Appearance parts specific to CSX-T?

[Tony Hanna]

I'm toying with the idea of repainting the Sundance as a CSX-T appearance clone and I'd like to use the proper grill, spoiler, gfx, etc. What I won't be doing is installing any Shelby emblems or decals (definitely not trying to represent the car as something it's not) but I may see if I can get some decals made that say Plymouth Sundance or Sundance Turbo in the same color and font as the original CSX-T graphics.

Anyhow, I was wondering if somebody could give me an idea of what body parts were specific to the CSX-T and what I could source from other non-Shelby P-bodies?
Since this isn't going to be a faithful reproduction, I'd even consider substituting parts that look "close enough" for the grill, gfx, and spoiler. I'd really rather do it that way instead of buying parts off of a #ed car that somebody else might need for a real Shelby model later.
Thanks!
Tony

[DC Turismo]

The grille/headlight housing combo is specific and something that didn't come on non-Shelby models. The spoiler is the same as any Sundance/Shadow model though.

I'm led to believe that these did have front and rear air dams which were specific. If you want to do the 'close enough look', get a set of '92-'94 Duster package rocker ground effects and the front and rear bumpers. The bumpers have a body line on them that you can paint below it silver, and the side gfx I believe are very close if not the same as used on the 88s. Sounds like a really cool project though, especially since you're not trying to make it something it is not but add to its appearance. That's one thing I appreciate as an enthusiast, dressing up a car how you prefer no matter what it is, numbered, turboed, rare, grocery getter.

If you need decals, check with Dave Lucidi as he should be able to fix you up with the Sundance Turbo or Plymouth Sundance in the font you desire!

[BadAssPerformance]

Front, rear, and side GFX are '87 CSX / '88 CSXT specific. So is the grill. Rear spoiler and turbo bulge hood are '88 Shadow/Sundance "Turbo"/"ES" equivalent. So other than the grill and GFX, its very sililar to a non-shelby :thumb:

[Tony Hanna]

The grille/headlight housing combo is specific and something that didn't come on non-Shelby models. The spoiler is the same as any Sundance/Shadow model though.

I'm led to believe that these did have front and rear air dams which were specific. If you want to do the 'close enough look', get a set of '92-'94 Duster package rocker ground effects and the front and rear bumpers. The bumpers have a body line on them that you can paint below it silver, and the side gfx I believe are very close if not the same as used on the 88s. Sounds like a really cool project though, especially since you're not trying to make it something it is not but add to its appearance. That's one thing I appreciate as an enthusiast, dressing up a car how you prefer no matter what it is, numbered, turboed, rare, grocery getter.

If you need decals, check with Dave Lucidi as he should be able to fix you up with the Sundance Turbo or Plymouth Sundance in the font you desire!

Thanks! There seem to be plenty of the later Dusters running around here, so I bet I could find one in a JY to pull the GFX and bumpers off of.
I'll definitely keep Dave in mind on the decals. Another thought: The side mouldings on the CSX-T have a blue stripe down the middle right? I wonder if they're basically the same otherwise? If so, I could find some blue pinstripe the right width and apply it to the chrome stripe on my stock mouldings.:)


Front, rear, and side GFX are '87 CSX / '88 CSXT specific. So is the grill. Rear spoiler and turbo bulge hood are '88 Shadow/Sundance "Turbo"/"ES" equivalent. So other than the grill and GFX, its very sililar to a non-shelby :thumb:

Sounds like the grill is going to be the hard part. It's a shame too because I really like the CSX-T grill.:( I wonder how hard it would be to start with a stock grill and turn it into something that looks right?
The bulge hood should be no problem to find in a local JY and I'll keep the stocker around for a possible future Yellowbird style cowl hood project.:thumb:

Out of curiosity, did anything ever come of the reproduction cowl hood or scoop idea? I'm still really interested in one if they ever become available.

If I can gather the parts to pull this off, it should look a little better than the "paint it flat black and forget about it" plan that I had earlier.:)

Thanks!
Tony

[BadAssPerformance]

I need to talk more with Hoagie about his DC scoop. I want a hood something fierce!

As for the grill, you can make a CSX-Like grill from a stocker, I have made a couple. If you do a little fiberglass it gould be dead nuts....

http://www.badassperformance.com/mrides/clone/grill.html

http://www.badassperformance.com/mrides/clone/srt/srt_rf.jpg

http://www.badassperformance.com/mrides/88_es_rally/88es.gif

[CoolV300C]

I have a set of side gfx I need to get rid of. both sides, plus the door insert thing.

