Perkiomen Project Pics

[Mac]

Heh!  Yeah, it has been a couple of years since I posted those pics...
The conversion was completed January 2010..

If you look under your Spirit, you'll see that the "spacer" in that
pic is in fact a channel that runs up over the tranny tunnel!



In Eagles, they ended that channel at the subframe and added a slightly
smaller one just a bit further back...
You can see that on the right of your pic..



How you want to deal with it depends on how much work you want to do..
Assuming that channel is there for stiffening purposes, you might want to
weld the "new" channel to the subframe replicating the factory Eagle layout...
Because I installed subframe connectors, I didn't bother because I figured
I'd more than compensated for any possible flex...
I simply cut the Eagle channel back enough so that it would fit thru the
hole in the Spirit floor. The Spirit's channel got cut off right where I
made the cut in the floor...

Here's a pic of about the same location as your pic above:




But I don't want to hijack your thread with my pics...
Just shoot me an email, and I can send you some more pics...
The driver's side is the tricky side!!  

I guess it's time I start my own project thread, huh?
 

[captspillane]

I have not updated this thread since November because my computer refuses to open photobucket. It’s an internet explorer issue where it downloads the whole thing, then sends an error message and says the site must be aborted. It does it to facebook about half the time and every time to photobucket. I downloaded firefox and it works fine, but once I hover over the area to copy paste the photo links it won't select it properly. There is no point in updating this if I can't post the pictures I have. At this point I have over 100 pictures I intended to post here just piling up. It’s bothersome.

Since I last posted I have purchased a Kammback sight unseen off Clist for 500 dollars. I was amazed to find out that it is one of the most rust free Eagles I’ve ever seen. Last time home I swapped the SR4 for a T5. The entire interior has been switched from abused blue to black. A few weeks prior to finding and jumping on this Kammback, I also bought a severely rusted Kammback from a Nest member. That first one had a beautiful black interior that is now in my rust free car. The manifold had a broken bolt in it that got drilled out and new studs put in place with all new hangars to reinstall the exhaust. The car was sold because the front axle had fallen free and it took some considerable time to repair that. Next week I will return home and make that my daily driver until the red SX4 is complete.

The red SX4 will be back on the road by the end of February. I would have already gotten it done if I had put the time in. I recently met a wonderful young woman who has commanded most of my time. It has been a few months since I’ve had an Eagle as a daily driver and the Kammback is a very well appreciated addition to my fleet.

[68AMXGOPAC]

A CJ7 leaf spring is the exact same width and sleeve diameter, but a stock CJ7 shackle is an inch shorter than the stock Eagle shackle. I used a greaseable CJ7 shackle from ebay advertised to lift a Jeep 1.5 inches. It worked out perfectly because the half inch pedastal in the unibody was eliminated when I drove my shackles through the floor. I suggest looking for a 1 inch lift version for yours. The reinforced shackle eyes are for a CJ7 too. The radiator I took out of the white SX4 was brand new when I bought my Spirit a few years ago. I can set you up with that one if you can't afford the aluminum one just yet.

The harbor freight dollies worked better than I expected, it was easy to push it over myself.

Just reading this so a bit behind - congrats on your acconplishments of course.
comment on those dollies - I bought a set of 4 to move my AMX around the shop in the winter , one of the wheels snapped off on the first roll- arghhhhh !!

[Prafeston]

captspillane,

You should be able to click on the photo you want to get the link for and when you go the page containing that photo the links to copy will all be on the right side of the photo. The hovering method when you are in the album view isn't the only way to copy that direct link. Hope you can get some pictures up. I look forward to seeing these Kammbacks!

[captspillane]

Victory! My computer is still messed up but our company computer here on the barge finally got fixed and it works now. I'll be catching up over the next week using that. By the way, even if you click on the picture the window on the right doesn't show the entire link and firefox still didn't let me select it manually or let me scroll to see the whole link.

Here is the new Kammback as it sat when I purchased it. I drove it home, so I had some work ahead of me to make it roadworthy. The engine is bizarre, because it is a 1978 Iron Duke from a Chevy Monza. It has a different head and block casting with the distributor further back, intake and exhaust on the same side, and a different carb. It is otherwise a direct bolt in replacement for the '79 to '80 style Iron Duke that AMC bought the tooling for. This engine was overbored and rebuilt in 1995. At first I had no idea what I was looking at since it was so different visually from either the original Iron Duke or an AMC 150. Thankfully it came with a tin full of reciepts and documentation that told me when and what had been done to the car.

