Rambler All-American

[BlueOval Ralph]

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AMC had intended to offer the Bendix unit on its 1957 Rambler Rebel, a quick little 327 powered car that could match the 300C's 0-60 times. The picture below from the New York Auto Show features the Rebel. In front of the car is the engine with the Bendix unit. This was to be the first electronic fuel injected production engine, but problems with the Bendix "Electrojector" unit meant that only a few engineering and press cars were built, estimated to be no more than six units, but at least two were known to have been built. One was sent to Daytona Beach for Speed Week. It was the second fastest car on the beach, bested only by a 57 Corvette with mechanical fuel injection, and only by a couple tenths of a second! The EFI 327 was rated at 288 hp, the production 4V carbureted model at 255 hp. All the EFI cars were reportedly converted to 4V carb before being sold -- none are known to have existed outside the engineering department at AMC. The main problem was that early transistor electronics just couldn't keep up with the demands of "on the fly" engine controls. Here is an excerpt from the owner's manual:

"Electrojector" Fuel Injection System
The optional Bendix system is monitored by an electronic control box, located on the right side panel under the instrument panel, to gather the following data; full throttle enrichment, acceleration enrichment, idling requirements, fuel enrichment for quick starts and warmups, and deceleration fuel cutoff. The control box gathers this information and correlates it for timing the fuel charge by electrically actuating the injectors. The injectors spray fuel directly into each intake port in calibrated quantities at timed intervals.

Horsepower: 255 @4700 RPM (4-barrel carb)
288 @4700 RPM (Electrojector equipped)



Fuel delivery is accomplished by a trigger selector unit driven by a flex-cable from the ignition distributor. This breaker point control unit controls time interval for fuel delivery to each injector.

An electric fuel pump delivers fuel at a constant pressure (20 PSI) from the gas tank to the injectors by a common-rail fuel line system with a tank return line. This fuel pump is adjacent to the gas tank and is activated when ignition is turned on. A fuel filter in the engine compartment insures against foreign particles.

Your authorized dealer has factory-trained personnel to service the fuel injection system.


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Chrysler records show only 35 cars built with the complex multi-port system which had two dual-point distributors; one for the ignition, and one for the injectors. An electric fuel pump was mounted in the gas tank, and two "black boxes," a resistance box and a modulator box, were mounted to the radiator support and were the brains of the system. (Apparently the brain suffered from a tumor.) The system was built by Bendix Aviation in Elmira, New York, and was first used on aircraft during the Korean War. Aircraft engines require fuel systems that only need to work at idle or wide-open throttle, so the Bendix engineers had to devise a way to make the system work in a car. In theory it worked, but the system proved very troublesome due to the crude wax paper covered capacitors inside the black box, which failed often. Me, I would have used aluminum foil from a TV dinner. At least that way, when the thing crapped out in the middle of nowhere, you could have something to eat. I kinda like those Hungry Man Veal Parmigiana dinners myself. Across town, GM's simpler Rochester mechanical fuel injection system proved far more reliable, though few people wanted to pay for it.

The Bendix system had many components modern fuel-injection systems employ including a fuel-pressure regulator, fuel rails, individual injectors, throttle positioning valve, an electronic cold start and warm up sensor, primary and secondary throttle bodies, manifold vacuum sensor, idle sensor, air temperature sensor, acceleration sensor and two fuel lines. Roller skates in the trunk were under consideration when the option was discontinued.

The difference between a carburetor and fuel injection is how fuel is supplied to an engine. With a conventional system, a fuel pump mounted on the engine gets fuel from the tank and forces it into the carburetor. There, the fuel is mixed with air and passed through the intake manifold to the engine's combustion chambers. A fuel injection system supplies fuel to the engine by an electric powered pump in the gas tank. Injectors on the intake manifold backed by electronic controls determine the exact amount of fuel to be delivered into the cylinder's intake ports. The advantages of the Bendix system were faster warmups and performance gains while the engine was cold because the proper fuel-air mixture ratios and distribution were more easily maintained. The main disadvantage was sore feet from hoofing it to the nearest telephone booth to call for a ride home.



