1980 Eagle Sport STW 258+TF998 "Silver Beast" (from Finland)

[Prafeston]

Those wheels and tires look great!

[eaglefreek]

I had to cut some also when I installed 215/75's and a little more with the 225's. As for RTV, see if you can find a product called The Right Stuff Gasket Maker. IT's far superior to regular RTV.  The price reflects it and you got to work fast. One airplane mechanic told me he puts the Right Stuff on one side, lets it cure, than bolts on the part. I haven't tried this method yet.

[HornetRWB]

Thanks for the feedback mates!

So spent the weekend getting the engine room finished.

The original air cleaner no longer fits, so I invested some 30 euros to a basic model 14" chrome air cleaner. Didn't want the smaller one because it looks funny IMO


And of course the 14" didn't fit.


Zoomed around the original one and noticed that it's also not centered so I took a couple measures and started up the angle grinder..


Then had a mate of mine spotweld it into place, after which I cut out a matching piece of metal...


Which my friend then welded on, the bottom is heavily zinc coated so it was a pain in the @$$, but it went fairly well.


And then back home to clean up the welds and test it out and wow - it fits!


After final cleanup I added some gluey stuff on the other side to stop all possible air leaks. They do sell ready made offset filter bases, but I haven't got enough time or money to go about ordering one and waiting for it to arrive... Thanks to my mate Jope for the welds!


USPS tracking wasn't encouraging about the delivery of the chrome valve cover so I went thru the original one with a wire brush attached to the angle grinder. Both sides, although the backside was so disgusting it mainly gave in to Brakeclean and a couple rags. That was quite the task, but it's done.


And to top it off, three coats of flat black and couple coats of bright black. Nice even coat and then took it in the house to cure over night.


And I DID find that 'The Right Stuff'! What a surprise But yes, I agree - excellent product. Cleaned up the surfaces and put it on the valve cover, popped it back on and tighted the bolts. The Right stuff cured in minutes. Then put the PCV valve to the back and got a cheap aftermarket filter/ventilator to the front hole.  Nice enough.

The finished off the gasoline lines and added a hose to the top front of the carb, just to be sure (not supposedly needed since nothing should come out but...)

Washer and coolant reservoirs added also. Coolant one was quite dirty but didn't have time to clean it more so on it went.


Carb return spring didn't quite cut it anymore, so I swapped that also to a new one. Here's a side view.


And the finished product.


Had the engine run for a while and let the oil out and there was a lot of it...


I let it settle and whirled it around a bit. Only water in the oil is apparent on top in the swirl, but there was a lot of gasoline inside the oilpan. I guess the carb really was toast (along with a couple stuck oil rings). It may also be that one of the PO's added something to the oil to get those oil rings loose (it did the trick, as the car didn't really smoke anymore).

I thought about the head gasket, but decided against it due to the fact that the radiator fluid was clear and pink. Didn't have the pink longlife stuff at home so had to go and pick some up. After refill the top radiator hose was of course leaking so it had to come off and get shortened a bit and turned around + put back on with new fasteners. It's tight now.

Then new filter and 10W40 Valvoline MaxLife. I'll follow up on the oil as I get some miles on the engine.

Oh yes the sun visors were shot.

Or the visors themselves were OK but the 3-screw fasteners were gone. The other one crumbled when I opened the screws and the other one just cracked in 3 places.


So, I got some busted visors from an '65 Rambler American and whadda u know.. Took out the metal clips and poker and tried it on. It's the same. The parts however were a bit rusted and a bit painted white so I cleaned them up and painted them black. Looks ok.

Didn't have time to look at the fenders and the headliner is still off, but I'm starting the process to get the car registered for traffic. Keeping thumbs up the import taxes do not break the bank...

Anyone have pictures of nicely cut fenders??
Or anyone still have any idea what the two metal pipes in the engineroom located by the carb connect to? The other one could be for the rear washer (i also have a rear wiper), and perhaps the other is for the gas tank ventilation.. maybe? I have not had time to go under the car to follow them down...

[carnuck]

When the mechanical fuel pump dies it also floods the motor with gas.

[HornetRWB]

When the mechanical fuel pump dies it also floods the motor with gas.

Aha! That's likely it. The engine has a brand new fuel pump installed by the previous owner. Good catch mate.




Everything is coming back together nicely, first had some minor carb setup adjustments done wiith Kronk's help. Then ran the engine for about 10-15 minutes - letting the oil circulate, engine warm up good (it's likely been at least 10 years since last time) and the engine paint cure itself. The car starts right up, no stalling, no hesitation on throttle, excellent idle, choke works - runs like a brand new car. I can highly recommend Kronk's 2150 Motorcraft setup to everyone that has any carb issues.

