AMC Eagle Den Forum
The Shop => Project Cars => Topic started by: kevindpm61 on November 08, 2015, 10:27:35 AM
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I decided to start a thread about my son's SX/4 that he purchased a couple of months ago through Craigslist. This is his first car.....it's interesting that he fell in love with this Eagle. Perhaps the fact that I owned a 1983 Spirit GT when he was younger was a contributing factor. The car was purchased from Alabama and transported to PA. It is a solid car but definitely needs work to pass PA inspection. I'm pretty knowledgeable about automotive work and in fact I'm in the process of doing a full-on restoration of my first car....... a 1970 Plymouth Duster 340.
My busy work schedule really only allows us to work either Sat or Sun mornings on the car. Still, we've managed to get quite a few jobs completed. The aluminum valve cover was leaking like a sieve. The RTV gasket material was removed and replaced with a cork gasket. No more leaks or vacuum leaks! A passenger rear wheel cylinder hard line was bent and installed, new rear brake shes installed and new rear parking brake cables installed.
New exhaust system was replaced from the cat back. A Thrush turbo muffler was installed. The muffler isn't excessively loud but has a nice sound. The header pipe is leaking at the manifold attachment. So far, I've been unsuccessful getting the 2 nuts loose. I'll continue to soak them with Kroil and try again next weekend. Here are some pictures of the car. More postings to come.
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PA requires a visual emission inspection along with the mechanical inspection. The original Carter carb was swapped out for a Weber unit at some time. The Weber runs great but I felt that I needed to try and modify an original air cleaner to make the engine compartment look more original. I just bought a Millermatic 211 mig welder and I was anxious to try my hand at metal fabrication.
I located an original air cleaner and proceeded to figure out a plan. I used the Weber base plate as a template for the new base. I removed the Carter opening and cut through the PAIR tube attachments. I cut a 7 1/2 inch diameter circle with the Weber opening in the center. The circle was then welded to the air cleaner base. Pair tubes were welded back (individual emissions components are not tested so I didn't bother making the tubes functional). Attaching hardware was fabricated and welded into place. The assembly was painted semi-gloss black. I'm happy with the final outcome considering this is my first attempt at welding/ fabrication. One step closer to inspection!
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Before:
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After:
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We worked on the car yesterday. My son wire wheeled the front suspension components in prep for rebuilding. Attaching hardware were treated with Kroil penetrating oil. I replaced the faulty engine temp switch.
The 4 wheel drive vacuum lines were either cracked or missing and the vacuum canister was removed. I decided to remove the remaining vacuum components and do the hose clamp front axle disconnect. The automatic tranny to transfer case diaphragm was removed and locked in the forward position. This got the front CV joints running, but there was significant vibration in the front with the car up on stands. The CV joint boots are shredded on both sides. I'm planning on replacing them. Do you think this will solve the vibration or should we look into other drive train components?
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Great progress. I like the air cleaner. New CV axles are cheap enough, in my opinion, to not attempt to install new boots.
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You're off to a good start! Not sure about the vibration, but it sounds like you need to replace the CV axles anyways so that sounds like a logical place to start.
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Thanks for the compliments guys. I figured that it would be best to just buy a pair of new CV joints while we are rebuilding the front end. This is the first coil spring front end that I've worked on. I'm use to Mopar torsion bars. Also the first 4 wheel drive vehicle that I've worked on.
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Got the completed air cleaner installed on the Eagle today. I'm happy with the look and fit. Complete front suspension components arrived this week and I picked up some new CV axles. Front end rebuild will be next weeks activities if my back feels up to it.
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Looks great !!! Did you find a license plate/fuel door yet?
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Thanks mo.eagles. I did find a fuel door. In fact, I just cleaned it up and got it ready to put on the car. I'm still looking for a driver's side seat latch cover and a left rear bumper end cap. I'm looking for an end cap off of a station wagon to see if I can trim it to fit the SX/4
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Here's the completed license plate bracket. I cleaned the rust off of it today and did a faux zinc spangle with chrome paint. I did this technique on the disc brake dust shields on my Duster. It looks very close to the original finish up close.
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Dadgum that looks great! I was going to paint mine a solid color but I like that better.
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Thanks. After I stripped the rust, I painted the bracket with chrome paint. Lay on a heavy coat and then blot with crumpled newspaper to reproduce the spangle. Very easy to do. You can mist with a clear coat but go slowly as it will dull the color.
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Front suspension components arrived and it looks like we will be tearing into CV axle replacements and a complete suspension rebuild starting this weekend. Ball joints are riveted so I suspect that everything is from the factory. I've rented a coil spring compressor and have done my due diligence reading up on the process.
