Odie the SX4..a light restoration.

[shanebo]

Hey everybody, just got an early 81 SX4 (does not have select-trac, always in 4x). Its over all in descent shape, but it is 31 years old so it does need some attention in areas. Today I finally got it jacked up and got a good look at the under carriage. I dropped down the side skirts to check the rockers...those look good. I did find a spot on the pass. side by the leaf spring mount where some rust was trying to make a home. a few hours with a wire brush, some naval jelly and a dremel and voila!

[shanebo]

Noticed a little wet spot under the rear axle on the garage floor. The Pumpkin looked pretty caked with grease like the pupkins leaking....I chalked it up to gear oil leaking but when I got under the car I found its got a pretty good gas leak...it appears to be a bad fuel line direcly above the axle...This is certainly going to need immediate attention.

[shanebo]

Odie was a little cross eyed so I replaced the headlight buckets. Also got the front trim touched up this morning as well as replacing the cracked stock grill with a nice Spirit grill I had laying around...The paint turned out a little shotty but the grill looks good...Ill have to touch it up again when the weather is nicer.

[vangremlin]

Looks great Shane! Its nice to have a car that is drivable, so you can do smaller projects like these instead of being faced with doing major tasks that cost a lot of money! Enjoy Odie!

[shanebo]

Im lovin' it Dave...I owe ya one for tipping me off to this car!! It is nice knowing I can jump in it and drive across the state if I want...as soon as I fix that gas line of course...I was using a grinder to fix that surface rust spot on the underside....sparks were flying every where...I didnt notice the gas leak till after i had finished...That could have been problematic...someone was watching over me. If I had alot of extra time I would love to do a more in depth project..Like Ginger was...This is a good weekend project car I can tinker with as I go...I think Ill get it repainted this spring its got a few spots on the pass. side where it must have been in a wreck at some point and the bondo is starting to get some hair line cracks...its got a few hail dents and a small dent on the front fender. I plan on doing the body work myself  and take it to a shop for paint. I may even add some black pin striping around the power buldge...I got time to think about it though, It looks pretty good as it sits so im in no rush.

[Baskinator]

Excellent! I love the color scheme and Spirit grill, but boy I wish my underbody was in as nice a shape as that. Good luck to you, that is a sweet SX/4.

[shanebo]

While trying to trace down the cause of my foglights not working I noticed this burnt up junction block mounted behind the master cylinder on the fire wall. I have no Idea where the wires go to they are in a big harness that runs over to the pasanger side but its do dark to trace them down tonight. The wierd part is all the electrical on the car seems fine and it runs great...The other strange thing is all the extra wires tied into the fuse block...I wondering if its a bypass of some sort for all those burnt up wires.

[shanebo]

n9xvt just posted on my thread in the electrical section...he sent me a picture and his looks just like that too...I went out to the other two eagles I got up here and they look like that too. Upon closer inspection it appears to be a spray on silicone of some sort. Here is the pic he sent me.

[shanebo]

Picked up a lenght of gas hose today to fix the leaky ones. The suns going down and its getting cold so it looks like I wont get it installed tonight. I got an appointment for next week at the local garage to get the fluid changed on the fron and rear diff's. God knows when it was last changed and the rear diff is leaking around the pumpkin so nows as good a time as ever to get all that taken care of. Normally I wold do somthing like this myself but it hasnt got above 20 degrees and time has not been in my side lately Id rather save myself the headache and have someone else do it.

[83Eagle!]

The SX/4 looks great.  Glad you have an Eagle you can just jump into and drive.  I really like the Spirit grille.

[shanebo]

Im really hoping to get it registered and liscenced next week...I drove it around the neighborhood today just cuz I couldnt help myself....I turned up the volume on the stock deck popped in my best of the 80's cassette Ive had since the early 90's and go back in time...I really like to drive through areas that are older that still look the same as they did 30 years ago (although getting harder and harder to find) and Imagine myself back in 81'...it sounds a little crazy I know but I was a kid in the early 80's so I got to see all the stuff going on but I wasnt old enough to really be a part of it....These days Im an 80's nut...I drive 80's cars, listen to 80's music, watch 80's movies and even dress a bit 80's from time to time.

[83Eagle!]

Im really hoping to get it registered and liscenced next week...I drove it around the neighborhood today just cuz I couldnt help myself....I turned up the volume on the stock deck popped in my best of the 80's cassette Ive had since the early 90's and go back in time...I really like to drive through areas that are older that still look the same as they did 30 years ago (although getting harder and harder to find) and Imagine myself back in 81'...it sounds a little crazy I know but I was a kid in the early 80's so I got to see all the stuff going on but I wasnt old enough to really be a part of it....These days Im an 80's nut...I drive 80's cars, listen to 80's music, watch 80's movies and even dress a bit 80's from time to time.

When I first got my Eagle my friend Adam and I were on the hunt for some outfits straight out of "Back to the Future."  We had no luck.  We thought it would be a fun phot op.  There are a few neighborhoods like that around here.  The neighborhood I lived in when I was in elementary and junior high still looks the same as it did then.  In fact there are a couple house that still have the same cars parked out front (One guy has an 80's Chevy C/k and an 80's Charger and Conquest TSI.  The other guy was retired when I knew him and still drives the same old 80's toyota pickup.  It stays outside and looks the same as when I was young.  I want to know how he does that.

[shanebo]

I know, right...There was an old lady up the street from us that had mid 70's Lincoln...the paint was faded and the the vinyl top was trashed but it was solid as I recall....I drive through that neighborhood from time to time and now shes really old...Id say in her 90's and that old lincoln is still out there in the driveway and looks exactly the same...The thing aged quick from the mid seventies to the early 80's but it hasnt aged a day since...It must be related to clark or somthing  I wish my cars would stop aging like that....theres not many neighborhoods that havent been upgraded and remodeled luckily the one I grew up in is virtually unchanged minus a few repainted houses....hopefully it stays that way.

[shanebo]

We all went to my sisters for x-mas. We exchanged little gifts and what not. My sister got my wife a present but she gave me a card that said...in the mail. I had no idea of what it was until today...My sister bought me a set of new/old SX4 decals still in the package off the auction sight...Couldnt be happier cuz Ill be repainting it in the near future.

[vangremlin]

We all went to my sisters for x-mas. We exchanged little gifts and what not. My sister got my wife a present but she gave me a card that said...in the mail. I had no idea of what it was until today...My sister bought me a set of new/old SX4 decals still in the package off the auction sight...Couldnt be happier cuz Ill be repainting it in the near future.

I saw some of those decals on the site yesterday and thought of you.  Eddie Stakes was selling them, he is an Eagle Nest member and a good guy.  And sounds like your sister is alright too!