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  • March 28, 2024, 05:26:13 AM

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Author Topic: Rusty frame  (Read 9218 times)

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Offline Orithil

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Rusty frame
« on: March 26, 2015, 10:21:02 PM »
Ok, since people thought this should go on the Den proper, here it is. Copy + Paste from the FB page :

So, my eagle's been sitting over winter and I do feel pretty bad about it, but I'm not exactly the most hardy person and can't really handle the cold too well so it sat. I had a new gas tank, a new fuel sending unit put in, new plugs and wires, an oil change and I had another front passenger hub put on. It has the motorcraft carb on the 258, and the switch for 4x4 still worked last time I drove it. I didn't put too much effort into it over the winter because they found a spot of rust on the frame I need to have checked at an autobody shop apparently. I haven't dealt with anything like this before, so I was hoping for some advice or like..what to expect from the auto body guys like price and time and such, and maybe what I can do if the frame isn't going to be able to be repaired.

Someone said something about a picture of the rust, I'll get one as soon as I can but it's not going to be within the next week, I just won't have the time.

Offline IowaEagle

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2015, 10:25:30 PM »
Thanks for posting it here.  Yes pictures will be helpful to us to assist you.  And, welcome to the Den.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline IowaEagle

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2015, 10:26:28 PM »
Some frame rot can be repaired.  Its been done by others.  Just depends where it is at and how bad it is.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline runs.like

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2015, 10:42:40 PM »
welcome.  I cut out and replaced a good amount of rotted frame on one Eagle I owned.  that was back in 2009, there's a thread out there somewhere but i lost all the photos from my pPB account.  Get some photos up and you will get a lot of help from the guru's.  Where is the rot?? If it irreparable, doesn't sound like it is or they would have told you, then your options are get rid of it and buy a new one or find a good shell that needs mechanical work and move all your good components over.

where are you located?
1970 Mercedes 250
1988 Eagle Wagon
1989 Chevy C1500

Offline IowaEagle

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2015, 11:01:21 PM »
Looks like he is in Wisconsin.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline Orithil

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2015, 06:55:14 AM »
I am in Wisconsin yeah.  The rust they were most worried about was back towards the rear passenger side wheel area, I was giving consideration to replacing the leaf springs but because of the rust they were concerned about taking them off. 

Now keep in mind this is a garage, and as a business they may be over-reacting to keep their own fat out of the fire, so to speak, but I still have no experience dealing with auto body issues so I wouldn't know.  Where it was, they don't really do body work, so no one there really could say if it was irreparable or not.


Offline IowaEagle

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2015, 12:07:43 PM »
That is a spot of concern but can be fixed.  Probably near the spot of the front mount of the spring.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline macdude443

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2015, 02:26:06 PM »
My SX/4 has some rust in that same area. I would like to have it fixed but I'm certain is have to remove the spring and remove half the hanger bracket to get under there and that its be worse for the structural integrity to fix it. Have you ever seen that repair done, Doug?
1982 Eagle SX/4
1986 Eagle Wagon

Offline IowaEagle

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2015, 02:35:53 PM »
I have not yet.  I need to address some rust there too when I have the subframe connectors installed.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline Amc1320

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2015, 08:06:13 PM »
Hoping you can get some pics of the problem area, it can probably be fixed

On my wagon I had to rebuild one of the front frame rails with new steel

On the sx4 we redid we had to reinforce where the spring attaches to the back
Rob c
84 Eagle Limited Wagon (driven everyday)
81 Eagle Kammback
81 Spirit (undergoing surgery)
83 Spirit (parts car giving it all to keep the rest going)
Manchester, TN

Offline runs.like

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2015, 11:21:24 PM »
I'm certain there is a thread describing someone's experience with that exact problem.  As I recall the hanger punched up through the "floor" around the spare tire compartment .  They cut it out, welded in some new steel and bolted the hanger back in place. 
I cut out and welded in a majority of the area under the spare tire as well as some of the sub frame.  My hangers were not punched through so in that spot I "Micky Moused it"  and welded a piece of of steel from above that covered the area of the hanger and overlapped the solid parts.  My gas tanl hangers were in similar shape I can't remember if i fixed them or not, my thread ends with another member buying that eagle.....