The original CV axle boots are shredded. I locked the shift case into 4 wheel drive last time but experienced a lot of front drive train vibration. I suspect that it could be from the CV axles but I am also thinking that it could be front drive shaft related. Should I just pull the drive shaft, have it checked for balance and install new u joints while I'm this far into it?
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Great progress. I like the air cleaner. New CV axles are cheap enough, in my opinion, to not attempt to install new boots.
Looking great, as he said the CV axles will make a big difference if you have vibration. Also check your transmission mount, mine was so wore out the tcase was actually resting on the skid plate and causing all kinds of vibration, pretty cheap and easy to replace.
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Thanks AMC1320. I'll check out engine and tranny mounts this weekend.
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My son and I work about 4 hours on removing front suspension component yesterday. Things are coming along......but slowly. The lower control arm bolt just would not budge. Penetrating oil, heat and even an impact gun couldn't get it to move. I'm going to continue to soak it with oil but I've been considering getting new bolts and simply cutting the old ones off. I didn't get a chance to try the upper control arm bolts. I'll be soaking them with Kroil regularly until next weekend. Hopefully, They won't be as much of a PITA since they are somewhat protected inside the engine compartment.
Front suspension work is never easy but I must recommend the Harbor Freight ball joint separator:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/steering/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-joint-separator-99849.html
This little suspension tool made easy work of separating the tie rod ends and the ball joints. Insert the tool and apply pressure. Whack the surrounding component and POP! The best money I've ever spent on a tool. Loosened components that wouldn't budge with a pickle fork.
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Dropped the front drive shaft off at a local shop. There was a bend to the shaft. That was corrected and it was balanced. New u joints completes that part of the drive line. I've got to finish cleaning up the upper control arm, painting them and installing new bushings. I attempted to remove the Torx bolts that hold the rear portion of the front skid plate in place. Not a one budged and all stripped. Looks like I'll try to use an Easy Out or just drill them out completely and tap for a larger hex-headed bolt.
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We will be working on the front suspension tomorrow. I finished working on the right side components. I painted components to try to match factory colors. New bushings and ball joints have been installed.I would like to get these components installed and take off the left side suspension tomorrow,
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We worked on the SX/4 yesterday for several hours. Managed to almost get the passenger suspension installed. I forgot my Loctite and my 1/2 torque wrench. Just need to torque the ball joints and bolt on the CV axle. The front skid plate is giving me a run for the money. All 4 Torx bolts have stripped! I can't get to the steering stabilizer, idler arm or Pitman arm until I can get it off. Progress has been slower than anticipated but we really only have Saturdays to wrench on the car.
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Yesterday was a productive one. All suspension component on the driver's side were removed......went much quicker than the other side. I will clean up the components, paint and install new bushings. There doesn't appear to be any rust to repair on the drivers side. I will need to repair some frame rail rust on the passenger side. My son removed undercoating and rusty metal yesterday. I'll check it out next time we work on the car..
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My son and I drove down to my brothers place in MD yesterday and hit his local junk yard. We pretty much took any usable parts off of the Eagle wagon that we could remove including: interior and exterior door handles, seat hinge covers, front side marker lenses, parking/ turn signal lens and front and rear bumper end caps.
I will check out if the rear end caps can be modified to fit his SX/4 over the weekend. I hope to get the remaining suspension pieces painted this week for weekend install. I still need to remove the front skid plate to finish with the Pitman arm, idler arm and tie rods.
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Sounds like you made a good haul at the junkyard. Congrats!
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Kevin, I believe there is a right up on here of someone making a bumper end cap out of a wagon rear for a Kammback rear. Should be very similar!
Well I just looked it up and I guess the Kammback is closer to a wagon than an SX/4. But it should still be doable.
http://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=45260.msg351238#msg351238
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I saw that write up Prafeston. That's what got me thinking that I might be able to modify the wagon rears for the SX/4. I'll give it a try and see how things turn out. I'll keep you all posted on the progress.
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Finally got the front skid plate off. I eventually had to grind the heads of the bolts and weld large "blobs" of steel in order to grip it with my Vise-Grips. It took a little while but I eventually got all of them off. Now I can access the steering dampner, idler arm and Pitman arm. I had hoped to get the driver's side suspension installed, but the inner hub seal that Autozone had ordered was too large. I think that they have their inner and outer seal part numbers wrong in their computer system. Told them to order the other seal and hopefully it will fit.
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Inner hub seal is a timken 3553.
