Reviving a FORGOTTEN AMC Eagle - Abandoned to Daily Driver?? 

AMC was amazing. They stood toe to toe with the big 3 and gave them all a run for their money. Perhaps I'm just a little biased though. My Grandpa that I unfortunately lost this year used to sell AMCs at the family dealership back in the day, so they're a little close to my heart. That Eagle a treasure.

Happy to see a AMC revival. Best underrated independent auto company..

These are my absolute favorite kinds of videos. When you redeem a car and make it a legit daily driver instead of a lawn ornament. Love this.

“It does smell like we’re on fire but I don’t think we actually are.” Famous last words

I would love to see an episode with your dad fixing the rust and damage on the front end. And keep that color!

Thats probably the best interior in the whole jyd lineup.

AMC is in my blood. My Uncle worked at AMC in Kenosha, WI. I drove his hand me down Hornet, Concord and Gremlin. Love the Eagle content! 👍

“Holy Shit” is right when you were draining the water out of the oil pan. How the hell DID THAT ENGINE CRANK? Crazy motor 🤣!!! Kevin, you should keep it for a little while and try out the four wheel drive in that Iowa snow when it comes. I’m sure you and Mook will have crazy ass fun. Always liked them AMC’s. That one is in great shape for being out in the Iowa elements all that time. It’s cool you got everything working inside, even the clock 👍

$3 a gallon. You guys are so lucky. Here in UK it's the equivalent of about $8 a gallon. Great to see the AMC on the road. I love those Eagles.

Always upvote AMC. I had a Gremlin with the exact same interior and engine, which was the only thing that still worked when the city decided to get rid of it for me. 3:09 is the perfect explanation of what it was like to go to a parts store, since nobody stocked AMC parts anymore, I would find the oldest guy in the shop and he'd tell me what to get.

Keep the eagle. Make sure the heater works and believe me, you’ll be impressed how well they do in winter driving. Glad you got it back on the road.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the tip on installing the front brake pads. The 80s Jeep Wranglers have the same front brakes. I have fought those springs like you did. Your idea will make it so mu h easier next time. Great videos. 👍👍

The deal with the yellow line on the speedometer is because back when this car was new, pretty much every highway speed limit was set at 55 mph. This inspired the yellow line, or in some cars with speedometer that measured every 10 mph, a small yellow 55 on the speedometer. Also brought about Sammy Hagars' song "I Can't Drive 55"

We had an eagle wagon for a time when i was a kid much like this one. I think my dad got it pretty much for free. It was more rust than car and i remember him using his heel on the brakes and feathering the gas with his toe whenever we had to slow down to keep it from stalling. Towards the end the starter went out i guess he decided it wasn't worth it to replace it so we had to always park on a hill or somewhere where we could get a little run in so he could pop the clutch to get it started. I'm sure my folks were glad to see the hind end of it, but i loved that car and lamented its departure from our lives when they got rid of it. They're just cool I enjoyed this a lot, brought me back to simpler times

Had finished reading about amc the beginning and end of amc. My daddy drove for kenosha auto transport and pretty much drove ramblerAmericans. He liked Plymouth and last car was a Chrysler. Hats off to amc! Also lots likes to the junkyards digs and mook.

My suggestion is you keep it, at least until the first decent snow storm of the season. I had an 81 wagon I used for work. It was an absolute beast in the snow. I won't say you can't get it stuck, but it takes a lot. The only thing I didn't like about it was that damn plastic valve cover. One of the worst designs ever. You all might remember when Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) did commercials for the Subaru Outback, calling it the "World's First Sport Utility Wagon." Wrong! The Eagle wagon was the worlds first. Great episode!

Love the AMC content! My dad, uncle, and several neighbors worked for AMC in Kenosha where I grew up. AMC will always have a place in my heart and would love to own/restore AMCs in the future to keep the legacy alive.

I miss my old 80' AMC Eagle. Easy to work on, tough as nails 258 inline 6. The 4WD works better than most pickups I have owned and blasts thru snow so easy.

Thanks for giving the safety and responsibility lecture. People need to make sure their cars are safe and functional. Not just for themselves but for everyone else

We have had our 1980 Eagle 4-door Sedan for 27 years. It has been a most reliable car in the mechanical sense, we added a New Process 229 2-speed transfer case which gives the car a, low range, making it even more capable off road. A/C works, everything works. The left front frame rail is rusted, the car now sits in the barn. I need to find somebody who would have the patience to fix this, we can't let the car go. I am glad you got your Eagle running, we miss driving ours.

