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.

The Daytona: May 10, 2004

Posted on May 10, 2004.

I found this thing sitting back in the corner of the garage.  Something about being a 2.2L common block with a forged T2 crank, T2 rods, JE forged pistons, big oil pump, etc.  I dunno, maybe it's good for something....

The CSX: May 10, 2004

Posted on May 10, 2004.

Driving the car again in the nice weather.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to do some work on the Daytona.  Tweaked a few things in the cal to fix some summertime "cold" start quirkiness and hopefully addressed a low boost stumble.

The Daytona: May 1, 2004

Posted on May 01, 2004.

Well, the car made it through the rest of the winter and spring.  The mileage is about right and the idle has been getting better and better all by itself.  I beat on the car quite a bit, so that may be helping it a bit.  Could be the warmer weather too.  I fiddled with the trans kickdown cable figured out how to do the proper adjustment procedure.  It helped a little, but it's still upshift-happy.  Oh well.

The Daytona: February 20, 2004

Posted on February 20, 2004.

Well, the common problem theory is out.  The fuel guage had a cold solder joint, the tach had a bad tach module (the '86 module works in the '91 cluster, BTW), and the temp guage had a bad sender.  I had the meter connected across various grounding points relative to the battery and everything seems to be OK.  I also wedged a piece of plywood under the passenger side engine mount, which may have reduced the front-end shake even more.  I will probably swap the mount (it looks bad) and shim it up perminently to see if that helps.

The Daytona: February 17, 2004

Posted on February 17, 2004.

I've fiddled around some more, but can't seem to get the last of the gremlins worked out.  The tach still likes to go wonky for no reason and the fuel and temp gauges read lower than they should.  All of this screams grounding problems, but I have been over them again and again.  Either both the fuel and temp senders are hosed and the tach board needs a going-over, or there is a single problem at the core of it all.  So far I haven't been able to figure it out.  Aside from the exhaust clamps slipping and a few new squeaks added to the collection, the car seems to be working OK.  It is actually starting to run better, though the fuel mileage seems low (hard to say the the speed/distance sensor is intermittent).