Outer seal is a timken 3942
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Thanks mudkicker. I expect Autozone to call me today when the parts arrive. I have the hub assembly in my trunk......hopefully it will fit.
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Autozone was not able to get the proper size inner hub seal. Parts are unavailable from their supplier. I have a friend who works in the truck industry. He deals directly with Timken. I gave him the part number and he told me that the seals should arrive soon.
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Good to know. I got my avatar eagle back in resto myself. I gave you part numbers from my first go round with it, on one side.
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Inner hub seal is a timken 3553.
Outer seal is a timken 3942
3553 = Napa Oil Seal (NOS) 21961
specs:
Steering Knuckle Seal I.D. : 2.2010"
Steering Knuckle Seal O.D. : 2.7410"
Steering Knuckle Seal Width : .1970"
3942 = 24886 (fits '82 to '86 Eagle)
Wheel Seal I.D. : 2.5"
Wheel Seal O.D. : 3.231"
Wheel Seal Width : .19"
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We had a good day with the Eagle today. Managed to get the steering dampner, idler arm, and tie rod ends off of the center link. Couldn't get the Pitman arm off because I didn't have a large enough puller. Oh well, it will give me time to clean up and paint the skid plates. We should be able to get the steering linkage back together next weekend.
I won't be able to get the suspension components installed until I get some rust issues taken care of. Things are slowly moving ahead.
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When I saw the car in person, I knew it needed a lot of work and glad it went to the right people. The pitman arm can be tough to get off. A good impact wrench usually helps or some good whacks with a hammer after tightening the puller as tight as possible works, also. If your going to install a new steering box, a little heat from a torch helps, too.
At least in my area, I've had the best luck with O'reilly's. Their local distribution warehouse is a couple hours away and they would usually have what I needed at the warehouse and the local store would typically have it the next day. If it was a weekend and I needed it right away, I would make the drive to Nashville to pick it up. But, my Festiva gets 40 mpg and there is a restaurant I like to go to when I'm in the area. :)
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The car does need work but I expected that from a car that hasn't been inspected since 1989. I was able to get the Pitman arm nut off with the impact wrench. I rented a puller from the local AutoZone. Hopefully, we will get the old one off next week and get the steering linkage assembled. Today, I'm cleaning up the skid plates so that I can paint them with POR-15.
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Except for when I lived in CO for 3.5 years and had emissions testing, I never lived anywhere that had vehicle inspections.
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I decided to take a Saturday off from wrenching on the SX/4. Finally got the correct inner seal for the hub assembly. Didn't feel like tearing the hub assembly apart because the rollers felt good to me. I did a "cheater" hub bearing grease packing by removing the old inner seal and used a grease needle to slide down inside the outer rim of the bearing assembly. Cleaned up the old grease that was forced out and installed the new seal.
Degreased and wire wheeled the center link. Acid prepped the metal and painted it with some cast grey paint. Looks sexy!!
The skid plates have been cleaned, etched and painted with POR-15. I have one more coat to apply and they will be finished. Once I get the rust areas repaired, it will be time to get the front end assembled.
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Everything is looking great!
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I spent a large part of the morning working on frame repair on the passenger side of the SX/4. I managed to get two of the worst rust areas repair today. One more area to fix on this side. One minor area to repair on the driver's side.
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Thanks vangremlin. I'm having fun playing with my new Millermatic 211 mig welder. I get a lot of pleasure working on restoring cars. Having the ability to mig weld, adds a whole other dimension to what I can do.
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hi looks like you guys are doing a great job! and good luck!..but...not to complicate things for you, that "trough" above the upper control arm is one of the (few) weak spots on an Eagle. There is no drain, so water, salt crud, etc, just sits there until it eats through. I just went through this with my 84. there was a rust hole less than the diameter of a quarter, but, it was all the way through. Long story short, the whole framerail was rusted out, from the INSIDE, with very little indication from the outside. I had it fixed, (not cheap) and to prevent this in the future, I had the outer "lip" cut off, so water can drain. good luck, gz
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Thanks for the info amcfool1. I know that the frame rails are a problem under the control arms. After I cut out the rusted area on the side, I inspected the top surface inside and out. The metal looked solid. I didn't feel that I needed to get any more aggressive that what I did. If some more rust rears its head in the future, I might have to take the frame repair to the next level Right now, I'm just trying to get this car ready for inspection.
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The skid plates have been painted with chassis paint and are ready for reassembly whenever the time comes.The family Bengal, Jake, wanted to take a closer look at them.