My only issue with the engine remains that a couple oil rings in the pistons are likely stuck, so the engine huffs and puffs quite a bit from the breather. Hoping that will solve itself once I get some asphalt in my rear view mirror. Exhaust is also leaking somewhere near the middle of the car, which will need to be addressed before inspection bureau - so still those little things to go thru.

Then on to the front fenders. So I have BFG AT 215/75-15 in the car with Cragar Daytonas which have slightly more backspacing than the basic XJ wheels have (they're sticking out only about 2cm more, umm that's about ½ inch). The setup fits under the car nicely, but as I've read countless times on this forum, they don't turn much.

I opened up the flares from the bottom and noticed passenger side fender is likely from a Concord, it's quite different from the driver's side one - also inner plastic fender has been beat up and then straightened to a new angle previously. The flares on both sides have likely been replaced since they're almost perfect. The hit hasn't been bad due to the fact that the frame and all other metal is dead straight and no repairs are evident. Likely just a minor fenderbender in the front, which also explains the mixed front grille it had. The car has also been repainted (all except roof) now that I look at it in more detail. It's been done at least 20 years ago and done well which is nice to know.

Also the fender braces were a different set, passenger side was 4cm (about 1+ 1/4 inch) shorter which is why the passenger side was sticking to the tire much worse than the drivers side.

So I took up the angle grinder and cut about a 20cm (~8 inches) long and  1cm (~½inch) on top and 5cm (~2inch) on bottom wide strip off the plastic inner fender (there's a bend in the fender right at the spot on both sides), after which  I cut off the the same line on the metal fender matching up both sides. Didn't want to cut the fender flares so I then took a heat gun and let it heat up (moving the gun up and down around the place) until it got wobbly. Then I with thick gloves first straightened the original bend and then made the new one at the line I cut. Then a few screws (thru the bottom - not thru the metal fender) to reinforce the bend. It was getting late and below freezing temps at my garage so it cooled down quite fast and settled nicely.



If it comes to it, I can reverse this change later on since the fender flare wasn't cut at all. I think it turned out really well.





And now I have room to turn the tires also not depending on suspension travel, since the tire turns to the inside of the fender. I'll put in the braces - both the correct length once I have time). Frankly put I wouldn't spot the change if I didn't do it myself.



I will still do a similar cut on the backside of the front fender to make sure the tires do not rub during braking/turning. There is room just barely enough now, but I like to play it safe.



Oh yea, in case you missed the fact on the upper pics - the Eagle is now road legal. Tolls paid and taxation started so I have 3 months temporary plates (stickers) on the car. It may take that long due to the fact that they'll have to come up with a valuation for the car - which is the only one in this country and then I pay taxes based on that. Scary, but I'm keeping fingers crossed they are sensible. My budget would not stretch if the expenses rise to more than a couple hundred euros. We'll see. Before that I'll have to get the car to the inspection bureau so that's ready when the taxation is finished so I can get my real plates then.




And there's still lots to do. I haven't even gotten to the rear of the car yet - other than electrics and new bulbs...

I had a good mate help me out on the test runs and fender trimming, Thanks go out to him!

[shanebo]

As hard as parts are to get in the US I can only imagine how hard it is to find parts over there. Trying to find parts for an AMC must be like the equivalent of trying to find parts to a Tatra here in the states.

[HornetRWB]

Parts are always a hassle, but happily I can get most wearing parts (brakes, suspension, engine) fairly easy locally - they just cost about double to what they do in the States. Oh well, it's a choice I've made years and years ago to keep kicking with these obselete AMCs   

As to my STW, I've been reading the option list and been very surprised on the amount of options in my car....

External
+ Quick Silver Metallic
+ Black pinstripe
+ Dual black remote mirrors
+ 195/75R15 Tiempo steel belted radial BSW tires (gone, but likely)
+ Blackout taillamp paint treatment (other side has been replaced with a chrome one, which will be painted black)
+ Black bumpers with nerf strips (removed front nerf strips though)
+ Blackout grille (now again fully blacked out, was only half there)
+ Blackout lower body moldings with 4x4 graphics
+ Blackout lower moldings including windshield, rear window/liftgate, door frames and B-pillar
+ Sport medallions
+ Roof rack
+ Scuff molding
+ Sport Fog Lamps (they're gone, but electrics/etc were all still there - I am putting them back on)
+ Rear window defogger
+ Rear window wiper/washer
+ High beam halogen headlamps (now updated to 4 x H4)

