89 Dodge Spirit project

[Vigo]

Took pics so i figured id post em..

Decided that since i got the new yorker (http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...ht=free+yorker) out of my driveway for a while, i should finish putting back together the spirit thats been sitting since.. spring i guess? Took all of 10 minutes get it running from where i left it many months ago and then a lot longer than that to get it to run right, but i finally got it going smooth.



Messy. Got a drop-in late style rad/ic combo for $35 locally so put that in. Then i got this idea that i could probly cobble together pipes for it from stuff i had lying around

I had.. a pile of mismatched terrible looking scraps of hose, some log t1 couplers, an old mazda mx-6 bov, some pieces of 2 1/4" exhaust pipe from 4 to 8" in length, and some 2" pvc angles.


Lower radiator hose from a 3.9l v6 looks like a good donor
After cobbling a bunch of pieces together i was only missing one short section, but i was out of junk to splice!!

Or so i thought.. just in case, i went all the way to the back of the back yard and checked the 2.6L executive sedan...

Huzzah! Yes, i took an extra throttle body with me to test-fit


Hooray! That clear hose is my Harbor Freight boost gauge mounted to the windshield wiper for now..




It sorta works. I think the stupid mazda BOV starts leaking like crazy at ~8psi.


I did drive it around a bit. But unfortunately both it and the new yorker have slight knocking noises so looks like they'll be back together in the carport again sometime soon so we can check em out

Birds of a feather break together

[Vigo]

36 views and no comments.. isnt someone going to tear into my intercooler plumbing

[Captain Chaos]

36 views and no comments.. isnt someone going to tear into my intercooler plumbing

I'd try but pics are blocked at work...

[Captain Chaos]

Plus I should wait till I'm done picking your brain, lol.

[Vigo]

hehe i wont get all moody and stop being helpful just for you calling it what it is

I shoulda taken a better pic of the lower hose.. oh man.

[PBODY]

Love the swiss cheese wheels.

As for the IC, I'm sure I will give you a run for your money when I try and mount my WRX IC in the front of my Spirit.

[Vigo]

cool we can have a crappy plumbing SHOWDOWN. >: D

[Vigo]

Well it seems the 'knocking' noise was probably a leaking down lifter because i have noticed it is less severe now after idling the engine a few times and it seems to go away after a bit instead of getting worse.

I still have a massive oil leak from my lazy self leaving a bolt out of the valve cover and forgetting to find one that would work.

The BOV still leaks like a mofo.. i plan to fix this by attaching the stock t1 bov onto the end of the mazda one! lol. Just gotta find the darn thing. That oughta get me from 7 psi to 15 or so.

Ive got +20s and a +20 cal'd chip with moved cutout point that i need to put in so i should have more fuel than air with the mitsu turbo.

Got a desoldering gun.. now just gotta find me a socket and get to melting stuff on my compuut3r so i can plug in my ch1pz!

Just went out there and eyeballed it a bit ago and im gonna cut up my message center and turn it into 3 gauge spots.. Even though i only have 1 gauge right now. I will drill as i go.

Harbor freight discontinued their 16$ boost gauge so go buy one before the stores run out!

[PBODY]

Just went out there and eyeballed it a bit ago and im gonna cut up my message center and turn it into 3 gauge spots.. Even though i only have 1 gauge right now. I will drill as i go.

Harbor freight discontinued their 16$ boost gauge so go buy one before the stores run out!

Dude, quite copying me. What's next, your going to put an aftermarket tach where the stock tach was?

Here is a screen shot of the gauge pod I made to replace the message center. The verticle slot was for my Dawes, but I installed it next to the tach instead.

[Vigo]

Well, actually i saw a pic of something a vendor is now selling and was 'inspired' by that... but either way im a cheap, copying dude.. but in fairness im sure the first person to come up with this was probably in like 1993.

My stock tach needs to be resoldered, it barely works. Luckily i have a spare cluster so i can do it whenever. I think i may have odometer gear issues as well.

That gauge pod design looks nice.. i like the angle of the gauges.

flat and flush is not ideal, but its FREE and EASY so its what im doing

[Vigo]

Well i picked up an 89 shadow es 2.5 tbi / 520 a bit over a month ago.

I had been considering swapping the 5spd to the 89 turbo voyager (the most recent one) i had, but passed that one on to my friend Mason:
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=43834

So i went back to my original plan!

Take shadow apart and put stuff on spirit!

Parts to be swapped include:
89 k-frame, control arms, steering rack. (has the bobble strut bracket)
520 5spd and associated junk.
Entire rear axle with solid 10.5 discs.
Probably all springs, front struts complete, rear with or without shocks depending on which ones are better.

Im guessing, due to my being too lazy to put the shifter and pedals in (im predicting this in advance), suspension stuff will get done before the 5spd swap does.

Im thinking ill save the 5-spd swap itself until im ready to put a better clutch in it, and take the whole motor out too to reseal the bottom, clean it up, and go back from mitsu to garrett (for the second time).

Here's pics of the shadow when i brought it home. $125.

Thanks to my fiancee for running the camera while i drag junk around with my dynasty.