The pics are long gone
http://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=35231.15
1970 Mercedes 250
1988 Eagle Wagon
1989 Chevy C1500

Offline captspillane

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2015, 08:12:48 AM »
I wrote this back in 2011. If you are going to repair the rear spring perches I suggest switching over to CJ7 shackle eyes. The bolt pattern is a little different and they are the same width as the leaf spring (an Eagle shackle is smaller at the top than the bottom). It lets you use a greater range of shackle options intended for Jeep CJ7s.

Before I took my Red Eagle off the road, I jumped it off a hump at 75 mph. I got several seconds of air time. Upon landing the rear leaf springs drove themselves through my rear floor. I spent a few months rebuilding the rear end on that car, so its already ready to go. When I rebuilt it I also installed a reciever hitch tied into the frame with bolts that go straight through to my new floor plates. The bolts are currently stainless steel, but I will replace them with grade 8 bolts soon because I don't trust the brittle Stainless bolts for any degree of load.









I love how snug and subtle the Jeep Cherokee hitch fit under my bumper, but I did run into trouble in putting a cotter pin in and out. I had to notch the back panel. The notches are visible in this picture.



I used greaseable shackles intended to lift a CJ7 1.5 inches. The new spring perches sit on the floor board plates I installed, instead of on a half inch pedestal that used to be in the sheet metal. I also measured my CJ7 shackles and found that they were about an inch shorter than the stock Eagle shackles. The 1.5 lift CJ7 shackles ended up being the perfect length to return the Eagle to stock height. Notice the web stiffener on the heavy duty shackle eyes I used. Those are available as extreme duty upgrades for a CJ7.


Currently Inspected and Insured as of Jan 2013:
-1985 Eagle Station Wagon 258 T5 Stickshift
-1980 Eagle Station Wagon 258 Auto Fuel-injected with GM TBI

Minor Repairs Underway:
-1982 Eagle SX4 258 T5
-1981 Kammback 2.5L Iron Duke T5

Restoration Efforts Near Completion:
-1982 SX4- 401 NV3550
-1983 SX4- 4.5 MPI NSG370 (6 Speed)

Restoration Efforts Underway:
-1985 SW- 4.0 MPI AX15
-1982 SX4- 4.0 AW4
-1981 SX4- SD33T NV4500 (Turbodiesel 5 speed)

Future Rescue Efforts- '85 Maroon SW, '87 Limited SW, '84 Limited SW, '87 4 door Sedan, '81 2 door Sedan, '88 White SW, '77 4 door Hornet, '74 2 door Hornet, '79 Spirit AMX, '81 Kammback.

RIP- Red '81 SX4, '84 4dr Sedan, '84 SW, '81 SW, '80 Spirit, '83 SW, '83 4dr Sedan

Offline Orithil

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2015, 01:13:50 PM »
I managed to get out and snap a couple of pics of what they were talking about.  If these aren't enough or good enough or from the right place, please feel free to advise me on where my pics should be taken from.  I don't have a lift or anything though.  Ground shots are all I can manage.

This shot is from the top of the back passenger wheel well down towards the leaf spring. (As I'm sure you can tell.)
This one is from the underside of the back passenger side where the leaf spring attaches. (Once again, as I am sure you can tell.)

Offline macdude443

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2015, 02:54:15 PM »
Have you ever taken the plastic cladding off the sides to inspect?  It looks like you may be missing some rocker panels from what I can see.
1982 Eagle SX/4
1986 Eagle Wagon

Offline IowaEagle

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2015, 03:19:54 PM »
I have the same issues.  That is why I am installing sub frame connectors and repairing the issues.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline carnuck

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #15 on: April 02, 2015, 05:38:25 PM »
That's nasty! I would probably be cheaper to come buy my wagon for $2500 and drive it home!
AMC/Jeep gauges are for amusement only. Any correlation between them and reality is purely coincidental!