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The weather has turned bad here in the Northeast. A big snow storm rolled into town last night. It's times like this that I wish I had a heated garage!! I cleaned up the shock towers this week and hit them with a coat of SEM Trim Black. The color seemed to be the closest match I could find to the origin appearance. I will work on getting the new tie rod arms and sleeves dialed in to the same length as the ones that I removed.
It's unfortunate that the temps are now into the 20's. Not much fun doing body work and I can't apply any paints or primers over the repairs so that the rest of the front suspension can be reassembled.
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A big snow storm hit the Northeast last night. Looks Like I won't be working on the Eagle this weekend. These temps in the 20's make it hard to work in an unheated garage. Also, we can't prime or paint over the repaired areas. Kinda puts the brakes on reassembling the front end.
I cleaned and painted the shock towers with SEM Trim Black in the comfort of my home. The color was the closest match that I could find to the original finish. I plan on assembling the tie rod end and sleeves today and dialing them in to the same length as the originals we took off.
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Sorry for the duplicate message. My computer was acting funky when I tried to post.
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The weather was great for working on the SX/4 today. Sam and I got a lot of things finished today. All frame repairs on the passenger side have been completed. I followed the advice of amcfool1 and removed the outer lip of the trough under the upper control arms on both sides. Seam sealer was applied to any areas that looked like a potential problem. The wheel well was treated to a full application of undercoating for protective measures.
We should be able to finish up the driver's wheel well next time we work on the car. Just a couple of floor pan repairs to do before we can start assembling the front suspension.
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Looks better than when it left the factory! Good work!
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Thanks vangremlin. I just have to weld in repairs on the floor boards and we can start assembling the front end. I took the console cluster home over the weekend to disassemble and clean it up. My hand slipped and I accidentally broke the needle off of the oil pressure gauge. :'(I can't even find the needle to attempt gluing it on. I've been checking Ebay and other AMC vendors but haven't had any success. If anybody has one they want to part with drop me a line.
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I busted a needle off of one of those gauges the same way. They don't have much strength to them. I'll look around and see if I have an extra oil gauge. Even if it works I won't guarantee its accuracy lol
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Thanks vangremlin. I never put much reliability into the factory gauges. If the needle moves and the idiot light doesn't light, I figure things are good.
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I found a complete center console on Ebay complete with all gauges. It was more than what I wanted to spend but it looks like I will have some spare gauges......just in case. I might try to sell the console as ours is in very good shape.
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Worked on the SX/4 today. My son was not around. I generally don't like to work on the car unless he is helping. After all, it's not my car. I decided to work on repairing the rot on the passenger floor board. There wasn't much that he could have helped with in regards to the welding.
A portion of the floor pan needed to be removed along the frame rail. It seems to me that the original metal wasn't treated with seam sealer from the factory. The floor board and corresponding piece of metal in the fender well that anchors the underside to the frame rail needed to be repaired.
I managed to get the floor pan repaired. I'll work on the fender well portion another day as I ran out of flap discs.
I also managed to remove the Pitman arm and get one of the bolts off of the exhaust manifold/ header pipe, The forward bolt is proving to be a worthy adversary. I need to install the donut and I'm trying my best to remove the nuts without breaking off the stud.
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We will be working on the car this weekend. I hope to finish with welding on the passenger side this weekend. I managed to get one nut off of the exhaust header pipe last time. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the forward nut off. I don't want to get to aggressive because it would be a real PITA to break off the manifold stud.
Other plans include replacing fluids, removing the radiator for cleaning and reassembling the front suspension. I'll keep you all posted on our progress.
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Sounds like a busy weekend ahead for you! Yeah, I sure wouldn't want to have to deal with a broken stud on the manifold. That would set you back awhile! Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress.
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Finished the center console for the car tonight. I was able to locate a oil pressure gauge to replace mine with a broken needle. The housing was cleaned and detailed. Dial lenses polished to remove scratches. I also decided to add some "flash" to the gauges by painting the needles orange for extra visibility.
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We had a productive work day yesterday. My son drained the old oil out of the front and rear differentials and refilled them with new fluid. He also refilled the shift housing. I had hoped to get the transfer case done but we ran out of time.
I finally finished rust removal and repair on the floor pan on the passenger side. I had to fab the metal that that joins the floor board to the frame rail. Seam sealer was applied and then chassis paint. Next time I will blend the repair with undercoating.
I hope to get most of the front suspension installed next weekend.
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Nice work! You guys are doing this one up right!!
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I like what you are doing, keep up to good work guys!
