Restore? Scrap? '82 Sx4/ '87 Eagle

[westin]

Hi, I was hoping someone may have some advice for me. I have an'87 AMC eagle I got for $800 dollars about ten years ago. It has about 128,000 miles on it. I am currently rebuilding the carburetor and I believe the engine is still in pretty decent shape. The body is looking pretty haggard with the trim falling off and rust is beginning to appear here and there the interior is in pretty rough shape as well. I LOVE the Eagle and would like to keep it around but I am not sure if I should spend the time and money trying to fix it up.  One issue is there are hardly any parts for the Eagle. I have been rebuilding the carb and cannot find a new fast idle cam ANYWHERE! I don't want to try and fix it up without access to parts..which brings me to the SX4..

On Craigslist I found an '82 SX4 for $3,500 in excellent condition. Seems way overpriced but maybe I could talk them down. I was wondering if the '82 Sx4 and the '87 eagle have very many interchangeable parts?  I understand they have the same engine.. and the body is the same color. My Service Manual is dated for '84-87 so It doesn't cover the Sx4. Since the Sx4 is in much better shape I was thinking about fixing it up and using my eagle for parts. Any thoughts? Should I just keep driving the Eagle till it croaks and get some lame generic car.. or would it be worthy of the effort to fix it up again?

I wish I would have taken better care of it when I got it...teenagers :/...

[AMC1]

I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice. A few points though - I'd be mostly concerned about serious frame rust, door post rust etc. Carburetor parts are available even if you have to buy a complete used carb. $3500 is not an unreasonable price to pay for an Eagle in excellent condition. Ask any of us who have put our share of money in them. A few years back someone offered me what I originally paid for my new Eagle which was close to $10K & that includes a few after market accessories. My answer was what could I buy today (that day) for $10 K that could replace it. He just shrugged his shoulders.

[westin]

Amc1 - Thanks for the response! I guess 3,500 is pretty reasonable. I asked the owner how many miles the Sx4 has and I will share that information once I find out. Would the eagle be a decent parts car for the sx4 or vice versa? I will certainly take a look at how the frame is doing and see if it is something that could be remedied. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts !

[macdude443]

Many things are shared between SX/4 and wagon but mainly from the dash forward.  The rear halfs of the cars are pretty different including the fuel tank. 

I may have a spare cam.  This site has the screw but not the cam.  I've ordered parts for the BBD here before:
https://buy.walkerproducts.com/carburetor/components/carter/carter-2bbl-bbd-1-carburetor-components.html

[mo.eagles]

If mac doesn't have one, I have 4 or 5 carbs around some where. I'm sure I've got one in the pile .

[westin]

That would be great if someone has a cam available! Let me know how you would like to proceed.. I should probably replace it since it is getting pretty rounded. I used a jeweler's file and worked out the notches a little more.. it seems to be catching fine. I will see how it runs tomorrow once I hook it up. Hopefully, everything's fine! This is my first rebuild haha *fingers crossed* Thanks for the help everyone!

[AMC1]

The fast idle cam is suppose to be round & smooth. It sounds like it has been replaced with something & modified to get it round.

[macdude443]

The cam should have steps on it.  I've never seen a round one on a Carter.

[JayRamb]

I'd be tempted to take the SX4 and keep the 87 for parts.

[westin]

Unfortunately, the sx4 has already been sold

[AMC1]

Sorry about the round cam - I was thinking of the cam screw.