I no longer own this car. I'll be leaving this site up, but don't expect any updates.

A Bit of History

The Early Years

This car began its life like any other Eagle Wagon rolling off of AMC's assembly line in Kenosa, WI. From there it's somewhat unclear who owned it exactly, but in the spring of 1995 it was being advertised in the local Want Ad Digest for $300. My dad went to look at it and found it sitting in a field where it had been for eight years(!). Something possesed him to buy it anyway, and so it came home.

...on a flatbed truck that is. At that point the engine didn't run and the brakes were frozen. From my recollection it was suffering from stuck valves, a dead battery, a siezed clutch cylinder, a broken clutch pedal, completely destroyed brakes, bad tires, and a family of field mice living inside. After repairing or replacing what was necessary the car was running and drivable again. Unfortunately the car has a lingering smell of mice even to this day.

At that point the car belonged to my dad and he was doing all of the work on it. The Eagle was an adequate, but not wonderful replacement for the Chevy Suburban we had used to tow our boat. As usual I could tell that it wouldn't be long until this car would be ousted in favor of something bigger.

When I left for US Air Force Basic Training in August of 1995 I left behind a 1986 Chevette that was on its last legs. When my parents visited me for graduation I was told that dad had found a van to replace the Eagle. I was offered either the Chevette or the Eagle to be my car after Tech School. Since my first two base choices were Massachusetts(close to home) or Alaska I figured the Eagle was the better choice.

On 8 Jan 1996, after new shocks, tires, clutch, headlights and wiper blades, I packed 760 pounds of my stuff into my "new" car and headed out to Hanscom AFB, MA. Over the next year the car served me well, aside from having to replace the starter 5 times and the alternator once. The starters were defective rebuilds, and I just felt the alternator needed to be replaced.

Sometime in early 1997 I got the idea in my head that I should do some major engine work. With 98,000 miles on the original engine the car was still strong, but leaking oil from the rear main seal at an alarming rate. I was able to get another wagon with a running 258 and solid 5 speed, so I brought it home, cleared off a couple of credit cards, and planned a few weeks of leave.

The Transformation

I'll write this part soon, I promise.

Specifications