I have always admired AMC as a manufacturer. Here was a company that managed to produce some exciting and innovative cars on a shoe-string budget. Making life even more difficult was the fact that their shoe-string was pretty badly worn. This meant that they needed to employ plenty of lateral thinking to survive in a tough automotive market. The Eagle SX/4 is a perfect example because it was effectively America’s first “crossover” vehicle. This 1982 example was bought as a family project, but ill health has seen the project stall. The owner has decided that the time has come to move the vehicle on to someone willing and able to do it justice. It is located in Arvada, Colorado, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $3,700, but the reserve hasn’t been met. There is also a BIN option available, and this has been set at $7,000.

I have always found the styling of the Eagle Liftback to be interesting. If you compare it with other liftbacks on offer during that period, it possesses a reasonably crisp and aggressive appearance. This particular car continues that trend and looks quite attractive finished in Deep Night Blue. This isn’t the original color, as the owner states that it rolled off the line finished in a far lighter shade of blue. The paint presents reasonably well. There are no significant dings or dents, and the color is holding a nice shine. There is no external rust visible, but there are a few issues to consider on the vehicle’s underside. There is one rust hole that has been the recipient of an amateur repair. The owner states that it would benefit from a more professional finish, but it appears that a well-executed patch would return things to normal. There is also plenty of surface corrosion that will need to be addressed before it has the chance to deteriorate further. Otherwise, this is an AMC that would seem to be structurally sound.

The Eagle’s interior presents very nicely, and it won’t take a lot of work to have it looking sharp. The upholstery and trim appear to be in good condition, and the dash is free of cracks. The carpet has a couple of tears, and replacing this would seem to be a pretty smart move. Full carpet sets are available for under $250 and would provide a boost to the interior. The other issue is not a big one, but it could prove to be a real irritation if it wasn’t attended to. The sunvisors have become loose, and tend to drop at the most inopportune moments. Finding replacements will potentially be a difficult assignment, but I do believe that the visors from most late-1970s Chevrolet pickups will fit. That is something that would be worth investigating because those are readily available items.

Mechanically, this is a car that would seem to provide equal helpings of both good and bad news. Powering the Eagle is the venerable 151ci Iron Duke 4-cylinder engine. The Eagle also features the optional 5-speed manual transmission, along with power steering and power brakes. The AMC has received an impressive catalog of new parts, including new plugs and plug wires, a new alternator, a radiator, along with new parking brake cables, and sundry other items. It has had some significant mechanical maladies in the past, and while the Eagle does run and drive, it will require some work if it is to be regarded as roadworthy. The timing gear failed at one point and has been replaced. The engine does run, but it is a bit rough and has lost some of its top-end punch. The owner suggests that the ignition timing might require adjustment, and I hope that he is right on that score. There is also the possibility that the cam timing might not have been set correctly when the gear was replaced, but this is one of those issues that can only be determined by personal inspection. The CV half-shafts have also become very noisy, and this is the reason that the owner doesn’t consider the vehicle to be roadworthy. Some people choose to rebuild these, but in all honesty, it isn’t worth the time or effort. The axles are standard, so there are no specific items for the left or right side of the vehicle. Complete axles are available for about $70 per side and are easy to replace in a home workshop.

The Liftback was the most successful version of the Eagle to sell during the 1982 model year. Nearly 10,500 people chose to give one a home, but it isn’t clear just how many were the SX/4 variant. When you compare that sort of sales figure with other mainstream offerings at the time, the Eagle Liftback wasn’t a big seller. This means that finding a good one is becoming more difficult with each passing year. This one isn’t perfect, and due to the color change, it also isn’t 100% original. What it is, though, is an interesting classic. Returning it to a completely original state would undoubtedly seem possible, but even left mostly as-is, it would still attract plenty of attention. I hope that someone returns this quirky AMC to active duty because I believe that it deserves it.