This is how the Bendix system was supposed to work:

Electronically controlled and electrically actuated, the Electrojector had a transistor equipped modulator, about 5 inches in size. Watch it, I know what you're thinking. The brain took a timed electrical signal from the ignition distributor. It sensed, through tiny electronic transmitting devices located at key points on the engine, the engine's temperature, throttle position, manifold pressure and even the altitude (or density) of the air being sucked into the cylinders. The modulator integrated all of the information received and instantly translated this data into a control signal that actuated the injectors. This was according to an article in Bendixline, a company newsletter dated Sept. 28, 1956, obviously written by an optimist. In a 1956 Bendix newsletter, company President Malcolm P. Ferguson announced that fuel injection "will replace the carburetor and improve performance." Sorry Malcolm, sober up and smell the death threats.

Ferguson also said in that issue, "Compared to the latest four-barrel carburetor designed for high performance engines, the 'Electrojector' system provides between 10 and 20 more horsepower — achieved at lower engine rpm throughout the whole range of speeds, boosts fuel economy, achieves quicker starts and warmups, eliminates the 'smog' problem created by unburned fuel exhausted from the engine and is a system with a minimum of moving parts." The one part that tended not to move at all was the entire car, but what the heck, these guys probably drove Oldsmobiles.


Tom White's 1958 DeSoto Adventurer F.I. Convertible

One man who knows a lot about the Bendix system is Tom White of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, who owns a 1958 Adventurer, one of only 82 convertibles built that year. Today, only five 1958 Adventurer convertibles are known to exist; White owns two, there are two in Sweden, and the fifth is in Wisconsin. But White's car is a little different, and just a tad more valuable. Chrysler Historical Records show White's gold Adventurer to be the only DeSoto built with and retaining fuel injection remaining.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Moose,

1967 Rambler American
* Model 220 2-Door Sedan
* Model 220 4-Door Sedan
* Model 220 4-Door Station Wagon
* Model 440 2-Door Sedan
* Model 440 4-Door Sedan
* Model 440 4-Door Station Wagon
* Model 440 2-Door Hardtop
* Model Rogue 2-Door Hardtop
* Model Rogue Convertible

Standard with the 290/225 HP Engine
* 3.15 Gears (3.54 were optional at No Charge)
* 10" Flanged Drum Brakes

Note; Though Power Disc Brakes were available, the drum brakes worked fine for stopping.

Only 58 of the Rambler Americans (Model 440 or Rogue) came equipped with the 343/280 HP 'Typhoon Engine'

1967 Production Numbers with the 343 'Typhoon'

* Model 440 (2-Door Sedan),,,,,,,,,,,,,10
* Model 440 (2-Door Hardtop),,,,,,,,,,,8
* Rogue (2-Door Hardtop),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,33
* Rogue (Convertibles),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,7

[Paul Ceasrine]

Some general information;

Ford built the 4-Speed shifter for Rambler/AMC in 1967.

The Hurst Shifter could be ordered as a 'Dealer Installed Option' off
the Performance Parts Catalog.

In 1967, the Rambler American with the 290/225 HP engine was classed in F/S or F/SA (12.50 - 13.99 Wt/Hp)

In 1968, the same combination was classed in J/S or J/SA (12.50 - 12.99 Wt/Hp)

Performance Test;
1967 American 440 2-Door Hardtop,,, 290/225 HP
4-Speed, with 3.15 Gears and Twin-Grip Differential
Single Exhaust

Results: 17.60 @ 75 MPH

Performance Test;
1967 American 440 2-Door Sedan,,, 290/225 HP
4-Speed, with 3.54 Gears and Twin-Grip Differential
Dual Exhaust and Low-Restriction Mufflers

Results: 16.55 @ 83 MPH

[Paul Ceasrine]

In 1967, American Motors started to take an aggressive approach towards performance.

Available through an 'Over-the-Counter Program', a "Performance Parts
Catalog' was offered.

Dealer installed options were available for the 290 and 343 engines.

Catalog Items;
* Performance Camshaft and Kit
* Doug's Headers
* Thrush Mufflers
* Mallory Distributor
* Holley Carburetor
* Traction Bars

Though the 2-Door Hardtop Models were sharper looking, Junior Stock
AMC drag racers and several dealerships opted for the 2-Door Sedan,
as the stronger roof post provided more body strength.

Several racers experienced body twisting problems with the 2-Door Hardtop, as a result of the Uni-Body construction.

Drag racers with the 343/280 HP engine in a Hardtop Model experienced severe body twisting, even breaking windshields and
snapping off trim moldings.

