Of the various incarnations of the AMC Eagle (wagon, sedan, Kammback), I’ve always liked the SX/4 the best; take the sporty styling of the AMC Spirit and add a respectable four-wheel drive system, what’s not to love? Many thanks to reader Simon P. for the tip on this 1983 Eagle SX/4 Sport model, which you can find here on Craigslist along with a second Eagle “for parts” near Missoula, MT. Asking price is $3900, which seems a bit steep for a runner and a parts vehicle until you find out that the parts car is also titled, and apparently runs… more on that later.
The condition of the SX/4 is solidly “okay” both inside and out, but I think this little Eagle will really shine after a solid detailing. All trim and components seem to be accounted for, and the vehicle appears to be free from rust or damage from what we can see in the photos. Odometer reads just under 170k, which while on the high side, shouldn’t be too much of a concern for this engine if properly maintained. Automatic transmission, which is a bit of a bummer compared to the fun of a manual on such a sporty car, but the TorqueFlite 998 transmission has a reputation for being fairly reliable at least.
This Eagle is equipped with the Select-Drive system, which allows you to switch between 2wd and 4wd modes by simply flipping a switch on the dash – a pretty revolutionary feature at the time. It’s powered by the 258 cui inline-six cylinder engine, which will look familiar to Jeep enthusiasts as the spiritual predecessor to the venerable 4.0L I6. The seller states the only pressing repair need is a leaking valve cover; that’s about a $10 part and a half-beer job on a bad day so once that’s done you should be ready to hit the trails!
Which brings us to the “parts car.” Seller states that the wagon “just needs left rear axle to drive again,” which makes me wonder if it wouldn’t be worth saving too? Sure, it looks a bit rough inside/outside compared to the SX/4 but I’d hate to see a salvageable, titled Eagle get picked apart when it could be put back on the road. Might be good to flip and recoup part of your cost, or keep it and start a collection! Either way, it’s a lot easier to find a cheap non-titled/running Eagle to yank parts from than something that could still be saved. Does it look worthy of restoration or beyond salvation?
Never owned one but have always liked these Eagles, IMHO they were ahead of the times when it came to all wheel or maybe 4 wheel drive cars. If I lived closer I would be checking these out this weekend.
AMC sixes of this vintage came with plastic valve covers from the factory. Best bet is to replace with an aftermarket aluminum cover. You’ll probably need to tap some unthreaded mounting holes in the head. (I did on mine.) Yeah, you can replace with another plastic cover but it’s just going to warp and leak again. You’ll find the procedure covered on any number of Jeep sites, probably on youtube as well.
I think I know what probably happened on that Eagle wagon – I’ve experienced it myself. AMC axle shafts are two-piece affairs with a separate hub. The hub is a softer metal than the shaft and splines were cut into it when the nut was torqued down to 250 ft-lbs at the factory.
Trouble is this tends to loosen up over time until that shaft spins in the hub and wipes the splines out. I don’t think new hubs are available any more, so the best bet would be to replace with another shaft/hub assembly. (The hillbilly “fix” is to weld a little extra metal to the end of the shaft, coat everything with red loctite, and wail down on the nut holding it all together so your new metal cuts into the hub. Not recommended, but it does work – don’t ask me how I know. Oh, to be young and foolish again!)
my buddy (the one with the olds 403 wagon beach buggy), his dad had one of these with an aluminum welded tube tuna tower bolted on it complete with remote hand controls for his beach driver.
One of my good friends, who was also involved in the rally world, had one similar to this. Not sure where he sourced them, but the car had two custom-made emblems that read: “Nash Quattro”. ;^)
I had a friend that bought a ’84 SX4 new. It was a neat vehicle, comfy, great heater, rode nice for a 4×4, went through the snow great, but had the 5 speed and was plagued with transmission problems right from the get-go. It whined worse than I do at current classic car prices. Dealer “fixed” it twice after lengthy stays each time. It never was right, and he sold it. I’d think the auto would be the way to go. And I wouldn’t part out that wagon so fast, those were great cars, letter carriers used them on rural routes for years.
Had to be an ’83 (or ’82, or ’81). There were no Eagle SX/4’s for 1984.
I would rather have the wagon to drive than the two door.
I had a four door sedan 4X4 of this vintage and it drove really nice.
I should have kept that one.
I had two Eagle wagons on my rural mail route and they went thru more mud and snow than you would believe possible. Got 330,000 out of one and over 200,000 out of the other before retiring…. they both went to Eagle lovers and still ran and drove well
Mrgreenjeans, where have you been all these years? How’s the Captain?
I bought an Eagle wagon for parts that looks nicer than that one and runs and drives, only problem is that the frame rails are powder. Luckily the body and interior parts are being used on my other AMC projects
Eagles are tough cars but rust will take them down in the end if they are used as intended. Although they came with what was for the time very good rustproofing, a few decades of severe winter use will still take a heavy toll. At this point I wouldn’t want to expose a nice Eagle to salted winter roads.
The rust situation underneath will undoubtedly determine whether that wagon is worth saving. The body otherwise looks pretty straight and any mechanical problem should be fixable.