[DC Turismo]

I have a set of side gfx I need to get rid of. both sides, plus the door insert thing.

From an 88 or 89 sir? If 89 I'd be interested since mine are cracked. :thumb:
(not to hijack, just figured since you're looking for 88 style they're different). :thumb:

[Tony Hanna]

I need to talk more with Hoagie about his DC scoop. I want a hood something fierce!

As for the grill, you can make a CSX-Like grill from a stocker, I have made a couple. If you do a little fiberglass it gould be dead nuts....

http://www.badassperformance.com/mrides/clone/grill.html

http://www.badassperformance.com/mrides/clone/srt/srt_rf.jpg

http://www.badassperformance.com/mrides/88_es_rally/88es.gif
Yeah, I'd really like one as well. Either a scoop or a hood. I'd say in my case a hood would be a better option since I hate body work but I definitely wouldn't pass up a scoop if it was available.

On the grill: That's what I wanted to hear!:thumb: I need to pick up a spare and start working on it. If I can work on it a little at a time without getting in a hurry, I bet I could get it to turn out decent.:)


I have a set of side gfx I need to get rid of. both sides, plus the door insert thing.

Nice! How much would you want for them? I bet shipping would be insane though...

[CoolV300C]

The side fx I have are for an 87 or 88. I will take $100 plus shipping.

[Tony Hanna]

Well, I'm at the planning and gathering information stage at this point but if you still have them when I get ready to start on the appearance end of things, I'll keep you in mind.

I'm kind of wondering though if I wouldn't be ahead to go with the '92-'94 Duster pieces like Billy suggested so I could get the bumpers off of the same car and have everything match up?
The older P-body stuff is getting a little hard to find around here, and it'd be just my luck to buy the side pieces and then never be able to find the right bumpers to go with them.

[85shelbycharger]

Get ahold of Troy (turbojerk) as the last time I checked, he had a grille from an '88 CSX-T he wanted to sell.

[MiniMopar]

Well, I'm at the planning and gathering information stage at this point but if you still have them when I get ready to start on the appearance end of things, I'll keep you in mind.

I'm kind of wondering though if I wouldn't be ahead to go with the '92-'94 Duster pieces like Billy suggested so I could get the bumpers off of the same car and have everything match up?
The older P-body stuff is getting a little hard to find around here, and it'd be just my luck to buy the side pieces and then never be able to find the right bumpers to go with them.

The '90 ES GFX are similar to the CSX as well. The front airdam is different and the 87/88 CSX airdam will only fit the early bumper. But they look reasonably close. To me, it's the front airdam and grill that sets the CSX apart from other P-bodies with GFX...and the rims of course.

Also, only the 87 Dodge Shadow got a bulge hood with a turbo. The Sundance always got the flat hood. Not sure about the 88 Sundance RS.

[Tony Hanna]

Get ahold of Troy (turbojerk) as the last time I checked, he had a grille from an '88 CSX-T he wanted to sell.

The thing is, at some point somebody is going to need that grill for repair/restoration of a real CSX-T. That's why I'm kind of leaning toward using parts from non-Shelby cars to end up with something that looks close.

On the other hand, it would be nice to get ahold of a CSX-T grill as a reference and use JT's technique plus some glass work to turn a regular grill into a relatively faithful reproduction. It would be alot easier than working from pictures and I could resell the original to somebody that needs it for a real CSX-T later.:thumb:


The '90 ES GFX are similar to the CSX as well. The front airdam is different and the 87/88 CSX airdam will only fit the early bumper. But they look reasonably close. To me, it's the front airdam and grill that sets the CSX apart from other P-bodies with GFX...and the rims of course.

Also, only the 87 Dodge Shadow got a bulge hood with a turbo. The Sundance always got the flat hood. Not sure about the 88 Sundance RS.

Out of curiosity what all would be involved in making the later GFX work on an '88 model car? I'm assuming the bumper covers would be the hard part. Would it just be a matter of using the bumper structures off of a newer car or would there be other issues?
Now that you mention it, I think most (if not all) of the P-bodies I've seen running around here with bulge hoods have been newer, so finding a bulge hood locally to fit an '88 might be a problem.
However if a reproduction Yellowbird cowl scoop or hood becomes available, it won't matter anyway.:)


Thanks for all the ideas everybody! I hope to have the mechanical end of things buttoned up on the Sundance this weekend. Actually, I think John will be working on that while I pull the tins off his motorcycle and get them ready for paint. So, hopefully within the next couple weeks I'll be able to shift my focus to getting this project started.:)