1961 AMC Rambler Classic 4 Door Custom in Pink & Engine Sound on My Car Story with Lou Costabile

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On "My Car Story" we're in Fountain Hills, AZ at the Sunday Car Show 1-14-18.
We're looking at a 1961 AMC American Motors Rambler Classic 4 Door Custom in Strawberry Cream “Pink” Paint.
The car's Owner is Jay Sorensen. Jay’s had this car since 2013. When I asked him, “How’d you find the car?” He shared, “On eBay, but cars kinda find me.” I think Jay’s showed lots of tender loving care on this one.
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[@tommygtr3571]

This was my first car in high school. Two tone metallic blue and white. Great car!

[@loucostabile]

Hi TommyGTR35, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this KZbin Channel, Lou

[@tommygtr3571]

@@loucostabile Already subbed. I've owned a few of the cars you feature. The 56 Buick , 60 Tbird (AACA trophy), 63 wildcat and a 57 Chrysler saratoga 2dr hardtop. The finned Mopars blow me away. The 61 Imperial is in my top 5 faves. Thanks again!

[@patcurrie9888]

Pretty in Pink, hahaha. My Dad had a 1963 in white, I remember the seats folding flat. He traded it in for a 73 Gold Duster.

[@loucostabile]

Hi Pat, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Dads car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

[@dicksanders8206]

Great looking car. My family had this year and model Rambler. I learned to drive on it at age 15 1/2. 3 Speed stick on the column. I loved it. I envy you!

[@loucostabile]

Hi Dick, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this KZbin Channel, Lou

[@dicksanders8206]

@@loucostabile Great idea. I just subscribed. Thanks!

[@beenbeatenbybishops5845]

Quite a few styling cues from the 1957 Hudson Hornet.

[@loucostabile]

Thank you for viewing and sharing what you notice :-)

[@bibliobill2530]

My first car was a 1961 Rambler Classic Cross Country Super Station Wagon. Seafoam green with a dark green top. Pushbutton automatic. The airliner reclining seats were popular with young couples LOL! It had the 196 cubic inch six cylinder engine with the aluminum block and cast iron head. This was a problem combination because of two different metals with differing thermal expansion and contraction. It would cause the head bolts to loosen. The bolts needed regular retorquing to avoid a blown head gasket. Datsun had the same problem for years with their cast iron block and aluminum head which was the reverse of AMC. Same expansion and contraction issue that need regular retorquing. The Japanese should have learned from their American counterparts.

[@loucostabile]

Hi Biblio Bill, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your 1st car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

[@estpst]

very nice car, it really is a CUSTOM

[@loucostabile]

Glad you enjoyed this "CUSTOM" one :-)

[@mpetersen6]

The only car model that can truly be called a "Classic" 😉😉

[@maxheadroom8857]

On other videos, I mentioned I have a 1962 Classic Custom. Up to 1961, the Custom package on all Ramblers was the top. In 1962, Rambler dropped the Super, so the Custom became the medium package that year. The 400 became the flagship package. The color of the 61 is Jasmine pink. My 62 California model Classic is Sirocco Beige #42 paint code. 1961 and later California cars all have a PCV Valve system, per CARB regulations for new cars sold in California from the 1961 and later model years. When my dad took the car took our family camping, using the Rambler, it climbed 6% grades at 55MPH in high gear without a problem. It's a stick shift 3 speed. My 62 which my dad bought new is a Custom. The only extra option the car had with the Custom package is the full size wheel cover. 62 was the first year of the dual circuit brakes. I noticed this 61 has a stereo. I added a stereo to my 62 in 1989; the car didn't have the factory AM radio option. I purchased a Kraco AM/FM stereo cassette player digital tuner, which was state of the art at the time. All I needed to do was slightly trim the factory pushbutton holes to fit the radio into the factory hole and make it look like a factory fit.

[@loucostabile]

Hi Max, Thanks for sharing details of your car :-) Lou

[@MrTrack412]

Lou you have out-done yourself with this car! I remember these as being considered pieces of junk back in the day. But they are nice now! Thanks to Jay for doing his best to keep it restored as original as possible! 10/10 guys!!!

[@loucostabile]

10/10 = We have a Winner! :-) Thank you Jed Clampett.

[@daleschneider7689]

Never saw a Rambler with skirts!

[@loucostabile]

.....until now :-)

[@daleschneider7689]

My one uncle had a Rambler and it was very comfortable to ride in. Forgot what year it was.I think it was an Ambassador.

[@curtcollett2893]

Would love to have the money and skill to update a Nash Bathtub.

