Author Topic: Her name is Penny! (Read 11828 times)

Euphonical · « **on:** July 23, 2012, 03:34:55 PM »

I've used a couple of pictures the PO took of her before we purchased her. I'm just too excited to wait til I get home to take pictures of her. Our newest addition to our flock is 'Penny', she is a 1984 LTD - just like our old one that was smeared on the road in Kennewick, WA.

We purchased her from the username TheShadow, a very nice gentleman and his wife that live 60 miles from us. Penny is on her way home on a flatbed right now - she could already be there. BaldEagle is awaiting her arrival.

Penny has a lot of problems. Her body is in terrific condition, her paint not so much. She was set outside about 4 years ago, she is oxidized. The original owner (the owners that the PO purchased her from) had had a fender bender so the passenger's side fender was replaced and repainted...I'm sure it looked good at the time and probably for many years to come, but now it needs help.

Penny's interior is very good, a little headliner baggage in the very back, a button missing from a seat, small hole in the carpet by the gas pedal.

Penny doesn't currently run. And once Penny runs, it'll likely be a little while before Penny can move under her own power. Penny is a project, but has a lot of very good things going for her. I'm excited for her to get on the road!

eagleman · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2012, 04:49:44 PM »

Good for you! I'm happy for ya and good luck on the project.

priya · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2012, 05:19:54 PM »

The most important thing is to have a solid body, the rest is relatively minor after that.

BaldEagle · « **Reply #3 on:** July 23, 2012, 05:50:31 PM »

Quote from: priya on July 23, 2012, 05:19:54 PM

The most important thing is to have a solid body, the rest is relatively minor after that.

So true.........both of our Eagles are free of cancer as far as I'm aware!
Penny does have some surface rust on the undercarriage: springs, axles, etc. I'm not sure yet on how to treat that, but at least the body is free of rust. The SX4 has none anywhere, but it does need quite a bit of bodywork.

Here's some more info on Penny:
48K miles
She has just about every factory option including:
Factory hitch
Rear sway bar
Load leveling system
Tranny oil cooler
Skid Plate (small)
Power everything
Fog lights
Center storage pod thing
Rear wiper
AMC AM/FM/Cassette stereo

There may be more, but that's all I can remember right now. I'm hoping she'll be an easy restoration, leaving the real grunt work for my SX4.
~E

Euphonical · « **Reply #4 on:** July 23, 2012, 06:19:57 PM »

Quote from: casper on July 23, 2012, 06:13:52 PM

now she has the cushy seats again once that one is rolling?? lol.

hehehe yep! I just love the older 'luxury' cars! My back is doing better now that BaldEagle got the SX4's seats more upright though.

BaldEagle · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2012, 07:01:09 PM »

Quote from: casper on July 23, 2012, 06:13:52 PM

OSPHO works well for light rust. its a rust inhibitor. turns any surface rust black and its paintable. i think i have gotten it at like ACE stores.

looks to be in good shape. congrats!! now she has the cushy seats again once that one is rolling?? lol.

Great suggestion! I've used it before on the rusty tire rack on our Bronco. Never got around to painting it before the rain set in, and the rust didn't even show it's ugly face again for at least 6 months. As thick as those springs are, it'd probably take 30 years to rust to the point of breaking............60 with regular Ospho treatments.
~E

eaglefreek · « **Reply #6 on:** July 23, 2012, 07:29:55 PM »

Congrats. That's the perfect name. You may be able to rub the paint out and get it to look quite a bit better. AMC didn't use a clear coat as far as I know.

Baskinator · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2012, 10:46:15 PM »

Quote from: BaldEagle on July 23, 2012, 07:01:09 PM

As thick as those springs are, it'd probably take 30 years to rust to the point of breaking............60 with regular Ospho treatments.
~E

It's the spring seats that will rust out first. They are a pain to remove when they do, I had to use an air hammer to free the shocks from my seats and the seats from my control arms. However, I doubt yours will get that bad anytime soon lol!

vangremlin · « **Reply #8 on:** July 23, 2012, 11:21:27 PM »

Congrats! Looks like a real nice wagon!

Prafeston · « **Reply #9 on:** July 23, 2012, 11:25:33 PM »

Looks like a good start to a project!

BaldEagle · « **Reply #10 on:** July 24, 2012, 01:13:22 AM »

Thanks everyone, we're really looking forward to getting her roadworthy!
As for the paint, I think the plan is to buff out the majority of it, but that front fender will need some glazing putty and a re-paint. They may not match perfectly, but will likely do just fine until a complete paint job is done.

Rh front fender:

One of the things that I personally like best about her............an Oregon native, with original plates!