Interior:
+ Individual reclining seats in St Lauren deep plush fabric
+ Full 18oz carpeting
+ Lockable cargo area stowage compartment (lock was busted, but it's been there)
+ Instrument panel parcel shelf (shelf was gone, but all fasteners are still there, to be replaced with a new one)
+ Cloth sun visors
+ Premium audio system (power amplifier, 4 high fidelity speakers, fader control)
+ Visibility group (remote right/left hand mirrors)
+ Light group (dome-map light, engine compartment light, rear door switches, trunk light, liftgate dome light switch)
+ Convenience group (lighted passenger visor mirror, lights-on buzzer, intermittent windshield wipers)
+ Protection group (F/R nerf strips, door edge guards, F/R floor mats)
+ Tilt steering wheel
+ AM/FM/Cassette stereo radio
+ Luxury woodgrain steering wheel
+ Tachometer
+ Cruise Control

Technical:
+ Cold climate group (engine block heater, HD battery, HD alternator, coolant protection to -34F)
+ Extra duty suspension package (rear sway bar, HD shocks, HD sprints)
+ Front suspension skid plate
+ Automatic load leveling air shocks
+ Medium duty trailer towing package (equalizing hitch, 7connector wiring harness, vehicle to trailer wiring kit, aux transmission oil cooler, 3.54 axle ratio)
+ Protective inner coat
+ Locking gas cap


These I do not have (some replaced by other options)
- Leather-wrapped sport steering wheel
- Light duty trailer towing package
- Durham Plaid fabric seat trim
- Woodgrain bodyside panels
- Tinted glass
- Air conditioning
- Power windows
- Power door locks
- Power deck lid release
- AM/FM/CB stereo radio
- Carpeted cargo area side panels
- Front armrest woodgrain overlays


So basicly only power windows/locks, tinted glass and air conditioning are missing.   Not bad at all.

[eaglefreek]

 I didn't have to touch the front of my fenders for the larger tires    but the rear needed some trimming. I like how you didn't cut the flare.

[HornetRWB]

And trimming completed for rear of the front fender too. Same idea, cut the backside and used a heatgun for the flare. The tires now turn, but they rub a bit in the back - this mainly due to the fact that it was already -5C in the garage so heating the flare was kinda challenging. I will have to get it done once it warms up some 10 degrees over the weekend (at least that's what the forecast now is).

Then I put the headliner back on with all the assorted little and big plastic pieces, along with the side plastics & seat belts (all had to come off to get the headliner off). After this I put the passenger side back corner back together (will sort that out later) and fired up this silver monster. Let it run for some 10 minutes, re-tightened the wheel nuts, checked the engine and everything else for leaks at least several times...

Then off we go - to the nearest gas station!


TF998 shifted 1-2 OK, but third wasn't found. I took it to some 80kmh (55mph?) and third gear kicked in. Stayd in third for several minutes then swapped back to second and I couldn't find third gear the rest of the way there.



Gassed up about 30 liters to keep the risk of leaking fuel tank (didn't leak though) to a minimum and check the trans oil status. It was on 'full-warm' but the oil looked more like 10w30 than ATF by color - didn't smell burned though. Likely it's overdue for a full oil+filter change, which I'll try to get done this weekend. Also looking into the kickdown a bit. Hopefully that'll solve it... If you have other ideas, let me know please.

Other than the trans (and oil ring stuck engine smoking), everything works beautifully. 4WD system and both rears are quiet and work well. The steering is MUCH too sensitive for my taste though, we'll see if I can adjust that a bit later...

But hey, drove it to work today (with a 2 speed automatic...) - scaring off all the brand new volvos and toyotas at the office... 

  !

[HornetRWB]

I drove the Eagle daily over the weekend and went to work yesterday. Also taken care of a lot of smaller details during the evenings.

At a mates house I managed to get under the car in an oil pit and took a look at the annoying exhaust leak. Surprise was positive when the exhaust pipe itself was fine and the leak was from a connector in the middle of the  car. Someone had done a "fine" welding job at it earlier. So an angle grinder and a call (to my wife who was nicely close to a parts store) later I had that covered quite easily. Also the exhaust holder in the middle was pretty much gone so I got that welded into a new clamp, no more rattling.

And I gotta say, this is one quiet car.   While under the car I took out rest of the taxi gear and removed a couple speedo wires completely. Also took a look at the kickdown linkage and I'm sorry to report it works just like it should. So the third gear problem is something else completely.

