Chico, the Street Eagle

I'm sure some of you remember back in December when I bought two train tickets to San Francisco without a solid plan on how I was returning home within a week? And what I decided to do to make that shaky plan a reality? Well if not, meet Chico. The trip went off without a hitch (well, technically, there were TWO hitches, a 2" receiver in the rear, which has served me well pulling trailers for my business when my Sprinter was unavailable, and a second up front, which would be perfect for spotting trailers into tight areas, if I ever did that anymore.) Follow along as I get you caught up to date on Chico, the Street Eagle and what we have been doing the past 6 months. It will mostly consist of minor mods and tweaks to an already wonderful little automobile.

So, after I made it home, wouldn't you know it, hardly any snow. Never needed 4wd. But I did take it to work anyway when things looked like they might get slick...

Anyway, from the moment I saw this beauty, I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do with it. (Besides get home safely in the middle of winter) A '80s style overland build would be the plan. I wanted a cargo basket for the roof, but most of the ones out there are either too small, too expensive, or both. Fortunately, as I was researching yet another CL roof basket, I inadvertently found that Cabela's had a sale on their branded roof basket with the extension for $99. So I drove right out to get one.

Probably would have been good to have a basket to haul that thing.

That's better!

But even though I had added capacity, it still looked kinda cheap. No worries, I had some other ideas to help with that. (to be continued)

Yes, yes I remember! You went with your daughter and rode bicycles

Great start.

i dont think im ever not going to want an AMC eagle, that thing looks pretty clean

Man my uncle used one of these every summer to take me to my grandmothers when i was a kid. Severe soft spot for these. That thing handled the 14 miles of west virginia dirt mountain roads no issue.

Love it always wanted one subscribed

That roof rack is perfect! There is a black eagle up a lane near my house, I want to drive back there but there are some pretty big dogs as well lol.

I remember reading about your trip! Look forward to following your build. I have had a couple of these, and still want another. Great cars

Eagles are great! I've had a few. One thing I learned the hard way........ they are fantastic as long as you use them for what they were intended for----as an all-weather car. I took my last one off-road and rally-crossed it, and it promptly broke....often. They really aren't meant for heavy-duty offroad use without a bunch of modifications. Use it on the road (and gravel roads / light off road) and you'll be fine.

Watch out for the rear axle snapping in two. I guess it's a fairly common problem. My passenger-side axle snapped. If I wouldn't have noticed it early--- I would have lost a wheel!

Good luck! Fun cars--- way ahead of their time!

Oh, my. I need to update this thread a bit...

Please!

That thing looks fantastic with the rack and lights, and the steel wheels are perfect. Is that factory height or has it been lifted a little?

How closely are these things related to the Hornet Sportabout? I'm wondering if you can do some easy/awesome backdating on the grill, lights and bumpers.

This is awesome, I love all the cubbie holes in the interior - its the perfect road trip car! plenty of space to put snacks and luggage!

In reply to Joe Gearin :

I'm not too worried.  I have my Jeeps for heavy lifting, and this one already has a 4.0 stroker, AW-4, and a NP231 swapped in. As for the rear axle, that will be going away soon enough, to be replaced with a JY sourced 8.8. The front end... well, the D30 part will live well enough, but I need to make sure the half shafts stay alive. I'm actually pretty gentle on my drivetrain, believe it or not, it's the bodies that take a licking, as avatar can attest. But, again, this one will see a fairly sedate life of commuting, gravel roads, and an occasional trip to the dunes. 

In reply to ultraclyde : It has been lifted just a bit, and the factory fender flares are off, making it look even higher than it would otherwise. 

I have a set of V8 Javelin springs to put on the front, as the ones that are on there have sagged a bit. 

In reply to Woody :

Being AMC, the tooling didn't change all that much from the original Hornet it is based on. Full front end swaps have been performed, but the rear is a bit more problematic .

Coote wrote: That's better! But even though I had added capacity, it still looked kinda cheap. No worries, I had some other ideas to help with that. (to be continued)

Now, back to our story. Please forgive me, as I have my Ingo and photos on several different platforms and devices, including a now-dead Chromebook that was the easiest way to post to this forum.  Trying my best from a Kindle Fire right now...

So, the basket was mounted, but looked a bit cheap to my eye, and not very period correct. What to do? Add lightness! And (minimal) strength.

Dimple die FTW!

Quite an improvement, IMO. 

Finished. 

Well, with the Con-Ferr style holes, anyway. 

Still more to come...

This is amaing. 

Me likey

Nice to see the updates.

The rack proved to be very useful, and I put it to work straight away, hauling a set of wheels to a friend's house so we could mount some tires. It was easier on the rack than in the back, believe it or not. 

The Chrysler Town & Country appreciated the assist. (I really have wagon issues- please send help)

But the roof basket still didn't give the Eagle enough of an '80s vibe; something was still missing. 

Time to go through my hoarded extras...

Hmm, onsies.  Need to keep digging...

There we go!

Jackpot.  

I had these for a couple decades. Almost forgot I had them.