[captspillane]

I would have more pictures loaded if I wasn't limited to a whopping 8 kb/sec. I think dial up would be an upgrade if it was an option. The first thing I did to the Kammback once I got it home was switch the SR4 for a T5. The Kammback's 3.54 gears match the T5 perfectly, but it’s really the weakness of the shift lever that demands that it be changed immediately. The first picture shows the gear shift lever of the SR4 in comparison to the T5 lever. You'll notice the heavy notch out of one side. To separate first from reverse that notch slides under the block visible below the mounting plate in the second picture. You can also see a spring built into the base of the SR4 shift lever that is meant to be depressed before going into reverse. An '83 VW Quantum is the only other car I've ever encountered that you're supposed to push down on the lever to go into reverse, so most people stress the shift lever terribly by forcing the notch against the block in a way it’s not designed to be and which there isn't enough material remaining to last long. I've broken 6 of them already and encountered several other broken ones in the junkyard.

The next several photos show the old SR4 next to a T5. You'll notice that they are very similar and obviously designed to be a direct interchangeable unit. I'll elaborate further in a new thread under the transmission categories, but here are some things to notice about these photos. First the SR4 has a slightly different support on the side with through bolts instead of threaded bolts on the T5. They use the same support along the side of the transmission up to the bellhousing, but the piece that the support bolts to is different because there is a prominent bulge on the side of the T5. The driver’s side support is the same from T5 to SR4. That bulge happens to be the only way to tell a T4 from a T5 since the bulge is there to house the additional overdrive gear. The SR4 version is the same from left to right and it bridges both bolt holes instead of only one hole.

[captspillane]

I purchased a few interesting things recently. First is the list of stuff I got from an evil online auction site. I got a pair of black polyurethane 258 motor mounts for 52.85. I got a double roller timing set for 148.19. For 25.99 I got a full set of polyurethane strut rod bushings. I like them considerably more than the usual replacement sets. I’ve never had squeaking issue with poly bushings if I coat them with never seize before installing them. For an amazing 88.95 I got a stainless steel exhaust manifold. My Spirit had this exact same one when I got it. The gasket it comes with was severely cracked from heat exposure. I like the manifold alot and am amazed at how cheap it was, but I know better than to use that junk gasket it comes with. As cheap as it is it won't rust and it has the baffles to prevent it from cracking like an original 4.0 manifold. All prices mentioned included the cost of shipping.

I also picked up the Garnett interior recently from "Woodenbirdofprey" here on the nest. It’s always a pleasure meeting fellow AMC Eagle owners. Here are two pictures of my Jeep Rubicon. Believe it or not, I fit the entire interior into my Jeep Unlimited. I also bought a Scout Terra recently. That’s the truck style half cab that I plan on putting on my Scout Traveler. The last picture shows the Scout Traveler, which is my current daily driver. It will replace my Jeep Scrambler once it has the Terra top. I’m using the Scouts to provide the SD33T diesel motor I’m installing into an Eagle.

[Baskinator]

Holy cow, I didn't know you got the Terra! That looks like such an awesome project, wish I could afford to own and fix up one of those, in addition to my SX/4. Unfortunately, I think my Eagle will have to wait patiently until summer time when I am home again to work on it and have more money saved. It's nestled safely under the car port with a nice new cover I got for Xmas.

I did however acquire a new car over break, which will get me around where I need to go. Maybe I can stop over and help with some of your projects if ever I'm home for the weekends. You should send me your updated work schedule so I can let you know when I'm around.

[captspillane]

I installed a NP242 into my Red SX4 with this rear driveshaft. I've driven it for several years this way and there are no noticeable vibrations or problems. I found out that the XJ slip yoke is directly compatible with the stock eagle universal joints. It pops right off the junkyard shaft and directly onto the original Eagle driveshaft. You can't drive it this way until you disable the original slip joint, however, or the driveshaft will slide right out the back of the transfer case. I initially used two split PVC pipe halves held on by four hose clamps to figure out how much pipe I needed to add. I then found a piece of old steel handrail that had the perfect inner and outer diameter to slide perfectly and snuggly into place.

[captspillane]

Here are your options to change your speedometer. In newer fuel injected Jeeps the speedometer works off an electric speed sensor. On the Eagle it works mechanically.

I just found my new MPI (Multi Port Fuel Injection) speed sensor on the evil bay for 28.03 (buy it now, more than 10 available, free shipping). In comparision Autozone wants 70 dollars and Hesco wants 122. Helpful search terms to find what you want include the words "new" "speed" "sensor" "transmission" "vehicle" "Dodge" and "Dakota".

The same one was used on 88-93 Dodge Dakotas as well as 91 to 93 YJ's. The Speed Sensor has an input and an output. It screws into the CJ style transfer case adaptor that is also used in a 1992 XJ. The XJ speed sensor is nearly identical except that it doesn't have the threads and hole for the mechanical speedometer.

The first picture shows the YJ speed sensor I'm talking about. The second pic, in the middle, shows the 92 XJ version that does not have the hole or threads in the center (to be honest it shows a Dodge speed sensor that’s nearly identical). Later XJ’s replaced this two piece design with a one piece electronic only design. The fourth picture shows the entire two piece design that gets installed into your transfer case.

Option 1: Mount it directly on the back of your Speedo using a brass adaptor to go from tiny threads to big threads. It’s tight but this keeps everything else stock. “Tougeagle” used this method in his popular write-up.

