Twin-Stick: 1963 Rambler American 440-H
It can be challenging for some people to think of this 1963 Rambler American 440-H as being sporty, but for the time, it would have probably been AMC’s sportiest model. Compared to the previous generation Rambler American it sure looks sporty to me. This American can be found here on eBay in El Reno, Oklahoma with an unmet opening bid price of $7,000 and no reserve after that.
1963 was the last year for the old-school Rambler American before the third-generation cars were redesigned. The second-generation Rambler American was quite an upgrade in style compared to the previous cars which held onto their round bathtub shape and looked decidedly stuck in the 1950s. Not that it’s a bad thing to be stuck in the 1950s, but car companies are all about modernization to try to keep up with each other.
This car has to have been repainted at some point but there’s no mention of that. It does have new shocks, new brakes, new tires, and new front end parts. There is no mention of rust or bodywork and there aren’t a lot of photos showing closeups of the body and none of the underside. We can only hope for the best and/or get in touch with the seller and ask for specific photos.
The interior looks good but maybe not as good as the shiny exterior does. The seats do look like they’re in good condition and the back seat should offer enough headroom and maybe even enough legroom for most folks. The big deal with this car, though, is the famous Twin-Stick 3-speed manual transmission. The 440-H model not only was a hardtop, but it also had bucket seats, a console, and a more powerful engine.
This is that engine, AMC’s 195.6 cubic-inch inline-six which in this case had 138 hp. The seller says that it runs and drives great and after a good cleaning and two hours spent detailing it, it would look much better. Are there any second-generation Rambler American fans out there? Has anyone owned or driven a car with the twin-stick transmission?
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Comments
I’m curious, how does the twin stick work? Also, is that the factory heater under the dash?
O-G78, Howard explained it below, sorry for missing this comment. Thanks, Howard! There’s a button on the 3-speed shift lever, the one on the left side, to actuate the overdrive. I’ve never driven one but it sounds like it was an art form to master it.
That’s an AC unit under the dash, there’s a compressor shown in the engine photo.
If I had a chunk of money, instead of some rusty hulk, I’d buy this for Scotty in a minute.( and cars for all my other friends) To be clear, the American was never billed as a swoopy car, although, as shown, there were a few people that ordered their Americans as such. We never saw Americans like this, all were basic, unloved in-town beaters with heaters. The “twin-stick” is nothing more than an overdrive switch , cleverly actuated by a lever. I think it provides O/D in 2nd and 3rd, making it a half-arsed 5 speed, if you can “split shift”, that is. Great find. Perfect classic for people on a budget, even though, their budget may differ greatly from mine.
If you can get this little Rambler for the opening bid, it looks like a nice little car for not a lot of money. The white/red combo looks sharp with the red wheels and full wheel covers, and definitely sporty for ’63 with a bucket seat and console interior. Can’t be too many Rambler Americans like this one still around so it will certainly draw a lot of attention at your local Show ‘n Shine.
Always found it somehow peculiar to call such a car ‘American’ – with this size it’s far from what I expect an American car to be in 1963. I like it although it’s not really my cup of tea. Love those swooshy speedo digits! To me it looks more British, makes me think of the Triumph Herald. Cool unusual find
The wild success of the 1958 Rambler American prompted the big 3 to enter the compact market. The Chevy Corvair, Ford Falcon, and the Plymouth Valiant were the result. The problem was that they were all slow. AMC retaliated by updating its styling and offering the mid size 196 ohv, but they were all slow. In 1962, Chevy offered a 145 hp Corvair, and Ford offered the sporty Futura. AMC retaliated by putting a 2 bbl carb on the 196, getting its own 145 hp, and calling it the 440H for Hardtop, not Hurst.
I have 2 of these.
Twin Sitck was a totally cool option. Everyone else’s overdrive had a manual lockout cable under the dash. These were almost never used. One used the accelerator to control the overdrive. While accelerating, lift you foot and it went into overdrive in 2d and 3d. If in overdrive and needing to pass, mash the gas and it would drop out of overdrive. . 2d overdrive was pretty close to 3d, so it was not used much. You could still control the OD with your foot, but AMC’s innovation was a button on the gearshift which would also drop it out of overdrive. The effect was- push a button on the gearshift and the car would take off, as if on nitrous. When you were at the desired speed, lift your foot and the OD kicked in. Works going up steep hills, too. The Twin Stick also had a tight throw, so it turned your Rambler into a sexy hardtop race car with a 4 speed. The almost useless extra stick was beyond cool, too. Twin Stick was so popular AMC made it available in their bigger cars for another 3 years, but it was not as popular, and are quite a find today.
@local-sheriff. Except that the Triumph Herald was about a quarter the size of this Rambler. I have owned a Herald, and seen many Ramblers at car shows, and I would take the Rambler over the Herald any day.
Well, at least the twin stick looks a little less confusing than the triple Lightning Rod shifters Oldsmobile came out with in the early 80s. These were so quirky looking, but you can’t help but like them.
