My New Ride...

[Crandall1]

Hey, guys:

Joined the club and bought an Eagle today. I've been lurking for a while. This one came up on Craig's List here in Phoenix for $700, and after some advice from you guys I went ahead and bought it.



It's an '82 w/ 6 cylinder. Other than cosmetic issues, and the water pump issue that is talked about in the Coolant section, it is in apparently good-to-go shape. I was able to drive it home 30 miles on Phoenix surface streets with the heater blasting, which is no doubt something I'll laugh about later, but right now I'm seeing phantom lizards in my peripheral vision.

First order of business aside from the water pump: the driver's side mirror is broken (actually snapped at the point where the arm joins the mirror housing) so that needs to be replaced. The doors don't open from the outside, so I have to open them up and see what's wrong there.

After that, a new coat of paint and some body work (there is a small ding in the driver's side front fender), limousine tint (this is Phoenix, after all), a mild lift, and some 30" all-terrains. After that, we'll see about this hideous interior.

Anyhow, thanks for making this great community resource. I will no doubt be pestering you guys with questions for the foreseeable future.

[Crandall1]

Oh, and I need a new windshield as well.

Is there a junkyard or parts resource in Phoenix that you guys know about? Or someone here that might have a windshield and driver's side mirror that is within driving distance?

[rollguy]

Welcome, and it looks like you got a great deal.    This is the best place on the internet for info on the care and feeding of Eagles.   How about another egg for your efforts!

[vangremlin]

Welcome and a fried egg to you for driving with the heater on in July.  I'm sure you'll laugh about that someday, I already am     

[jim]

Congrats.  New windshields are available.

[1988eagle]

Super cool.  Have fun!

[shanebo]

Eggs for toughing it out through miles of sweltering pheonix heat with the heater on.  ...And Eggs for a great save.

An 87 wagon I owned several years back was stuck on  the "cold" setting and then the fan got stuck on full blast a few months later. It made for one miserable winter in the Colorado Rockies. These cars will make even the softest guy tuff as nails 

[83Eagle!]

Looks like a solid Eagle.  Good luck with it.  I think there is another member in Pheonix, IIRC.

[Crandall1]

Thanks to all for eggs and well-wishes.

The water pump is now replaced, and it is running strong. The list of things to replace makes me think I should have spent the money on a better founded one, but in for a penny, in for a pound, I guess. Or several pounds, as the case may be.

1. Aircon. Everything seems to be working correctly. I can hear the machinery kicking on when I turn on the AC. But the air that comes out is... uh... hot. To put it mildly. Could this be as simple as a recharge? Something tells me a simple recharge won't be so simple.

2. Windshield. We have zero deductible glass in AZ, so you can pretty much guess what I'm gonna do there. It's an obvious rock strike that has spiderwebbed, so just a waiting game.

3. The interior. It's pretty tragic. Very sun-faded, and it smells like grandma's ashtray. I'm a smoker, and it bothers me, and that's saying something.

4. The exterior. Sadness and despair ensue. There are a lot of little dings, and a touch of crumple on the driver's front fender. Also, the... what are they called? Under the plastic skirt, directly under the driver and passenger front doors, there's some rust. Only the piece of sheet metal that hangs down, not the "beam" part. That seems clean. Not sure what to do about this. I was going to remove all the skirts like the War Wagon (which is my general inspiration overall) but even if I get out the grinder and take off all the rust, this'll look pretty tragic.

5. It has the plastic valve cover, so this needs to be replaced.

That's it for the obvious stuff. As for what I'm gonna _do_ to it, 2" lift so I can run 30" tires on it. I'm going to keep the factory rims and paint them black, as on the War Wagon. The previous owner did a home window tinting job that is really bad, so that has to be replaced with pro work. Paint it black. Etc. I believe I'm going to do a more solid bumper solution as well, but that's down the road a bit. All things in time. Lifting is next, as the tires are not currently in a state I trust. Once I've got new rubber on it, it'll be drivable, at which point I will no doubt discover many other things drastically wrong with it. ;-)

[Crandall1]

Whoops. Just read eaglefreek's comment in my suspension thread. Strike the 30" tire idea.

[Gil-SX4]

First thing change the valve cover.
A/C will need to be check for leaks, if there are no leaks and the compressor and clutch work OK then you will only need to recharge the system but I recommend making the conversion to R134 gas.

[68AMXGOPAC]

On the AC, you could also make sure your heater valve isn't stuck open or broken.They are known to let water flow through the heater core when they have issues, and I think most are vacumm operated.

[Gil-SX4]

Yup that heater valve could be a problem. AMC Eagles have a heater that works a lot more bettern then need it for the vehicle. Some members have made the comment that they don't even need to turn on there heater in the winter time. If I remember correct IowaEagle had a post on how the fix the original heater valve.

[doneagle]

         HI    Welcome to the nest ....and good save on that nice looking eagle ....and a egg to .....enjoy .....Don

[Prafeston]

Great price for a nice looking Eagle. Hope the project is coming along nicely!