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Author Topic: Not really new to the site, but...  (Read 1427 times)

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Offline zeebo76

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Not really new to the site, but...
« on: October 21, 2019, 05:19:12 PM »
I never introduced myself properly!  I'm the son of another user - Bellavara - and for a little while I posted under her username here instead of posting as me!  Bellavara is used only by my mother and has been for some time now, but since I do all the work on her Eagle I post on the forum frequently under this name.  I'm also on AMC forum as well.

A little history about me, first.  I turned 20 in September, and although I went to automotive classes while in high school, a lot of it was focused mostly on maintenance, and all on newer cars.  I never got the chance to touch a carburetor.  My daily driver is a 1989 Cherokee that I hadn't ever needed to REALLY tear into, the deepest I had ever gone was changing the valve cover gasket, and fuel injectors.  Still no carburetor!  I developed a love for older cars, specifically big american boats, but nothing had ever popped up that I felt I'd have the budget to tear into.  I also started developing an attraction toward weird '80's cars, like the Ford EXP, the Renault Le Car, the Nissan Pulsar, and of course I also enjoyed most things that had 4WD.  I'm surprised it took me so long to hear about the AMC Eagle, given that it's pretty much a mixture of everything I had come to enjoy...  Classic american styling, '80's weirdness, and 4WD all rolled up into one comfortable, capable, family-hauling package.  I couldn't stay away from craigslist, from youtube, from wikipedia, all about Eagles.  My favorite was the sedan, because who expects an old looking american sedan to be 4WD?

Then, I stumbled upon something in one of my craigslist perusals that I knew I'd regret to see slip away.

She (my mother) purchased an '86 Eagle on November 6, 2018, about a month after my father passed away, and it is the first car she's ever purchased on her own.  My father was the wheeler and dealer, so he usually took the reins on that front - but, she stepped up, and after I found the Eagle on craigslist for $800 with a blown head gasket, we went into Portland, OR to take a look at it.  It started, smoked us out, and then died...  She talked the guy down to $650 and it came home on a flatbed two days later.



It sat like that for a few months while I worked with my family to fix our house.  Blown head gasket, gunned up carb, miles of cracked emissions hoses, transmission + engine mounts were shot, back window was barely attached, dents here and there, two door handles completely broken, heater core leaking, radiator plugged, wobbly steering column, loose exhaust, plugged fuel pickup sock, no headliner, no heater, and lots more...  Most people would have simply thrown it away if they had known what was to come.  But, Eagles are undoubtedly weird (in the best of ways) cars, and my mother is a sucker for weird stuff.  So am I, as it happens.



Once the ball got rolling, I didn't want to stop.  I had the head off the engine after about a week of careful work, and took it to a machinist.  It was badly warped.  After having it machined down flat, I slowly put everything back together, and even though it still wouldn't run, it didn't billow anymore.  One thing after another taught many things about the Eagle and about careful procedure.  Take your time, take pictures, bag and label all small loose items, and most of all, DO NOT RUSH.

I'm still learning even as I go, now.  I've probably put about 500 hours into it so far but it's clearly paid off, and it's capable of being a daily driver with just a few small hiccups I'm ironing out.

Here's what I've done so far, that I can recall...

Head gasket, heater core replacement, radiator replacement, water pump replacement, thermostat + housing replacements, carburetor rebuild, fuel sender repair, fuel pump replacement, fuel line clean/replace, emissions equipment rehash, brake work, rear window remove + re-seal, roof rack removal + repair/re-seal, headliner re-upholstery, license plate light fix (turned the non-serviceable unit into a serviceable one), side mirror conversion (sloppy cable adjust to fully manual), steering column tightening, lifted both front seats 2", rear view mirror reposition (raised 2"), fog light install, driver's side exterior door handle replacement along with mechanism repair, new paint job (required removing all plastic trim, then trimming the front flares a few inches on the inside), new wheels + tires...  Along with all the regular maintenance items.  Air filter, oil change + filter, front and rear diff flush + fill, transmission fluid and filter, wiper blades, wiper fluid, bulbs, etc...

Like I said, it's capable of being a daily driver now, with all its stock emissions equipment.  I just need to adjust the accelerator pump linkage and replace the sagging front + rear springs, and it'll be ready to be a road warrior.  It gets a lot of compliments from people who see it around.  I've done 99% of the work myself (except on the rare occasion where I needed input from a local mechanic friend when failing would mean a disastrous malfunction or inconvenience), for free, and though I have put a few hundred dollars into it here and there the major financier has been my mother.  It's allowed me a great chance to make sure a piece of american history remains on the road, and I'll always remember the fun I've had seeing the car come back to life.



Picture from a few nights ago.

I take drives very frequently, and most often it's in the Eagle.  She's in the shop for the next few days to get the exhaust downpipes flange re-sealed, but after that she should be home for a very long time, which is good, because I've got more work to do...

Thanks for reading!

Zack

Offline vangremlin

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Re: Not really new to the site, but...
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2019, 05:45:25 PM »
Thanks for introducing yourself.  You've done a great job getting that Eagle back on the road and I hope you have many happy miles in it!
1981 Kammback 258 - "Pepe"
1980 Coupe 258 - "Ginger
1972 Gremlin X 304
1978 Gremlin 4 cyl 121 - sold
1964 TBird 390 - sold

Offline TheBirdman

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  • that noise? that ll go away.
Re: Not really new to the site, but...
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2019, 05:57:15 PM »
Daaaaaamn, thats one good looking eagle. What tires are those? Also I love that you painted the steelies instead of running hubcaps or getting leftover jeep wheels. Steelies never get enough love.
83 eagle wagon 4.0

Offline zeebo76

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Re: Not really new to the site, but...
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2019, 06:35:50 PM »
Thanks you two!  Also, Birdman - the tires are 215/75R15 BFGoodrich KO2 All Terrains.  I have a white letter kit sitting at home right now, waiting to be put on.

 

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