1985 AMC Eagle wagon build

[The Dark Side of Will]

Haven't done the axle swap yet, but I did drive the car around for a few days during the last snow storm. It's already unstoppable, but being me, I have to make it moreso.

To pass inspection, it needs a new tailpipe (procured) and repair of an exhaust leak near the engine. It probably needs to questionable aiming parts for the headlights replaced. The tailpipe will be easy to do if I do it while swapping in the D44.

To be driveable, it needs a new clutch MC. Those are on manufacturer's closeout from RockAuto. I snagged one, a clutch SC and two rebuild kits for each. Replacing the MC looks like it'll be an absolute whore of a job, but may be easier if I disassemble the exhaust, which I need to do anyway to repair the forward leak, and remove the diff, which I need to do to install the 3.54.

Once the 3.54 diffs are installed, I can use the speedometer gear from a 2.35 car and have the speedometer read 50% high I'm thinking about doing this and taking a picture of the speedometer at 100 using this method... as there's certainly no other method with wheels on the pavement to get that picture.

[Atilla the Fun]

Update?

[The Dark Side of Will]

Negative ghost rider.

Work + grad school + Navy Reserve duties don't leave much time for cars.

Will likely have time from the last week of April through end of May to work on cars.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I did just notice last weekend that the D44 shock mounts are on opposite sides compared to the Eagle shock mounts. D-oh!

I think I'll pirate the shock mounts from a spare Eagle axle and have them welded onto the D44 just so I can have dual shocks in the future. Off roadzor pimp, j0!

[Atilla the Fun]

Quad shocks! Baja 1000! Carnage! Yes! Go!
Maybe the answer is to trade the D44 for a D80 from an F350

[The Dark Side of Will]

Weld-on shock mounts:
http://www.tellico4x4.com/product_info. ... s_id/19237



At $33 each, is it worth $75 including shipping to indulge my dad's fantasy that he actually *needs* a spare Eagle axle for, well, *anything*?

[The Dark Side of Will]

Went ahead and ordered them. It will save me the time of A) digging a spare axle out and B) cutting its shock mounts off.

Quad shocks! Baja 1000! Carnage! Yes! Go!
Maybe the answer is to trade the D44 for a D80 from an F350

Clearly I'm going for the quad shocks. The D44 will be just fine for my purposes, though. This is not a super-crawler with a BBC and a 120:1 crawl ratio. It doesn't need ridiculously strong axles.

[The Dark Side of Will]

So I finally got around to thoroughly inspecting the chassis...

The right side frame horn is trash... rusted away. The car is unit body. This is the structural member that goes from the engine compartment back under the passenger side floor pan.

Also, the right side rocker panel is simply *GONE*. I didn't see it earlier because there's a urethane "sheath" that covers it... similar to a side skirt, but it's so high off the ground that it really isn't a side skirt.

So I paid $500 for an Eagle stickshift swap kit...

[Atilla the Fun]

Would it not be cheaper and easier to fix this shell, the wrong way, of course, than find a whole 'nother body, with no rust? Seems like you'd just be fabbing a pair of subframe connectors, with one of them extra long.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Not really... Eagles are cheap. My dad has one in the back yard that he's been keeping for a spare that he's said I could take over.
Repairing all that frame damage would be a big deal. I'd rather just bolt the stick parts into another body.

First snow-fall around here last week has gotten me back to wanting to do this project.

[Atilla the Fun]

Yeah, I'm starting to insulate half of my garage so I can keep going. Now wishing I'd started sooner. Having a running engine ready to drop in place of the mockup engine is motivating. And I'm not referring to my pickups or my Trans Am.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Got the replacement Eagle to fire this weekend. It's an autotragic car my dad has had in the back yard for a while. It needs a new radiator.

I've had an extra transmission in the shed since just after I bought the blue car. Also had the rare output gear for the 0.62 fifth. Should be able to get the countergear for the tall fifth on order this week.

Tall fifth + reseal the T-case adapter + 2 speed T-case should be doable soon.
The extra trans came with an AMC bellhousing.

So for my purposes I only have to pull the skid plates, trans, T-case, front diff, flywheel/clutch and pedal box out of the blue Eagle. I'll pull and ditch the autotragic out of the bronze car and convert it to stick using the spare trans with the tall 5th + the 2 speed T-case. Once that's on the road and ready for winter, I'll prep/install the D44 and 3.54 front end.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Dam, I sound like Atilla.

[CincinnatiFiero]

Did you scrap the eagle weeks ago but are holding onto that nugget of info for dramatic effect?

[Atilla the Fun]

Dam, I sound like Atilla.

Congrats! Seriously. Way to share the relevant information!
S0, 3.54:1 x 0.62:1, and let's hope you can fit 225/45R17s up front and 255/40R17s out back, at 25" diameter, gives 1770 at 60. That's decent. It's enough for a moderate cam, certainly. And MPG in the mid-20s.

[The Dark Side of Will]

The car has 0.81 fifth with 2.73's stock. The 0.62 and 3.54's will give it the same top gear overall ratio.
I'm not sure if the Eagle transmissions have the right counter gear ratio to get the 0.62 fifth, however.
I'll know when I pull the T-case adapter to swap out the 5th gear and can count teeth on the factory installed gearset.
Stock tire size is (I think) 215/70-15.

[Atilla the Fun]

Why change the gearing? 2.73s are stronger than 3.54s, for torque capacity of the R&P, and that 0.81 will be better for keeping the engine in the torque curve for top speed testing at Maxton. Also, Too much gearing won't allow the torquey V8 engine to really pull against a load in the lower gears. If this was a 3.1L V6, then yes, I'd want the 3.54s over the 2.73s.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Lol... it's an AMC 258, eventually to be replaced with a Jeep 4.0. Not Maxton Mile material...

An off-roader with 2.73's doesn't work.
In the rear I have a D44 to replace the D35.
The front's only a D30, but I don't think I'm going to be working it hard enough to be worried.

[Atilla the Fun]

It's a car. Think more like stealth WRX STI killer rather than Jeep Wrangler. Otherwise, just put the Eagle body on the Wrangler frame. And the STI can go around the mountain, on paved roads, faster, safer, and using less fuel than the Wrangler can go over the mountain.
I haul much ass and I can not lie, with cubic inches you can't deny, the ricers line up and they lose the race before I get to second gear.

[crzyone]

with cubic inches you can't deny

I'll see your cubic inches and raise you with BOOOOOST!!!