should restore my amc 100%?

[james828]

im 17 and im a junior in highschool im getting a job this summer but i am going to focus on school during the year. i know nothing about restoring cars but i really want to learn. my car is in driving shape but thats not good enough, it never is ha. i was just wondering if you think its a good idea to restore my amc? i dont want it to look like when it first came off the factory line i want it to be custom. should i put money into it? and im probably going to spend alot of time at the junk yard.   javascript:void(0);

[DaemonForce]

Let me put it this way, if you're in high school now, more than likely this is your main car or will become such when you finally need it past any thought of selling.

You WILL spend time in the junkyard, you WILL be putting money into it and you will learn more than you wanted to know about your car.

Restoration won't be easy but full restoration isn't going to be possible. The most important stuff that make this a comfortable vehicle(door hinges, seats, sending unit, factory joints) are going to be impossible to replace unless you know exactly how to get them. Vaccuum lines are probably going to be the first menace. The rest will be cake but obnoxiously time consuming.

I'm cleaning the undercarriage, getting ready to prime, repaint, rebuild everything to the perfect mechanical working condition and THEN I'll handle the rest. The priority sounds a little backwards but I'm lazy and tearing down the vehicle for a repair/repaint makes everything far easier. My current goal is to make this car appear and function FAR BETTER than it did when it rolled out of the factory. You probably won't be able to get to that point but after the first try you'll quickly figure out what needs to change.

[james828]

thanks for the advise. maybe "restoring" is the wrong word. i want this car to look like the cars that come off the show "pimp my ride" i know its a lame reference but thats all i can think of at the time. the car wont have any of that pointless crap like a tv,couch, to many speakers, but it will be custom and very unique.

[DaemonForce]

Oh please, it's an American car. It's already unique.

Any mechanic is going to tell you that mechanical functionality comes first but if you look at the steps necessary to make a good car LOOK amazing, you'll realize you have to do a lot of counterintuitive things if you want this to look like a show car. It's not the kind of thing I can explain. You'll just have to do it yourself to understand.

[Sunny]

I'm going to give you some advice, being younger [although quite a bit older than you], and having restored multiple vehicles.

Make sure the vehicle is mechanically sound before you start 'pimping' out your car. A lot of people over look that step, and just right into stereo equip and customizing.
You also need to realize, that these car's aren't something you can sink 10,000$ into and get it back. Most car's you can't, although [knock on wood] I've made money off every car I've fixed up so far.

I feel like a 'pimped' out Eagle would actually depreciate the value of the car. My advice would be any modifications that you make, keep the original items so you could return it to stock if you end up selling it.

If you plan to hold on to this car for a LONG time, I'd slowly restore it, but keep in mind you'll be sinking more than the car's value into it, to get it into show condition [depending on what you start with.] Look around online and you'll see tons of car's that people have customized and sunk 20-30,000$ into and they'll be lucky to get 10K for the car.

Most people who customize/restore car's realize this, but I just wanted to give you a heads up first and make sure you know that.

Other than that, welcome to the hobby. You'll start to learn what you like and what you don't like about certain cars, and you can add to yours and make it personalized to you. Don't worry about what other people think of it, as long as you like it!

[siguy8]

I second everything about sinking money into these things. I bought my first SX/4 when I was around your age for $800, put $2500 into it, then sold it for $1000. Now I'm 23 and I'm slowly repairing another SX/4 that I bought for $2500. I'm taking my time on this one. I'd say you should gradually fix things you need (like engine or drivetrain things), then when you have extra money, start doing the fun stuff. My next step is to fix a leaky radiator (because I need it), but after that I'm putting a roof rack on it (because I want to). You'll have to go along slowly and only put money into it that you don't ever want to see again.

These things are all money pits, but they're awesome.

[rohnk]

Safe first, by that I mean change every rubber hose on the car expecially the fuel lines. Also, change your filters while your at it. Check the brakes and adjust/replace parts as necessary. When in doubt, throw it out! Also, make a friend in a local mechanics shop that will put it on the lift for you to get a good look at all the crucial parts in the suspension.

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the car!

[james828]

thanks for all the advise. i got the car for free so if i sold it now i would make money which is awesome. im really nervous because i dont wanna put my car on a lift and find problems that would cost 10grand to fix. i guess im not going to do anything till i know if the car can hold up. and i have no idea how to find that out. i know nothing about cars. i read a few books ha and ive never taken a class in school. ha im in accounting.javascript:void(0);

[DaemonForce]

i dont wanna put my car on a lift and find problems that would cost 10grand to fix

Fortunately, I can tell you for a fact this is never going to happen.

The most expensive part on the entire car is the transmission. I have two automatics and just got a full rebuild kit today for $150(I'm happy). I'm not sure if I'm able to replace the torque converter but if there's a replacement it will be around $200. Still cheap.

I can rebuild the entire engine with all new parts for less than $900 and everything else is perfect so I'm never going to worry about the rest. Assuming you know exactly what you're doing with this car, you'll likely spend a maximum of $1600 bringing everything to factory mechanical condition. The great thing about these AMCs are that they're cheap to own and cheaper to fix than anything else on the road. My old man hates these cars and thinks they're the worst thing to ever work on. I think they're the easiest. I guess it just depends on who and what you are in order to enjoy these fun little cars. :/

[james828]

my car has been sitting on a colorado farm for 12 or so years. and im looking for one of the guides now. i guess the 10 grand was a bit over the top haha

[james828]

also can anyone tell me where to get a technical service manual ive looked online and saw a few but i want to know if there is a "best" one to get for my 1982 amc eagle wagon?

[Canoe]

Before you go spending a lot of money, you need to determine if the rails are rusted and if so how far. Do a search for rust on the Nest to see where the problem places are so you can check them.

[thereverendbill]

also can anyone tell me where to get a technical service manual ive looked online and saw a few but i want to know if there is a "best" one to get for my 1982 amc eagle wagon?

I have this one.

http://amceaglenest.com/enstore/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=3

agreed, don't waste your money on a chilton/hayes they make better beer coasters than service manuals

[james828]

thanks i gues my first investment is a tsm.

[shanebo]

I usually redo the drive train first, then body, then interior...thats how I go about it. First and foremost, no matter how cool the car looks it never looks very cool broke down on the side of the road....If you want to fully restore it your best bet is go get a secondary ride cuz its next to impossible to fully restore a car when it has to be driven daily.