Option 2: Mount it on the firewall, have original speedo cable go to it, then an International Scout upper speedometer cable which is only about 2 feet long go from that to your speedo cluster. Scouts had some doohicky on the firewall that interrupted the speedo cable just like this does.

Option 3: Get a common 92 XJ adaptor that plugs into the side of the transfer case. You'll need that piece from a junkyard. Thread this 91 YJ speed sensor into it. Get a 91 YJ mechanical speedo cable (threaded at both ends) to go from your dash to the speed sensor on your transfer case.

Option 4: Combine option 2 and 3. This is my choice and my recommendation. You use a YJ mechanical speedometer cable instead of the original Eagle Speedometer cable. Screw one end of the speedo cable directly into the XJ transfer case adaptor and the other end into the speed sensor mounted in a convenient spot under the hood. I’ll have the short Scout cable to go from the speed sensor to my dash. This keeps all electronic junk organized inside the hood.

Option 5: Eliminate the mechanical speedometer totally by modifying an XJ speedo to fit into the Eagle dash. I included a picture of the dash I’m making for my main car with an XJ tachometer and Speedo.

The last three options are the best in my opinion because you can just unscrew the speedo cable and leave the transfer case fluid alone if you’re just removing the transmission to work on something else. It’s a mess to deal with popping that stupid integrated speedo cable out of the transfer case all the time. All Jeep transfer cases are interchangeable if you upgrade later, so you’ll only have to buy these parts once.

The last picture shows a 242 transfer case. The threads are visible along the slip yoke housing. That's where you'll find the internal adaptor you need from a junkyard. The speed sensor that screws into it and the different size gears are all available new. All early XJ's had these but eventually they went to the one piece electronic only design. A CJ Dana 300 piece is supposed to be the same, but I haven't confirmed this. I just know all the new process transfer cases are interchangeable speedometer adaptors.

[captspillane]

Here's the modification I do to all my Eagles. This allows you to install stock Cherokee 235/75R15 tires without making any visible changes to the exterior of the vehicle. First picture shows my Red SX4 with those tires but without the fender flares on. It had the fender flares, louvers, and brushgaurd on it for years this way but for some reason this is the only picture I have.

No changes need to be made to the rear wheel wells. My SX4 in the first picture has new rear leaf springs and shocks with a coil spring built into them for extra stiffness.

The second and third picture shows the front of the passenger side wheel well. All you have to do there is reduce the thickness of the rubber flare and trim the very inner corner back to the metal fender support. On one Eagle the tire just barely rubbed the fender support, so I had to drill a new hole and move it up an inch along the fender.

The next series of pics show the rear of the fender well. First is how it looks before I start. Next shows the first slice I make. The next pic shows the second slice I make into the plastic inner fender cover. You can use tin snips to finish the slice because the plastic is very soft. The next shows the slice I make into the metal of the rocker panel. I next cut off the very end where two thicknesses of metal are spot welded together. That's shown in another picture. Once the double thickness part is gone, you can use pliers to neatly fold the metal back to give the finished edge. None of the metal modified has any effect on the strength of the rocker panel. I did the whole modification with the fender flare pulled away, but not totally removed.

[captspillane]

[captspillane]

I've been working over alot recently, which means I've spent much more time at sea than home. The only thing I accomplished recently is the revamp of my garage. My Eagles are airborne! I now have my two former daily drivers suspended in the air. Both of them are being worked on together. When I finally get home this week I will be painting the underside of both of them. I will paint them together but then focus on one at a time so that I can finally have my beloved red SX4 back as my primary daily driver. I have been without an SX4 to drive since June.

[Prafeston]

That's impressive. Wish I had a garage I could just park a cat in!

[captspillane]

For those with good eyes they will see that I used 4 ton Come-alongs initially. It worked great lifting the white one because that doesn't have its hatch or doors attached. When it came time to lift the red one, which is much heavier because the doors and liftgate are still on it, they did not hold up. A Come-along is intended for horizontal loads only. I had to break down and buy chainfalls. The chainfalls work much much better. They can be operated from the ground, they are stronger, and they are considerably less effort with more control.

All of the chains and hardware I used are individually rated to 2,000 pounds or more. I lift the vehicle from two points, front and rear. I use shortened ratchet straps to balance the vehicle and keep it from flipping over while its being lifted. Once the vehicle is at the desired height I have a totally independent set of 4 ton ratchet straps. I do not walk underneath the vehicle until it is properly supported at all four corners with the safety straps as well as the two main lifting points. I spent over $1000 in hardware to create the four airborne parking spots safe enough to park below or stand underneath to paint.

The garage was built with crazy huge I beams that the builder got for free. He intended to build a second story back in the '70s when the garage was built. They do not blink an eye to the weight. I have room for four Eagles to be stored in the air as well as room for 5 more to be parked underneath them. My garage is now a true "Eagle's Nest."