The pre-1960 Rambler American, and earlier Nash Rambler was 73″ wide. The ’61-63 was 70″ wide. That’s the difference between a new Honda Accord and Honda Civic. It has to be some kind of a record difference for what was less than a full clean-sheet redesign. They were finally able to trim away the excess fender width required by the pre-1955 shrouded front wheels.
That reduction in width was just a matter of trimming the previously bulbous exterior panels. Under the skin it’s a 1950 Nash Rambler, and drives like one.
Not only is this a rare model with a rare transmission, but it is extremely rare to find an American of this vintage that has an intact hood ornament! On nearly all that I’ve seen the stylized “R” insert has fallen out.
The only twin stick I have driven was a 1970’s Dodge Colt ( Mitsubishi ) they had a regular 4 speed then there was a lever for Economy shifted one way and Power the other. Never looked under the car but I’m pretty sure it was a two speed seacondary gearbox kind of like a transfer case on a Jeep but no need for a forward output shaft. The neat thing about it was it wasn’t an American style overdrive, it was more like the Direct Drive and Overdrive in a big truck. Depending on which setting you were in all the gears were either economy or power including reverse from what I remember.
Nice small car and I like the two tone paint. The Twin Stick might be a challenge.
My uncle Frankie had a 62, or 63, convertible version of this car with automatic, late 60s, it was a lotta fun, it was so ugly it was cute, faded red, w red interior and an exhaust manifold leak, radio was dead, it w the top down and the exhaust noise probably couldn’t have heard that little transitor anyway
I’m about 1/2 way through a resto-mod of this exact vehicle. Wish I’d had this little gem instead of the bucket I started out with! Oh well, all part of the game. This car is beautiful. Parts are becoming almost impossible to find. No one makes replacement items for pre 64 AMCs. At the present bid, this would be a great deal.
would a more “modern” AMC engine bolt into this? Like a 304 V8?
Probably not without cropping out the fender wells. The compartment is narrow in the bottom.
Not without a lot of custom fabrication. The engine compartment is very short and narrow. It has been done but definitely not a simple drop-in.
I had a 63 Rambler 660 SW in the day, same color came W/3 speed, I found an OD unit and changed it out. Was great on fuel, nice vehicle all a round. Saw it around town 15 yrs later, still running. My 93 Jeep had the same engine but pot injected
The OD as configured on American Motors ‘Twin Stick’ vehicles used a GKN (Laycock de Normamville) come clutch planetary drive previously used by MG, Healey & Triumph in the fifties & sixties then in larger quantities (1000,000/year) by Volvo in the sixties & seventies. The 3 spd manual transmission – to which it was attached- was built by New Process Gear who cut off American Motors (for non payment) stranding 2,000 overdrive transmissions in inventory without a home – a group Outcast & Co (Sacramento) purchased them and in turn sold them to Gear Vendors which they in turn used them as ‘seed stock’ to get started, and so Gear Vendors began & continue to this day.
AMC Rambler seem to be at the top of the “what if” discussion list among car guys. I look at this car and think with a cross flow head and a better suspension AMC might have beat the BMW 2002 to the sport sedan market.
But probably not.
I love small cars, as Jerry Seinfeld so eloquently put it, “They’re like toys.” Plus light weight is always more dynamically pleasing than a leviathan overcompensating with tech. So close AMC, so very close.
RAMBLER and the word sporty never seemed to go together very often. This car looks to be in good shape but really I could care a less what kind of gimmick shifter it’s got it’s still a rambler.
I have one of these and a 51 Rambler. The 51 drives like 1940s. The 1963 drives like 1960s. Much better. The underneath is exactly the same car. The engine in each is different, flathead vs overhead valve. Love both cars but the 63 is much more fun to drive.
Good info on the Twin-Stick tranny.
https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/two-to-go-ramblers-1963-1965-twin-stick-transmission/
I had one the same year and model back in the mid 70’s, mine was a beige and had the side coves a gold color. Had a bench seat and column shift auto. Not a fast car by any means, but comfortable for what it was at the time. Easy on gas and a great in town grocery getter. Never forget the ride in that car I took with my wife back then, from Norcal to Disneyland in the middle of July, no AC that was totally brutal and the heat was really bad also…. If I recall these cars are of the unibody design, correct me if I am wrong on this. The featured car is a nice rare version and I like the bucket seat and stick combo for a change.
Sold on ebay for $7000 to a FL flipper who now has it listed for….$17,995. And sadly there is probably someone out there with more money than brains to buy it.
That’s a beautiful car! I have to admit I am biased, as I’ve got one just like it I picked up in 2016. I bought mine when I lived in eastern NC, from a guy who brought it from California. Now, I live in Wyoming. It’s really cool to see another out there, right down to the same paint scheme. That Twin Stick is tricky, but is a unique feature for sure. Thanks for sharing this!