QuestionI HAVE SEVERAL QUESTION ABOUT MY 64 RAMBLER CLASSIC FIRST WHAT TRANNY CAME WITH THAT MAKE & MODEL NEXT DID THEY MAKE AN 4 BARREL INTAKE MANIFOLD FOR THAT 287 AND IS THE 287 & 327 4 BARREL INTAKE INTERCHANGEABLE MY GOAL IS TRYING TO CONVERT MY 287 2 BARREL INTO A 4 BARREL INTAKE & CARB
AnswerYou don't specify whether you are asking about manual transmissions or automatics, so I'll try to answer both.
The automatic was called "Flash-o-matic" by Rambler, but it is the Borg-Warner design used by many cars in that era. For example, Studebaker called it the "Flight - o matic", Jeep called it just the "automatic" etc. It was also used by Jaguar for a few years. It is a very good unit, troublefree and long lived.
The manual transmissions were 3 speed units, with an optional overdrive, and could be ordered with an automatic overdrive or a "Twin-Stick" shift control. There was also a floor shift available.
The 287 engine came only with a 2 bbl carburetor. The 4 bbl carburetor on the 990H Ambassador was used only with a 327 engine with higher compression ratio, and would not be a wise choice for a 287 engine.
I don't know whether it would fit on a 287 or not, as I say in my introduction on this site, I don't get into modifications of factory equipment. -
I've never seen a successful re-engineering of a car after the guys who went to school for years to get a degree in automotive engineering already made it the best they could with the resources of a major corporation behind them. I doubt that a private person could hope to improve matters much by bolting on different pieces that are not engineered to work with what is already there.
If you are determined to do this, my advice is to find a parts car with the 327/4BBl setup and swap the whole engine/transmission unit. Be aware, though, that you might make the car unsafe because the spring rates and brakes won't be up to the bigger engine - the horsepower difference is major - 270 for the 990H engine, 198 for your engine.
Sorry not to be more encouraging!
Dick
