1969 J-3600 232 intake and RBS carb help

[J20Hunter1]

I am getting started on my 69 J-3600 ,it has a 232 w/ a1bbl RBS carb .Truck has been sitting for years ,so I was going to pull pan and go through carb. I was wondering if there is an option for a better intake and carb before I rebuild carb. Thanks for your help

[Yeller]

Offenhouser makes a 4bbl intake for that engine. 232 with that intake, a 490cfm carb, a split header and maybe even a cam sounds and runs sweet, just a lot of coin for an old 6 cylinder engine.

[tgreese]

Offenhouser makes a 4bbl intake for that engine. 232 with that intake, a 490cfm carb, a split header and maybe even a cam sounds and runs sweet, just a lot of coin for an old 6 cylinder engine.

Oh Geez. I would not spend a bunch of money on a 232, especially an early 232.

The investment in a carb kit is tiny compared to the hundreds (thousands?) you could spend on speed parts, vintage or otherwise. Buying hop-up parts now seems like proposing marriage before meeting the bride. If this engine does not run, it would be prudent to fix the existing carb and see what the engine's condition is. RBS carb kit, a gallon of dip, and all new ignition parts would seem to me to be your best investment at this point.

Don't know much about the RBS, but the YF was used on the later 232s and 258s. A YF from a 258 is likely an upgrade. Jeep went to an iron 2V manifold for the FSJ 258s in 1977. When the 232 was dropped after '78, all 258s was upgraded to a 2V carburetor and its manifolds improved a lot from 1981 onward (aluminum 2V intake, much smoother exhaust). I believe these later 258 manifolds will bolt to the earlier 232 engines without modification.

Realize that these engines had a major revision in 1971, with the bell pattern changing and the crank end changing (in '72?) to match the new automatics. What transmission does your truck have?

There are lots of junkyard hop-up projects for the AMC sixes after 1970. Many of these parts should work for the earlier 199/232 engines too, but I think you'd be better off swapping to one of these later engines if you want to build for performance. Certainly the 4.0L HO in factory trim will kick a** compared to any of these earlier normally aspirated inline AMC sixes.

Lots to consider. Somebody should write a book (not me). If Dick Datson is still alive, he had a couple of AMC performance books that included the AMC sixes. Petersens used to print a Book of Engines every few years, that usually had a couple of articles on hot rodding sixes, but not necessarily the AMC sixes. You could get some good ideas from those.

If I really want to hop up the Rambler 232, I'd start by gathering info from the AMCforum about everything related to this engine.

[J20Hunter1]

Thanks guys for info, I think I will put a kit in carb and get it running. It has an automatic . The truck is in very good condition .I will figure out what engine to run down the road.