AMC Eagle

I am set on making an AMC Eagle Sport my next project car. Not only to put this piece of American history back on the road, but also to daily drive it. This will involve a long process of restoring the vehicles interior and conducting needed repairs.

After getting the vehicle to a driving state, I intend to do two major modifications. The first is to 5-speed manual swap it, as many on the market are 3-speed automatic. The second is to convert the vehicle from a carburetor to electronic fuel injection (EFI).

Now there are multiple routes for either major mod, but the current plan of action is to purchase a Jeep, or a parted out Jeep, from the 90's to 2006 and use its manual transmission and engine on the AMC Eagle.

What makes this wild part swap all possible is when AMC purchased Jeep back in the 1970. Jeep vehicles started using many AMC parts as a result, making them easily interchangeable. However, when AMC/Jeep was bought by Chrysler in 1987 many of the parts developed by AMC continued to be put to use and in production. In fact, the famous 4.0L I-6 found in Jeeps was designed by AMC before the buyout. This is what makes the EFI head on the more recent Jeeps compatible with the AMC Eagle's 4.2L I-6 Engine. This sharing of parts is also what makes the Jeep AX-15 Manual Transmission compatible with the AMC Eagle 4.2L I-6 Engine. Although I need to double check my choice with more research in transmissions to compare the ratings for units similar to the AX-15.

However, if I find myself wanting more power, I may be able to take AMC 4.2L internals and a Jeep 4.0L block/head to increase displacement and power of the overall system. This casing and internal mash up effectively makes the engine a 4.5L!

Its a lot to do, but its been a project I have been wanting to do for years. I intend to do a lot of learning on this car, when I get the money to do so. Who knows, maybe I'll equip the engine with a forced-induction system of some kind after I finish the previous mods mentioned. Either way, this will be a very long term project and I intend to dailt drive it well.