The rest of the pics:
http://s387.photobucket.com/albums/oo319/ericget/84%20Eagle%20LTD%20Penny/

First thing to do is get it running. It'll need a new ignition cylinder, battery, and fresh gas supply for that. Then I'll move on to put in the provided transfer case. It would sure be nice to know why it failed with such low mileage though! We'll definitely be trying to manually shift it first.
~E/P

Eagleearl · « **Reply #11 on:** July 24, 2012, 08:54:41 AM »

Congratulations! You've got some work to do but you've got a lot to work with and will have a great car when you get it on the road.

Prafeston · « **Reply #12 on:** July 24, 2012, 11:50:34 AM »

Did the center console have the gauges or was it just another shelf? Can't tell from the pics.

Euphonical · « **Reply #13 on:** July 24, 2012, 12:13:05 PM »

Quote from: Prafeston on July 24, 2012, 11:50:34 AM

Did the center console have the gauges or was it just another shelf? Can't tell from the pics.

No gauges, it's like a felt lined shelf/pocket.

The car is really clean, but it's been broke down then parked for several years. It'll be quite the project getting it on the road (then keeping it on the road, I'm sure gaskets and seals are going to be blowing here and there).

BaldEagle · « **Reply #14 on:** July 24, 2012, 09:12:36 PM »

Prafeston, it is just an extra shelf. I've got a gauge pod in the SX4, and really like it, but the shelf was a cool option too.

It is a really clean car, and mechanical not included, needs very little. Paint on RF fender, headlight adjusters, headliner glued back up, driver's sun visor bracket, hood release (have!), one square button on rear seat, condition leather seats, dye some interior plastic, and a floor mat to cover tiny hole on driver's floorboard. I'm sure that I'm forgetting stuff, but that ain't too shabby.
~E

shanebo · « **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2012, 03:16:41 AM »

Her interior has aged quite well....looks like a darn nice car ya got there...congratulations

Euphonical · « **Reply #16 on:** July 27, 2012, 11:22:23 AM »

Quote from: shanebo on July 27, 2012, 03:16:41 AM

Her interior has aged quite well....looks like a darn nice car ya got there...congratulations

Thank you! We were very fortunate to have found her - I'm impatient to get her going though LOL. It just takes time and money, both are things that are hard to come by in our lives.

It looks like our new SX4 is in need of a radiator...BaldEagle was wanting to steal Penny's, I explained that Penny is not in any way shape or form a parts car

But we did decide to borrow Penny's radiator for a few days to test to see if that is the SX4's problem. If it clears up the overheating issue then we need to figure out how to come by an extra $200 for a new radiator so Penny can have her's back.

carguy87 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 31, 2012, 11:37:42 AM »

Or $150 for one of those Aluminum CJ radiators, and just drill new holes in it to fit

BaldEagle · « **Reply #18 on:** July 31, 2012, 07:46:03 PM »

Quote from: carguy87 on July 31, 2012, 11:37:42 AM

Or $150 for one of those Aluminum CJ radiators, and just drill new holes in it to fit

That's the one I'd like to put in the SX4 eventually, but this car is staying all original......
besides, as part of the towing package it should be a 3-row!
~E

Euphonical · « **Reply #19 on:** August 07, 2012, 12:18:39 PM »

BaldEagle removed Penny's steering wheel and got the ignition out. Then he hooked up an external fuel pump and fed gas from a gas can...Penny started!! Penny ran for about 5 seconds, but we were thrilled! I'm going to pick up a fuel filter today and we're going to try putting gas in the tank and see if Penny will run.

shanebo · « **Reply #20 on:** August 16, 2012, 11:39:02 PM »

Sounds like Penny's going to be A-O-K! I'm anxious to see how she does with a new filter and fresh gas.

BaldEagle · « **Reply #21 on:** August 18, 2012, 12:21:41 AM »

I'll be dropping the tank to clean it and check for a pickup sock. We got it running again, but this time using the stock pump with fresh fuel supply from a gas can.....it ran longer, but was somewhat loud and rough running due to needing an intake gasket. The pickup tube must be clogged real bad, since I couldn't even get a drop out of the filter when cranking! It now has 3 gallons of gas in the tank, registering just above "E", so I'll just use that for cleaning it.
~E

Draekon · « **Reply #22 on:** August 18, 2012, 12:11:32 PM »

Its also a good idea to put a filter before the mechanical fuel pump. I had the valves on my mech fuel pump get stuck from dirty gas. You can buy inline filters with a clear case so you can see exactly how dirty it has gotten.

