This story began in November 2010, when I received an e-mail from AMCKen. He had just been notified by Edmonton Pick-n-Pull that a 1981 Eagle had arrived (he's on a first name basis with them and gets first dibs on any AMC that comes in), and he was wondering if I was interested in it since he was in no position to take it.
I was hesitant at first, but then he sent me a bunch of pictures including these:
(http://www3.telus.net/reitand/eagle/81SED101.jpg)
(http://www3.telus.net/reitand/eagle/81SED102.jpg)
(http://www3.telus.net/reitand/eagle/81SED103.jpg)
I thought about it awhile longer, and in the meantime Ken did some work on it to determine whether it ran and how well. He discovered that it had thrown three pushrods out from under the rockers, which apparently is a common problem with 1981 vintage 258s. He popped those into place and got it to start and run.
Given that it was complete and now running, and that Ken had some time invested in it, I ultimately decided I couldn't let it get crushed. I said "I'll take it" and Ken made the arrangements from there. For $600.00 plus tax and tow (to Ken's storage) it was mine, but it was still 300 km (186 miles) away. What to do?
Over the course of the next 10 months, Ken tinkered with it here and there to get it more finely tuned. I must say he did a great job, because this past Saturday I caught a ride with Jared (Whuntmore) to Edmonton, and drove the car 300 km back to Calgary. All I had to do was install a battery and top up the coolant, and it was good to go. I also had to do a few non-mechanical things like replace a headlight, seat belt, and wiper blades.
It performed very well on the highway, especially for a car that was sent to the yard and left for dead. ;D
Here it is in its new habitat, behind my garage. No, I didn't lose the wheel covers on the highway - they're in the back seat area.
(http://www3.telus.net/reitand/eagle/81SED111.jpg)
(http://www3.telus.net/reitand/eagle/81SED112.jpg)
Great you saved it and nice it turns out to be a good one!
Anjo
Holland
Obviously it was raining when those pictures were taken, and it's not nearly as shiny as it appears there. Although, when we stopped in Red Deer on Saturday for our local AMC club's gathering, one of our members showed me just how good that paint could potentially look.
I was trying to remove the Pick-n-Pull markings from the rear quarters, and he used an amazing product on it (the name currently escapes me). It not only removed the writing, it also non-abrasively restored the faded and neglected 30 year old paint to a nearly new shine. I'm definitely going to get some of that stuff and do the rest of the car with it.
As far as rust, it's not too bad overall. The rearmost portions of the rockers are rusted pretty badly, but not to the point of structural compromise. The area below the C pillar windows is rusting under the vinyl, of course. That's all I've found so far.
So there it is, the latest patient in the Eagle Rehabilitation Centre. I'll update this thread as progress is made.
Nice save!
Quote from: El Matador on September 19, 2011, 12:19:09 PM
I thought about it awhile longer, and in the meantime Ken did some work on it to determine whether it ran and how well. He discovered that it had thrown three pushrods out from under the rockers, which apparently is a common problem with 1981 vintage 258s. He popped those into place and got it to start and run.
Here's what I found when I first took the rocker cover off.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/AMCKenA/NC2420.jpg)
It did actually (sorta) run on only 3 cylinders. The valve train still has ticks but at least all 6 cylinders are working.
It should shine up well.
X2 on the save and an egg for you. I have the little sister of your new 81. Concord(81) and it is exactly the same except for having power windows.
I looked at it first hand and it looks way too good for the wrecker. The motor needs a bit of work, and there's a bit of surface rust (I didn't look under it) but the very fact that Dean could drive it that distance on the highway, says something.
It's far from being a write-off.
Another great save by Ken and Dean.
Holy cow!! I love that car!! And do my eyes decieve me or are those "St Lauren deep plush fabric" seats!?!? what trim level does this car have? Ive heard limiteds in small numbers came with the plush seat vs the leather...that could be a rather rare car.
Quote from: shanebo on September 20, 2011, 05:19:52 AM
Holy cow!! I love that car!! And do my eyes decieve me or are those "St Lauren deep plush fabric" seats!?!? what trim level does this car have? Ive heard limiteds in small numbers came with the plush seat vs the leather...that could be a rather rare car.
So that's what you meant by St. Lauren plush fabric. When you first posted that awhile back, I had something else in mind that I had seen. I think this fabric was way more common in Concords than Eagles, and it's nice and soft to the touch. I hope they're in good condition under those covers, as I haven't yet had a chance to peel them off and check. This car is a DL, and is very light on options other than the plush seats.
This is a rare car no matter how you look at it. The introduction of the Kammback and SX/4 absolutely hammered sedan sales in 1981. This is one of only 1737 sedans produced that year.
My 81 wagon had the same kind of material on the seat but a different color. I didn't know it was "fancy".
Im really not sure if thats the "St Lauren" fabric or not...Ill be honest, Ive never actually seen one in person that had it. Those seats certainly look a lot plusher than that coarse plaid fabric most had. There is an 82 coupe in the same color and with the same interior for sale in Milbank SD...They only want a hair over 10 grand for it :rotfl:
I don't really like the sedans, but I swear everytime I see one I feel better and better about it! :) Good find. Way to save another Eagle from the crusher! Eggtastic!
Your wife is so going to kill you one of these days!! ;D
Quote from: Bird-o-Prey on September 25, 2011, 12:32:31 AM
Your wife is so going to kill you one of these days!! ;D
I'll second that Chris! I'm surprised he's still alive now... That's some slight of hand (more like hide the eagle) he's got going on.