I’m with you Kevin, I like this “Early Crossover” too. The color is something to be desired, but it really does have character. I’m glad you brought this one back to life and please continue to enjoy it !!! Stay safe and healthy out there !!!

Very unique car there. Blows my mind how good that inline 6 runs after being full of water like that. Look forward to future episodes with it if you decide to keep it. As for the Capri I hope Lucore puts the 2J in it.

"Some Old Mans Car"? It's an epic AMC! ;) 7:30 hahahahahahahaha yep, that'll be JUST fine! Thanks for passing along the "Bad Decision" to us, can't wait to see what journey we have ahead of us with this little monster.

That Capri is going to be great fun for someone. They ran really well with the 2.8 or 3.0 V6 option

Kevin, I met you on Power Tour at World Wide Technology Raceway. I don’t know if you remember me, but I was the guy in the Ford hat you were trying to track down for pictures. Lol Thank you again to you, Mook and Angus for taking the time to do that (and another thank you to Angus for wishing my father a speedy recovery after his quadruple bypass surgery). It really means a lot. I’m part of a Jeep group here in Southeast Missouri and we have some pretty gnarly trails if you’re ever in the area with the AMC. I have one Short on my RU-vid channel of a trail ride. Take care, man.

So glad you did this car justice and put her back in service! My neighbor had an AMC Eagle when I was a kid in the 80's and I was fascinated with it. Love these cars!

Loved that Capri. Lots of those in the angliosphere including here in NZ. Plenty of spares etc are still available. the 3lv6 in those was very cool!

Re: the yellow zone after 55mph on the speedo- At the time this car was made we had a national 55mph speed limit on the highways due to the oil crisis in the 70's. It was in effect from '74 to '95. Most speedos had the 55mph mark highlighted in some way during those years.

I bought a 1982 Concord DL Woodie off a lease 3 years old. Salesman car so all highway miles and it was a well kept great car. Had it for 4 years and was T Boned at an intersection. With full frame this car saved my life. Always a comfortable car to drive, Miss it.

As a kid my mom had the exact same car. Even the interior was identical and it was an awesome car and a beast in the snow. It was unfortunate the frames were garbage as hers rotted out so bad the rear leaf springs ripped free and pushed up against the floors

I never would have thought you'd manage to find a car with more water in the oil system than Mook's truck

Everyone always makes fun of AMC for using parts from all of the other automakers, but look at it this way, if AMC made their own parts then they would be MUCH harder to find. They sourced the best parts from Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Trans is a Chrysler A999, Ford Ignition, GM/Saginaw steering, Carter BBS Carbuerator. Makes working on the car so much better. Glad you got it running, especially with all of the water in the crankcase.

41:10 Every AMC eagle I have ever seen and had any experience with has fallen apart like this. They have all had random issues, this was not 40 years old though these where 10 years old. Frankly I am shocked you found one that was in one peace let alone two.

Interesting car. Nice change from the usual Ford or GM stuff - as someone from the UK it is good to see a car from a less common American manufacturer being brought back to life. I've seen a few different AMC models, and I like. Did they have a bad reputation?

19:27 I bought a deuce and a half for $2,500, and then spent $2,400 replacing the entire brake system for exactly this reason. not to mention, this is a 7 ton Truck. I have a 74 CJ5 so I'm happy to see you saving the AMC equipment. Good work. Don't forget that the definition of Adventure is taking inappropriate equipment to out-of-the-way places!

Also, my Nana when I was a kid had an AMC Eagle, I always LOVED that car like you said, just because of how unique it is!! I'd really like to see you get that sweet ride cleaned up & lookin good!! There's gotta be SOME company out there that has some improved wiring to bring that thing back to life & make it more reliable!!🤞

One of the most saught after classic rally cars ever !!! Looks like it found a good home!

I remember when those things came out and EVERYONE said they would NEVER catch on LOL Cheers from Tokyo!

For near on almost 28 years my delivery route took me past the the site where AMC once stood up in Kenosha. Never had the chance to own an AMC product myself but several buddies in high school owned either a Javelin or an AMX

I enjoyed every minute about reviving the AMC Eagle! 😃 I’ve never owned an Eagle, but it’s on my future list of cars I want own. The only AMC vehicle I owned was a 1988 AMC Jeep Cherokee XJ. I miss that Jeep everyday!

