Grassroots Motorsports: The Hardcore Sports Car Magazine

This is what $0.00 buys you!

Not quite ready for Pebble Beach

Mosquitos were breeding in the footwells!

4.0 liter

4.2 in Eagle

Kindred Spirits, notice the Eagles “sleek” lines!

Since the Eagle’s t-case repair, the car has been treating us very well. The old bird always starts, runs, and scares small children wherever she goes. Even with our the nearly bald street tires, the Eagle is unstoppable…..even in deep sand! The driving experience is one of complete invulnerability. Nothing can stop the power of the Eagle……well, except for the LACK of power that the Eagle has! The stock 4.2 was rated from the factory at a measly 114hp, and 210 lb/ft of torque. Even with our carburation upgrade, more power was clearly going to be needed.

Since we purchased the Eagle, an incredible resource has been Eagle’s Nest. This wonderful site is to Eagle owners, what www.Miata.net is to Miata owners. The moderators, and members of the Eagle community have been very helpful, and knowledgeable about all things Eagle. There is even a super cool Eagle history section to the site for those interested in that sort of thing. On this great site, we learned that a good way to increase power on the cheap, is to modify a Jeep 4.0 liter head to fit the 4.2 liter unit found in the Eagle. With some minor modifications, and some exhaust, and intake upgrades, this swap should yield……get this……..nearly 100 extra HP! The stock 4.2 liter head it seems, flows about as well as molasses through a straw, while the 4.0 liter head is a nice, modern, efficient head with good flow. Many Eagle enthusiasts go the V8 route, and while it was tempting, we have always been fans of big straight sixes, and this seemed to be a good choice……especially when a 1989 Jeep Cherokee Limited came onto our radar for FREE!

The ratty old Jeep had been sitting dormant for the better part of 3 years with a broken rear window. Because of this, the interior was better suited to breeding small organisms that human occupation. With a little prodding however, the trusty 4.0 liter fired up, idled, and ran…….really well! After filling the long flat tires, and checking to make sure the brakes would, well, slow the vehicle, we put a towel over the seat, and drove the nasty pig home. Then we took a long, long hot shower to scrub off any nasty microbes, or maxi-crobes that we may have been exposed to.

Soon the dirty swapping will happen. Stay posted, and check out Eagle’s Nest when you get a chance!

My what lovely teeth you have!

Yummy Bird Guts!

Really cool, almost CVT looking chain for T-case

Well, for quite a while now the Mighty Eagle has been “resting” as other real life-type obligations have been higher on the priority scale. Before we dig deeper into the big bird’s entrails, we thought these pictures may amuse. This is what happens when you drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle with different diameter tires on the front, and rear axles. This problem was compounded by the T-Case not being fully disengaged. The previous owner had removed AMC’s vacuum assisted 4wd switching system to simplify things. Unfortunately, we hadn’t manually moved the tab on the case as far as it need to go to disengage the 4wd, and bad, bad crunching noises ensued once under way! Ahhh, and then the transfer case housing split, and guts spewed out all over the ground. As you can see in the images, the Eagle’s all wheel drive system uses an interlocking chain design which is lubricated by a honey like oil. It is really a fascinating design, and really cool to check out, although it works better when actually connected to the car. Soon these problems will be rectified as there is a new (used) T-Case waiting in the wings. Before long, the glorious raptor will once again be searching for prey!

Typical Colorado Fade

Cleaner….and Meaner!

Getting a bit dirty at last!

Bring it on WRX

I don’t need no stinkin pavement!

Colorado is a great place for cars. Even though there is a ton of snowfall (especially in Steamboat, our Eagles previous home) salt isn’t used to clear the roads, saving our machines from rust. The dry climate, high altitude, and intense sun have a habit of fading paint though, and our Eagle had the traditional Colorado fade. This would not bode well in the salty Florida air as there was exposed rust. Although a concours quality paintjob would be understandable on such an aesthetically pleasing machine…….we decided that some flat black Rust-Oleum primer, and paint would suffice. A little time spent sanding, and smoothing, and the surface was ready. The hood took the paint well, and now looks a little less weatherworn, and a little angrier!

Soon after its’ mild cosmetic makeover, we installed a fuel pressure regulator, as the AMC pump puts out close to 7 psi, and our new carb wants closer to 4 psi. Now the Eagle was ready for its’ East Coast competition debut, with a Rally-Cross event held in nearby DeLand FL. www.Rallyrebels.com

The event went well, with the 22 year old beast surprising more than a few folks, and bringing a smile to just about everyone who saw it pounding the dirt. We finished last amongst the 4wd cars, but not too far back. A little more work on the driver, and we just may be able to nip at the heels of those fancy WRX’s! Next on our list is the Rally-Cross in Starke FL. Stay tuned!

Heading out from the Front Range

So many parts, I could almost build another Eagle!

The kit from Pierce came complete with directions

much more better

Installed, and ready for battle!

This is going to take some explaining……. Ya see, when I first got the bug for an AMC Eagle to do Rally-Cross battle against the invading WRX’s and EVO’s, the one I really wanted wasn’t for sale. This special Eagle lived in Colorado, was a 5spd, 6cyl Wagon (very rare), and had already served as a medical, and chase vehicle in a number of SCCA Rally events out West. A number of usable mods had already been done to it, like a 1.5 inch lift, 2.5 inch cat back exhaust, poly bushings, and the all important Addco rear sway bar. Alas, the owner wasn’t willing to let his 255,000 mile creampuf go, so I settled for the auto trans Eagle I’ve mentioned before. Of course, once I returned to FLA, the DreamEagle came up for sale. After discussing all of the modifications, and spares that came with the Eagle, I asked the price. The owner replied with……..”Ah, how about a grand?”

Dammit!! Yes I’ll buy it…..you jerk!

Yes, yes, my mother dropped me on my head alot as a child…..and yes, yes all the inbreeding in my family may have something to do with my AMC fetish.

So, of course I HAD to book a flight to Denver so I could rescue this lovely beast from the oxygen deprived environment it had been living in. Then I drove it from Denver to Florida….alone. Hey, what could go wrong, I was in a 22 year old car with only 255k on it. After all, I did pay a thousand dollars for it!

Turns out, the car ran beautifully. I had a headlight switch fail outside of Oklahoma City, which made the timing of the trip more….ahhh challenging, and the radio had a mind of it’s own (work….no work….work….no work…) but the old beast got me back home safely. Special thanks goes out to younger brother Dennis Gearin who raced to the auto parts store as daylight was fading, and met me for a switch changeroo just outside of Tallahassee Fl.

Once the beast was safely at home, the need to change out the original Carter BBD carb became clear. A call to Pierce Manifolds (www.piercemanifolds.com) sent a EMPI carb my way. (rebadged Weber DGV) The new carb not only eliminated the birds-nest of vacuum lines cluttering up the engine bay, it also made a huge difference in drivability, and added much needed power. As an added bonus, the open element air cleaner helps the mill make a great roaring sound when the throttle is opened. Now we’re making progress! After an oil change, and through tune-up, the AMC is running great, and delivering just over 21mpg to boot. Not bad for an antique 4wd with 4.2 liters pushing it around. A lot of credit goes to the extremely tall gearing.

Stay tuned as the Eagle will make it’s East Coast competition debut on May 13 at a Rally-Cross in Deland Fla.
www.rallyrebels.com