Our 1982 AMC Eagle SX/4 Sport liftback 2WD/4WD
This shot taken June 14,
2003, and edited to add the missing bumper end caps,
correct driver-side mirror,
fixed broken headlamp bezel, removed scratches from push bar,
re-blackened some windshield
trim and the push bar’s auxiliary lights are falsely lit.
[ Click on this photo for a HUGE, 1024x768 pixels desktop portrait. ]
August 6, 2004: A while back, I swapped the smooth steering wheel’s horn cap for a ’83 version with the faux allen heads styling…cuz it’s cooler looking. See if you agree.
I’ve also included here a nice side-view photo I’ve had lying around, but never posted ‘til now.
April 24, 2004: Installed the ‘new’ stereo unit and a better bezel/surround this week. The stereo operates great considering I can’t hear anything! The car currently has no speakers…and no place in the doors to use them since the new door panels have no grilles or holes for them. This will be remedied soon as I’ll be (arrgh) cutting the panels to install factory grilles. Yes, the panels the car had before were already cut…but they weren’t cut ‘correctly’ and stock grilles would have located to high and forward. Sorry, but I’m anal that way!
I almost totaled the car after putting the radio in. Took it for a little run down the long driveway (it isn't legalized yet...that waits until it's roadable) and right at the end, the brake pedal went to the floor. As the road is a 50mph zone and cars were coming, all I could do was steer sharply right and crossed the side lawn, across the neighbor's front lawn and I just sawed the steering to slow the car enough to slam it into park.
Luckily, no damage to the car...just my nerves. Found the brake fluid is a mess...seems some prior owner added something besides brake fluid to it. The rubber seal on the master cylinder was actually deteriorating into the brake fluid. Naturally, it's going to be towed for a professional flushing of the entire system and replacement of anything suspicious looking.
April 17 & 18, 2004: Six months of lousy weekend weather (and/or other engagements) are over and we finally got to play with cars again this weekend. This one finally got a new rear differential yoke and driveshaft to replace the ones damaged when a universal joint broke. Also, the new & improved driver’s seat was installed.
We then took it for a short drive and found a few issues needing more attetion. The rear air shocks are shot, and the rear springs are sagging enough to arc the wrong way. All must be replaced. The butchered shifter has to go (replacement is on hand). The &%#$$@#!! Plastic valve cover leaks profusely, so I’ll have to get an aluminum cover. And the 4WD switch slides fine and a good vacuum hiss can be heard when switching, but the 4WD system isn’t engaging. Will need to track that issue, too.
Still, it was nice to finally drive that car a few hundred feet. The engine runs beautifully and quietly, and the trans seems solid.
October 19, 2003: Well, the silver 'parts car' SX/4 was bought for $500, picked up and driven home by it's new owner, 2-hours-plus eastward to Long Island. Man, that little bugger runs nice. Too bad the rust is so bad. He's intent on parting it out. Rest in pieces!
Speaking of pieces, my car now has a better driver's seat, both mint door panels, better flares, and other improvements. Pictures to follow..
October 17, 2003: Wow…I hadn't realized it's been three months since I updated this page!
A while ago, I took the steering wheel wrap off because it was poorly installed and looked like doo-doo. Underneath, I found the car had a factory leather-wrapped Rallye wheel in real nice shape! How's that for a nice surprise? I immediately bought a slip-on leather wrap (no lacing) to protect the factory leather from the sun.
Last week I bought another '82 SX/4 as a parts car for $255, and it is supplying many of the smaller items this car needs, including items I hadn't realized needed replacing. The donor car is not being 'parted out', tho. It is receiving the lesser same parts from my car so that it remains a 'complete' car, too. That way, it can be re-sold for another Eagle fan to fix up, while my car gets the better parts 'free', essentially.
Above shots show
the driver's door, before and after the parts swap.
Left: My car wears
the donor's side marker lenses,
bumper end caps
and metal flare upper trim.
Right: The donor
car after today's parts swapping-
a four-cylinder/5spd '82 SX/4.
So far, the following items have been swapped between the two cars:
· Rear bumper end caps (my car had none, but I got a used pair from a fellow AMCer in California a few weeks ago. Those went on the parts car)
· Rear side marker lights (both of mine were cracked badly, the parts car had two clean ones)
· Fender flare metal trim (both rear pieces)
· Headlamp bezels
· Headlamps (all four were new GE Halogens on the parts car…now on my car)
· Front turn signal lenses (mine had lots of those tiny cracks all over the lenses…the parts car's had perfect ones)
· Driver's door interior panel (mine was cut poorly for a speaker… the new one is mint)
· Interior door lock knobs (mine were black plastic…the new ones are chromed plastic)
· Driver's door mirror (mine was replaced with an incorrect chrome unit…the new one is correct black and tight)
· Rear plate light (mine was cracked)
· Liftgate seal (mine had a few cracks…the donor's was excellent)
Note the replaced door
mirror and the excellent headlamp bezels.
All the lights and
lenses up front are new, too.
The auxiliary lights on the push bar are gone, to be replaced by a fresh set of powerful KCs.
Both Eagles sit
next to the '81 Spirit DL (left).
Much more will be swapped tomorrow (Saturday)…more then.
July 18, 2003: Finally got the tires moved to the Jeep wheels, mounted and balanced. Then bought a set of new lug nuts & locks. Cooler weather allowed me to easily mount them up.