Definitely something fresh and interesting. Love the project. If you decide to keep it order one of the aluminium valve covers. Not very expensive at all.

Love AMC Eagles. Great to see someone revive one.

Reminds me of my first car, a 1980 AMC Spirit. Had the same color scheme and pretty high clearance. Thing turned on a dime, too.

My folks back in the 60s & 70s always liked a keen car. Mom wanted the Eagle, I know, but what she ended up owning and driving through snowstorms back and forth 20 miles to work was the Rambler, first (and a I saw a VERy pretty one locally a few years ago)....... and then, the Javelin -- an orange one. Dad became enamored with foreign cars at that time and we owned a Corolla. After that it was luxury sedans and then crossovers, much like all of us.

My wife's late Granny had an Engle. She drove it til she could no longer drive. It handled Dayton, Ohio winter snow, no problem.

Awesome, love me some good production value eagle content. Also, the specific sound of that old 258 cranking and sputtering is both filled with happy moments and miserable ones for me

Glad to see you revived another classic, I think you should keep it, put a roof basket on the roof with a full size spare tire, 4 big kc lights up there and turn it into a daily driver trail buggy!

Thank you for more AMC content! I have a Concord, basically the lame 2wd Eagle. I'm planning to turbo the 258 and make it a driver.

WOW I SALUTE YOU AND ALL MY AMC BRETHREN FOR FIXING AND BRINGING BACK TO LIFE A PIECE OF KENOSHA HISTORY! AMC LOVERS WORLDWIDE LOVE YOU FOR THAT!

Probably already been said, BUT- Before you take whatever you're machining off the lathe, take some 250/300 grit sandpaper on both sides (while it's turning still) moving inside to outside of the machine surface for a few seconds. Knocks the little edges off the fresh surface. Doesn't seem like much but you'll feel the difference in your fingertips. Love the channel, keep up the good content!

Exactly how I felt when I revived my dad's old firebird that sat for 10 years. I daily drove that thing for 3 months and the trans quit on me. You can bet I'm keeping it.

When you drained that oil it reminded me of when I had to prepare for a colonoscopy 2 weeks ago.

You'll love it. They're basically a damned rolling swiss-army knife. Extremely useful and comfortable to drive. Drop the rear and front seat and they'll swallow a 6ft. ladder. Not the greatest build-quality, but AMC was coming to an end, at that point. If you grab the dash with both hands, you could rip it right out of the car. The 2.35 rear gear is fun - 50mph+ in second gear. Wait until the winter - you'll, literally, be passing plow trucks and state troopers with no problem. All you have to do is throw 100lbs of salt in the rear and go.

The yellow on the speedometer starts at 55. The speed limit in California for freeways (and a few other states I believe) around the time this car was new was 55mph. My parents had a 1994 Ford Explorer that had a red mark at 55. I suppose it was so that you would know when you were breaking the speed limit if the needle was in the yellow. Also Sammy Hagar wrote a song about it called "I can't drive 55".

UK calling, back in the 80's virtually every red ford Capri had a white stripe like the car in Starsky & Hutch as it was the only car we had with the same overall shape :)

This was amazing. A true classic, full of character no modern pile could hope to ever have. God bless you for saving it. Hope it becomes a channel regular :)

This 55 yr old geezer would feel like a new man driving this beauty. Grandma's would swarm. 😃

Ah, the other Eagle! I've been looking forward to this one. And for the state this one is in, I think this might be a nice car to do a bit of paint resto on with your dad, like you did on the Goldsmobile 😊Well, if you can pry him away from his new '79 pickup toy, that is 😁 I'm sure that under those dents and the wheelwell lip rust, there is a quite pretty-looking car waiting to show its face once more. The fact it's been starting right up and treating you so, relatively, well despite having been chock full of water shows she wants to live and see the road again!

I've always liked AMC products and I have owned 3 AMC concords in my life. In 1974 President Nixon lowered the speed limit to 55 mph to save on gas and lives. That speed limit was in effect until 1995. The reason the speedometer shows yellow from 55mph on is to remind you that going any faster was speeding. Thanks for keeping AMC alive in your video.

We had this exact set-up on our weagle wagon. Could have been that same one but hard to say it was so many years ago. Theyre top 3 favorite cars of all time for me. Definitely a keeper. If i was old enough at the time i would have made damn sure we never lost her. I will have another some day. Blessed little all weather attack wagon ❤️

You need to do more with that car. It's a great starting point and could easily be a really nice example.

