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  • March 28, 2024, 05:47:54 AM

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Author Topic: Greetings From Louisiana  (Read 4277 times)

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Offline Run-AMC

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2020, 05:35:33 PM »
Quote
Where do you plan on driving this 'race' car?

Urethane can tighten up the feedback and control, but properly adjusted, that's not an issue with Eagles unless the rubber is old and soft. The rubber absorbs a lot of hits that the urethane will send right at you, for driver fatigue. New rubber is nice. You might want to pick and choose which pieces of rubber you replace with new rubber vs urethane. Control arms bushings I can see as urethane so the forces go more directly to the spring & shock. Possibly the sway bar links, depending on the feel you like. If you're going to be driving on other than smooth pavement, keep rubber on the strut rods that adjust the caster - they absorb a lot of hits.

Two things that really tighten up body flex to make for awesome steering/control, are:
  • a bar between the top of the strut towers under the hood (do this after you do your engine upgrade, to ensure you're not spending money/time on this twice...),
  • cut out the outer curve of the rockers and replace their length with a 1/8" steel bar right-angle that has braces to support/enforce the right-angle.
Neither are needed.

I was being facetious about the race car comment, haha! I intend to drive this Eagle wherever Eagles are needed! The roads in Louisiana are typically pretty doodoo, so it might as well be off road. If urethane will over-stiffen the system and generate excessive shock and wear on the suspension, then that idea should probably be scrapped. I do like the idea of replacing some specific bushings with urethane, though. I actually like the way the Eagle rides a lot as is. It tends to go over bumps and the like as one unit, smoothly, and doing its brief suspension oscillation without the front or rear travelling out of sync. Cars probably already do this, but I haven't noticed it like I do in the Eagle. I will search for rubber and urethane bushings. The main goal is to improve the driving experience if I can. Perhaps I should define for myself what it means to have improved Eagle suspension and steering. The ride may already be pretty good!

If this thread ever gets to be too long or obnoxious, someone let me know and I'll distribute the discussion elsewhere.

Thanks a bunch, Canoe!
« Last Edit: June 17, 2020, 05:36:35 PM by Run-AMC »
1982 Eagle Wagon Limited in Super Brown

More young men should work on old cars.

Offline mudkicker715

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #16 on: June 18, 2020, 05:07:35 AM »
Don't worry about your thread being obnoxious ever. If someone thinks it is send them my way, we can tell them all about eagle specifics.



Manitowoc WI

Offline mo.eagles

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #17 on: June 18, 2020, 05:12:58 PM »
Why do I feel like I'm reading a Road and Track article ? 
'85 wagon Limited   tilt wheel , cruise control
power seats ,windows and locks
rear window washer /wiper 
tach and gauge package
A/C
 '85 wagon   power windows and locks
rear window washer/wiper
factory tow package
A/C

Offline Run-AMC

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #18 on: June 18, 2020, 07:15:01 PM »
Don't worry about your thread being obnoxious ever. If someone thinks it is send them my way, we can tell them all about eagle specifics.

Why do I feel like I'm reading a Road and Track article ? 

I appreciate you both for unique reasons.
1982 Eagle Wagon Limited in Super Brown

More young men should work on old cars.

Offline Canoe

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #19 on: June 23, 2020, 10:26:50 PM »

I was being facetious about the race car comment, haha! I intend to drive this Eagle wherever Eagles are needed! The roads in Louisiana are typically pretty doodoo, so it might as well be off road. If urethane will over-stiffen the system and generate excessive shock and wear on the suspension, then that idea should probably be scrapped. I do like the idea of replacing some specific bushings with urethane, though. I actually like the way the Eagle rides a lot as is. It tends to go over bumps and the like as one unit, smoothly, and doing its brief suspension oscillation without the front or rear travelling out of sync. Cars probably already do this, but I haven't noticed it like I do in the Eagle. I will search for rubber and urethane bushings. The main goal is to improve the driving experience if I can. Perhaps I should define for myself what it means to have improved Eagle suspension and steering. The ride may already be pretty good!

If this thread ever gets to be too long or obnoxious, someone let me know and I'll distribute the discussion elsewhere.

Thanks a bunch, Canoe!
The big one to keep as rubber for impact absorption is the large rubber on the strut rod.
In choosing the others for rubber vs. urethane, search for posts where people changed ____ to urethane and how that changed the ride.