[@loucostabile]

HI Curt, Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many more cars on this KZbin Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this KZbin Channel, Lou

[@TheGunfighter45acp]

Man, I love this car & the unique & functional upgrades he made! This car is more than meets the eye & the color is great, too!

[@loucostabile]

Hi TheGunfighter45acp, Glad you "love this car" :-) Lou

[@MrTrack412]

As long as it looks original on the outside and interior, it's one of the best you'll see!

[@loucostabile]

Hi Jed, You're right. Challenging to find another one, Lou

[@scottbrady7499]

saw aRambler 770 today. chased it an extra block or two. ..made the fellow miss his 'light,' didn't say "american" on it. slightly different than what I remember; but- same color

[@loucostabile]

Hi Scott, A Rambler 770. NICE! Lou

[@majorpayne5289]

👍Super Nice👍Thx Mr Lou

[@loucostabile]

You're welcome Major Payne :-)

[@lkmsl]

Wow , talk about a sleeper car ....lol !

[@loucostabile]

You're right :-)

[@OfficialMarkieB]

When the Ramblers _aRockin'_ don't come *_KNOCKIN!!_*

[@loucostabile]

That's FUNNY! Thank you, Lou

[@donneesf]

Great car. When my Uncle James Roy died in Lubbock, Texas back in 1981, we found that he'd still kept his beloved Rambler wagon in his second garage, the same year and model as this one, red, with a white top. He hadn't driven it in years, and I hadn't seen it since I was a boy on a 1965 visit to Texas. We got it started and I used it the entire 6 weeks I stayed with my mother there, while she was settling his estate. It was a three on the tree and I loved driving it. One of the most comfortable cars I'd ever ridden in.

[@loucostabile]

Hi donneesf, Thank you for viewing, sharing, and adding to the story with your Uncles car :-) Lou

[@edb.3313]

Gives new meaning too the word sleeper. Very nice!

[@loucostabile]

Hi Ed B., Glad you thought this one is "very nice!" :-) Lou

[@alan15768]

Oh my god do i remember the old Ramblers they were all over the roads during the early 1960's in fact i had a toy tin friction 60-61 Rambler station wagon !

[@loucostabile]

Sounds like good times and memories :-) Thank you for sharing.

[@wickedfirefly13]

Beautiful Rambler... real classic dream car!! I love the creamy pink, and the hot pink inside. Great contrast with the silvery grey. It's kind of strawberry milkshakey too! Super cool plate! Nice aggressive rev. Very fun family worthy car. Love the vid, thank you.

[@loucostabile]

Hi WickedFireFly13, "strawberry milkshakey" I'm smiling ear to ear :-) :-) You're comments are the BEST! Lou

[@marcogallo7031]

Nice nice

[@loucostabile]

Glad you enjoyed this one :-)

[@andyleibrook6012]

99.9% of the time if it's not the way the factory did it, I hate it. Not this time, I love this. I tip my hat to you Jay! GREAT JOB!!

[@loucostabile]

Glad you enjoyed this one Andy Leibrook :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou

[@bigmountain7561]

Awesome Lou, that was alot of fun!! Love how he did the dash.

[@loucostabile]

Hi Joe Smith, Fun is the # 1 goal with the videos, and glad you enjoyed it :-) Lou

[@trainroomgary]

🎩 Cool 🚂

[@loucostabile]

Glad you like this one :-)

[@hectormcarmonadiaz9184]

Beutyfull and rare car,neat,thank you for posting it.

[@loucostabile]

Glad you enjoyed this one, and you're welcome.

[@johnmaccoy4324]

Love the body lines of the rambler. Similar body lines to the 60-63 Comet.

[@loucostabile]

Hi John Maccoy, Glad you love the design of this one :-) Lou

[@duradim1]

Lou, you surprised me again. Thank you for not overlooking this one.

[@loucostabile]

This one surprised me duradim1 :-) You're welcome, Lou

[@ketoking9435]

Hi Lou,,,A great car,,,,super rare I should think,,,,,here in England we have cars in that kinda category ie Austin Maxi, Austin Allegro, hardly considered stylish back then but now you look at them and admire what they were trying to access,,,,,but wow this has got some nice touches done by the owner,,,,once again thanks for a great show and thumbs to a cool owner,,,,,,

[@loucostabile]

Hi Irfan Khan, Glad you think this one's great :-) Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and adding to the story, Lou

[@OldNewSweetRides]

Lovely AMC! Ramblers go Ramblin', John.