I enjoy the “obscure” cars you find. This and the diesel olds!

This oil change reminds me of the part in Austin Powers when he got unfrozen.

Enjoyed! Big fan of the Eagle, despite the misfortune of being British. My 1983 “The New Observer’s Book of Automobiles” has only the SX/4 3-door Coupe with the 2.5 litre 4cyl and a note “six-cylinder optional”. Lifting from the Concord in the same little book: “Front-mounted six-cylinder with hydraulic tappets, twin-choke downdraught carburettor (2-barrel carburator for those less British). Closed loop catalytic system; unleaded fuel (Associated Octel was still producing lead additive for UK fuel at the time; we were waaaaay later in adopting unleaded, part of the reason that elderly British cylinder heads have valve seats made of cheese). Bore 95.3mm, stroke 99mm; capacity 4230cc. Power (SAE): 120bhp (90kW) at 3500rpm; torque 206 lbf ft (285 Nm) at 1800rpm”. For the Eagle: “Power steering and glass-belted radial tyres are standard. DL models have reclining seats, woodgrain facia, styled wheel covers and other detail refinements. Roof rack is available”. Clearly designed for all your roof-based storage needs 😆 Dare I suggest that this one’s a keeper due to its place as a weird but cool footnote to the better efforts during the Malaise Era? Hoping to see more vids on the old 4x4 station-wagonette 🙂🤟🏼

A message for Mook: Safety tip: When using knife curl your fingers back and use knuckle as a guide. Make sure your knife is super sharp and take it slow as you did. Not auto repair related but wanted to help keep your digits intact. There are some great tips for basic knife skills on YT. Thank you guys.

I really enjoy your video style. This was a fun video man!

Love the Eagle! It’s begging for a Jeep 4.0 swap ( or as I call it, AMC 4.0). I did one in a 65 Rambler American, the OBD1 EFI is super simple to work with, and you get rid of all the demons that make these old AMC’s run poorly.👍

When I was a young high schooler, the Ford Capri Perana was the bees knees, they always featured at the Kayalami race track near Johannesburg South Africa.

Yup I love the AMC Eagle too. My grand parents had one when I was a kid.

It's great to see an AMC rescue! I'm currently working on my '83 Eagle wagon.

So random had a guy contact us at the shop asking for multiple parts for his AMC eagle

I’ve always wanted one of these. That interior is mint!

The AMC Eagle is one of the most underrated and underappreciated vehicles of the '80s. It was while way ahead of its time and is the grandfather of all modern CUV's. And as an FYI Dura Spark was used by Ford till 1991 in vehicles and by power products into the 2000's

I just watched this video and we had the exact same Eagle. My parents bought it brand new in 1984. Not sure but my brother may still have it. Just thought it was cool to see it revived on RU-vid. Thanks for the video.

My grandfather loved these cars . 4x4 in the Canadian winter. “The eagle has landed” when he got home. Dang water fer daze, and dayz. Drained the oil and filled with water ?! 🙀

When you turn rotors I recommend hitting it with a wizzy wheel or emery cloth when it's still spinning before take it off, it reduces any chatter 👍

I know a v8 swap of some kind into the other beater Eagle is the optimal choice and is prolly what's gonna happen to it. But, what if you threw one of the newer trusty 4.0s in there? Or you could throw one of those 4.2 strokers in there 👀. I can bet it would handle that 1st gear pull 👍

the capri should have a 3.0 essex v6 ( about 150 hp in standard trim ) and 4 speed g/box

My grandpa had one of those cars, and eventually my little sister drove it to college. Least amount of power out of 4.2L I've ever seen, but of course that was with the California smog package. Also, it was first car I worked on that had a serpentine belt, which melted and fell off one day when the water pump seized. I wish it had a sticker explaining the belt routing, I had to figure it out by trial and error, mostly error. Oh yeah, your gas gauge at the end of the video, on that car all the dials on the panel would simultaneously peg for a few moments every once in a while, so I wouldn't trust them too much. My dad always figured gramps lost a bet and had to buy the car to settle up, otherwise we couldn't figure out how he got stuck with it.

I really want an AMC Eagle, shame it can be hard to find them that aren't total basket cases. You got a real gem here my dude!

