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: June 23, 2006

Posted on June 23, 2006.

Completed a major rewiring under the hood.  It's now a hybrid 1987/1989 system that can run either the 1987 Turbo II LM/PM or the 1988/1989 Turbo II SMEC setup.  It was a lot of frickin work, but I wanted something that I could use as a test bed to play around with SMEC stuff.  I compiled a chart that I used to do the actual splicing that lists all the circuits and how they need to correspond between the two.  Luckily the SMECs are functionally close to the LM/PM setup, so it only got hairy in a few places.  All connections were soldered inline without cutting any of the original wires.

The CSX: May 11, 2006

Posted on May 11, 2006.

The new trans seems to be working well.  It's an A555/A520 hybrid (A555 with the mainshaft and ring gear from an A520) with a 3.50:1 ratio.  This is the perfect gearing for this car.  This setup with the OBX torque biasing differential is a great combo.  The only weak point is the mainshaft bearing surface.  The bearing near the pinion gear rides right on the shaft and eventually the area starts to break up from surface fatigue.  This shaft has a bit of life left in it, but when it goes I won't have anything to put in its place.  The later transaxles (A523/A543/A568) have a real inner bearing race here.  The bearing itself is the same, so it may just be a matter of machining the shaft down to accept the race.  My main concern is the weakening of the shaft from removing the hardened surface in that area.  It may create a stress point at the base of the pinion gear.  If it were to break, the transmission would be destroyed.  That is not something I am willing to risk with this tranny.

The OBX is an interesting piece.  The car really wants to accelerate in a straight line, as the torque tends to get biased to the inside wheel.  The effect goes away when coasting.  I didn't beat on it too much since it is brand new and I also put in a new clutch that needs a little break-in time.  It is made in China and is basically a cheap knock-off of the Quaife unit that was designed for the Dodge Neon 420A transmission.  It definitely needs to be gone-through when received.  There are issues with the spring washer orientantion, the case bolt torques, and the axle fitment.  The machining on the element gears, the axle holes in the case, and the splines are also pretty rough and need to be checked/honed/deburred.  Time will tell on how they hold up down the road, but at one third the price of a Quaife they are an attractive option even with their flaws.  I will be changing the trans fluid once it gets a couple of hundred miles on it.

The Daytona: May 7, 2006

Posted on May 07, 2006.

Got a little work done.  The ATC is all installed and seems to work OK.  The CSX broke again, so more detours.

The CSX: May 7, 2006

Posted on May 07, 2006.

Well, it's running so sweet that I broke 2nd gear.  It was an A520, but it had the chrome-moly bearing retainer plate.  Time to accelerate the A555 build-up that I've been putting off, as the Daytona is still apart.  Picked up an OBX and JT hooked me up with some carrier bearings.  The main shaft in the A520 still looked pretty good.  It's got one little dink on the bearing surface...like it chewed something (a gear tooth perhaps...).  Hopefully it will hold for a while.  New shafts are no where to be found.  Gonna have to find a way to fix these things.

The CSX: May 2, 2006

Posted on May 02, 2006.

I was running 5psi of boost all winter, to save the Blizzaks.  That's why I didn't notice that my intermediate sprocket had jumped ahead a tooth when I swapped the cam.  When I turned up the boost, it misfired badly when I accelerated.  Set it to 10 degrees and now it is running sweet.