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 CSX: September 19, 2006

Posted on September 19, 2006.

That setup was way too loud.  There was a deafening drone throughout the band.  The only quiet spot was between 2000 and 2500 RPM.  I went ahead and replaced the test pipe in the cat's position with the Dynomax Ultra Flo (p/n 17296).  That cut the drone by about 50% overall while driving and it idles pretty quiet now.  It's louder than I'd like, but I can live with it.  It's now very quiet in that 2000-2500 range.  I'm betting installing the cat instead of the Ultra Flo will make it even quieter.

I also replaced the hatch struts, finally.  NAPA sells the "StrongArm" brand of struts that makes the correct one for P-bodies with a spoiler.

The CSX: September 17, 2006

Posted on September 17, 2006.

Well, the strut is still on there.  Turns out that the strut rod nut was loose and was somehow pushing the center part of the strut mount up.  Once it was tightened, everything moved back to where it should be.  The strut is shot though and the other front strut isn't fairing much better.  I am going to try to warranty them.  I did fix the passenger side window and both have stayed fixed for now.  The car developed an annoying missfire/breakup above 3000rpm above 15psi of boost.  I fiddled with a few things and finally replaced the plugs with some new AutoLite 63s, as the AutoLite 64s that were in there had about 35k on them and were really worn.  That seemed to help, but it is still not as strong as it was before.

The 7-year-old exhaust, an original "Jessie Buhr" aluminized 2.5" system with a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler, has been falling apart for about a year now.  I've been patching it as it broke but had ordered a full 3" stainless system from FWD Performance in the meantime.  Finally the twice-patched muffler simply disintegrated last week, so I decided to install the new system this weekend.

Man, what a chore.  It is by no means a drop-in kit.  Quite a bit of cutting and welding was required, especially in the area around the axle.  My goal was to make a stock-looking exhaust at the tail pipes, so I picked up a Dynomax Super Turbo muffer that has a 3" inlet and a pair of 2.5" outlets (p/n 17674).  A pair of stainless 2.25" 45-degree bends from ATP Turbo serve as the tail pipes (using a couple of 2.5"-2.25" bushings).  I was quickly reminded that the early 2.25" swing valve housing on the turbo will not accept the 3" downpipe donut, so I dug an old 2.5" downpipe out of the spiderwebs in the corner and happened to have a 2.5" ID - 3" OD adapter.  I spent all day Saturday cutting and fitting while trying to clear the spring, fuel tank, and axle.  You can see my beautiful welding technique.  The setup currently has no cat and man is it loud.  I might as well have no muffler at all.  I'm going to have to add a straight-through muffer in the cat's position to quiet it down (I have a Dymomax Ultra Flo p/n 17296 sitting here).

I also added an additional mount on the brake line bracket, which should keep the exhaust from swaying back and forth and hitting the fuel tank and spring.  It's a tight fit back there.

The Daytona: September 15, 2006

Posted on September 15, 2006.

So a while back I picked-up a Relentless Performance "Triple-Core" intercooler (three stock cores welded together in parallel).  The photo on the left shows (from the top down) the Spearco "1080" that is sold by a few of the vendors, the RP Triple-Core, and the early Dodge Conquest intercooler that I used in my Shadow for several years.  I finally got it and all the plumbing fitted.  It just fits behind the early Daytona fascia after some trimming to the plastic structure.  I wanted the plumbing to fit without having to move the radiator or the battery.  The intercooler pipes are all 2.25" T304 stainless steel (one U-bend, one U/J-bend, and a 45 degree bend).  The silicone couplers are from Silicone Intakes, which is by far the cheapest I have found.  I chose 2.25" pipes because the intercooler and airbox had 2.25" connections and that was the largest that would squeeze between the battery and the radiator.  The only change I had to make was I switched to a P-body coolant overflow tank to give me the gap next to the radiator fill neck.

The Daytona: August 23, 2006

Posted on August 23, 2006.

Actually have quite a bit done, just haven't updated in a while.  The interior is in...just have a few odds and ends to hook up (like the guages) that need to wait until the end.  The picture shows the interior after the dash was up and the center console was finally mounted, but before the carpet/seats went in.  The power train is in, as is the core support.  The front part of the core is tacked to the sheetmetal on the cowl, but I'm going to wait until I have the intercooler plumbing all figured out before I finish it up and paint it.  The RP triple core intercooler is mounted and I have designed the layout of the tubing.  It's a really tight fit, but I'm pretty happy with it.  I didn't even have to move the radiator.  The early G-bodies have a lot of room behind the nose, but some carving of the plastic was required.

The CSX: August 23, 2006

Posted on August 23, 2006.

Well, the trans is still holding up well and the OBX still rocks.  There is a bizzare noise that happens when the axles get torqued-up a certain way by the diff.  I think it's actually a wheel bearing, possibly from the guard rail impact.  It sounds like a bearing.  The rest of the car seems to be falling apart.  The fallout from by little guard rail adventure continues.  The driver's side strut started getting really loose a few weeks ago (4-year old Koni) and the strut mount self-destructed last week.  The impact, which whacked the top of the wheel hard enough to shove the camber adjustment all the way in, must have bent the tube slightly.  I can't tell by looking at it, but some paint flaked off where the tube may have collapsed and popped back out.  It must have made the piston bind-up or something, because the strut mount is practically punched-out.

In addition to that, I have this continuing battle with the windows.  First, the driver's side would get stuck due to the misshapen tracks from the impact mentioned above.  After fixing that, the next day the passenger side window track tab broke and the window kept falling out of the track.  I put up with that for about a week before I made a new tab out of aluminum.  The next day the driver's side window motor started acting wierd where the window would stop but the motor kept going.  Eventually that window would just fall down every time I hit a bump.  Finally I took the motor apart, replaced the wacky cushions that go between the drive gear and the external gear.  Then the next day the passenger side window started getting stuck on the way down.  It looks like the glass is hitting something metal, as it is getting scratched.  Argh.  I'm afraid to fix it, for fear of what will happen next on the driver's side.