Offline tojwalk

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2015, 12:33:35 AM »
Hello, does anyone know if there are any suppliers for sheel metal for eagle's, I.E. floor pans 

Offline macdude443

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2015, 08:33:10 AM »
Hello, does anyone know if there are any suppliers for sheel metal for eagle's, I.E. floor pans 

Only rocker panels for the SX/4 from what I've found.  Someone else may know of other parts.
1982 Eagle SX/4
1986 Eagle Wagon

Offline carnuck

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #18 on: August 29, 2015, 10:39:56 PM »
The ones for Hornet, Spirit and Concord are very close unless you need something on the hump.
AMC/Jeep gauges are for amusement only. Any correlation between them and reality is purely coincidental!

Offline amcfool1

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Re: Rusty frame
« Reply #19 on: August 30, 2015, 12:23:07 AM »
hi, AMC cars, including Eagles have very few weak spots, from an engineering standpoint. The most famous(infamous) one is the 81+ plastic valve cover, second, to some, is the vacuum disconnect front axle, easily fixed, third, is the two piece rear axle, not a real problem in the real world, IMO, and fourth, and little known, is the rear leaf spring hanger assembly/mounting point. This is a piece of stamped sheet metal, nothing more. The stamping gives it it's initial strength. You have your trunk pan, flat sheet metal, then you have your rear leaf mounting point, a curved, (Kind of like a soap dish) piece of stamped sheet metal tack welded to the trunk floor pan. This is initially very strong, due to the stamping. BUT, if over time, ANY small leak between the two pieces of sheet metal occurs, and water gets up in there, you now have a perfect (soap dish) container to hold water. And once water gets up in there, it's (sooner or later) game over. The rear leaf spring mounting point will rust through, from the INSIDE, and will look good to you until it fails, and the rear of your leaf spring pops up through your trunk/hatchback floor. This is the point most people can't deal with, and the car is either parted out or junked. And yes, this actually happened to me, on an  80 Spirit., many years ago. So, on my next car, my 82 Eagle, I was aware of this, and watched the rear mount carefully. When it started to look weak, I had 1/8" steel plate welded in above the mounting point. Didn't "fix" the problem , rust was still there, but kept the car alive for another  6-8 years. There are  a few ways other than mine to get around this, as other listers have demonstrated , but this was mine. Just a heads up, y'all! and btw, this is not just Eagles, but ALL small body AMCs. The Eagle "Unibody" was advanced for its time, but instead of sheet metal over box section steel,it was basically sheet metal wrapped over sheet metal, two, sometimes three times, as in the front sub frame, and once ANY water gets between the sheets of metal......well..they swell out, weaken, and die. This is why any kind of frame repair on an Eagle is so difficult, and expensive. I am not new at this, but even I, after all these years of AMCs can get fooled. My current AMC project, 84 Eagle sedan, when I bought it a few years ago, I crawled up and under it with a flashlight and a hammer, beating on frame rails, listening for the "ring" of solid steel, looking for soft spots. Looked good bought the car. Fast forward to this year, motor out, off to machine shop, see a small, less than two inch rust spot behind and under upper control arm, engine bay side.investigate further, the spot under upper control arm,another perfect little"soap dish" area to catch and hold water was rusted through, not much, less than 1/2' BUT, ALL THE WAY THROUGH.. So, water has been getting into the drivers front frame rail for who knows how long  Investigate further, and about 80% of the drivers front frame was rotten, again, from the INSIDE, looked great from the outside. Anyway, I'm lucky to have a good fabricator available, and he  replaced most  of the front frame rail. Remember, this is not square section steel, but 3, "THREE" layers of sheet metal wrapped around each other. Cost me a cool G, and I was happy to pay it., having so much more in the car already. The Passenger side was/is thankfully ok, or I might have had to pull the plug on this car. Ok, I hope I have not bored anyone to tears, long story short, Eagle#2 will live! Moral of this story, rust never sleeps, so y'all keep an eye out! Peace, gz

 

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