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Thanks Jurjen. This is the first time that I've done welding repairs on a car. I always wanted to learn how to weld and so I took an adult education class at my local Votech school last winter. I bought myself a Millermatic 211 welder and I'm having a blast! My son would never be able to afford the metal repair on this car. It's a nice project for me to try and hone my skills.
Being able to weld is such a plus for working on these older cars.
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We got a lot of things done today. I'm happy with the progress that my son and I made. Got the right front suspension installed along with a new CV shaft. I need to bend a new hard brake line before the rotor and disc brake caliper is installed.
We drained and refilled the transfer case,drained the tranny and installed a new filter, and pulled the radiator to have it cleaned out. Pitman and idler arms were also installed.
Next week it's time to get the driver side suspension installed.I have some driver's side floor pan rust to repair and that should be it for welding. We need to install new door hinge bushings and repair the driver's inside door handle.
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It was not as productive of a weekend as I had hoped it would be. I was planning on getting the driver's side suspension assembled along with the steering linkage. The driver's side spring did not want to cooperate. I am using a spring compressor from Advanced Auto that just doesn't seem to cut the mustard. I managed to get the passenger side compressed and installed the other week, but no success on the driver's side. Looks like I will need to find a better spring compressor than the single screw unit with offset hooks. I'm open to any suggestions for a safer and better spring compressor.
The steering linkage went on without a hitch.
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a guy on www.theamc forum sells the correct spring compressor for amc. check it out in the suspension section, also one on ebay .gz
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I hate spending the money on a tool that I probably will never use again but.............I get a little nervous working around a compressed spring that could potentially slip off and go flying. I ordered the AMC specific compressor today. Hopefully, it will arrive before the weekend.
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The spring compressor is suppose to arrive by Thursday but I've decided to take a break from working on the SX/4 this weekend. I think that I want to have some fun driving my new toy..... 2013 BMW 335is with a 6 speed manual tranny.
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You are not the typical Eagle driver! :) Nice toy!
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I've always had a soft spot in my heart for AMC's. I've owned a 1970 Gremlin, a 1975 Gremlin and a 1983 Spirit GT. Someday, I would love to have a 1970 AMX 390 with the Shadow Mask. Isuspect that my wife and I are going through a mutual midlife crisis. Her 2008 Altima was showing it's age and we both wanted a manual transmission car. The convertible top was icing on the cake!
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That BMW is almost as nice as an Eagle ;)
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That BMW is almost as nice as an Eagle ;)
Haha, he should have gone with a Sundancer if it wanted a convertible! ;)
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The new decal came in the mail the other day for the horn button. The button was missing a plastic allen screw so I decided to replace all of them with real metal screws. The center emblem was cracked and nasty looking. Vangremlin gave me the address of a place he used and we were able to come up with a pretty good replica of the original. I also thought that I would throw in some vintage pictures of my former AMC rides.
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1983 Spirit GT
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That center cap looks really good. That outfit does good work for a decent price. I need to find some other need I might have to order from them again!!
Thanks for the vintage AMC photos! Both very cool!
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We made good progress on the Eagle today. Installed the re-cored radiator and fan shroud. Also got most of the driver's side suspension installed. I must say the the correct coil spring compressor made installation a snap........and much safer!
Next week, I hope to get the disc brakes installed. I need to fabricate new hard lines from the flexible hose on both sides. I still need to get that one pesky nut off the exhaust manifold before we install the CV shaft and the front drive shaft.
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Wow everything is looking really good!
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I'm pleased with how the car is coming along. I wish it would go faster but after working 60 hours a week on my day job, I only have one morning the weekend to get greasy. I am anxious to see how she drives after all is said and done.
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Glad it's coming together. When I saw it in person when the previous owner had it, I seen how much work it needed and thought it might not get into the right hands. :occasion14:
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This SX/4 has needed quite a bit of work to get it road worthy. Fortunately, the frame and flooring had minimal rust. My son bought the car through Craigslist and had it transported from Alabama without inspecting it. I told him that was a risky venture but what do I know! I'm sure the amount of work is much more than what he imagined but it is about what I expected.
I enjoy working on cars whenever I have some free time on my hands. I am restoring a 1970 Plymouth Duster 340 which I've owned since I was 16.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=225784&highlight=finally+1970+duster+340
Unfortunately, I was taken for a ride by a body man which has caused me to pursue legal action against him. My car is on hold so the Eagle has helped to fill the void.
