Automotive

1987 Shelby CSX #694 of 750

This is my 1987 Shelby CSX that I've owned since 1998.  It is number 694 out of 750 that were modified at Shelby Automobiles in Whittier, California.  You can read the back story here.  The car has somehow survived a move and a number of life change events, however I have not really done any serious work on it for about two decades.  That has recently started to change....

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Current Vehicle Synopsis:

• 1987 Shelby CSX #694
• 146,000 miles
• Stock '87 Turbo I engine block and crank
• Venolia forged pistons (stock bore)
• Turbo II connecting rods
• Stock reman "fast-burn" 782 head
• FM ported exhaust manifold
• Custom 3-bar computer calibration, 20psi of boost on 93 octane (23 on race gas)
• +40% "Super 60" fuel injectors
• Stock T2 intercooler
• Magnecor ignition wires
• 3 inch mandrel-bent stainless steel exhaust from FWD Performance
• Walker Dynomax UltraFlo 16x6" straight-through muffler
• Walker Dynomax Super Turbo 3" in, dual 2.5" out muffler with dual stock-look tailpipes
• 1988 A555/A520 3.50:1 hybrid transaxle with an OBX torque biasing differential
• Mopar TII clutch disk with LUK TIII pressure plate
• Shadow ES interior
• Best 1/4 mile: 14.737 sec @ 96.35 mph on 06/28/2005

What is a Shelby CSX?

You may be aware of the earlier Shelby's which were actually a sort of British coupe chassis with a Ford V8 stuffed in it.  The 1987 CSX is no roadster though; it is actually a 1987 Dodge Shadow coupe, black with no options except turbo, that was modified by Shelby Automobiles, Inc.  Shelby modified the engine by adding an intercooler intake setup and a high-performance computer, bringing engine output to 175 hp at 5300 rpm and 175 ft-lbs at 2200 to 4800 rpm.  The brake system was upgraded to four-wheel Kelsley-Hayes disks (vented front, solid rear).  He also installed Monroe Formula GP Iso-struts and shocks with firmer springs (lowering the car by 3/4 of an inch), and added firmer stabilizer bars.  These mods bring the CSX to 15.07 sec at 92.4 mph in the quarter mile and a 7.1 sec 0-to-60 time, with a skid pad rating of 0.85g.  For more details about the Shelby CSX, see Dempsey Bowling's 1987 Shelby CSX Historical Page.

Two other Shelby CSX vehicles were released in the following years.  In 1988, Shelby introduced the 1988 Shelby CSX-T.  All but three were sold right to Thrifty Auto Rental and could be rented for $34.95 a day.  1000 were made and numbers 1 and 2 went to the CEO of Thrifty and his daughter.  One other was sold to a dealership.  These vehicles were the same as the 1987 CSX, except that they lacked the Turbo II and were white over grey in color.  In 1989, the last Shelby CSX was released.  It featured the same handling package with a different alignment, and an aggressive exotic red body with deep airdams and side moldings.  The biggest feature was the first 2.2L Turbo IV engine featuring the VNT turbo setup that virtually eliminated turbo lag.

Carroll Shelby modified several other Dodge vehicles around this time also, and all of these cars became known as Shelby Dodges.  The history of the Shelby Dodge is described in great detail by Dempsey Bowling.

Return of the CSX?

Posted on September 12, 2025.

The CSX, which has been slumbering in the garage for the past dozen or so years, was slowly entombed in boxes of stuff and donations and whatnot.  I recently cleaned most of that out with the goal of getting the CSX up and running again.  It needs body work and while I have everything I need to fix it, I intend to just bite the bullet and pay a shop to finish it properly for me.  Despite my best efforts on Frankentona, I know I lack the skills and facilities to do a proper paint job in my garage.  I'm not looking for a concourse finish, just something durable that looks roughly stock and will polish up nice.

The motor is a bit of a hodge-podge right now.  I threw this car back together with whatever I had lying around about 12 years ago, as we had sold our house unexpectedly quickly and I had to clear out and pack the garage.  I don't remember what head is on it, what turbo, what cal, what injectors, what clutch, etc.  I do I know the trans is an A555 with an OBX and the axles are Diriveshaft Shop.  I kept the motor and trans from the Daytona before I sold it, so I will definitely be using the bottom end from that.

Anyway, I swapped out the decade-old gasoline from the tank, put a new battery in it and it fired right up.  No drama.

Life Off of Jack Stands

Posted on August 18, 2014.

The CSX has been up on jack stands for about 8 years.  Life has a way of rearranging priorities.  However, I was either going to cobble it back together or haul it off on a trailer.  Either way, it had to move.  I aborted all upgrade plans, slapped my only spare working head and turbo on there and drove it.  It still burns oil, so at least I know that the bottom end is truly done.  Poor thing.  Some day, I hope to give it the attention it deserves....

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 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 CSX: November 3, 2006

Posted on November 03, 2006.

Well, on the way home from work I noticed that I had no heat and the temp guage was acting weird.  I was like great, it's the frickin' head gasket that's making it smoke.  I started filling the radiator, which was pretty much empty, and heard a splashing noise.  I look under the car and coolant is dumping out from behind the block.  Dang core plug popped out again.  Man I hate that thing.  There is no room for the CSX in the garage, so I forged ahead with the Daytona.  The CSX needs the front struts swapped, the turbo swapped, the clutch swapped, the radiator core support welded, the K-frame checked for square, the ball joints re-replaced, and a full, 4-wheel alignment job.  Poor car needs a break.