1988 Eagle Beginning

[Punk0r1f1c]

I posted in the welcome area, but I'll post about my Eagle and the work I'll be doing here. Also this will help me kind of keep track of everything.
I have an uphill battle as the previous owner didn't really take care of much, but it's drivable and runs fairly well so that's a plus.

Here's what's wrong:
-Suspension/Alignment checked out. Steering stabilizer replaced. Possibly shocks/joints/etc.
-Brakes need a lot of work. It stops but the pedal is almost on the floor and I think only the front ones are working. I checked the brake fluid and it looked NASTY
-Exhaust needs repaired, there's a hole or crack somewhere
-Door handle is broken, I ordered all new jeep ones and plan on replacing them
-No door keys for the locks, I'll have one made
-Windshield is cracked, I hear safelite can replace them
-Oil change
-Transmission/Differential checking
-Coolant flush
-Got a carb upgrade and distributor upgrade coming from Gronk that I'll be installing
-There's some cancer that I would like to fix, but nothing that needs addressed immediately

So without further ado, here are some pictures!

[kevindpm61]

Roll up your sleeves and dive into that station wagon. This forum is a great resource for working on your Eagle. Good luck.

[JayRamb]

Get engine runnin'. Be PATIENT!! KEEP THOSE RIMS!!!!

[Punk0r1f1c]

The engine is actually running fairly decent. I was driving it around running some errands this weekend, as it sits now I can get around in town but I wouldn't feel comfortable on highways until I get the suspension stuff checked out.

There are some issues I have with with the carb that will be rectified with the upgrade. It was idling really high but I tuned that. Also it dies when I put it in gear if it's not warmed up. I don't know, I'll learn a lot and find out more the more I dig into it.

[Punk0r1f1c]

I was able to do the distributor upgrade yesterday. It was actually really easy! Car seems to run better, start better, and has a little more power.
I've got the week off so I'm hoping to accomplish a little more in the next couple days as the weather warms up.
I'm going to replace the carburetor tomorrow, and try to fix the broken door latch.
Then hopefully in the shop on Friday to start fixing some of the things I don't really have the motivation for.

[Punk0r1f1c]

I swapped over the motorcraft today. I must say it went pretty well!
I was able to follow the directions and figure pretty much everything out.
I spent the most time with the vacuum lines honestly. Someone had already been in there muddling around previously so it was a bit difficult to sort out, but I was able to trace everything and get the Eagle running great.

Right now I don't have the EGR or the float bowl vent hooked up. The EGR is supposed to connect to some canister, but I traced the lines and they were just unhooked in the bay behind the carb so I left them and capped the other side. The float vent goes to another canister, but some of that stuff was unhooked so I just tore the whole thing out and capped the return line. Should I setup some kind of vent for the bowl or just leave it capped off?

Also there were two big hoses up by the intake that were already disconnected so I continued removing a lot of that stuff, I think one is supposed to go to the cat but it was cut at some point, I think the other goes into the fuel vent canister but it was capped off at some point to so I removed it.

I got all of the switches removed and the distributor rewired and the line rerouted.

The car idles fine and runs pretty well but there seems to be some hesitation under load. When I gas it just sitting it's fine with instant response, but it almost seems like it's bogging a little bit under load. Can this be tuned out?

Other than that all went well and I'm taking it to the shop tomorrow to fix suspension, brakes, belts, and anything else that might come up. I'll try to get some pictures up later this afternoon.

[Punk0r1f1c]

I've done a ton more work on my car lately, I was bored and cruising the forums so I figured I would update.

I fixed my hesitation issue by installing a vacuum can in between the distributor and manifold.
I put my car into a shop that's owned by a Jeep old timer. I had him go through the entire car and he blew me away with the work he did.
-They replaced every bushing they could find
-New shocks
-Custom add a leaf and refinished the springs
-Fabbed up an entire exhaust system
-Replaced and flushed all fluids
-Went through the whole vacuum system again and optimized it even more
-Replaced ujoints and steering joints

Honestly they probably did a lot more but I can't remember everything off the top of my head. I know they had the car for about a month.

Recently I've replaced all the lights with LEDs.

I don't really know what to do next! I'd like to get my AC and cruise control working, but I just need to find the motivation to dig into it.

[amcfool1]

hey man, sounds good. post a couple pics of the engine bay. AC should be no problem for a pro AC shop, I would be a little wary of the cruise control though. It'vac actiuated, so be careful. I never did fix mine. good luck, gz

[RallyX-SX/4]

I bought my SX/4 with a cracked windshield and Safelite replaced it for just over $200 even without any help from insurance and they did a great job.  You might consider buying a bag of windshield trim clips before you have them do it, because the original ones get brittle and crack.