1986 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo

[abstractism]

http://photobucket.com/abstractism
so I'm still working on this, slowly, I guess. the car's at my grandpa's since he knows tons about mechanic work, and its properly sheltered from rain and the ground. there arent' any current pics of the valve cover yet, I've got a friend thats into art/graphic design and he's helped me out with what stuff to do for painting it. is it worth painting the head while everything's apart still? the valve cover is going to be red with silver on the lines and TURBO, possibly the chrysler part as well if I can get in there. how do you reach that part and not scuff up the rest of the paint?
I don't have any shots of the bottom of the car yet, but its kinda rusty, mostly in the front floor panels and the rear underside and the parts of the frame the rear bumper is secured to. my grandpa knows a guy that does auto body stuff, he'll be able to check it out sometime this week I think. I plan to keep it in the GLH body for as long as it'll last, and move everything to another car after that.
as far as the engine goes, I still don't know what exactly is in it, and CUDA_TUGGER said its got the mopar stage II turbo 14-15psi boost controller instead of the stock 9psi controller. the engine wiring needs a lot of work still too. no battery or tray, the lights wiring has been cut, it looks like there's no air pump either. lots of stuff still needs attention, but I plan to get everything working again, just like original(hopefully).

[Spr-T-23]

welcome and good luck bud

[blk86trbo]

Welcome to the forum! Ever owned an Omni before? Sounds like a fun project...good luck!

[abstractism]

nope, I haven't. so far, I've had an aries, intrepid, neon, two sentra spec v's, and now an omni base model(carbs are lame imo) and this project GLH.

[clarkwhoracing]

I was eyeing that car also - good score and project for you.

[abstractism]

how do I tell what model transmission its got? also, are there differences in the crankshaft in the turbo I and turbo II? I'm not too knowledgeable on engine internals and the related work required. but I'm mechanically inclined, so I've got a basic understanding of how things work.

[abstractism]

finally got some pics of the valve cover. we're filing, we gotta touch up in some spots, but so far its pretty nice imo
http://s1104.photobucket.com/albums/...20cover%20WIP/

[cordes]

how do I tell what model transmission its got? also, are there differences in the crankshaft in the turbo I and turbo II? I'm not too knowledgeable on engine internals and the related work required. but I'm mechanically inclined, so I've got a basic understanding of how things work.

There should be a tag on the trans. It should be a 525 trans so the tag should be on the diff cover covered in 25+ years of gunk. The TII crank is forged.

[shackwrrr]

how do I tell what model transmission its got? also, are there differences in the crankshaft in the turbo I and turbo II? I'm not too knowledgeable on engine internals and the related work required. but I'm mechanically inclined, so I've got a basic understanding of how things work.

I pulled the oil pan on that TII engine and it doesn't have the forged crank anymore . Still has the 'tona though. The 555 would be a very nice upgrade from the 525, along with the Super 60 and 2 piece intake.

[abstractism]

if the transmission is in good condition, what exactly is the a525's weakness? I don't plan on taking this GLH to the dragstrip. would it be able to withstand decent acceleration or is it just junk all around?

[cordes]

if the transmission is in good condition, what exactly is the a525's weakness? I don't plan on taking this GLH to the dragstrip. would it be able to withstand decent acceleration or is it just junk all around?

the diff area of the case is very weak. The actual gear set itself is said to be somewhat fragile, but I think that's almost more a function of the case flexing than anything else.

How much power are you looking to make? How fast do you want to go?

[abstractism]

probably not more than 200hp, considering its going to be a daily driver. I just want to be able to go fast if need be, which might not be too often in normal traffic.

[cordes]

The 525 should have a decent shot at living if you don't get great traction out of the hole. A chrome moly plate may be a good idea though. At that point you're half way or more to buying a trans which can still use the stock shift rods and live at 200HP all day long.

[abstractism]

well, first off I need it running stock 143ish. I'm not going to say I'll never drag race, but its highly highly extremely unlikely that I ever will. I want it to be a fun little car to drive but I'm not looking to push it more than turbo II. I'd like the forged crank, the intercooler, and the a568, but thats not just yet.

the 525 should be strong enough to handle traffic stuff, even screwing around in traffic, right? I don't make a habit of beating up my wheels. the last car I had was an 2008 sentra spec v, and it was a solid driving experience(so was my 2003 spec v). I'd like to have that again. is the 525 up to that kind of thing, or do I need to be easy on acceleration so I don't screw up the gears?

---------- Post added at 11:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 PM ----------

also, what do you mean by moly plate? I'm new to the scene here.

---------- Post added at 11:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 PM ----------

also, these days I usually drive like an old man, because saving money on gas is a priority.

[cordes]

It sounds like you will be fine with the 525.

The moly plate is what helps to keep the bearings in place at the end of the trans. The weak case allows for some distortion as the input shaft tries to ride up the intermediate shaft. That can cause the gears to separate and strip in spectacular fashion.

From a roll or even a normal take off you're fine to go all out at your power levels. The real problems come when dumping the clutch and actually getting traction from a light or at the track. All the way up to around 200Hp you should be good though.

[abstractism]

thanks, I had heard that the 525 was weak, I just didn't have an idea of how suitable it was for normal driving stuff.

[abstractism]

just checking in again, we got the cylinder head off, its currently at a machine shop. grandpa says the pistons and cylinders look to be in good shape, save for a tiny tiny bit of rust in the top interior of one or two cylinders. the camshaft had a bit ground off the lifters(?) so it'll be scrapped, unfortunately. there didn't seem to be any signs of water/coolant getting to the head(no residue) so I'm a bit wary about it being usable. still, the machine shop should be able to give the final word. planning to get a roller cam and rollers from 89aries, and hopefully a crapton of spare dodge parts from a guy on craigslist tomorrow.
I can't wait to get this on the road!

[abstractism]

well, I got the drivers seat out of the car, next is the passenger seat. the center console should be last to come out. I just need the carpet out of the way so we can fix the floor panels. those bolts were a pain to remove, though. do I really need to use the proprietary bolts to replace them?
tomorrow, we're going to go check out and probably buy all that stuff from the craigslist seller. it should be fun.
oh, I've got a question for you guys. where is the ECU located in the GLHT? is it the logic module? or is there something else I'm not finding?

[abstractism]

change of plans. that engine from the craigslist seller is really clean and only has about 1k miles on it. he said it was from a turbo Z, not dragraced. I'll probably be putting my turbo on that and swapping the engine outright. all the engine parts I've already got are probably just going to be cleaned up and stored for spares. eventually I'll get to building it up again but I want this GLH on the road. floor panels are next then, so getting the seats, console, and carpet out of there is next on my list.
I got 2 pizza rims with tires and 2 without, an intake manifold, and 2 GLHS ECUs. friday I should get the engine, maybe a radiator, the mopar camshaft, and a mopar 2.2/2.5 book. maybe other stuff that he finds around his garage.
what awesome luck!

[abstractism]

today I got the door vinyl removed from both doors. I'm puzzled why the front door interior on my GLH is faded and scuffed all to hell. the rear doors are almost perfect. the drivers side door is the one needing the most attention. how do I remove the exterior handle's arm from the door mechanism? there has to be some kind of a trick to that. also, I have the window to fix, as it needs pulled back as I roll it up.

oh, I found an 8-ball shift knob underneath the passenger seat. score!