Rambler Body swap

[Jon McChesney]

So I have a 65 amc rambler classic 660 been sitting a couple years now trans is shot needs all new suspension and I have some body work to do however parts are far and in between unless I pull parts off an old Jeep however I do have a 1995 Ford Explorer 4x4 right now all it needs done is the head gasket however I’m trying to cut down on vehicles so my plan is to swap my rambler body on my explorer frame. Wheelbase on the rambler is 112” the width is 74.5” and wheelbase on the explorer is 111.5 the width is 67”. As far as length goes it’s only half an inch off so I’m thinking that’s not going to be too problematic what I’m worried about is the width since there’s almost an 8” difference. I know I’ll have to do custom body mounts configure the steering column and do a lot of tedious wiring and see how I want to configure my dash which I’d like to keep as original looking as possible. Yes I know this will be a lot of time and effort and I’m sure some of you will say it’s not worth the time or money that’s not an issue for me. What I’m looking to do I know can be done as difficult as it may be however I feel like it’ll be an original project and could be a fun little toy. I have it mostly planned out I guess I’m just here to see what suggestions there are in order to deal with the width and see if anyone else can think of issues I might run into when I dive into this project any help is appreciated.

 

[Mbrooks420]

There’s actually quite a few classics mounted to explorer frames. Very popular with the F100. I’d look up those threads using the search feature for ideas.

For all the work involved I’d start with a V8 model. More power, much much better transmission, and the V8s are really stout. I’d hate to do all that work to end up with a 150hp slug.

For the width, I’d consider scabbing in another C channel where all the mounts would sit, and then boxing the factory frame where the new channel is. Either that, or I’d make crossmembers that sat level with the to of the frame, and mount the new cab on that.

 

[boominXplorer]

Explorer body mounts sit pretty far out compared to some models. For example a ranger and explorer are only off 3" in width but the body mounts are off by about 10" in width. The Ranger are in the same areas though, just closer in.

 

[allmyEXes]

Back in 2013 a forum user by the name of Buddy was doing this body swap with a mid fifty ford truck body.
1956 F100 Explorer Chassis Swap
And here is a '56 going on to an Explorer
Another F100 body swap