It's time to let my Eagle wagon fly away to someone else who can give her the attention she deserves.
The car is a 1984 Eagle 'Sport' wagon, with the relatively rare 5-speed tranny. I bought it via Ebay in 2012 from a farmer in Idaho who used it as a farm truck. I have the original window sticker, build sheet from AMC Canada, and sales receipt ($12,616 !) from the original owner. I believe it spent its whole life in Idaho, where they don't salt the roads. I bought it on a Ebay auction sight unseen and unexamined, and was very happy to discover that it had no significant rust.
If you search the Den for my posts, you'll get a pretty good idea of what I worked on, because the Den was my constant guide. I will try to be brutally honest in this lengthy description:
The suspension and undercarriage are in good condition. The engine runs great, and the 5-speed shifts smoothly. The rest of the drivetrain is solid. I have 'hard-wired' it into AWD mode (clamp on the front, wire on the transfer case lever to lock it engaged). I removed the dash control for switching between modes, but I kept it and it could be re-installed if desired. It was working when I removed it.
The body had a little surface rust when I bought it that I cleaned and primered. Since then, a little new surface rust has appeared on the hood only. No sign of any bodywork or damage repair. I removed the chrome strips on the roof (to fix some leaks), but I kept them and they could be re-installed. The hood also has a crease side-to-side, right past the hinge position. It looks like the hood hinges got so rusty and hard to move that somebody actually bent the hood a little bit pulling it down from the open position. I've fixed the hinges but the bend is still visible, though the hood closes and latches fine. The doors all close and lock, but the driver's door won't stay open.
The interior is a mixed bag. I have custom seat covers for the front, and bought extra yards of the material and made a very plush matching headliner out of it. I bought more of this material to do the door panels, and will include it in the sale. The rear seats are in the original blue fabric and in good shape. I've removed the radio but still have it. There are small cracks and chips in the dash in a few places. The interior plastic is cracked and chipped several places. The carpet is HAZMAT worthy and has 30+ years of Idaho soil ground into it. However, I have a beautiful deep blue new carpet ready to install (see below).
The GoodUpgrades:- Flimsy original plastic valve cover replaced with finned aluminum model, painted Ford blue
- Carb idle tubes modified (enlarged) as per service bulletin
- All engine, tranny and diff lubricants replaced with Royal Purple equivalents.
- 'Big Cap' ignition upgrade:
- Distributor adapter to use oversize cap, which allows...
- Upgraded higher voltage ignition coil and wires
- Wheels/Tires: General G-Max AS-03 tires (235/55ZR-17) tires on 17x7 'Thrashstar' wheels. The circumference is within an inch of my originals (215/70-15s), and the tire/wheel weight is 49 lbs., just 4 pounds more than my originals. Much larger contact patch than stock wheel/tires.
https://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=42205.msg327762#msg327762- Custom headliner made to match front seat covers
https://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=45734.msg354300#msg354300- Headlights converted to use headlight relays (instead of running full current through headlight switch in dash)
https://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=44023.msg343099#msg343099- All exterior lights replaced with brighter LED bulbs
- Badass hood ornament. Note: eyes light up when ignition is on. Kids love this....
https://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=44158.msg343676#msg343676- Beautiful plush blue carpet (never installed)
Other new parts with less than 100 miles on them:- Brakes: rotors, pads, flex lines, shoes, etc.
- Fuel pump
- Clutch cylinders (master and slave)
- Oversize battery
- Both front CV axles replaced less than 500 miles ago
The BadThe passenger-side rear hatch hinge is shot: the threaded holes used by the hatch bolts are stripped out. It is completely secure when closed, but opening it is an adventure. It also leaks in heavy rain, because the hinge is not being pulled tightly against the hatch.
If the car is left dormant for more than 30 hours or so, the carb will be drained of gas and require endless cranking to fill it before car will start. I either start it every day, or prime it wih a little gas poured directly in the carb. I have never been able to figure this problem out.
While the tires are in great shape, the valves stems are cracked and will need to be replaced soon.
There is a crack in the windshield on the passenger side. Had it when I bought the car, and hasn't gotten any worse in the last 10 years.
Chase down any of the linked posts in the section above to see pictures of the wagon; it looks about the same now.
I'm asking $
2500 $1250 OBO. I have the Texas title in hand. Since I'm not driving it any more, I let the Texas registration expire in April. Should have no problems passing a safety inspection. The car is in Sugar Land, TX.
John Bendiksen
Topic: SOLD! 1984 5-speed Wagon for sale: $1250 (Read 3027 times)