I went with all rubber for the control arms, etc., as I need to smooth the impacts out due to a medical condition. But I note that after driving Eagles for over a decade, I was always puzzled at people slowing down in construction zones where the road was torn up but way slower than the posted 'construction' speed limit. Then I drove through one in a regular car at the 'construction' speed limit. I thought the car was going to break apart!
When I put the new rubber in, I was amazed at how soft the old rubber was. I'm assuming age, but that may have been that newer rubber is a different formulation than original factory stock.

I do seem to recall people saying they've put a heavier duty solid sway bar on the front (from a Camaro?) and really loved what it did. That would make me think urethane holding the sway bar and on the links would be good. But I have not tried that. (I have a vague recollection of putting urethane on the links... I'll check that tomorrow.)

p.s.
Back when I last replaced the strut bushings, MOOG had an alternate: a material that was harder than rubber but softer than urethane.

« Last Edit: June 23, 2020, 11:16:04 PM by Canoe »

Offline Run-AMC

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #20 on: June 24, 2020, 03:31:55 PM »
Quote
I note that after driving Eagles for over a decade, I was always puzzled at people slowing down in construction zones where the road was torn up but way slower than the posted 'construction' speed limit. Then I drove through one in a regular car at the 'construction' speed limit. I thought the car was going to break apart!

This is a terrific anecdote. Very useful!

Quote
I do seem to recall people saying they've put a heavier duty solid sway bar on the front (from a Camaro?) and really loved what it did.

Also very useful!

I appreciate you sharing your experience in regards to suspension parts. Did the forum ever conclude what other strut bars are compatible with the Eagles?
1982 Eagle Wagon Limited in Super Brown

More young men should work on old cars.

Offline Canoe

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2020, 02:32:55 PM »
...
I do seem to recall people saying they've put a heavier duty solid sway bar on the front (from a Camaro?) and really loved what it did. That would make me think urethane holding the sway bar and on the links would be good. But I have not tried that. (I have a vague recollection of putting urethane on the links... I'll check that tomorrow.)

p.s.
Back when I last replaced the strut bushings, MOOG had an alternate: a material that was harder than rubber but softer than urethane.
I have rubber on the sway bar links. Urethane on the bushings holding the sway bar.

Don't forget to check out How To and Modifications at

http://www.amceaglesden.com/guide/Main_Page

For example, on the strut rods & bushing, "MOOG "improved type" K3090 bushings"
http://www.amceaglesden.com/guide/Strut_Rod_Bushings_Re_%26_RE

Offline Still Pat

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2020, 09:14:44 AM »
Wonder if that's Rafe's old bird? Kinda looks like my recollection of TQ & I recall it catching on fire after he sold it. The new owner's insurance wouldn't let it be bought back, something about once it was in a fire, that was it. Fairly mild/small from what I recall, just some wiring.
'83 AMC Eagle wagon 258/auto.
'84 AMC Eagle sedan (4 door) 258/auto.
PREVIOUS AMCs:
'72 Gremlin X 304/3 speed
'81 Eagle Kammback 258/4 speed (Purchased new)
'82 Eagle wagon 258/5 speed (Ordered new, traded Kammback)
'86 (I THINK) Eagle wagon - BlackBird 258/auto. (Got hit/totaled)
'83 Eagle wagon - White Eagle 258-auto. (Front subframe was rotted out - sold for parts)

Offline Run-AMC

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Re: Greetings From Louisiana
« Reply #23 on: June 26, 2020, 03:37:53 PM »
Super resources! Love it.


I haven't detected any fire damage. PO's surname is Thom. Using Google sleuthing skills, I was able to find some public information on him. Hopefully, it's him. I got in touch with his practice, but that was inconclusive. I'll probably write him a letter, be that pain in the arse. I believe it would be highly useful to understand why he got rid of a historic automobile he took such great care of for 36 years. The mileage averages out to 3,700 miles per year. I've done more damage to the paint since I've gotten it than he did in all the time he had it! This entire narrative is just a hunch based on only a handful of clues and a lot of conjecture, and I wouldn't be surprised if reality ends up differing substantially from expectation.



