Steve Magnante is a hot rod historian, author, and lover of all things cars. On Roadkills Junkyard Gold, he travels the country uncovering the forgotten and hidden gems of the automotive world. Subscribe to the MotorTrend App for $1 per month to start binge-watching today! Steve Magnante is at Rambler Ranch in Elizabeth, Colorado, looking for 4-wheel-drive vehicles from American Motors Corporation (AMC). When most people familiar with the history of the American automotive industry think of AMC and 4-wheel drive (4WD), the legendary Jeep CJ-5 is the first vehicle that comes to mind. But Steve prefers more obscure vehicles, so while he is going to check out a couple of cool Jeeps at Rambler Ranch, none of them are a CJ-5. Hes also going to look at Eagle, the brand AMC created to bring affordable 4WD to the massesand gave them the traction (pun absolutely intended) they needed to survive. AMC and Jeep By 1970, with the fading of the muscle car era , AMC needed something new to boost its numbers and keep a grip on its already small market share in U.S. automotive sales. AMC acquired the Jeep brand from failing Kaiser Jeep for $70 million, a move that helped bolster AMCs sales and further build on the reputation of the legendary off-road vehicles. The Jeep brand came with lucrative government contracts for postal and military vehicles, as well as an international sales network that helped to keep AMC alive through the 1970s. 1978 Jeep DJ-5 Dispatcher The ubiquitous postal van many of us are familiar with is not a simple make-over of a CJ-5, the DJ and CJ differ in several key factors. The first being DJ-5s, which were not 4WD vehicles, a trait the Jeep brand is famously synonymous with. The DJ-5 retained its off-road brothers leaf-spring front suspension, but to reduce manufacturing costs a non-driven tube axle held the tires in place. AMC did keep the limited-slip Dana 35 out back; the Post Office needed that extra traction for those rain and sleet occasions mentioned in their unofficial motto. The most obvious difference comes in the cabin layout. DJ-5 postal vans were all right-hand drive, shortening the distance postal workers had to cover between mailboxes and their vehicles. More stylistic differences come in the integral steel roofJeep CJs and subsequent Wranglers are famous for their removable fabric or fiberglass topsand the 5-slat front grille, where consumer Jeeps had a 7-slat grille, a styling cue that continues with the modern-day Jeep Wrangler JL. In fact, the only sheetmetal the DJ and the CJ share are the front fenders and hoods. Where the CJ is a traditional body-on-frame vehicle, the DJ-5 had a unitized chassis and body with light-duty framerails welded to the bottom of the steel body. Early DJs were powered by AMCs 258ci straight-six engine , but to reduce cost and increase fuel efficiency, toward the end of the decade they were powered by an Audi-sourced carbureted 2.0L inline-four. By the late-1970s, AMC spun off its government contracts into another brand, AM general, which continued build postal vans and is the creator of the venerable M998 HMMWV, aka Humvee. If Steve were to own a DJ-5, he would put in the hands of Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle (not the comedian) from Dirt Every Day for a proper off-road makeover. Theres no way or no where he couldnt deliver the mail then! 1973 Jeep J4000 Pickup Jeep didnt only make the CJ-5. In the Willys-Overland and Kaiser Jeep days, they made SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, and even a roadster (dubbed the Jeepster). AMC wanted to capitalize on Jeeps pickup truck and SUV prowess, and the first job was renaming the Gladiator-series of pickups the J-series. Yes, thats where FCA got the nameplate used today. Unlike their counterparts from the Big 3, all Jeep J-series trucks were 4WD. This truck being a 3/4-ton model, out back it was equipped with the awesome Dana 60 rear-axlemade famous on Hemi Cudas and Road Runners in the late 1970s. This 73 also had old-school manually locking front hubs, it predates Quadratracthe first fulltime all-wheel-drive system available in America and only found on AMC vehicles. Drivers used to have to get out of their vehicles and turn the knobs on manual locking hubs to engage the front tires. Under the hood, Steve finds the stout 360ci V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor on top. This truck was one year short of getting AMCs awesome 401ci V8 with a 