It’s not too often we come across a car like Duane Becker’s 1959 Nash Rambler American wagon. These are few and far between in any condition, and even less common in the form of a big-block powered custom wagon!

Duane lives in Albany, Oregon, and has had this car going on twenty years now. He bought it and dragged it out of a field then had it in storage for about 10 years before he started doing anything with it. “I was out driving the countryside shopping for cars when I spotted this in the weeds a quarter mile off the road,” Duane told us. “When I bought it the motor was just sitting in the back.”

He started working on the restoration about ten years ago and it took a few years to get all the work done that it needed. It had some rust, but it wasn’t bad considering where he found it. These cars were a unibody construction to start with, and that isn’t really ideal for a big-block high performing design, so Duane custom built a frame for it.

This light little car is powered by a 454 cubic-inch big-block engine with an Edelbrock intake and Holley 650cfm carburetor. Duane built custom headers to fit in the car and the rest of the exhaust is piped with 3-inch tubing and Flowmaster mufflers. It has a Ford 9-inch rearend with tall road gears and a four-link rear suspension system.

It has a lot of power and Duane really puts it to good use. “Yeah, I drive it,” he said. He drove it up to the Washington State Fair Grounds in Puyallup from his home — that’s a little more than 400 miles round trip.

The custom interior features a heated six-way power seat. “That’s one of the things I picked up not knowing if I was really going to use it or not,” Duane said.” “I did all the interior work myself with the help of a retired upholstery worker.” The interior also features aftermarket Auto Meter gauges.

The inspiration for this build comes from a car that a friend of Duane had built. He knew that he wanted something in the Rambler class, so when he saw this as he was shopping in the country, it was meant to be. It has been through a significant transformation, and we have to say that it is one of the nicest 1959 Nash Rambler American wagons that we’ve ever seen.

If you want your car or truck to be a part of our Street Feature series, all you have to do is shoot us an email and tell us about your ride and we will make it happen.