AMC’s Eagle line was dwindling down by 1983, having lost the Kammback and two-door sedan models for the 1983 model year. This 1983 Eagle SX/4 is one of fewer than 2,300 liftbacks made that year, their last year of production. This example is listed here on eBay with bids of over $2,000 and no reserve. It’s located in Somerset, Pennsylvania and the seller says that it can be driven home.
We have seen a few SX/4s here over the last few years and a really nice one earlier this year. A friend from high school had one of these for their super steep driveway and I mean steep. Their whole family had Eagle 4x4s to tackle that driveway in the winter and with Jeep heritage under the skin they were known for handling snow with ease.
This example is a bit of a project car with “some rust repair needed” according to the seller. They also mention the driver’s seat needing help but that should be a fairly easy repair by any good upholstery shop. This car has a 4-speed manual so that’s nice, it seems like the majority of them that we’ve seen have had automatic transmissions.
Underneath this tangled web of wires and hoses is where AMC’s 258 cubic-inch inline-six lives. This one would have had 110 hp when new and the seller says that it runs great and it can be driven home. With a low production count and very few left today, this is a rare car. Is this SX/4 project worth taking on though?
Careful of rust! Those plastic moldings can hide quite a bit. Although these were rustproofed very well from the factory, 35 years of Pennsylvania winters will still take their toll. The lack of underside photos is concerning.
I see this Eagle 258 still has a plastic valve cover. These all warp and leak over time, as will plastic replacements. An aftermarket Jeep valve cover will take care of that problem. Aftermarket sunroof is kind of a dicey item. (Leaks?)
Looking closely at the engine compartment that doesn’t look like the original carb (air cleaner definitely not) and it also looks like there is a manual choke cable. A popular swap is to replace the stock electronic feedback Carter carb with a 2-barrel Motorcraft. I think I also see a short section of vacuum hose with a screw in the end poking out from the carb. Most if not all of the extensive emissions plumbing could be missing, which can be a real problem if this is registered in a state that checks emissions. (I know from personal experience it’s tough enough to get these to pass emissions even when everything is stock and working!)
Put a 190 HP 4.0 in this and go tear it up!
Total junk,,,,just kidding, I see the hair on AMCFAN’s and That AMC Guy’s neck standing up. I had a friend with a new one of these, just like this. It was a great concept, and a great 4×4, good heater, great seats, but had transmission woes right from the get go. The dealer had it 3 times,( with lengthy stays each time) and never did get it right. He even admits, he should have got the automatic. Like any 4×4 up north, not many survived.
If I were looking to buy one, this would be the one I’d want. These are great looking little cars.
i wanted one of these so bad in high school.
they have all the flares & spoilers & blacked out grilles that a 15-year old could want. plus AWD!
the blizzard of ’78 was still fresh in our minds & heck one of these things with a V8 & manual would climb over or just plow right through any pile of snow imaginable! plenty of room for skis & gear for trips to the mountains.
i’d have two sets of rims with knobbies for the winter & fat sticky rubber for the summer when it’d terrorize the back roads, passing Trans Ams with superior all wheel grip…..
i spent so much time imagining & fantasizing what an awesome monster-mobile an Eagle would be that i never bothered to sit in one. or realize they didn’t come with a V8. or likely handled like crap. and i couldn’t afford a new seat for my 10-speed bicycle anyway.
careful on the rd there now young fella. (or is it now there?) This is NOT AWD – it has a transfer case’n can B the opposite – squirrelly. It’s for slippery conditions only (ice, sno, dirt) not asphalt/concrete. It fact U can bust it on those.
Gimme the wagon.
EDIT:
hummm, I c the vid link’n now start to think back…nah.
o0OPPp, I stand corrected:
even w/the transfer it hada viscus couplin so as to not tear its self up. In fact, in ’82 there wuz a feature that dropped the 2 1/2 shafts so as to lower rollin resistance thru them at the 2 frnt wheels (pretty cool) increasin MPGs.
I had one of these back in the early 90s. It was the iron duke 4 cyl and 4 speed. Wasn’t a bad rig except the rear driveshaft would come out with little to no warning.
I remember the commericial with the Eagle and a Trans Am. “Out corners Trans Am on loose gravel”….
Couldn’t find it , but here’s an oldie – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tymGc9PWJ5A
YES! I so want(ed) that blond with the head band….
The 4 door wagon version of this car was better especially if it had the 340 v8 motor in it
no Eagle was ever built with a V-8. 340 is Mopar engine anyway. Being an 83 I thought this would have a 5 speed but maybe the 4 speed was still available early on.
If you liked them with the 340. You must have loved the ones that came with the 426 hemi.
That never existed