Howdy folks! Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been sopping up bits and pieces of information on repairing my Eagles from this very fine forum for a few years now, figured it was finally time to jump in and mix it up with all the other AMC’ers. The IllEagle is a 1984 Sedan, 4.2 automatic, A/C, 2.35 highway cruiser gears, 180k. Holley 2-bbl and some 16’s are the only things not stock. I also have an 84 Wagon relaxing in my parking lot after nearly being junked.
A little about me. Originally made in Arizona, I’m currently up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Close enough to Kenosha for the locals to lovingly (or jokingly, I’m not sure...) refer to Eagles as ‘Kenosha Kadillacs.’ I have two, and they’re the only ones in town that see the road. I saw a shiny Kammaback for sale on the side of the road one day, my old lady said, “Look another Eagle! Let’s save it.” I said, “Nah, that one’s in good shape. Someone will buy that one.” My Eagles would’ve been crushed and turned into Priuses or something if I hadn’t saved them. The second one I literally bought for $200 off the back of a scrapper's tow truck. I know, shameful. It was nice, just needed a gas tank. It even had a new gas tank in the car! I never pulled my wallet out so fast in my life.
Anyway, I’ve been wrenching full time for over 15 years, so I have tools, experience, and knowledge that many could only dream of. Heated shop, two & four post lifts, torch, tire & alignment machines, dial indicators, oil pressure gauge, too much to list. Sadly our Alldata and Mitchell ProDemand service information is very spotty for these machines. A wall of old Motor manuals helps out more. The Eagle's Den has been the most help by far. The list of what I've had to do is too long to even think about, but includes rebuilding rear diff, transmission, transfer case, gearbox, front wheel bearing, and even getting that pesky valve cover to stop leaking.
But that was just the Eagles. I've done a hundred times that on other people's cars. Head gasket on a '31 Model A. Full barn-find resurrections on a '41 Oldsmobile Series 76 and 66 Barracuda. Show-quality handmade brake lines on a Galaxie and a Deville. Brakes tie rods, and body mounts on a 72 Beetle. Exhaust manifolds on an International Scout. Vacuum line delete and odd wiring problems on an '82 CJ7. Fuel tank and carb rebuild on an eye-wateringly pristine 30,000 mile all-original '60 Impala. I could go on all day, these were just some of the fun ones; usually it's Caravans and F-150s all day long. By the way, don't ever buy an F-150.
So on the technical side of things, I hope to be able to contribute to the Eagle community by answering some questions and telling tales of what I have done to my Eagles. I do regret not taking more pictures of what I have done, but because I work on cars all day, I just want to get the durn thing done more often than not. Every job I do must be done when we’re closed and out the door by the time the shop opens for business. Now you know where all my holiday weekends are spent. This makes time and having the correct parts crucial when doing major repairs. And getting the correct parts for an Eagle in the 21st century...
Sorry to ramble on. I know this place isn't exactly teeming with life, and I can't say how regular I'll be around here, but I look forward to being a part of this eclectic group. If you have a question or need help do not hesitate to ask. I do not Facebook or check my e-mail often; a PM might be noticed sooner. Let's keep/get those AMCs rolling!
Topic: Hello Wisconsin! (Read 3286 times)