4-barrel. If Steve took this Jeep home, he would return it to its factory original gloryfreshen up the avocado-green paint, keep the Dana 60 and manual transfer case and remind people that AMC Jeeps werent just CJs and Grand Wagoneers. Eagle Brought 4WD Vehicles to the Masses By 1980, AMC was struggling again and was in desperate need of something fresh. The success of the Jeep brand wasnt enough to make up for the floundering sales of their outdated passenger cars, so AMC decided that 4WD was the way to go and created the Eagle brand. The ultimate exercise in badge-engineering and parts-binningEagle took five of AMCs existing rear-wheel-drive passenger vehicles, jacked them up 4 inches and crammed four-wheel-powered drivetrains underneath them in a move that helped keep AMC solvent until Chrysler bought the company in 1987. AMC didnt need to do much to build their passenger-vehicle 4WD systems. No matter the model, subcompact through fullsize, all Eagle vehicles had the same rear suspension and drive line components as the Jeep CJ-5. The front was slightly different, the same Dana 30 differential as the CJ-5 was used but with stub-axles and CV joints that allowed for better-riding independent front suspension. To create the necessary 4 inches of space for the 4WD systems, AMC went the easy route and simply attached all the drive-line and suspension components 4 inches lower on the chassisa $0 investment in development. To cover the huge gaps left between the fender lips and tires and fill some of the space under the body, AMC attached fender flares and runner panels made of Kraton. The Kraton bodywork was lightweight, flexible, and wasnt prone to cracking in cold weather like fiberglass was. This worked out well for AMC as most Eagles were destined for wintery roads. 1981 Eagle Kammback Coupe Priced at $5,995, the Eagle Kammback Coupe was the bottom of the barrel in the Eagle line. Based on the AMC Gremlin, the Kammback Coupe didnt have much going for it. Interior upholstery was all vinyl, the base engine was an 88hp 2.5L inline-four, and upgrade options were minimal. This yielded very low sales numbers, only 5,603 total cars built. But the Kammback Coupe was successful at bringing customers into dealerships with its low starting price where salesmen would then pull the ol bait-n-switch and convince them to buy a more premium model, like the Spirit or Wagon. If Steve wanted to restore this Kammback, he would recall the spirit of the 1971 Gremlin X with its 300hp 304ci V8. Between that and the Selectrac AWD all Eagles come with, this Kammback would embarrass the heck out of a classic Audi Quattro. 1981 Eagle Wagon The top of the Eagle line was the Wagon. Coming standard with cloth-insert seats, a tilt-column and leather wrapped steering wheel, plush 18-ounce carpet flooring, and the Eagle-ubiquitous Selectrac 4WDthe $9,500 Wagon was a great deal compared to similarly sized vehicles from Chrysler, Ford and GM. It was more stylish, too. Because of the 4WD system, the EPA classified Eagles as light trucks, exempting them from the disfiguringly ugly 5-mph bumpers required on all passenger vehicles in the 1980s. Under the hood, Steve finds the optional 258ci inline-six. This Wagon was not fast, but with its 3,600-pound curb weight and 4WD, it got plenty of traction in the snow and icewhich was the whole point. If Steve wanted this wagon to live in his driveway, he would give it the power it always deserved, a 401ci V8 with a shot of nitrous to light up all four tires when ever he wanted. Or he could go a different route, still with a 401 but mild, doubling the stock power and capability of this go-anywhere/do-anything family hauler. While AMC struggled throughout its history to remain relevant and keep hold of its share of American car sales, it is responsible for developing some of the most innovative and ground braking vehicles of the 1970s and 1980s. Selectrac made 4WD available those who didnt want a truck or SUV and was affordable to boot and Quadratrac was the first full-time 4WD system where drivers didnt have to get out the vehicle to engage drive on the front tires. If it wasnt for AMC, the Jeep brand might have disappeared with Kaiser Motors into obscurity and we can lay the popularity (or blame?) of small, affordable 4WD family cars squarely at their feet. Until next time, Hasta Magnante! --> The post Jeep, Eagle, and 4WD Vehicles: The Traction AMC Needed to Keep Going appeared first on Hot Rod Network .