BaldEagle · « **Reply #23 on:** August 19, 2012, 09:25:09 PM »

Got some more done on Penny today...
the fuel tank dropped pretty quick and easily, with the hanger bolts intact, and no visible rust scale inside the tank!
I think all I'm going to do for cleaning it, is to dispose of the 3 gallons of gas that's in it.

No surprise here, that the pickup tube's sock is still on and intact. It seems clean, and I was able to blow through it, but there's no way it's going back on!

Has anyone used some fuel line at the end of the pickup tube, so it won't run out of gas before "E"?
Next I'll use some compressed air to blow out the line to the pump, in case it's clogged somehow, paint the slightly rusty hanger hardware, and undercoat the whole tank.

Draekon · « **Reply #24 on:** August 21, 2012, 01:50:01 AM »

I was able to find a replacement sock for my pickup tube, though I dont remember where I got it.

carguy87 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 21, 2012, 06:32:03 AM »

You can run it sock-less with a filter after the tank. I just pulled the sock off, bent the pickup down a smidge, then installed an in-line filter after the tank.

captspillane · « **Reply #26 on:** August 21, 2012, 07:37:52 AM »

I consider the removal of the sock an immediate need once you buy an Eagle. I install one inline filter right outside the tank and a second one right before the fuel pump as well as the third one in the factory position in front of the carb. I use the clear plastic ones in the rear and a clear glass one up front.

When I put my Eagle on the road I started off by dropping the tank, pulling the sock, and flushing out the old stuff. I still had to change the first inline filter at the gas tank about a dozen times the first year I drove it. I had to replace the second filter before the fuel pump once. If I had kept the sock that translates to a dozen times I would have had to drop the gas tank. Just draining out the old gas doesn't loosen the sludge that slowly loosens up as you put fresh gas in. It only took about a year for the problem to fix itself naturally. I only had to replace the rear filter once a year after the first year.

I dislike the store products that advertise that they'll clean your gas tank. Putting those in loosens the sludge in one big dramatic burst, clogging the filter immediately. I prefer to let it take care of itself slowly over a year. Hopefully your car didn't sit as long as mine did before I got it.

BaldEagle · « **Reply #27 on:** August 21, 2012, 08:53:38 PM »

Great tips from you all!
I'm taking my time on this.........cleaned up the hanger bolts and straps today with a wire wheel, then priming and re-undercoating all of it. The tank looks really clean, but there are some spots on top that have exposed metal. I think it's galvanized, so it's not near to rusting, but I'll probably prime/paint the topside anyway. Rock chips wont get up there, so I'll save the undercoating for the bottom side. The tank must have been entirely drained, because it's so clean, and took 3 gallons of gas to budge it above "E". So I'll pour out the remaining gas, then flush it once more with some acetone. I know that many will then use a hose to flush again, but I don't think it's necessary, and don't want to wait for the tank to dry out. As for the pickup tube, yes the sock is staying off, but I'll bend the tube to help extend it, then see if it might be extended a bit more with a brass compression fitting. Then a clear filter before the pump. I have enough vehicles already that require crawling around in the dirt for a simple filter change! The car did sit for 4 years, but with the low mileage and drained tank, hopefully there is no sludge like Cat's. None I can see from the two holes, anyway.
~E

captspillane · « **Reply #28 on:** August 22, 2012, 07:33:42 AM »

Sometimes its better to have a full tank of bad gas than a tiny amount of old gas in a tank. Some people insist on topping a tank off before storage. The idea is that a small amount of gas with a whole lot of air around it will evaporate and condense into sludge faster than a tank full of liquid. Its like how squeezing out the air from a loaf of bread when you put it away can help keep the bread from going stale as fast.

priya · « **Reply #29 on:** August 23, 2012, 01:32:56 PM »

Quote from: captspillane on August 22, 2012, 07:33:42 AM

Sometimes its better to have a full tank of bad gas than a tiny amount of old gas in a tank. Some people insist on topping a tank off before storage. The idea is that a small amount of gas with a whole lot of air around it will evaporate and condense into sludge faster than a tank full of liquid. Its like how squeezing out the air from a loaf of bread when you put it away can help keep the bread from going stale as fast.

Having stored many cars long term with small amounts of gas in the tank, I think that's true.

carguy87 · « **Reply #30 on:** August 23, 2012, 10:55:53 PM »

It is very true. All of my dirtbikes, four wheelers, jetskis, and cars all get full tanks before storage with a little bit of fuel stabilizer for that added protection for startup and to keep the fuel from going bad. Had one dirtbike, left it with 1/4 tank over about a year, rust beyond belief. Now that I leave them full, I've never had a problem.