[@loucostabile]

Nice John Roberts :-)

[@gordongreninger6109]

A buddys granny had a cosmetic twin to this car. It had ice cold factory air and had 14,000 pampered miles. My buddy ends up with Grannys Pink Rambler the day he turned 16. His dad made him drive it so my buddy decided to kill it. We were a bunch of farm kids that were highly experienced at destroying clapped out cars around the farm. Hands down that Pink Rambler was the toughest car ive ever driven! The things that car would shrugg off impressed the heck out of me. Lol, You couldnt kill it!!

[@loucostabile]

Hi Gordon Greninger, Thank you for sharing your friends Grandma's car story, and adding to this story :-) Lou

[@tonygoulart3693]

Another great video on a now rare car. these are hard to find and you never see them in great condtion at shows Thanks!!

[@loucostabile]

Hi tony goulart, Thank you for viewing and appreciate the kind words :-) You're welcome, Lou

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Hey Lou. Lovely looking AMC Rambler Classic. I love the custom work he's done to the car. I'm too young to remember the Rambler name, but I do know American Motors, or AMC.

[@loucostabile]

Hey Jason, Glad you thought this one is "lovely" :-) Lou

[@LIFETHRUAWINDSHIELDDanielTChea]

Very unusual to see one, in such great condition. I remember riding in one as a kid

[@loucostabile]

Hi LIFE THRU A WINDSHIELD Daniel T. Cheatham, Happy to read this car brings back memories of the car you rode in as a kid :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this KZbin Channel, Lou

[@vincentbasso4903]

I remember these cars well. Rambler was the fourth auto maker. This was before VW took hold and Japanesse car were at least a decade and half away. Rambler was frowned upon at the time as the cheap alternative to the Big Three. This car is beautiful and I like the color pink. I know the late 50's wagon has really come up in the collectors interest

[@loucostabile]

Hi Vincent Basso, Glad this one brings back memories, and thank you for sharing your knowledge, Lou

[@vincentbasso4903]

Thanks Lou. In the future should we communicate just call me Vinnie. I saw your friend Alan on Jay Leno's garage showing with his "13 Bugatti. Not to be a nudge, I am so eager to see your video of Alan 15 car collection. Great stuff Lou !!!!

[@loucostabile]

Hi Vinnie, I was so happy to see Alan's car on Jay Leno's show, and yes, I'm looking forward to more fun and cars with Alan too. Next visit should be around summer time, Lou

[@fleetwin1]

A little embarrassed to admit we had a 1960 red Rambler wagon....And I do remember those front reclining seats, the parents would let us brats "camp out" in the car during the summer. Needless to say, ours had the 80hp six, the push button automatic was unique though. I can remember the parents being on the hunt for a used red Rambler, don't know what the allure was about though. Only kept the car for a few years until one of the front wheels fell off, was promptly traded in for a new 64 Malibu wagon, the stripped version of course....

[@loucostabile]

Hi Kramden, By sharing your family's ride, and the details add to this story. Thank you, Lou

[@classic287]

kramden, Actually, if the 6 cyl engine was a overhead valve, it had 125 hp. The flathead 6 had 90 hp, which was only in the American...

[@fordgalaxie7623]

American cars👍 What beauty what fantasy what lines!

[@loucostabile]

Glad you enjoyed this one :-)

[@garywood9525]

My sister's boyfriend had most of the cool cars in 1964 and one was the 1959 V8 Rambler that the Police chose in several Cities because it was very wide for 6 people with a large trunk and a good Power to weight ratio. If you take a good look at it the rear is short but the deck is high for trunk space where the nose fits a V8 . In 1959, Rambler was the only Company in Detroit for standard production car that showed an increase in sales. Chev and Ford made a big change but sales slowed down into 1958. What made the 1960 Thunderbird so popular was the tight budget where the designers gave the rear 3 lights on each side and more Options such as a Sun Roof and the 430 Lincoln motor . My neighbour had a green wagon rambler that was about a 1960 and I remember the rubber floor covering and solid doors when I shut one of them . My father had a friend from work that drove a light blue Rambler and it had the spare tire kit on the rear bumper . Rambler didn't get the credit it deserved because a 6 cylinder manual 4 door was the working mans family car .

[@loucostabile]

Hi Gary, Thank you for viewing & sharing. Glad to read this one brings back memories, Lou

[@timshelby2324]

Great content Lou. Keep it up.