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I had a 73 Cuda with a 360 and pistol grip 4 speed when I was 16. I sold it in when I was 17 in '86 for $1,800 :banghead:. Honestly, when I seen the amount of work and detail going into the SX4, I thought you were a little crazy. But, seeing the thread about your A Body makes me understand where you're coming from. Amazing attention to detail. I don't have that kind of patience.
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I guess I consider myself a little ( very) anal about my car restoration. I have to admit that I've had a hard time reigning it in on the SX/4. Restoring these vehicles is my relaxation. I guess I'm just a perfectionist by nature.
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Took care of a lot off odds and ends on the Eagle yesterday. Replaced the fuel filter and thermostat. Filled the radiator with new anti-freeze. Put on the new stabilizer end link on the driver's side. Managed to get the steel lines to the disc brake caliper removed on both sides. Just have to buy some new lines and bend them to fit.
I'm still struggling to get the front bolt off of the head pipe without breaking the stud. It has proven to be a worthy adversary. I might try using my multipurpose tool with the blade bent to cut a portion of the nut off. It just depends if I can squeeze it up where it needs to be.
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I brought the front brake calipers home with me to see about cleaning them up for reassembly. One caliper had a slight tear in the rubber boot and the piston didn't move readily. I check at the local Autozone and they had remanufactured units for $19.99 + core deposit! At that price, I'm not even going to mess with the old units. It's so much nice to put new, clean parts back on.
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Got both brake calipers and pads installed Saturday. Bent and installed new hard lines from the flex hose to the proportioning valve on the passenger side and to the connector on the driver side.
Still haven't been able to get that :censored: front nut off of the exhaust manifold. I brought a good friend of mine over to take a look at the situation. He recommended an offset socket adapter.
http://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/part.php?products_id=6013
I ordered the part today. I will report back as to whether it was effective or not.
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I finally won the battle between me and the front exhaust to header pipe battle!! It was a worthy adversary but it proved no match for the offset box wrench and the oxy-acetylene torch. Time to fix the annoying exhaust pipe leak. I also managed to cut out the rusted portion of the drivers floor pan. Just have to clean up the areas that will need welding and cut out new sheet metal before I weld up the new floor.. I'm starting to feel like were making some progress towards PA inspection.
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you the man! good job. when you reinstall the header pipe, use the LONG exhaust nuts, (and antiseize) these are available anywhere, and stick out past the flange, so a wrench can access them easier. looks good, gz
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Thanks for the tip amcfool. I planned on using antiseize but didn't think about long exhaust nuts. I'm hoping that I never have to work on this exhaust pipe again!
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My project for this weekend is to replace the driver's floor pan. I new that there was rust under the carpet, but I was unpleasantly surprised when we fully stripped the carpet. I cut out all the rusted metal last Saturday. This weekend, I plan on making a template and welding in the new floor. This project will give me a lot of practice with my new MIG welder.
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Hey, it looks like that car was set up with the optional Fred Flintsone brakes. Yabba dabba doo!!
You're right, your new welder is going to get a good workout!!
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The floor of the SX/4 is coming along. I got most of the rotted metal out and started to get some new metal down. The worst part is trying to find a comfortable position to lay some welds down. I have some gaps that i need to fill along the out edge of the repair. Kept blowing holes through the metal and decided it was time to quit for the day.
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Very Good Job!
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Thanks 78concord. I will be spending time with the Eagle on Sunday. If all goes well, I hope to get all of the floor installed. I want to paint the inside and outside with chassis paint after I seal the seams. The exterior will be sprayed with undercoating.
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I worked on getting the shifter bezel cleaned up tonight. Sanded down some gouges on the base and used white rouge on the buffer to polish it up. I purchased a new rubber "gasket" to seal off the shift lever..
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Two "thumbs up" for the great restoration job!
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Still going strong, I see.
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Things are moving along. This portion of the work on the Eagle is primarily mechanical in order to pass inspection. I'm not that worried about the exterior appearance. My son can save his pennies to have that work done later.
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nice job on the shifter bezel! How did you do the silver stripe,? I just redid mine, looks ok, but just repainted the whole thing black. gz
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I used a white Sharpie oil-based paint pen that I had around the house. I'm sure that they make one that is silver in color but I didn't feel like buying one just for this bezel. I think that the white looks pretty good.
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I had a very productive day today. All rust repair on the SX/4 has been completed! I fabbed the driver's floor pan and welded it in. Metal was coated with etching primer and seam sealer was applied top and bottom. The interior metal was coated with some rattle can red and the underside was painted with chassis black. I will shoot some undercoating on the outside next time I work on the car.
Next week I hope to install the header pipe with some exhaust assembly paste, install the driver's side half shaft and install the front drive shaft.
