85 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 High Output

[ScottD]

Got some more accomplished this week.

One thing that always bugged me about the Turismo 2.2 package was that it didn't come with the small rear 1/4 ground effects. I always felt this made the car look a bit unfinished. I wanted to add these to my first Turismo but never got to it, so it was a priority on this one. I got the gfx pieces (thanks Billy Lofink) and repainted them. I also put on NOS Turismo mud flaps (got these from Bill Gamalski at SDAC 19).

The other thing I installed was the rear lowering springs. This dropped a good inch off the ride. Now ... if I was using different shocks struts than KYBs it might sit even lower, but I'm pleased with how the rear sits now.

The next step is to get the mud flaps and lowering springs installed on the front. I'm hoping to do that tomorrow night and then tear into the engine bay next week.

[DC Turismo]

Glad to see you got them installed Scott! I never knew Turismo 2.2's never came with the rear GFX pieces. I still find that odd, but what do you expect, they did a lot of strange things that didn't make sense in the 80s with these cars haha

Car looks great, looking forward to parking mine beside it someday!

[ScottD]

Thanks Billy. I didn't use double sided tape on them either, I was able to get them pretty snug.

I got the front lowering springs in on Thursday night and hopefully the head will be off by one night next week.

I'm going to try and get it done before it starts snowing, but I'm def hoping to have it at SDAC.

[ScottD]

Head is now off the car. What a mess of emissions stuff on the intake and exhaust manifolds. Yikes, no wonder with the Holley carb and this emissions garbage that these didn't run that great from the factory.

More pics to come soon.

[ScottD]

Here's some proof as to why KYB shocks and struts suck. Look at this photo of the original rear shock and the KYB. The perch sits up so much higher on the KYB.

Also, on the front struts, the KYB strut mounts add height as well over say a stock Mopar strut mount.

With the LRE lowering springs installed the car now has a nice stance to it, but it could be better. At some point I'll put something else on but for now the KYBs will stay since they have like 2000 miles on them.

[ScottD]

Some engine bay pics after the head removal and prior to detailing. The head and block are caked with grease. I cleaned the head (85 287 casting) and dropped it and the MP oversized intake and exhaust valves off at the machine shop today.

Look at all those parts on the floor .... some like the air pump are headed for scrap metal heaven.

Another interesting item of note. The HO carb'd cars got the D port intake manifold from the factory.

["Top Fuel" Bender]

That motor would look great with my 1" tapered carb spacer on it

[ScottD]

That motor would look great with my 1" tapered carb spacer on it

OOOOOH how much Bruce?

["Top Fuel" Bender]

OOOOOH how much Bruce?

$48

[john1320]

That motor would look great with my 1" tapered carb spacer on it

I always loved spacers, a nice way to avoid building a custom intake, and still see more plenum volume/ high rpm grins.

[85shelbycharger]

Car is looking good Scott! Glad those gfx worked out for ya! Hopefully you bring the Turismo to the next SV get-together I come to!

[DC Turismo]

Scott

If you wanna know about the vacuum line / emissions garbage deletion, let me know and I will get some detailed pics for you come spring time once my car is back out. It runs so much better and the engine bay looks so much cleaner without all those lines, especially the ones leading to the charcoal canister down the passenger fenderwell. Looking great though, keep it up!

[ScottD]

Scott

If you wanna know about the vacuum line / emissions garbage deletion, let me know and I will get some detailed pics for you come spring time once my car is back out. It runs so much better and the engine bay looks so much cleaner without all those lines, especially the ones leading to the charcoal canister down the passenger fenderwell. Looking great though, keep it up!

I might take you up on that. When I took the vac lines off I labelled everything. I haven't yet decided how to hook it back up. I do know that I'm going to use a vacuum block and use rubber lines for whatever goes back on there.

[neongary]

Not to hijack your thread, but the emissions removal brought back a few memories and thought you might get a laugh. I had a Turismo just like yours that I bought new in '85. I was shipping it overseas (military) and it was OK to remove the cat converter. (I had all the paperwork from the EPA.) So I did, but just prior to shipping I got a crack in the windshield. I had to have it replaced, but with the old windshield went the Mass. inspection sticker, which included emissions. So I figured, what the heck, I'll take it through emissions inspection and even if I fail, who cares. The car will be out of the country in a few days. The tech at a local dealer was told all this. He pulled the vacuum hose from the computer, plugged it with a golf tee and it passed. Go figure!

[neongary]

Did you ever have trouble with the car getting vapor lock? I seem to remember having a issue with this. I figured that it had a lot to do with the fuel line running across the front of the valve cover. I thought there was a TSB regarding it, but never had it done. I think they had a electric fuel pump installed for a fix.

[ScottD]

Did you ever have trouble with the car getting vapor lock? I seem to remember having a issue with this. I figured that it had a lot to do with the fuel line running across the front of the valve cover. I thought there was a TSB regarding it, but never had it done. I think they had a electric fuel pump installed for a fix.

No, I never had that problem with my first one. I did have a problem with it stalling on turns, but that was cured by a new carb.

[ScottD]

More progress pics.

Degreased the block and the transmission. You can see the block is black once again and the trans is silver. I've never seen so much grease caked on. Interestingly as I was cleaning I noticed a plug in the back of the block where the coolant line would go if it was a turbo. Supposedly the HO carb cars got turbo blocks.

Started detailing the engine bay. There is something on the shock towers, rad support, everywhere in the engine bay. It isn't rust proofing stuff but whatever it is it doesn't want to come off. I had to use brake cleaner on it (which was a tip I got from Marcus86GLHS to use to remove the Rusty Jones rustproofing crap off the engine bay of my GLHS). You can see I did the top of the shock tower but not the sides, what a difference.

The cylinder head came back from the machine shop today. I had oversized MP intake and exhaust valves installed and the head mildly ported. The valves I think were 41.6mm for the intake and 35 or 36mm for the exhaust. I got these on ebay as NOS pieces.

I also painted the intake and tried painting the air cleaner top in chrome to look like an MP piece (since Billy "the parts hoarder" Lofink won't sell me his NOS MP one and I lost out on a bid on one on ebay recently). The air cleaner got a ton of dust in it, so I may sand it down and do it over, not sure yet. I wonder how much it would cost me to have one chromed?

Lastly there's a pic of my ever present helper in his usual spot, under my feet!!!

["Top Fuel" Bender]

Looks good
that's really coming along nicely

[turbojerk]

Do you ware "Ninja" footies when you work in the garage??

[ScottD]

Bruce - thanks, I still haven't forgotten about that spacer. Are you going to see T at the DV meeting? Maybe you could give it to him and I can grab it to him for some test fitting?

T - that pic is actually in my basement, I usually work in the garage naked.