[@loucostabile]

Appreciate the encouragement and thank you Tim :-)

[@mr99boxer30]

Lou you make very fine collector car videos. I am impressed how you travel the country and attend various car shows and film these beauties. The owner, Jay, is a true craftsman in his restoration of this Rambler. As mentioned below AMC was a power house of the car industry back in the day. Except, at the end, we all know they used parts from other manufactures. Your camera work is excellent ! Do you mind telling us what camera you use? Cheers Lou ! (I like below one Englishman has a Rambler in the UK. Wow!)

[@loucostabile]

HI Mr99Boxer, Glad to read you're enjoying the Channel :-) I video with a Sony Handy Cam with a wide angle lens. Thank you for the kind words, as I appreciate that, Lou

[@mr99boxer30]

Thanks for the Sony Handy Cam information. I think you are the Ceil B. De Mill of Collector Car videos. Keep Traveling the country! Cheers!

[@califdad4]

I was never impressed with these Ramblers, but a neighbor bought one of these, because its a push button automatic and his wife in mid life decided she needed to learn how to drive. Now days I can appreciate these cars Pink was a big color from about 57 to 61. next door got a new 59 Lincoln Premier in pink and the people across the street got a new 61 Mercury Monterey 4dr hardtop in pink

[@loucostabile]

Hi califdad4, Thank you for sharing your neighbor's "pink" story and adding to this story :-) Lou

[@califdad4]

as a little kid, I loved that 59 Lincoln Premier,

[@barrysnider635]

A car guy that makes a car that he likes and doesn't care .....I mean really a 4 door pink Rambler custom ! Wow

[@loucostabile]

Hi Barry Snider, Glad you shared a "Wow" on this one :-) Lou

[@markdrukenbrod9475]

Hi Lou. You know, these were good little cars even with their 2.3L six and 3 on the tree. The sound and power of this one might have turned George Romney to drinking...well, maybe coffee, anyhow. Great vid. Thanks!

[@loucostabile]

Hi Mark Drukenbrod, Thank you for sharing and adding to the story. You're welcome, Lou

[@shwt121]

Mark Drukenbrod - dont you mean 3.2 ltr six?

[@markdrukenbrod9475]

Yes, I do. Sometimes the fingers don't do what the brain asks. Thanks.

[@OsbornTramain]

Not sure what this guy is talking about???? Parts aren't hard at all to fine. I own numerous Rambler and AMC, mechanical parts are very easy to source. I never understand why people convert them to GM engines? The other thing is that this was the third best brand in the USA at the time, it may be an oddball now, but back in the day, they were extremely popular, sold right behind Chevy and Ford, they totally out sold the other brands....on the door handles? They are for sale all the time on Ebay?

[@loucostabile]

Hi OsbornTramain, Thank you for viewing, and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many cars on the Channel you'll enjoy, Lou, Lou

[@OsbornTramain]

I personally own a 1960 Pink Rambler Ambassador Hardtop, the one and only known to exist of that body style, only 1,143 were built......I formerly had a 61 Pink Rambler Ambassador too. Great cars for sure.

[@loucostabile]

Nice, I'm sure your getting miles of smiles :-)

[@nickjervis8123]

Lou Costabile Got a 1957 Rambler Rebel in the UK

[@classic287]

OsbornTramain, Right, parts for these are plentiful. AMCRC, Galvin’s Rambler Parts, many others...

[@garbage854]

Nice :)

[@loucostabile]

Glad you enjoyed this one :-)

[@garbage854]

:)

[@classic287]

when the hood was opened, I was done watching...

[@loucostabile]

Clearly classic287 this one is not for you :-( Hope you see many more cars on this KZbin Channel you'll enjoy :-) Lou

[@Ptm6569]

Pink grandma car with a sleeper engine that's not grandma's rambler

[@loucostabile]

A Wolf in sheep clothing :-)

[@malkay8]

"Pretty" cool car lol

[@loucostabile]

Glad you think this one is cool :-)

[@jasoncarpp7742]

*"Fathers, don't let your daughters date Nash men."* Nash advertisement of the 1940s and 50s. :)

[@loucostabile]

Thank you for sharing :-)

[@jasoncarpp7742]

You're welcome. :)

[@greasypetes]

I had a 61 Rambler plain jane r back in 65 and well...it was a real crap can lol but I only paid 100 bucks for it

[@loucostabile]

Sounds like a bargain for $100.00 !

[@robertsnyder5149]

Skirts on a Rambler? Ugly!!!!!!!!!!

[@loucostabile]

Hi ROBERT, Clearly this one is not for you :-( Hope you see many more cars on this KZbin Channel you'll enjoy :-) Lou