This is the part where I tell you how I acquired this here Eagle:

Working a night shift in headquarters on COVID response in April (I am an Army Guardsman), an Airman from another office joined the company of my assistant and I. The two of them began to discuss things that experienced older men discuss. They grabbed my attention when they brought up the topic of classic cars. I had always wanted a classic car. I have always appreciated the appearance of the 70's muscle cars. I even had ideas to make a Plymouth Roadrunner 4-wheel drive from time to time. My assistant, who is actually superior in rank to myself, owns a 1965 Lincoln Continental. He introduced me to County Classic Cars, from where he bought said car. I entered the site and began to browse. Various cars and trucks of all eras rolled up the page as I studied their catalog. 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980... Brown station wagon. AMC. Eagle. "What kind of car is this?" I thought. I looked closer. "No really, what car is this?" I scanned the photos. "No seriously, guys, what car even is this? This thing is cool!" My interest rapidly piquing. "4-Wheel Drive? Car? AMC. I like AMC." I image searched the Eagle. 50,000 examples filled the image search. Photos of pretty Eagles, ugly Eagles, monster truck Eagles, Eagles in movies all flashed across my eyes. Wikipedia, Hagerty, Autotrader, Allpar, Road and Track, and others all told me what I needed to know. It's a Jeep in 70's clothing. It's a car that's made to go on any road condition. It's confident without being obnoxious. It's classic, but subtle. Some say it's ugly, but they cannot deny its function. My assistant looked at it too, and he told me matter-of-factly, "If you don't buy it, I will."

I thought hard about this car. But just like AMC, I did little research into the market (perhaps there were better Eagles out there for me?). I did have it professionally inspected; I knew what I was getting into... lots of work in relation to my relatively little experience. "Above average" was the rating given for the condition of the car. I think "Above Average+" would have been more appropriate given some of the photos I have seen of these cars.

I had it shipped to my civilian-side job. Pickup and delivery took less than 12 hours; from Illinois to Louisiana! The shipper attempted to deliver it to the wrong address, so there was a delay. But I got it just before the business closed and everyone went home; so they got to revel in its peculiarity. It was the sexiest car on the entire trailer. A terrific grin hid my underlying anxiety for the drive home and the upcoming work and repair bills. He fired it up and backed it off the trailer. The 37-year old 4.2L straight-6 with a decrepit muffler sounded like a proper Jeep; something I was quite familiar with. I recall that the taillights were healthy and bright. I drove it around the industrial complex, beginning to lay neural circuits for the personality of this particular car; feeling, listening, smelling, watching for any problems, no matter how small. It tested well but would die in gear if the throttle was not engaged. I got it home that night with no issue. It creaked and made all sorts of old car sounds, something that I have since completely tuned out. It entered the garage on the third day of May in the year of 2020. My goal for roadworthiness was June 1st. She was running again on May 30th, the day the Illinois-issued temporary permit expired.

I had decided early on that everything I would do with this car I would do myself, largely alone. There is something so profoundly engaging about pouring one's own blood, sweat, and tears into an automobile. The home garage mechanic is like the artist in that they both struggle to produce order from chaos with little but their own ingenuity. With intense focus, they both traverse a mental battlefield in order to overcome a great puzzle. However, in the end, the artist hangs his work on a wall or places it on a shelf; its function is ironically nonfunctional. It is the home garage mechanic who produces from his toil a self-propelled carriage of opportunity, adventure, and speed (LOL) that he himself will use. Oh, the places he will go. He will make a living and he will feed his family with the help of the automobile that he himself brought into working order.

It is terrifically sentimental, perhaps excessively so, but if you are the home garage mechanic, then that paragraph represents you. It is what you do. It may just be a car, sure, but I know that at least most of you share my sentiment to some degree.  Case in point, a man and his wife approached me the other day as I walked up to the Eagle. They were amazed. Towards the end of our brief interaction, he asked if it was for sale. Of course, "no" was all I could say; politely. But I've thought about why the answer is no. I'll be frank. I paid $7,000 for it. I paid $650 for shipping. I paid $800 for registration and fees. I've spent at least a couple thousand on parts and tools and cleaners and fluids. If I wanted to break even, I suppose I could ask $11,000. But the money, while a factor, is not the main driver. After days of 12-hour shifts solving problems other people make at work, the last thing any reasonable individual wants to do is go home and solve more problems other people made!  It's about struggling to install one bolt for three days in a row with the minimal amount of free time, tools, and experience I actually had. It's the weekends spent in turmoil wondering whether or not I'll be able to make it work, frustrated personally with wasted days. And finally, it's the triumph over all of those obstacles. Money can't buy that kind of connection and no buyer would be inclined to pay for that. So for better or worse, I'm stuck with the Eagle and it's stuck with me. There is no way to convey the emotion involved in a car one repairs oneself, with the exception of analogy, but that's all hokey religion and ancient weapons, kid.


More young men should work on old cars.


I hope you all found this entertaining.

1982 Eagle Wagon Limited in Super Brown

More young men should work on old cars.

 

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