently the linkage broke at some point in the past and somebody jerry rigged it. Not much more to say here. Do the clutch when the engine and transmission are out of the car. Which brings me to the… Transmission: It was pretty much dry when I got it. I added lubricant but it still whines in first gear. It doesn’t shift very smoothly. Part of this is due to the worn shifter and part is due to worn internals. It is very difficult to get into reverse gear and sometimes it jumps out if you don’t hold it in position. I suspect this is more related to a worn shift lever on the column than to the internals of the transmission. Overdrive: This is a robust Borg-Warner unit. It had plenty of lubricant in it when I changed it. It engages and disengages according to the speed of the car as it should. However, the kick-down switch on the throttle linkage is all hosed up. Consequently, it will not kick down out of OD when the accelerator is fully depressed as it was designed to do. Other than the OD kick-down switch, this is probably the only area of the car that doesn’t need work. Driveshaft: U-joints are complete toast. They’re dangerous. Don’t drive the car more than around the driveway until these are fixed unless you want to risk having the driveshaft drop out on the road or, worse yet, come through the floor of the car. ‘Nuff said. Rear axle: It was low on lubricant when I got the car. The pinion is loose. Wheel seals appear to be okay. I don’t hear any noise specifically coming from the rear end; however, expect to do work in the pumpkin at some point. Exhaust: Small leak at manifold but otherwise fairly quiet and complete. Has some sloppy welding on it but it does its job. Steering: Clearly it hasn’t seen a molecule of grease in a very long time. Kinda squeaky when jounced. Steering feels a bit loose but not dangerously so. It’s not hard to control. I don’t know steering systems well enough to know what is worn and how badly. Suspension: At some point in the past one of the mounting points for the right lower control arm rusted off. It was repaired with 1” x 1” tube stock welded onto the car and then the control arm was bolted to the tube stock. Inelegant but apparently effective. Shocks look really old. It’s a bit bouncy but it sits level and it appears to be at normal height. Tires: They are old. They need to be replaced. There’s plenty of tread on them but they’re so old that there is no date code on them. They’re dry rotting, cracking, and blistering on the sidewalls. Don’t drive this thing outside of the neighborhood until you’ve gotten new tires on it. There is a spare in the continental kit but it doesn’t hold air. I have not visually inspected it. The wheel cover on the continental kit is not correct but it’s close. Title: I have a California title. I have it insured but I’ve not registered it because it’s just not roadworthy. Warranty: If you discover that the car is not as represented, I will buy it back for the selling price less the re-listing fee; however, any transportation costs will be yours. Shipping: Buyer is responsible. The car runs and stops well enough to get onto and off of a carrier but it is not safe to drive any distance or any speed above 20 MPH. I will make the car available to a carrier. I can recommend an excellent broker. I am experienced with shipping overseas. I will work with the buyer/broker. Payment: $500 deposit within 48 hours of closing of the auction. Balance to be paid within seven days of closing of the auction. PayPal, wire transfer, cash at time of pick up, certified check, or personal check (as long as it has cleared prior to pick up) or any combination of the above are all acceptable methods of payment. General: The car is as cute as can be. It’s very charming in an odd way. The factory continental kit gives it even more character than standard Rambler Americans. It appears that this was a senior citizen’s car who had limited means. It doesn’t appear to have been abused but it clearly has not been properly maintained. It has tremendous potential but it is an ambitious restoration. It is too solid and complete to part out or rod out. It is a number four car; no better, no worse. It’s pretty much complete (except for parking brake handle and cable and the toasted interior). Pricing: Reserve is fair though not give-away low. Frankly, I paid way too much for this car. Add in shipping from the West coast and I’m badly upside-down. I do not expect to recoup my investment but I do expect to receive a fair price. If not, I’ll hang on to it until it finds the right home. You will quickly spend more than the car is currently worth getting it roadable and showable. However, you’ll have a really cool little car that gets fantastic mileage while keeping up with modern traffic. Additional information: I encourage you to ask question but I respectfully request that you do so through e-bay. Reason: For both of our protection we need to have the exchange of information documented. I don’t want anybody feeling like I pulled a fast one on them. This is what happened to me and it’s not a good feeling. I don’t wish it on anybody else. I will make the car available for inspections by appointment only. Special Request: Please don’t bid if you’re not serious. I’m an individual of limited means. This listing cost me a fair amount. Please respect the process and the investment of my time and money. We’re all in this hobby together. Let’s keep it fair, honest, and fun, okay? Thank you for your interest. Good luck to you. Hope you are the right owner for this little diamond in the rough. Regards, Jim in Atlanta.