1986 Shelby Charger Saved from the JY!

[RattFink]

There has actually been some motivation on this project lately. The garage turned into a mess over the holidays. I made a couple trips to the dump, donated a bunch of stuff, and cleaned the garage out big time. Many Many engine parts have been cleaned and prepped for re-install. I had some new front struts laying around, I brought them to work and swapped over the springs/etc. from the old struts. Those are ready for re-install. Looking at the sub-frame laying on the floor, thinking I'm gonna pressure wash it and throw a coat of paint on it. I'll be ordering new control arm bushings tonight. I'm debating on eliminating the power steering or keeping it. My wife and I are FOR SURE buying a house this year. Our lease on the rental is up in April. I'd rather drive this car to the new house then tow it....

[zin]

Congrats on getting a house, always nice to know the landlord is you, and your "rent" is building equity for you rather than someone else!

Unless you have the parts already, I'd stick with the power steering, though I can understand the attraction, assuming you'd be using a real manual rack, and not just a "De-powered" PS rack... That sucks to live with (you can guess how I know!).

Good to see forward motion with your project!

Mike

[RattFink]

Masi engine has been cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. I left the rotating assembly together because it had super low miles, and hopefully is fine. Oil pump was removed, cleaned, inspected, reinstalled. New o-ring on oil pickup tube. Oil pan cleaned, new gasket installed. Front/rear crank seal retainers cleaned, new seals installed. Intermediate shaft and seal retainer cleaned, inspected, new seal installed. New freeze plugs, and a coat of pain on the block. Many top end parts cleaned and ready for install.

[RattFink]

Head installed and torqued down. Manifolds installed. Turbo installed. Turbo coolant/oil lines installed. Primed engine oil system. Installed timing belt. Installed valve cover. Injectors/harness installed. I need to order a gasket for the turbo oil drain and put the lower timing belt cover on, then I'm ready to reinstall the engine in the car. After installing the engine, I will button up all the accessories/belts. I also need to wire up my new 4 wire O2 and finish the T2 swap wiring. After all that I can plumb the intercooler/radiator/etc.

[RattFink]

Been motivated, I really want to get this thing running again! Engine is sitting in the car. Throttle linkage figured out, wiring getting done, etc.

[zin]

Keep up the good work! I expect videos of a nice smokey burn-out in short order!

Mike

[RattFink]

Denso alternator on with A/C delete bracket, I love how little space it takes! Snags I've hit:

Exhaust downpipe won't bolt up to the T2 turbo, will need modifying. Flange bolts are off.
Daytona radiator I had installed is waaaay too wide to fit an intercooler next too. Gonna have to find a different radiator.

[zin]

Here's the Rad/IC set-up you need! He probably has the brackets, hoses, etc too, so it'd be a drop-in deal!

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...d-wire-harness

Jump on it! LOL

Mike

[RattFink]

Here's the Rad/IC set-up you need! He probably has the brackets, hoses, etc too, so it'd be a drop-in deal!

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...d-wire-harness

Jump on it! LOL

Mike

Wish I could, that'd be perfect! We've got and offer out on a house, just had the inspection, going through negotiations, appraisal is next week. We are on kind of a spending freeze right now. I need to get the car driveable enough to go on a trailer though

[zin]

That's a good reason to un-freeze a couple of hundos... I'd get in touch and see if he can get you the hoses, etc to make the conversion, it could be the most frugal way to get the car moved/on the trailer... right? :-)

Mike

[RattFink]

Felt pretty energetic after getting the kids asleep, so I headed out to the garage. I ended up staying out way too late, but it was worth it!
One thing led to another. Thermostat and upper rad hose went on, made an oops there and I'm hoping it doesn't come back to bite me. PS belt went on. Exhaust got modified and hooked up. Misc. items here and there got finished. The whole front suspension is still off the car, but engine-wise, everything is pretty much hooked up besides the air intake setup. Anyway, I figured I'd throw a battery in it and see if it'd start. Of course it didn't. So then I check for injector pulse and spark, both good. Double checked firing order, good. Pulled plugs out, all bone dry. Hooked up my injector tester and finally got all 4 injectors to start buzzing. They may have been stuck from sitting? Still wrapping my head around that. Anyway, cranked it over a few times and it fired right up! Idled way smoother than the old log intake setup ever did too. Didn't run it long as there is still no coolant in it, but I needed to hear it run. Many minor things to do still, and need to put front suspension on. For the time being it has the Daytona radiator in it. I think I am going to temporarily just run a pipe from the turbo outlet to throttle body like a T1 and keep the boost very low. After I get moved into the new house and some funds free up, I will get a FMIC setup.