Ya know, one of these days (sounds like a Pink Floyd song) she's gonna catch on, and check these forums, and then his number is gonna be up!
don't worry, I'll come to your funeral Dean.
A good looking sedan! If I were in a different position, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands! :hello2:
when I bought my 86 wagon....for under 100$....I had to buy my wife a dog that cost hundreds to shut her up....We had the dog for 6 months when he thought he was a kamakazi piolet and jumped out the window of my wifes car on the freeway....we are dogless once again....this mean I can bring home yet another eagle as long as there is a puppy with a bow riding shotgun!
Quote from: hemlokk on October 08, 2011, 03:15:09 AM
A good looking sedan! If I were in a different position, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands!
So when exactly are you coming back? Chances are I'll have something available for purchase at that time. Could be this sedan, could be something else. My '86 wagon might even be on the block, you never know.
After all these months, I finally have a bit of progress to report.
Shortly after I acquired it, one of our local AMC club members came over and gave the paint job a professional grade facelift. I was amazed at how the paint bounced back after 30 years of wear and tear. The only downside was that all of the bumps and bruises the car had accumulated over the years stood out even more against a shiny background. The part below the black rub strips wasn't touched - it was too far gone to rejuvenate. That area will simply be painted black.
Other than that bit of attention, this car has sat out behind my garage essentially untouched for the past eight months. Only in the past week or two have I been able to finally dive into it in any detail, with help from Whuntmore.
The driver's door was sagging badly, and we got that realigned. I had to replace the body half of the lower hinge, as it was ovaled out pretty good. Four new bushings were installed, and the whole door had to be shifted back and pivoted upward slightly at the rear so it would close properly again. This also evened out the panel gaps between the doors and fender.
I knew this car had rust in the rockers, but it's a lot worse than I first suspected. I've spent a few hours just pulling out bits of rusty metal. I should have taken a picture of the pile I had on the ground after that session - and that was just after doing most of the passenger side. The outer rockers are solid for the most part, but the inners succumbed to rust big time. I would have preferred the other way around.
Mechanically there isn't much to complain about. When I first drove it home in September, the transmission shuddered when first starting to drive and the brakes were horrendous. They pulled to the right in a major way when applied. Both of these problems seem to have rectified themselves over the past few months, although I'll still look at the brakes more closely. The car needs 5 or 6 minutes of warmup time before it'll move anywhere. After that, it drives just fine.
I'm aiming to have this one back on the road soon, but we shall see...
you could post some pictures of the rust holes.
Actually, it's funny but there's more rust on the inner rockers, then the outers. The outer rockers are really good, but the inners are pretty bad. EM would need to do some serious welding and patching.
The nice thing is that it's mostly hidden areas, so that's good.
Otherwise, the car isn't bad at all... it's been neglected for several years, but the thing still starts and moves. And it doesn't look horrible.
Any chance you got the name of that magic stuff used on the paint?
I thought about trying some simple polishing compound on my ride.
Nice car!
~E
several 3M products used, can't remember any of them.
Thanks anyway..........I'll try the P.C. in an inconspicuous area, if I can find one that's faded.
~E
I've had amazing results with a "deoxidizer." Original paint forms a layer of oxidation on itself similar to rust. When its removed there is instant, staggering results. Its not the same thing as wax or polishing compound.
Sweet, sounds like less elbow grease too.
El Matador, that sedan may be a good candidate for an off-road rig because of the rust!?!
~E
It took a phone call and review of some video, but here's what I can find:
3M Perfect it rubbing compound
there was an 'Endura' product there, but most of them were 3M products that kinda have the same purple containers as this:
(http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu84/whuntmore/Other%20pics/3Mproduct.jpg)
This is the best I can do for ya. Look for products that have similar bottles and lablels.
I looked it up on the 3m site, and it does look to be part of a system, since it leaves swirl marks behind. I'll probably not invest that much into the paint right now, as mine has bumps and bruises as well.
I put this car up for sale in August 2012. I had a few interested parties, but no follow through until September when a guy came out and gave me my full asking price ($650) without hesitation. He was a younger guy, but was very knowledgeable on the subtle nuances of older vehicles (like carburetors) and had apparently done quite a bit of reconstructive surgery on cars before.
I showed him all of the rust, and was up front about the fact that although the car ran well, it was a project. He said it wouldn't be a problem, and as he drove off in it I felt good about where it was going.
Apparently I was wrong. Today I found out through a mutual acquaintance that the car was later scrapped. :'(
So, the story is over for this one. All of my efforts were ultimately for nothing. >:(
Sad story el matador
Although we would,like to, we can't save them all, I know where two are now that are sitting in the woods, soon they will go for scrap unless I go get them, problem is I don't have the cash or a place to put them , and I dont really want to lose my wife......
I think the issue is, people get into these cars with good intentions, but quickly get in over their heads.
Extensive bodywork can be very time-consuming, and can over-whelm even the best of us at times. and If your heart isn't really into the project - people can get put-off, and then opt for an easier project - or a car that has more readily available parts.
I think that's what happened here. Some guy thought, "yeah, this would be cool to mod out" and then after a few weeks of looking into it, realized just how much work this project would be.
I'm sure this ain't the first time, and it won't be the last. It's too bad that people who take on projects don't see them thru