Automotive

Up until around 2016 or so, I primarily drove these quirky "Turbo Mopars" employing Chrysler's 2.2L turbocharged powertrain.  My last daily driver of this type was a 1986 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z C/S.  The car was a bit of a basket case when I got it, but it was eventually sorted out: the frame was straightened, the floor pans replaced, and the powertrain and interior were upgraded.  It was a very fun and comfortable car to drive (for a Turbo-Mopar anyway).  Eventually I had to let it go, as it just wasn't practical to use a 30+ year-old car as a daily.

My previous daily driver from 1995 through 2002 was a 1988 Dodge Shadow ES.  It was laid to rest due to a fatal case paint peel and floorpan/frame rust.  It had been in a few collisions over its life and it just wasn't worth saving.  Prior to that, I drove a 1987 Dodge Shadow Turbo and a 1987 Plymouth Sundance Turbo.  I had a thing for these particular cars (the "P-body", in Turbo-Mopar parlance), especially the first generation (1987-1988).

Back when I first graduated from college, I strongly desired the ultimate first-generation P-body: the 1987 Shelby CSX.  After some searching and waiting for the right car in my price range, I found Shelby CSX #694 of 750.  It has mainly been a project car, though it has had to step in as a daily from time to time.  This is the last of these cars that I still own.

Chrysler had an interesting relationship with Carroll Shelby in the late 1980s.  While the resulting vehicles were never taken very seriously in muscle car circles, a great online community did form around them.  The discourse has moved from mailing lists to online Forums to (unfortunately) Facebook Groups, but the community itself still exists.  The Shelby-Dodge Auto Club still holds an annual convention to this day.

In the dark recesses of the Internet lies an ancient tome of knowledge that (according to the server logs) people still visit for some reason: Mini-Mopar Resources.

A Familiar Shadow

Posted on August 10, 2014.

After almost 8 years of daily driving service, the Daytona was taken off the street for some badly needed attention.  The motor had been having oil system problems for a while: low pressure and was losing oil into the coolant and other places rather rapidly.  The body is also showing its age.

I've since swapped the motor for the original 2.2L Turbo I motor from my old 1988 Shadow.  It still runs as smooth as I remember.  I'm not sure how the Mitsu will behave with that giant, triple-core intercooler.  I had some interesting issues with boost oscillation in the Shadow when I was using a Conquest intercooler.  I am confident that a grainger can be used with a mixed pressure signal from the manifold (which causes oscillation) and turbo outlet (which causes creep) to keep the boost steady.  The cal is a stock 1987 CSX cal right now and the trans is a stock 1990 A523 with the OEM Turbo II clutch that held well in the Shadow.

SDAC 21

Posted on June 30, 2011.

The national convention was back in Chicago again this year.  The car show was at the same venue in Fox Lake along with the Chicagoland Mopar Connection's "Mopars at the Park" show.  It was neat seeing such nice FWD Mopars next to the classic iron again.  The weather was perfect.

The drags were at Da Grove again as well.  I was able to make a few passes.  These new tires aren't as sticky as the old Kumhos were.  That along with this hair-trigger ceramic clutch had something to do with my launch problems, I think.  The cal has been tuned better since the last time, so my MPH was in the 100s even on the worst pass.  But I wasn't able to beat my previous E/T.  Best was 14.343sec @ 102.90mph.  Best MPH was 103.66.

Coolant started getting pushed into the overflow at this point, so I called it quits.

Here is a video of one of the runs taken by Ron M from the SDAC-Chicago club.

Kevlar is Not Bullet Proof

Posted on December 13, 2010.

The TU Kevlar clutch that I installed back in ’06 failed.  It had been slipping for a few weeks, but it was holding as long as I didn’t go over 5psi of boost or so.  Eventually any boost would make it slip, so I broke down and replaced it with this one from SPEC.  It is their “Stage 3+” which has a full-faced ceramic-type disc with a supposedly-modified pressure plate.  The pedal feel is just like stock, so I am skeptical about that last part.  It holds well, but the real test won’t be until the summer tires are back on.

The Kevlar clutch was very chattery, especially while backing up.  If I tried backing up a hill, the motor would practically try to fly out of the engine bay.  I also experienced a bizarre problem on two occasions where I could not release it.  This was in heavy stop-and-go traffic.  I suspect the disc warped because it started working again once it cooled-down.  I expected better longevity from the Kevlar lining.  It should have lasted much longer than the 35k I got out of the ceramic puck clutch in the CSX, but it failed right around the same time.  It did have a stock-like feel in terms of engagement.  As long as the RPMs were high to avoid the chattering, the engagement was smooth and easy to manage.

The SPEC clutch is “grabby”, just like you would expect from a ceramic type, but not “chattery”.  In other words, the pedal has a very narrow band in which you can slip it especially at low RPMs.  When you do slip it however, it does not chatter or at least not very much.  Backing up is not a problem, other than avoiding a stall.  The Kevlar disc had a lot of run out form the sloppy spline and that may have contributed to the problem.  The SPEC disc was tighter, but still had some run out.

While the clutch was out, I replaced the 3-4 shift form pads again.  I also replaced the fork.  I noticed the new pads on the 1-2 fork were also starting to crack, right over the groove carved into the fork while the pads were blown 2 years ago.  So I replaced that fork as well with another good set of pads.  I also swapped 3rd gear and its syncro with another used one that looked better.  It’s nice to have 3rd gear again.

No more MacGyver chair

Posted on October 09, 2009.

Re-rewelded the driver's seat frame.  It was broken into three pieces and was being held in place by an empty cat litter container.  I added some steel to it, so I don't expect it to break again, at least on in that spot.  The bottom cushion has a weird feel to it now, probably because it is being properly supported for the first time in years.

The UltraFlo muffler rusted-off.  That thing only lasted 3 years...not impressive.  Put the Super Turbo back on there...it's no quieter than the UltraFlo (at least on the inside), but maybe it's quieter for the neighbors.

The water pump housing has been leaking for years, but now coolant is dropping at an alarming rate.  Not sure if it was the leak or something else, but the housing is now resealed.  The car suddenly started using more oil than before as well, so something is clearly amiss.  Last time I had the turbo intake off, I saw oil in there.  There is still a very small amount of oil in the coolant.  Now sure if it's just leftover film or if there is a leak or crack somewhere.  I'm guessing that I will find out sooner or later what the issue is/are.

A/C Again

Posted on July 02, 2009.

I haven't done anything to this car since last July other than drive it.  It's been daily driven for an entire year.  3rd gear is still jacked-up, but got a little better over time until recently.  Now I can hardly get it in, but I can say that it is the shift pads again.  4th is starting to give a little trouble too, so I think I will swap the whole 3-4 gear pack for one from an '89 A555.  I wish I could buy new stop rings for less than the cost of an entire transmission.  That damn short DSS axle ripped through it's inner boot again, this time it wore through the inside.  Aside from being shoddily assembled, they obviously don't intend anyone to use these on the street.  Pretty lame, given what they cost.  This time the spring broke inside the tripod, probably because it can't sit flat on the shaft end due to those welds.

Last week was really hot, so that motivated me to try to fix the A/C.  Had to fix the air compressor first and various other things, but finally got it done.  There was a slow leak at the H-valve due to a poorly machined surface on the hoses.  Crappy aftermarket parts.  The compressor has been holding up so far, so we'll see if it makes it through the summer.  I would be impressed.