The folks at www.edecals.com hooked me up with a set of neat ‘Eagle’ center cap decals- and they arrived the day after I ordered them! That’s service!
I’ve also received a fresh, un-cut pair of door panels to replace the current ones that were butchered for speakers, plus a good rear driveshaft (still waiting for the brackets and bolts to install it). Also got a correct, black driver’s door mirror that needs a little paint work before being installed.
June 24, 2003: Went to work on the car today, but in 90+ degree heat, sitting inside an all-black car, the effort was abandoned after about an hour. Still, in that hour I made some progress. The 80 AMX’s hard headliner is installed along with the 77 Gremlin’s vinyl sun visors. No more droop, sag, tears or pocketing…and no staples holding it all up. The hole at the front of the headliner may receive the odd map light fixture the 80 AMX had there, or I may try to find a way to cover or repair the hole.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
You might notice the sunroof glass is coated by a black vinyl sheet. It may be the clingy stuff or adhesive. I haven’t played with it yet to know. I hope I can get the wrinkles out as it’ll be nice not having the sun blazing into the car all summer long.
I had intended to mount the Jeep wheels and install the radio today, but I’ll be smart and pace myself in the heat. Perhaps the temps will dip just a bit, allowing longer work times later this week. All the looking up while fiberglass dust and my own sweat rolled into my eyes made the one hour seem much longer!
June 19, 2003: Just got home from picking up the five Jeep wheels mentioned below, and will have them on the car perhaps Sunday. They came with four usable Good Year Wrangler tires and a fifth one that is near-new. Also included were the lug nuts and a pair of used driving lights…all for $75. The driving lights were given to a friend.
June 16, 2003: I installed two front bumper end caps that my brother had lying around. The rear pair he had fit only the sedan and wagon, so I still need a pair of the rear SX/4 pieces. I also put on four, correct gray, factory wheel covers (replacing the home-painted black versions). This is a temporary fix, as I still will add the Jeep wheels mentioned earlier. I also replaced the driver-side rear side-marker lens, which was spider-webbed badly. Inside, a good ’80 tilt wheel handle.
June 14, 2003: Today I took another bunch of photos, but only the front shot at the top of the page, and the one below came out sharp. I edited the top one a bit to show the car with several minor repairs it needs.
In that vein, I’ve found, and have coming, the correct driver’s door mirror and
the top-of-the-line Digitally-Tuned AM/FM/Cassette Stereo, both from a fellow in Pennsylvania.
I’ve also got a line on the Jeep wheels I want and will have them shortly.
The photo below was edited to include Jeep steel wheels and correct bumper end caps.
June 12, 2003: I found this car in Bridgeton, in Southern New Jersey near the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and towed it home last night. It was another deal too good to pass up.
The VIN# of 1ACCN5359CK1387xx decodes as follows: 1982 AMC Eagle 2 dr liftback SX/4 MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) Engine: AMC 4.2L (258cid) 2v I6. Trans: 5-speed Manual floor shift. This was the 38,7xx car ordered from the Kenosha WI, USA plant in 1982. This car has DL interior and seatbelts and the check digit is 9.
You’ll note the VIN has a discrepancy in that it indicates a 5-speed manual transmission, yet the car has a 3-speed automatic. The shifter console seems to have a custom-made trim plate (the flat plastic area around the shifter)- this may mean it had the manual-shift insert and thus, the manual trans. The VIN tag and door sticker look totally original. Perhaps a poorly done conversion is a good excuse to drop a Jeep 4.0L drivetrain in it?
Aside from the usual minor dings and such, the body needs little. The window trim and wheel flare trim need to be re-painted flat black. The spoiler has a few nicks along the top edge. The liftback has surface rust spots below the spoiler that need sanding and re-painting. The push-bar needs a re-paint, too. But all the glass is great including the factory sunroof, and the only rust-thru I’ve been able to locate so far is a small hole in the driver’s floor. The factory-installed Ziebart rustproofing has held up well for the last 21 years!
Its factory-installed equipment includes:
· 258cid Inline six cylinder engine with 2-barrel carb. [Starts and runs smoothly…no obvious carb troubles either]
· A904 Automatic Transmission. [Untested as car was bought with rear driveshaft removed due to broken universal joint. It’s possible more is wrong here than meets the eye, as the car was originally a manual transmission car. The conversion may not have gone well, resulting in the driveshaft issue.]
· Power Steering
· Power front disc brakes
· A/C Pkg. (with HD cooling, alternator, parcel shelf, and tinted glass)
· ‘Sport’ black-out trim package
· Rear spoiler
· Front suspension skid plate
· Bodyside scuff moldings
· Bumper guards
· Class I bumper hitch
· Tilt steering column
· Sunroof
· Rally gauge package
· Auxiliary Driving Lights [gone]
· Remote hatch release [inoperable]
· Factory-applied Ziebart rust proofing
The push bar is an add-on that was meant for a large pickup.
Custom bottom brackets were made to mount it to the Eagle’s smaller bumper.
The driver’s door mirror is a replacement for the original black sport mirror, which is missing.
The hitch may or may not be factory installed.
Dash area is mostly good, though the shifter is shot.
The driver’s seat bottom has a bent & broken side rail.
It may be repairable, and the seat will need new foam padding and repairs to the vinyl cover.
I think a very large owner was in this car’s past.
Send me your every
thought!
JohnRosa@JavelinAMX.com