It also has other parts ill be using..

aftermarket 15x6.5s will be painted black and put on something.
front seats for aries
fuel tank for executive sedan (currently has an old carb tank)
exhaust hangers i will cut and add to the spirit to go back from bailing wire to factory hangers
foglights ill snag and put on.. something..
2.5 tbi motor ill save, maybe basis for future build for something else.

oh and its already donated both axles to project free new yorker which i got for free and then gave to my friend derrick for free
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...ht=free+yorker

And of course ill sell the cat and the body and make more than my $125 back just on that.

If i kill something, i try to use every part of the carcass im a responsible hunter.

All for the greater glory of the spirit (and others).

[Vigo]

Update:



Tore down the shadow today, have everything off it but the pedals and cables.

Im thinking ill save the 5-spd swap itself until im ready to put a better clutch in it, and take the whole motor out too to reseal the bottom, clean it up, and go back from mitsu to garrett (for the second time).

Well, decided im going to be swapping to an 85 2.2L motor and giving up the 2.5L to go in the free new yorker. The motor is already built and clean w/garrett turbo! hooray! But i need a 6-bolt flywheel for it, and im going to put a 782 head with tbi roller cam on it (already have it sitting).

So, it's still currently assembled as a running 2.5L/413 car, but its coming apart again soon for a motor swap AND a 5spd swap.

Here's the parts list for the planned setup (what i already have for the car and some already on it):

85 2.2L Turbo bottom end (heavy rods, roughly t2 equivalent)
782 head w/ roller tbi cam (will raise compression some)
3.5:1 FD '89 a520
2pc intake manifold
+20% injectors
T2 rad/ic
Garrett turbo w/2.25" SV (t2 converted log turbo)
2.5" downpipe to 2.5" mandrel-bent full exhaust
ES springs all around
10.5" rear disc conversion
ES rear axle (bigger bar)
ES front swaybar
Swiss cheese wheels w/ brand new 205/55r15 Falken ZE-912s
Harbor Freight boost gauge


All in all not a super-awesome setup (basic modded 2.2 t2) but hopefully enough to be interesting and get me 30+ highway mpg.

[Vigo]

Well, found out i can get a NEW 6 bolt turbo flywheel for $59.99 so thats cheaper than me finding and pulling one at a yard at $20 plus a crapload of my time and energy.

Got the cables and pedal setup out of the shadow finally so that thing is 100% ready to go away. All the 5spd stuff besides the flywheel itself is sitting on the ground ready to go, including an 89 k-frame with the bobble bracket on it. Also got the complete ES springs/struts and ES rear axle with solid discs to go in the spirit, also sitting waiting.

Classes are FINALLY tapering down this semester so its back to the cars.. I will be dropping the drivetrain out of the spirit this weekend.

Also, was discussing with the fiancee, and I had been thinking that the only color that would look good on this thing is another shade of brown because of the interior, but now im vaguely considering a dark burnt orange.. anyone have thoughts on that? I will try and post up some interior pics so yall can see what i mean about the interior color.

[Vigo]

Here's my new motor sitting pretty in the back of a truck.

Also, the mazda wheels are getting some used AutoX slicks mounted on em for the aries, The 5spoke in the back came off the shadow and those are going on my 85 new yorker, and the tire the motor is leaning on is going on my 90 van. King Scavenger at work.

[turbokid]

^what ever works man.
Keep up the good work.
Hell I should rent you for a weekend.
I have 1...2...3...4...5...6 Ya 6 td's that could use some motor/trans work lmao.
Q

[Vigo]

hehe yeh im trying, TRYING to stop buying cars (shadow was $125 and i got soo much off it, its hard to kick this habit) and just focus on what i have. I have enough cars to do a lot of different things, and i have a lot of the parts to do it already, so i need to spend less time dragging home parts cars and projects and just work on whats already there.. which could take years!

Shadow's gone, got $80 off the body out of $125 purchase price.. so all the ---- i got off it cost me $45 +gas and time. I like doing it this way better than piece by piece at the junkyard.

[turbokid]

^probably cheaper and at your convenience.
Nice work on the shadow. parts are going to a good cause

[PBODY]

I am so jealous of all the rust free cars you guys get for dirt cheap while I'm stuck up north here trying to justify something with rusty floors.

Keep the updates coming.

[Vigo]

Just thought you guys might be entertained to see the lower intercooler hose i pieced together out of junk.

Ok here we go:
1.Log intake coupler
2.Piece of 3.9L radiator hose as adapter between log coupler and leaky mx-6 BOV
3. Piece of heater hose to attach t1 bov to mx-6 bov.
4. t1 bov
5. Cut 3.9L radiator hose from mx-6 bov to 2" pvc coupler. I think its a 15 or 30*.
6. Some kinda big angled rubber piece that i think came off a volvo or saab in between PVC angle and intercooler.

For a total of.... 9 hose clamps on the lower ic hose

So i started to take the spirit motor out but didnt get all the way there. I stopped to help a semi-local TM member fix up his Shelby Charger.

[blk86trbo]

Just thought you guys might be entertained to see the lower intercooler hose i pieced together out of junk.

Way to be resourceful, free is fun!