[zin]

Sounds like a plan! I didn't realize that the front end was off, defiantly a higher priority. ☺

Mike

[RattFink]

Since last update:

I've ran the engine multiple times until fully warmed up and fan cycled on/off. Seems to run good, gauges look good, no leaks!
Temporary vacuum harness run to FPR, wastegate, MAP sensor. All other vacuum ports plugged.
Scrounged up some hoses/pipe and ran piping straight from turbo to throttle body.
K Frame back up, steering column hooked up, complete right side suspension, steering, brakes, wheel, etc. all back together.
It's looking like a car again.

To Do:
PCV - just gonna shove a filter on the valve cover vent temporarily - need to buy
Brakes - brake line broke on drivers side - need to buy and bend some hard line
Transmission - missing a clip for the shift linkage and need to add fluid
Engine - secure some wiring, buy cone filter to shove on turbo inlet, set timing, set base idle, new fuel lines under hood
Suspension - reinstall LH side strut, knuckle, axle, etc.

[RattFink]

Brakes repaired and bled. Front suspension completely together besides the sway bar. Backed it out of the garage under it's own power! Shift linkage needs adjustment, not hitting first gear...

[zin]

There is a pivot on top of the Trans that needs repair most likely.

There's a bushing there too that wears, but the post/pivot is the real fix...

Also, I'm assuming that the shifter has been adjusted properly...

Mike

[RattFink]

Adjusted the trans linkage, better but not perfect. I am hitting first gear now. That pivot as mentioned above: I welded the stud in when I installed the great lakes hot rod linkage kit, but I did a crappy weld job and the stud is loose again. The E clip also fell off the top. Oops. I but a temporary clip on there, but will put the car on a lift at work, re-weld the stud, and source the right clip. Shifter is good enough to get me to work. I set the timing today and it fixed the idle issue too. I'm amazed at how well it is running after setting the timing. Literally, bump the key and it starts and goes straight to a smooth 1000 rpm idle. Quick throttle response, no stumble, goes right back to a smooth idle when letting off the throttle. Also did a quick job securing some underhood wiring. To do:

PCV filter
Air filter
Fuel Lines under hood
Torque wheels
Add a little more trans oil
Test drive

[zin]

Nice! Amazing how well things run when everything works (sds,etc) and is properly adjusted (cam timimg, ignition,etc)!

Mike

[RattFink]

Air filter figured out
PCV filter figured out
Tires aired up (I have a bad valve stem on one, need to take the wheel/tire to work and fix)
Trans fluid full
Wheels torqued
Shifter all straightened out
Still need to address one full line, but.....
I went ahead and put 3.2 miles on it!

[iTurbo]

Hell yeah man. Lists of stuff to do suck until you eliminate them, and then it's awesome. Congrats on putting miles on it!

[RattFink]

Tire is off and in the daily driver, i'll throw a new valve stem in it tomorrow. I installed the rear window louvers. I need to buy some 1/4 inch fuel line and a couple clamps for the fuel return line underhood, the wrong size was on there. I was getting a loud rattling noise when downshifting, I THINK it was my air filter setup vibrating against something, so I secured it temporarily with zip ties to try and rule it out. I will find a more permanent solution later. I'm reallllllllly hoping to drive it to work Tuesday so I can throw it on a lift and look things over. The front wheel plastic splash shields are still off and the front sway bar is off. It would be much easier to do that stuff on a lift..... Waste-gate is hooked straight to intake vacuum, only boosting about 5 psi. Have only gone 3/4 throttle so far as I don't want to beat on it too bad. Really need to top it off with fresh fuel. Fuel pump is a little noisy too, probably will just get a 255 in the near future. I do have a grainger valve to install when I feel ready to up the boost, but not running an intercooler yet so will wait. Just want a turn key somewhat dependable car for now.