OT - brand X but it's an orphan car

Well it's time to crow!

#1 son bought a 1980 AMC Eagle from Joe Flannery last fall and Joe did us right on the deal.

However, sometimes things wear out on 26 year old cars.

Month or so ago, the engine develops a miss and backfire through the carb under load.

3 local mechanics don't know what's wrong with it without tearing it down, and two are too busy and the third seems like an asshole, so we kinda tear into it ourselves.

Valve cover off - spin 'er over and lookie lookie - exhaust rocker arm on #5 ain't going down (Take it away, Calvin) far enough.

Pushrod is straight and rocker arm is normal and valve spring loks OK- gotta be a flat cam lobe.

Gotta pull the head on a 258 AMC 6 to get to the lifters. Yep - lifter is dished.

All the shit comes off the front of the engine as well as the radiator and AC and the farghing Bumper has to come off to get the big long inline 6 camshaft out. Sure as Jeff drives a yellow truck, the cam lobe is worn away to a nubbin.

New cam and lifters and timing chain and gears and get the head looked to while it's off....

Go to install the cam and the front cam bearing looks iffy, so it's another couple of days for a bearing to come in.

We spend a few days re-assembling. Alex doing as much of the work as he can and me pointing and telling until it's precision work time.

Pulled the coil wire and spun er over until the oil light went out.

Reconnect coil wire, have kid standing by with fire ext and fired it up - took off right away first time!

What a wonderful feeling to help your son get it right the first time!

Nasty coolant leak- he muscle-fXXXed the thermostat housing and broke it. Good learning experience for a 19 year old.

Happy time in Enterprise tonight!

Mark (tired but satisfied) Dunning

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