My First Car: A 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon Limited

[EagleJoe93]

Received the AMC Spirit AMX Parts today as well as a speaker cover from jim. Also got a new gasket so the aluminum valve cover is on now. Here are some photo's of what I got. Thank you to everyone on here I got the parts from.

A lower drivers side door hinge from GreatcarSX4

A speaker cover from jim

Some clear turn signals from sds

A set of front fender flares with trim pieces from ANT85MAR

Here are the parts off that 1979 AMC Spirit AMX I got from the auction place. If anyone knows what some of this stuff is let me know. I don't recognize some of this stuff.

Here is the reason I got it. Hood release cable with unbroken knob!!!

[EagleJoe93]

Just an update. Finished installing new brakes all around last weekend. That was the last major repair job on the car. Now all that needs to be done to get it back on the road is to do some carb tuning and working out some more emission lines. There is still more to do (sagging headliner, aligning headlights, fix a dent, body touch up, etc) but it will at least be drivable. Me and my dad will try to finish it up this weekend. It is actually approaching a whole year that I've had this eagle. I'll be happy to hopefully have the eagle drivable before that date and in time for the spring semester.

Speaking of college, I got straight A's last semester. 

[greymarooneightytwo]

If you didn't already know, the instrument cluster on the floor near the shift knob was an option; beautiful bird!

[EagleJoe93]

Thank you. I have never seen one this nice with the options it has anywhere else. I knew the gauges were an option, and according to the sales brochure, the tach was also part of that package.

[TheWraith]

...
Speaking of college, I got straight A's last semester. 

Congrats.  Keep up the good work.  Maybe land a scholarship to grad school??

[EagleJoe93]

Congrats.  Keep up the good work.  Maybe land a scholarship to grad school??

Actually, I already have one that pays for tuition.  And if I graduate with a 3.5 or higher; I can get the same thing for a four year school. The money we are saving will help with paying NJ teen boy insurance prices......

[EagleJoe93]

So today I had my first Pick n Pull experience. I found out that one of my local yards actually would allow you to pull your own parts. So me and Dad went over there today and this is what we got.

4.0 Head with rocker arm cover, exhaust and intake manifolds, push rods, and hardware from a 1992 Jeep 4.0

Overhead console from a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.

I also plan on getting a new oil pan and cargo cover from a member on here.

Question about the console. Does anyone know what I need to get the temperature and compass display working? I couldn't figure out if the sensor or whatever it is was in the console or was somewhere else in the Jeep.

I'll try to get pictures of my finds sometime or another. Have not been able to do much of anything with my Eagle from either being sick, too busy, or bad weather.

[vangremlin]

Question about the console. Does anyone know what I need to get the temperature and compass display working? I couldn't figure out if the sensor or whatever it is was in the console or was somewhere else in the Jeep.

Greymarooneightytwo figured out how to get the temp and compass working.  He gives details in his March 1 post on Page 72 of this thread:

http://forums.amceaglenest.com/index.php?topic=36180.msg327261#msg327261

Sounds like you got some good stuff at the yard!!

[EagleJoe93]

I did. I got everything I need for a 4.0 head swap from a 1992 block. So it looks like there was a sensor I was supposed to grab from the Jeep?

[greymarooneightytwo]

Yeah, there should have been a temp sensor on the front pillar near the radiator somewhere, likely... I ended up scavenging a usable part but it's not ideal; it's a few degrees off.

I really need to do a writeup on the process with some pictures to go along with, I'll try to tackle that in the next few days... but suffice it to say I removed the lights from the computer, bypassed the crazy "logic circuit" that was apparently controlling them, disabled the click switches and added one that controlled them all for simplicity, and then wired in the dash knob and door ajar as well.

Good luck, I'm happy with it!

[EagleJoe93]

Thanks. Maybe I'll go back to the Jeep and get it. A write up would be a great addition to the nest for people like me that want to do this. All I want is the compass and temperature displayed. I don't need all that other stuff.

[greymarooneightytwo]

That's good, because I don't know a way to get that other stuff working (it's actually got a lot of features) without obdII and the Grand Cherokee ECU/ECM... if someone happened to be doing a 4.0 swap I bet they could do it.

Otherwise, the compass is built-in to the computer so you just need a switched 12v line and a sensor for the temp

Luckily, the temp and compass happen to display at the same time


(Chrysler made a similar overhead console for their vans, pictured above because the display is similar)

[EagleJoe93]

That looks a lot like the one in our Grand Caravan. So the sensor is located near the radiator? What does it look like? Should I pull any wires from the Jeep as well?

[greymarooneightytwo]

The wires are just wires, so pulling just the sensor is easiest... I'm not absolutely positive, and it could vary by year and model, but the sensor may be located on a pillar in front of the radiator..

http://www.wjjeeps.com/ambient.htm

[EagleJoe93]

Went back to the junkyard today and got the temperature sensor from the Jeep and also got the plugs for the overhead console as well in case I need them. Also got a new parking brake cable from Advance Auto.