• TM's Co-Car of the Month (June 2008 Edition)

    Turbo Mopar's Co-Car of the Month - June 2008
    Dan Franzetta Jr's (glhturbo1985) 1985 Omni GLH Turbo!


    Yes, It was a tie this month so we are again featuring both of these two beautiful cars, one restified and one survivor! Please check them out!!!!!

    The Specs:

    - 2.2 L Intercooled turbo (GLHS plumbing)
    - Modified T1 Garrett turbocharger (quick spool)
    - Stage 2 GLHS Logic Module
    - Adjustable fuel pressure regulator
    - 52 mm throttle body
    - 1 piece intake manifold
    - Ported intake and exhaust manifolds
    - Autometer boost gauge (in dual pod)
    - Autometer Exhaust Gas Temp gauge (in dual pod)
    - Dawes air/fuel light
    - 2.5” swing valve back (entire exhaust)
    - Dynomax muffler
    - Head bored .02 over (11mm bolts)
    - 135 mph speedometer overlay
    - 4 lug Swiss Cheese Wheels (used early Daytona and wagon parts)
    - 2 door L body hood scoop fit for hood and made functional
    - K & N drop in air filter
    - Painted 1940 Chevy color (Ruby Maroon)




    Mopars just flow in my family. My dad has been into them since he bought his first 1937 Plymouth at the age of 10. This story starts back in 1988 when he bought a 5 speed Dodge Omni to commute back and forth to work. He enjoyed the NA car so much that he wanted me to have one when I began to drive since they got such great gas mileage. Well, my curiosity matched his intuition. Once we finally got the internet, I began researching and was awakened by Dempsey’s site on the GLH Turbos and numerous articles on the 86 GLHS.
    One year at Lake Eerie Tri-State Mopars annual car show, held at Albion fairgrounds, we found a GLH Turbo. It was a red one which we bought fully loaded of extra parts for 500 bucks. I didn’t even have my permit at the time. After dealing with a local notorist, we had a friend drive the car home while I rode shotgun.
    Once we got the car home the project began. My dad, after driving the car, decided that I wasn’t ready for a turbo motor yet. So we parted out several Omni’s in order to attain the parts needed to convert the thing to a NA motor. The original intentions were to make this car my nice daily driver and then to convert it back to T1 status when I had some driving experience. Through attaining these parts at the junk yards, I upgraded my 85 to have the 3rd brake light which wasn’t mandatory until 1986.
    We got to working on the car and it soon (actually much later) became far too nice to be driven year round. So we decided to make it a show car. This decision led us to pick up another Omni for me to beat up which we found on a farm and purchased for a hundred dollars which is still running at 175,000 miles. It was a 2.2 NA 5 speed (like my dad’s.) Getting that car into running standard and under a coat of fresh paint delayed progress with the GLH Turbo.
    Well, my evenings throughout high school were spent laboring on the GLH Turbo and prepping the NA motor for it. Many moons later, I graduated high school. The car at this point was still not put together. After graduation, we began to make some progress with the car. Approximately May of 2002, we finished the GLHT with the NA 2.2 under the hood.
    After some several visits to junk yards, we had found a nice set of 4 bolt Swiss cheese wheels which I absolutely loved. I had to have them on my show car. These mounted right up when we had the regular Omni suspension on the car. So we refinished the wheels and rolled out.
    The car’s first and only appearance with this motor was at the site where we bought it, Lake Erie’s Tri-State Mopars annual car show at Albion fairgrounds. I had my car judged. Although the car was decaled as a GLH Turbo all around, not too many people even noticed that it was a NA 2.2 under the hood. I actually ended up winning first place in the FWD class. I think people were amazed at the detail that we had put into the engine compartment and the entire car overall. We had also shaved a Turismo/Rampage/Charger hood scoop to fit the GLHT which wasn’t functional. I was very happy. A month after winning at Tri State Mopars event, I joined the Army and the GLH Turbo as I knew it would never be the same.
    The military had plans for me other than funding the rebuilding of my Turbo motor. After graduating basic training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training) I was stationed in Germany. After three months of being there, the war in Iraq kicked off and within two weeks notice, I was headed to the desert. As I was away, I wired money to my father to have the engine rebuilt and bored .02 over. Too much money was spent on this car. I don’t even want to figure out how much. If our time was calculated into that effect, we would be considered clinically insane!
    I’m lucky to have such a great dad. He had done a ton of prep work for the engine and squared me away as I was overseas defending the country and preserving freedom. Well, my tour overseas had ended fifteen months later. One month of R &R followed. While I was home for that month, we swapped engines. My entire month home following my Iraq deployment was spent laboring on the car. While preparing the engine, we had placed a 1 piece intake on it in preparation for intercooling at some point. We had spent my entire leave on the car, hoping to have the car completed in time to take it to the Mopar Nationals.
    We did not make our deadline. After several problems with vacuum lines (because we were trying to customize a blow off valve from a later model automatic) and numerous other issues, we finished the car the day before I was returning to Germany and made one drive out to dinner. The car at this point did have a 2.5” exhaust from the swing valve back. We also put a modified Garrett Turbo in to sort of be prepared for intercooling at some point in time. Another upgrade was making the hood scoop functional at this point which involved cutting both the hood and the scoop. Talk about time consuming!
    The story jumps a bit now. I went back to Germany, transferred to Oklahoma, redeployed to Iraq, returned to Oklahoma, and got the heck out of the active Army (as my contract expired) to do a 1 year deal with the PA National Guard killing the remaining time of my MSO (Military Service Obligation.)
    During my few weeks spent at home during these transitions, we swapped the T1 setup to a T2. We added an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, a Dawes light, EGT gauge (auto meter,) Boost gauge (auto meter,) a dual pod pillar, a 135 overlay on the speedo, and many other little things. I would say the hardest part was finding the brake hardware and parts needed to have GLH Turbo size brakes on my car… but with 4 bolt pattern rotors and drums so that I could use my Swiss Cheese wheels again.
    We finally had the car put together and running properly 2 days prior to SDAC 17 which was here in PA. My dad and I strived to have the car together and running by this deadline. We met our goal and strolled on through the registration tent to walk out winning first place in the L body four door class.
    Thanks a lot to those of you who voted for me. I am planning on bringing the car out to SDAC this year in Detroit. I’m looking forward to showing all of you my pride and joy and also am looking forward to looking at your beauties and meeting everyone out there.
    I’m bringing some Yuengling too.
    If my dad and I meet our deadline this year, his 86 GLHS #269 will be in attendance as well. I look forward to meeting you all.





    Many more pictures of the work in progress here:
    http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...62&postcount=6
    This article was originally published in forum thread: TM's Co-Car of the Month (June 2008 Edition) started by fleckster View original post