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: April 23, 2008

Posted on April 23, 2008.

Still my daily driver.  Been collecting some odds and ends that should hopefully help the spool department: A Turbos Unleashed cast log header and Turbonetics T03/T04E hybrid single ball bearing turbo with a "Super 50" compressor and a Stage II exhaust turbine in a .63 A/R housing attached to a Turbos Unleashed 3" swing valve (whew).  The header, housing, and swing valve are all ceramic thermal coated to keep temps down and gas velocities high.  The turbo flange on the header is larger than it should be, so I will likely need to port the housing flange somewhat.

The Super 70 and ported exhaust manifold that is in there now will end up in the CSX once I get a new cylinder head for it.  Trouble is the CSX needs to be running before I put this setup in there....

The CSX: April 6, 2008

Posted on April 06, 2008.

Well it's been about a year and a half since I drove the car.  This weekend I finally got a chance to tear into it.  I pulled the head and tore it completely down.  This crappy reman head is pretty screwed-up.  The three rear coolant jackets have been ground out and rewelded at some point.  There is a small crack between one of the forward jackets and the chamber.  The cam journals are pretty chewed-up too, so I think this head is done.  Too bad too because it has tight guides and fairly new valves.  The plan is to use the original head that came off this car when I got it back in 1998, which appears to have been junkyard TBI roller cam head as the exhaust valves are pretty burnt up.  It also has some small cracks starting in the rear jackets, but they are not threatening yet and can be relieved.  The guides are worn as well and so it needs a complete rebuild....

I also pulled the trans in preparation for the new TU ceramic/organic clutch that's been sitting on a shelf waiting for a chance to be installed.  I also checked the input shaft and diff carrier play and they seem to be holding up well.  I had a little trouble removing the passenger side axle due to the OBX's tendency to collapse slightly when the bearings are installed.  A bit of tapping persuaded it out.

Back to the head...a month or so ago I decided to use this head as my first attempt at head porting.  I figured it was no big loss if I ruined it and was still usable if I didn't.  It turned out much better than I thought it would.  I made a few mistakes, but it should still flow much better than stock so I figure why not try to run it and see how it does.

The bowls were cleaned up and the ports straightened and blended.  The roof of the intake was raised considerably (too much over near the bowls) and the roof of the exhaust was also raised slightly (there is a coolant passage that needs to be watched out for).  I also filled the area on one side of the intake ports where core drift always leaves a pocket the undercuts the seat with JB Weld.  This is probably where Steve Menegon does it, but I didn't look that closely at his head on the Daytona before installing it.  The floors were smoothed and blended, but otherwise left alone.  I did lay back the floor at the exhaust bowl more on the advice from Tyler.  I'm now coming up with a way to de-shroud the valves so that it is done equally.

The Daytona: June 5, 2007

Posted on June 05, 2007.

Drove the car all winter and spring without any major issues.  The most annoying thing that happened was when the adjustable cam sprocket came loose and the car wouldn't start late at night in the parking lot at work.  I was able to snug it up with some vice grips and get home.  I've got a stock sprocket on there now.

I recently replaced the stock headlamps with a Hella H4 "Free Form" conversion kit and built a relay module so that the lights got power directly from the battery.  I measured an over 3.5V drop through the stock headlight circuit.  The housings are DOT approved and I am using the standard 65/55W bulbs.  The light pattern is much better than a standard sealed-beam lamp and they run nice and bright with the extra voltage.  If you are thinking about a HID conversion for better visbility (and not because you think they are pretty), do the H4 conversion and relay mod instead.  The on-coming drivers will thank you (I hate HIDs).

The CSX: June 5, 2007

Posted on June 05, 2007.

I literally have not touched this car, short of starting it up once this spring.  I really need to tackle the mechanical issues first, just so that it can be driven in the event of an issue with the Daytona.  With the birth of our son this past December, there just hasn't been any time.  What little spare time I do have gets devoted to fixing small issues on the Daytona.  I suspect that I will not be able to do anything with this car this year.

The Daytona: November 8, 2006

Posted on November 08, 2006.

The stupid cheesy plastic draincock on the brand new radiator broke on the way to work.  Stuffed a rag in the hole and limped back home.  What a crappy design.  Anyway, I did a few other odds and ends while I was at it, including the installation of the correct throttle cable.  I also got the interior all cleaned up nice and managed to take some pics of the inside and the outside (it's a little dirty on the outside, but oh well).

I'm really happy with how the guage pod and mounts turned out.