The 343/280 HP engine started to have some success in mid-1967,
as several Street/Strip Junior Stocker Drag racers were getting there 2-Door Sedans into the 14.20's, as well as closing in on the 100 MPH range.

In 1967, the 343/280 HP engine in a Rambler American or Rogue would be found in C/S or C/SA (9.50 - 10.59 Wt/Hp)

[Hemi Moose]

I guess these were some of the other cars they were marketed for back then..

[Hemi Moose]

Here's an old photo of a 343/280 hp Rambler at the track...

[Paul Ceasrine]

Moose,

Nice photo find,,,,,,,,,1967 Rambler Rogue '343'

The 1967 Rambler with the 343/280 HP, an extremely rare performance car.

The 343 engine was available with the Borg-Warner T-10 4-Speed only (Wide-ratio)

Only available in the 1967 Model 440 and Rogue.

Production Numbers for 1967:
Model 440 2-Door Sedan,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,3317
Model 440 2-Door Hardtop,,,,,,,,,,,,4994
Rogue 2-Door Hardtop,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,4249
Rogue (Convertible),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,921

Total Production,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,13,471

Only 58 (0.43%) cars built with the 343/280 HP 'Z' Code 'Typhoon Engine'

What Class at the Track for the 290/225 HP
1967,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,F/S
1968,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,J/S
1969,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,K/S
1970,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,L/S
1971,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,L/S
1972,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,D/S or SS/N
1973 and up...J/S or SS/N

What Class at the Track for the 343/280 HP
1967,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,C/S
1968,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,E/S
1969,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,F/S
1970,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G/S
1971,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G/S
1972,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,B/S or SS/I
1973 and up,,,,,E/S or SS/I

[Paul Ceasrine]

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose

Here's an old photo of a 343/280 hp Rambler at the track...\

1967 Rambler Rogue (2-Door Hardtop)

Bev Smith Rambler
West Palm Beach, Florida

[67RogueX-code]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Moose,

1967 Rambler American
* Model 220 2-Door Sedan
* Model 220 4-Door Sedan
* Model 220 4-Door Station Wagon
* Model 440 2-Door Sedan
* Model 440 4-Door Sedan
* Model 440 4-Door Station Wagon
* Model 440 2-Door Hardtop
* Model Rogue 2-Door Hardtop
* Model Rogue Convertible

Standard with the 290/225 HP Engine
* 3.15 Gears (3.54 were optional at No Charge)
* 10" Flanged Drum Brakes

Note; Though Power Disc Brakes were available, the drum brakes worked fine for stopping.

Only 58 of the Rambler Americans (Model 440 or Rogue) came equipped with the 343/280 HP 'Typhoon Engine'

1967 Production Numbers with the 343 'Typhoon'

* Model 440 (2-Door Sedan),,,,,,,,,,,,,10
* Model 440 (2-Door Hardtop),,,,,,,,,,,8
* Rogue (2-Door Hardtop),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,33
* Rogue (Convertibles),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,7

Paul,

I'm new here, and I have owned 2 of (what us AMC-folks refer to them as) the American "X-code" cars... Americans with the 343-engine had an "X" in the VIN-code. I have never found documentation validating the numbers you mentioned above, with the breakdown of how many 343's were installed in each model of the American... can you tell me where those numbers came from?

A couple of other notes. The "Super American" term was actually coined by an author of a magazine article, rather than by the factory... AMC never used this term (that I could find anyways). Also, the reference to broken windshields, actually occurred with the sedans rather than the hardtops. The theory is that the sedans made the top more rigid, forcing the "flex-point" to be in the windshield-area, as opposed to the hardtops, where the flex tended to be absorbed across the entire roof.

And to another question posted... the 343 Americans could be ordered by anyone walking in, and placing an order... as a matter of fact, every single "X-code" American that was built in 1967, were Customers' order cars. I ordered my first one, the very first work day of 1967... a black/black Rogue, 343, 4-speed, from Plummer Motors in Swanton, Ohio.

And lastly, although not mentioned so far. There (generally) is a consensus that these were only available as 4-speed cars... which likely was true for those available to the general public after January 1 1967. There is one known automatic 343 equiped American built in October of 1966... which is currently being restored on a rotisserie, in my garage.

[Hemi Moose]

67RogueX-code, welcome aboard it's great to see some new blood posting on here...and you've got to post some old photos of your rides if you have any.