The Eagle is getting closer to being road worthy. Just need to bleed the brakes, torque the control arms, install the carpet and seats. Door hinges need new bushings and the door handles need some attention.
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Very cool!
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I certainly had a lot of practice welding sheet metal. I started to get a good feel for it by the end of the project. I love my MIG welder......always wanted to learn how to weld. Finally took adult ed classes last winter and had a chance to put it to use.
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Got the header pipe installed today without any movement at the attachment. Yeah!!! :hello2: I used Wurth assembly paste on the header flange before I got everything bolted up. The front axle was installed along with the CV half shaft on the driver's side. Repairs to the driver's floor pan were sprayed with undercoating.
Next week I hope to install the carpet and rest of the interior pieces. I had some problems removing the shifter bezel from the underlying metal shifter housing, all the screws broke off on the metal bezel! Looks like I will be drilling out the broken pieces and tapping them for new screws,
I just need to bleed the brakes, assemble skid plates and install carpet and seats. Door hinges need new bushings, Things seem to be winding down.
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Pics
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You sure are making steady progress on that car! Way to be persistent, I'm looking forward to hearing about its maiden voyage!
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Thanks for the encouragement vangremlin. Right now, I'm just looking to get this car road worthy. I'm not worried about the exterior appearance. I'll leave that part up to my son.
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Another productive day today. Installed the carpet padding and carpet. My son recovered seats with some "retro" seat covers that we got him for Christmas. My wife and I bought them as a joke, but they really fit the 80's vibe pretty well. I got the carpet and the seats installed. Next week, we will finish the interior by installing the gauges, console and shifter..
The transmission pan is leaking like a sieve despite installing a new gasket. I might drop the coin for a new Mopar extra depth pan with reusable gasket. I've read good things about the gasket and I suspect that the pan is deformed from over tightening.
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Hi, X2 on the deeper trans. pan. There are a few "fancier" aftermarket trans pans out there, aluminum, finned, etc. Myself, on both my Eagles, went with the Mopar deep pan, "cause it is a STEEL pan. Reason being, that, if your trans pan ever takes a hit, an aluminum pan will instantly crack , and you will be walking home. A steel pan on the other hand, can take a hit or two, bend a little, and though it may be compromised, and start to leak, it will get you home, where you can order a new one in comfort! Good call! good luck, gz
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Thanks for the input amcfool. I ordered the Mopar pan and gasket today. The carpet install went well considering I've never installed carpet before. I used a electric wood burning tool to melt holes through the padding and carpet to assist in dropping the seat mounting studs in place. It worked great! New carpeting made a big difference. The original carpet and padding was dry rotted and in shreds.
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Finished the carpet install today. Got the shift linkage, console and shifter bezel installed. All brakes bled. Skid plates bolted up and tires installed.The engine fired up with the help of some starter fluid. The engine sounded good. Thought we could drive the car around to the corner gas station but the front end alignment is waaaay off. Looks like I need to dial it in a little better so that we can at least get the car to the inspection station for inspection and front end alignment
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Great to hear that you got it started, that had to be pretty exciting!
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Inside is now finished. My son spent the day cleaning up the interior and sent me this photo. I'm happy with how it looks. The outside of the car looks rougher than the inside. I'm not going to worry about that for now. I need to get the toe alignment dialed in enough to get it off for inspection. Door hinges need new bushings.
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Yesterday, I got the upper A arms torqued to spec and roughly set the toe. Checked the timing and tried to adjust the Weber carb. The car idels fine but it seems sluggish when I took it for a spin around the block. I tried to adjust the carb as per instructions on the Weber Redline web page.
Turning the mixture screw until it bottomed out didn't result in any change in the car's idle. No stumbling at all. Looks like I will need to do some carb trouble shooting. The car doesn't appear to be that old. I will check to make sure there isn't any air leak at the base of the carb. I'll pull the mixture scre and jet and check for issues.
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What did you use for the rear exhaust pipe & did you feel you had any problem lining it up with the muffler & tail pipe?
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I ordered my exhaust and tail pipe off of Ebay. I didn't have any problem with alignment. I did need to purchase a reducer pipe in order to fit the Thrush pipe to the exhaust pipe.
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Can you get me the seller info for your tailpipe? I need one for my Kammback and nobody in the country seems to have one. Thanks.
