Car Crazy Gal
“Love Ramblin about my Rambler”
Copy by John Aschenberg
Photos by – Julia Aschenberg
If any of us know anything about hot rods, it’s the love a person has in the auto industry. There is no exception to this rule whether you are a guy or gal. We gals know what we like and for some there is no convincing us otherwise in that matter. For Betty McIntosh, from LaGrange Kentucky, she found herself at the Hot Rod Reunion one year in Bowling Green, Kentucky when she spotted her next ride. Betty told her husband, Vince, “I think I found me a wagon”. Her next soon to be purchase was a 1960 Rambler American Wagon. The current owner at the time was Johnny Welcher. Johnny had gone to California to purchase the car. When Betty and Vince wanted to take it for a test drive Johnny was so surprised that Betty could drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. Now mind you this car wasn’t the one that most of us are used to today, with the shifter on the floor, this is the one commonly known as “Three-on-The-Tree”. So, you could say Betty was shedding some light as far as her age and why she knew how to drive the manual transmission of that era. Well yes, this Car Crazy Gal did purchase the ’60 Rambler Wagon for herself.
All in all the condition of the wagon was good except for the interior. They stayed with the stock chassis including the front and rear suspension. The original front suspension is an independent linked parallel arm type with coil over springs. In all four corners Betty had American Racing Torque Thrust five spoke wheels. One evening while they were all sitting in Cornell Woosley’s garage Betty made the statement, “I’d like the wheels to be painted. The next thing the jack was under the car, the wheels were gold and I wanted them gray. So the joke around the car, it became that D#?! Rambler, because Vince is building a ’34 Chevy Truck and the Rambler Kinda got pushed ahead of it.” The now Gray five spokes are all wrapped in Grand Prix Radial GTs.
The Ramblin Rambler is powered by the original 90 h.p. @ 3800 rpm six cylinder 4 stroke cycle L head internal combustion engine. The crankshaft is counter balanced at 120 degrees with a 4 1/4” stroke and a 3 1/8” bore. Pistons are 3 ring aluminum alloy. Keeping everything cool is the factory seal type water pump. Topping off the six cylinder is a Carter Single Barrel carburetor. The original Rambler 3 speed tranny with 3 on the column is responsible for transferring power to the rear wheels.
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