1981 Sedan Checks In

[hemlokk]

A good looking sedan! If I were in a different position, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands! 

[shanebo]

when I bought my 86 wagon....for under 100$....I had to buy my wife a dog that cost hundreds to shut her up....We had the dog for 6 months when he thought he was a kamakazi piolet and jumped out the window of my wifes car on the freeway....we are dogless once again....this mean I can bring home yet another eagle as long as there is a puppy with a bow riding shotgun!

[El Matador]

A good looking sedan! If I were in a different position, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands!

So when exactly are you coming back?  Chances are I'll have something available for purchase at that time.  Could be this sedan, could be something else.  My '86 wagon might even be on the block, you never know.

[El Matador]

After all these months, I finally have a bit of progress to report.

Shortly after I acquired it, one of our local AMC club members came over and gave the paint job a professional grade facelift.  I was amazed at how the paint bounced back after 30 years of wear and tear.  The only downside was that all of the bumps and bruises the car had accumulated over the years stood out even more against a shiny background.  The part below the black rub strips wasn't touched - it was too far gone to rejuvenate.  That area will simply be painted black.

Other than that bit of attention, this car has sat out behind my garage essentially untouched for the past eight months.  Only in the past week or two have I been able to finally dive into it in any detail, with help from Whuntmore.

The driver's door was sagging badly, and we got that realigned.  I had to replace the body half of the lower hinge, as it was ovaled out pretty good.  Four new bushings were installed, and the whole door had to be shifted back and pivoted upward slightly at the rear so it would close properly again.  This also evened out the panel gaps between the doors and fender.

I knew this car had rust in the rockers, but it's a lot worse than I first suspected.  I've spent a few hours just pulling out bits of rusty metal.  I should have taken a picture of the pile I had on the ground after that session - and that was just after doing most of the passenger side.  The outer rockers are solid for the most part, but the inners succumbed to rust big time.  I would have preferred the other way around.

Mechanically there isn't much to complain about.  When I first drove it home in September, the transmission shuddered when first starting to drive and the brakes were horrendous.  They pulled to the right in a major way when applied.  Both of these problems seem to have rectified themselves over the past few months, although I'll still look at the brakes more closely.  The car needs 5 or 6 minutes of warmup time before it'll move anywhere.  After that, it drives just fine.

I'm aiming to have this one back on the road soon, but we shall see...

[Whuntmore]

you could post some pictures of the rust holes.   

Actually, it's funny but there's more rust on the inner rockers, then the outers.  The outer rockers are really good, but the inners are pretty bad.   EM would need to do some serious welding and patching. 

The nice thing is that it's mostly hidden areas, so that's good.

Otherwise, the car isn't bad at all... it's been neglected for several years, but the thing still starts and moves.   And it doesn't look horrible. 

[BaldEagle]

Any chance you got the name of that magic stuff used on the paint?
I thought about trying some simple polishing compound on my ride.
Nice car!
~E

[Whuntmore]

several 3M products used, can't remember any of them.

[BaldEagle]

Thanks anyway..........I'll try the P.C. in an inconspicuous area, if I can find one that's faded.
~E

[captspillane]

I've had amazing results with a "deoxidizer." Original paint forms a layer of oxidation on itself similar to rust. When its removed there is instant, staggering results. Its not the same thing as wax or polishing compound.

[BaldEagle]

Sweet, sounds like less elbow grease too.
El Matador, that sedan may be a good candidate for an off-road rig because of the rust!?!
~E

[Whuntmore]

It took a phone call and review of some video, but here's what I can find:

3M Perfect it   rubbing compound

there was an 'Endura' product there, but most of them were 3M products that kinda have the same purple containers as this:





This is the best I can do for ya.  Look for products that have similar bottles and lablels.  

[BaldEagle]

I looked it up on the 3m site, and it does look to be part of a system, since it leaves swirl marks behind. I'll probably not invest that much into the paint right now, as mine has bumps and bruises as well.

[El Matador]

I put this car up for sale in August 2012.  I had a few interested parties, but no follow through until September when a guy came out and gave me my full asking price ($650) without hesitation.  He was a younger guy, but was very knowledgeable on the subtle nuances of older vehicles (like carburetors) and had apparently done quite a bit of reconstructive surgery on cars before.

I showed him all of the rust, and was up front about the fact that although the car ran well, it was a project.  He said it wouldn't be a problem, and as he drove off in it I felt good about where it was going.

Apparently I was wrong.  Today I found out through a mutual acquaintance that the car was later scrapped. 

So, the story is over for this one.  All of my efforts were ultimately for nothing. 

[Amc1320]

Sad story el matador

Although we would,like to, we can't save them all, I know where two are now that are sitting in the woods, soon they will go for scrap unless I go get them, problem is I don't have the cash or a place to put them , and I dont really want to lose my wife......

[Whuntmore]

I think the issue is, people get into these cars with good intentions, but quickly get in over their heads.

Extensive bodywork can be very time-consuming, and can over-whelm even the best of us at times.  and If your heart isn't really into the project - people can get put-off, and then opt for an easier project - or a car that has more readily available parts.

I think that's what happened here.  Some guy thought, "yeah, this would be cool to mod out" and then after a few weeks of looking into it, realized just how much work this project would be.

I'm sure this ain't the first time, and it won't be the last.   It's too bad that people who take on projects don't see them thru