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Looks like the seller on Ebay isn't listing any more tail pipes. I googled Walker 44674 and found this like that lists one for sale:
http://www.carid.com/walker/tail-pipe-mpn-44674.html
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Looks like the seller on Ebay isn't listing any more tail pipes. I googled Walker 44674 and found this like that lists one for sale:
http://www.carid.com/walker/tail-pipe-mpn-44674.html
Thanks for the link. I had tried to order the tailpipe from them earlier this spring and it turned out to be on perpetual backorder. Got the same story from NAPA. I think I'll just ending up going to a local muffler shop and have them bend one.
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I haven't worked on the SX/4 in some time. I decided that I wasn't going to work on the car unless my son is there to help. After all, it is his car so he needs to invest the time. He recently passed his driver's test and now he wants the car on the road ASAP.
We fixed the sagging driver's door. Installed NAPA hinge pins and bushings It's nice to have the door swinging as it should. . I forgot to bring the outside door handle that I had at home. Once that is installed, the door work is finished.
I installed new sun visors. As you all know, the original plastic hinges just don't hold up well. I decided to try sun visors from a Mopar A body (Duster, Demon, Valiant, Dart, Scamp etc.). These sun visors are readily available at a reasonable price. A big plus is that the hinges are metal and will not break. Slight modification is needed to make them work but they look great and should be much more durable than the original pieces.
The car ran like a top today. I tracked down an elusive vacuum leak that was affecting idle. The car bolts were not tight. Once they were snugged down she sounded good. The engine has a slight lifter tap but I'm not going to worry about that. I don't feel like tearing into the engine internals.
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We're coming down the home stretch for when the Eagle will be ready for PA inspection. I replaced the broken driver's outside door handle along with the passenger handle with Wrangler half door handles today. I was able to purchase a pair of the black handles for $32!! I believe that the black handles look much better on the car with the rest of the black out treatments. I forgot to take pics but will do that later. Got the reverse lights working. The neutral safety switch connector is cracked and doesn't stay in place very well. I managed to get it positioned that the lights work, but I suspect that I will be splicing in a new connector in the near future.
The car needs a new battery and cables to finish it up. I believe that she should be in good mechanical order. The interior looks great except for the headliner. The exterior could use some dent repair and a fresh coat of paint. That's not my worry at this time......my son can save up his pennies if he wants her to wear a new coat of red.
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Good luck on passing the inspection! You've come a long way with that car, and its great that you cared enough to get it back in good working order and soon to be back on the road! Hopefully you've had some fun along the way and some good bonding time with your son.
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This oustanding. Also thanks for sharing
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Thanks for the compliments guys. I don't think that the Eagle will have any issues passing inspection. I always have fun working on cars. This little AMC gave me an opportunity to hone some fabrication and welding skills. My son has done some work on the car with me but he's not as "into" wrenching as I am. I hope that he has had enjoyment and learned some mechanical skills at the same time.
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Great work! Does your son every get on the forums? Once you hand it over to him you'll have to keep us updated on the car if he doesn't come around here ever.
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I have this sneeking suspicion that I will probably "inherit" the Eagle sometime in the future. My son hasn't posted anything on this forum and I have a feeling that a 34 year old car isn't going to be what he expected. Time will tell. Either way, I will post back on the forum as to the progress of the car.
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Awesome read... If you guys lose interest let me know... I;m looking for a sx4.
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I worked on getting the shifter bezel cleaned up tonight. Sanded down some gouges on the base and used white rouge on the buffer to polish it up. I purchased a new rubber "gasket" to seal off the shift lever..
Hi, what is the part number for the gasket/seal for the shifter? I need a new one and I've found a few different ones for 70's/80's Mustangs but don't know which one exactly will fit. Thx.
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Hi, what is the part number for the gasket/seal for the shifter? I need a new one and I've found a few different ones for 70's/80's Mustangs but don't know which one exactly will fit. Thx.
You may want to send him a direct message or email, he hasn't logged into the Eaglesden in over two years so he is not likely to see your request. Good luck!
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Hi, what is the part number for the gasket/seal for the shifter? I need a new one and I've found a few different ones for 70's/80's Mustangs but don't know which one exactly will fit. Thx.
You may want to send him a direct message or email, he hasn't logged into the Eaglesden in over two years so he is not likely to see your request. Good luck!
I sent him an email. Then discovered that it appears that part # D1FZ7351 or D1FZ-7351 will fit. The reason I say that is here is the complete bezel:
https://restorationpartssource.com/store/automatic-shifter-selector-bezel-with-dial-1974-1978-mustang-all-classic-parts-details.html
and here is the corresponding rubber seal:
https://restorationpartssource.com/store/automatic-transmission-shifter-seal-1974-78-mustang-daniel-carpenter-details.html