Engine has 2.5 gallon of water in the oil, me and AMC Fan boy “she will run like a champ”

Absolutely love this channel. You have your own unique style that has found its perfect spot. Look forward to every episode. I would absolutely love to come play but the treck from the uk is quite a long one. Keep the awesome episodes coming Kevin 👌

When loading the car on the trailer if you look close you see fluid trailing behind it as it’s loaded 😖😂😂 that was probably the water coming out the dip stick 🤦‍♂️

That interior is gorgeous @Junkyard Digs

I really hope you keep it, the Eagle's character is rich with opportunity. Also its hodge podge of parts makes it's character much more than just another classic daily driver. AMC definitely has a niche, but this model has so many quirks and options. I appreciate the station wagon turned midsize SUV. If not, find it a good home.

The eagles in your area really like fighting trees

Brings back memories. 20 yrs. ago, after changing the third non working transmission the cops had to drag me outta the junkyard, as I had a hold of the owner threatening his life cause he wouldn't refund my money. I'm an old softy now, NOT! Oh, and I got my money back.

Would look awesome done up with a rally theme!

My first car was a '79 AMC Spirit. a 4 cyc, hatchback with a 4 speed. The car survived my high school years with me. I loved that car for all it's problems. Cursing it with busted knuckles, push starting it with buddies when the starter died, all of us piling in back and forth to school and many weekend adventures. These Spirits will always have a place in my heart for all of the great memories mine provided.

Wow an AMC eagle, what a cool machine! I remember the first one I ever saw was at the beginning of the first back to the future movie. I've never actually seen one in person, not even in a junkyard, I've never even known anyone that owned one. Definitely a unique car that probably brings on a lot of conversation!

The last time I was at my local pick and pull ther was a picked clean eagle rolled and t bone but I managed to grab a couple badges before it got sent to the crusher

First!

Keep It Kevin! Its a pretty sweet example of those units.

I have been a amc fan since Wayne's World 🌎. Living in Wisconsin there is a amc car show every three years in the mother land Kenosha WI due to covid it has been postponed until next summer. It's a week long event with lots of cruises and amc people are the nicest. I love to hear all the stories about how they used to work there since the plants were in Kenosha and Milwaukee. Keep it on the road a webber carb kit converson really helps with the drive ability.The eagle is the best car ever in the snow and you can't help but smile when you're behind the wheel.

Definitely keep that car! I had a 1984 Eagle wagon similar to yours but it had a 5 speed stick in it. I sold it to a friend about 20 years ago and to this day I regret having done that. I've owned a 1980 Spirit with the iron duke that I purchased brand new, a 1978 Concord hatchback with the Audi 4 cylinder that ran smooth as silk but couldn't get out of its own way, a 1981 Eagle SX/4 with the iron duke and finally the '84 wagon. I loved them all because they were cool cars with a lot of character. So yours, I would definitely spend the money and restore that to it's pristine showroom condition. IMHO it would be worth it. The prices of good used ones are climbing.

Man the other Eagle video reminded how cool they are, and this one makes me defiantly want one.

That car brings back memories. My best friend and next door neighbor's dad (who was a mechanic & farmer) owned an AMC Eagle very similar to the one in this video. I can still remember riding to school in it in the winter for quite a few years... One extremely memorable trip in the car was a snow day in 90 or 91 when my dad and I rode along with my friend and his dad to work on a dairy truck that got stuck in the snow on a dairy farm near Lost Nation, IA. The driver had broken the drive shaft on the dairy truck trying to get himself unstuck. We pulled the drive shaft off the truck, threw it in the back of the AMC Eagle, and drove it to a machine shop in downtown Davenport. We had lunch in bar downtown, picked up the drive shaft, and drove back out to install it on the dairy truck. While we were away the truck driver and the farmer had dug the truck out of the snow. After we installed the drive shaft we followed the truck to a milk processing plant somewhere near DeWitt, IA and then drove back home to Davenport. In all we were out for almost 10 hours on that call, in large part due to the snow covered roads. The 4 wheel drive on that Eagle sure got a workout that day!

I really love wagons and these have always impressed. I don't have a mechanically inclined bone in my 61 year old body, and so envious of people that can work on vehicles and make them reliable. I would love to take a vehicle apart all the way down to the chassis and clean everything up and completely restore a vehicle like this and make it my own daily driver. kudo's to you for what you accomplish

Really cool revival. Wish I bought one way back then.

Yeah my grandfather had one of those brand new when I was younger. Used to go EVERYWHERE no matter the weather . Just always felt it a horrifying situation for AMC to go under . And THAT is their greatest legacy ! NEED to keep them going