Strange enough the car works wonderfully if you skip freeways as without a third gear they're a bit too fast. After one of the city trips I took a couple pics outside.







In this one you'll see most of the 'to-do' stuff on the paint, still haven't done much to it other than straighten the moulding as much as I can. It's still quite poor, but now I'm using just 2 screws instead of the 6 there from the previous owner. If I can find a better one, I'll replace it but will do like this too.







I took my time with the interior for Saturday. Cleaned up the headliner and added the dome light after going thru the electrics, bulbs and it's chrome. It's missing the spotlight lenses but other than that it's now OK. In the pic you'll also see the original sunvisors with the '65 American clips/fasteners holding them.



Had a few hours with the dash too, mainly cleaning up electrics under it (related to old taxi stuff). After that I installed the parcel shelf from a '70 Hornet, which fit in nicely after I gave the parking brake pedal some more room to come up (with a heatgun at the shelf itself). It really cleaned up the dash, and while at it I fixed both interior lights behind it. Unfortunately the fittings for them had been cannibalized so I had to play around them a bit and ended up using zip-ties to fasten the plastic bulb holders to the dash. They work nicely now.



Then I went thru the driver's side taillight with a black paint marker, thus making it 'Sport' again and match to the passenger's side one. While at it the plastic between the tallight and the rear bumper started to get to my nerves (faded, cracked, chipped, ugly) and sanded it down, prepaint and put some silver paint on it.



Well that didn't go well, it boiled all over. So redo the prepaint, some white plastic undercoat on it, and then on the silver. Much better, but still boiled in the middle. Oh well, this took more time than I had planned and I had a party to get to so I left it like that for now - it's still a whole lot better than before. Oh ye, I did paint the trailer hitch black while at it.

Front door outside handles didn't work, so I took the door panels out on both sides. A few minute torx tool search later I got both sides out and both were broken the same - the level where the lock stick connects to was separated from the flappy door handle (see pics below). Must be a cheaper cast than the Hornet ones I have, as they typically just break the spring and the handle is intact.



So little brainwork later I took some old '70 Hornet handles apart along with the Eagle ones - matched them up and built a pair of working ones by using the Hornet flappies and all other parts from the Eagle (except the middle stick which holds them together as the Eagle part had detoriated quite badly).



Oh btw, they're externally ALMOST the same, the even surface on that flappy handle on the Hornet is flat and even, on the Eagle it's somewhat textured. Not a big deal, but you'll know it when you see it.



And also the '80s radio antenna I've had on my shelf for some 10 years found a car to attach to. It was surprisingly a bolt-on install. In the pic you'll also see the updated wipers which weren't really bolt-on. I used the wiper and a screwdriver to get rid of the clip-on top part of it, then added the plastic attachments from another set of old fashioned wiper's I found and connected these to the modern ones using the metal rods also in the set. I think I drilled a bit also with the drill, but nothing much. It's been raining a few days now and these work wonders.

Yesterday evening I drove the Eagle to a local specialist and he'll take a look at the transmission (I don't have time, I'm traveling for the next 2 days). Hopefully it's just adjustment and cleaning, but with my luck it needs a complete overhaul. If that's what it is, then it is...  

[vangremlin]

Looking great!  You're really getting after this Eagle and making it a first class machine!

[Prafeston]

Yes, it is looking very nice! The 95+ Cherokee wiper arms fit perfect on an Eagle and have the hook style attachment rather than the stock stab style.

[HornetRWB]

Thanks mates! Doing my best to make it a nice daily  driver.

My chrome valve cover arrived and it is a beauty.    It will have to wait until I get the transmission fixed...  Hopefully getting info on it today...

[HornetRWB]

Just got word from my transmission expert, according to him it's looking surprisingly good (pan was clear, nothing broken, no clutch fuzz in oil or filter, belts looking good, oil doesn't smell burned, etc). It seems evident that the previous owner added engine oil to the transmission, which seems to cause this sort of problems. So I'll try to go ahead with just draining all the old mixed oil (incl. converter and cooler), swap the filter and put in new ATF and then give it a go. Keeping thumbs up that's all it needs. 

I'll get it back on the road today, if third gear is still missing I'll try some Forte transmission treatment on it before giving it back to the shop. I am hopeful that it works...

[carnuck]

I add a can of STP engine oil treatment (or any motor honey) to my auto trans (Rear wheel drive ones) Makes them shift more solid. What was the trans doing? The lockup converter in the first couple years had clutch issues, due to Dexron II fluid. Dex III fixed that problem.