*258* Fun with new project!

[fsj401]

Heya all, this isnt completely Jepp related, but definately Jeeps little sister. Im going to buy a 4wd 1983 AMC Eagle wagon this weekend, and it has the 258 in it. Im not very farmiliar with this motor yet, and I have no clue whats available in bolt on's. What easy bolt ons are there that will make it a lot happier :D :D I guess what im looking for is a wish list of things to do to that motor. Also, I will be lifting it and putting 31's or 33's on it, and It will be hitting the trails along with the Jeep. Im just not sure how much flying i want to put this one through.

Well, you guys are an amazing wealth of knowledge, and I think this will be a fun wish list thing that I will do over time to make this worthy of being the first sport utility wagon.

Jeff

[joe]

Jeff, the 258 is an excellent motor for what it was designed for...Jeeps. It's a bulletproof tractor motor with good bottom end torque. If you want a hot rod get a 360/401.
There are outfits like Clifford's etc that sell hop up stuff for the 258...all it takes is money and you can make a VW go fast. If you want a good bottom end crawling motor the 258 is great. If you want a freeway flier or a mud bogger get a V8.

[scotty]

i wheeled my amc eagle with a 258/904/219 for a couple of years. luckily you can swap any new process case in to get low range.

however: 1) you will constantly spin rear hubs if you stick with stock rear 2) make sure you carry extra half shafts with you and 3) nothing about the frontend is heavy duty.plan on rebuilding the steering and IFS anually(tie rods,ball joints,etc.)i used to carry a rediculous inventory of spare parts cause the ifs was always breakin.thats whay i originally got my GW.was tired of messin with ifs-GW was supposed to be eagle parts!

anyway,feel free to let me know if you have any ques bout eagles.

here is mine: http://www.netheaven.com/~dwyer/amc/eagle/probert.htm

[fsj401]

Well, I probably wont be wheeling it for at least a year or two. This car to start will be my daily driver. Im looking for motor things to beef it up a bit, and make it a little more fun to get to work. Scotty, for the 2" lift you did to get 31's on it...was there a lift kit you found, or did you have to fab it all. Also, the NP219 T/case, how hard of a swap is that? I will definately work on the drivetrain a lot later in life, but now its my daily that i want to go faster.

Jeff

[scotty]

the 219 is more or less a complete bolt in replacement. it and the 228/229 are the same length as the stock 128 or 119. all you gotta do is swap the eagel front yoke onto the 219/228/229 and both your stock d shafts wll work. you could prolly add a shifter from a donor wag or chero.i didnt have one at the time,so i made one out of flat stock.

my lift sonsisted of 2"blocks,and those cheesy "coil spring expanders" with the nuts,adjusted almost all the way out. definately not the correct way.

there is no proper way to lift the ifs. you could scrounge around for for taller and/or stiffer springs,or you could manufacture a coil spring spacer,but pretty much any method of lifting is simply going to put the suspension closer to "max droop" at normal ride height,since the control arms are fixed in postion.the higher you lift,the more out of wack the camber becomes,and after a point there is not enuff movement in the lower control arms to compensate. the only way to get height,not lose wheel travel or ride quality,and still be alignable,wuld be to move everyting down on the unibody :eek: course,by the time you go thru all that trouble,you could have much more easily tossed the whole mess in the trash,modified the engine xmember,added some spring mounts and had leaf springs and a solid axle that wont break.

my best advice would prolly be to leave the suspension alone-you can fit a 225/75(mine werebout 27 or 28 actual inches tall) with minor trimming.drive it this way for a couple years then swap in a solid axle.

a really cool swap for a daily driven eagle would be a 4.0l with an electronic 4speed auto and a 242 xfer case.youd have to move the eagle tranny xmember back,and add a suitable highpressure pump,in tank,or in line,and figure out the wiring-but otherwise it would pretty much bolt in,and you could even keep the eagle ifs if you wanted to. hmmmm...