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Thread: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

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  1. #1

    1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Hey all,

    I am new to the forum, and I am the proud new owner of Charger GLHS #151, which I have dubbed "Sunshine", because I like to give my vehicles silly names.

    About 15 years ago I used to own a somewhat battered 1985 Omni GLH (non-turbo), which was one of the most fun cars I've owned. I regretted selling that car and vowed to get another one eventually, or a Shelby Turbo car. Well, #151 came along at just the right time and at the right price, so I snapped it up. I took delivery of it this morning at my home. Here she is:


    (The bra is coming off. Yes, that's what she said, I know.)

    Next to my current daily driver, a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3




    The good: This car is largely unmolested and has a clean history. The body is pretty straight and there's only a couple of noticeable dings and small areas that need to be touched up. The interior is in beautiful condition with only a couple of minor flaws. Everything important works. It only has 47,000 original miles.

    The bad:
    1. The turbo, which I already knew before I bought it. It whined a bit when I first started it and after it was warmed up, it was sending oil into the exhaust (now I smell like burned synthetic motor oil). The car runs pretty well otherwise.
    2. The tach is stuck at 4000 rpm.
    3. The remote hatch release doesn't release the hatch. It opens fine with the key, though.
    4. The intercooler hoses have been patched with duct tape.
    5. The windshield washer line has been disconnected.
    6. Some of the outside lights on the car are out. They're probably just dead bulbs.
    7. Although the sunroof wasn't leaking, the seals should be replaced.
    8. The shifter linkage and bushings DEFINITELY need to be replaced and upgraded. The shifter feels like moving a wooden spoon through mashed potatoes. I kept putting it into reverse or 3rd gear when I was trying to put it in 1st. I know the shifter on my old GLH wasn't that bad.

    The ugly: The roof has been repainted (it's passable) and there's one questionable area on the passenger side drip rail that I need to investigate. And a little paint is missing from one corner of the rear bumper. But paint isn't really a priority. It's fine as-is as far as I'm concerned and will look decent once touched up, cleaned up and polished. The car is almost 25 years old, and I don't mind that it looks it. There is also rust at the bottom inside of the driver's door, which I know is a common thing with these cars. I should be able to fix that. Pics of those flaws below:

    drip rail kludge

    Driver's door rust.

    My plans for the car right now are to get it on the road. The first order of business will be to verify exactly why it's burning oil before I just go ahead and pull the turbo from it. The "smoking turbo" guide will come in handy! After that it will be fixing all the other minor issues and working out the bugs, as well as doing some minor mods to it. That's about it for now!

    Phoebe
    http://phoebegoesvroom.tumblr.com/
    Last edited by phoebegoesvroom; 11-17-2011 at 05:26 PM.

  2. #2
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Turbo224's Avatar
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Looks like a pretty solid car, congrats on the purchase! Sounds like you need a new turbo, new IC hose, and a set of heim joint to rebuild the shift linkage and you'll be good to go!

    ~Tyler Larsen~Salt Lake City~
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  3. #3

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Quote Originally Posted by Turbo224 View Post
    Looks like a pretty solid car, congrats on the purchase! Sounds like you need a new turbo, new IC hose, and a set of heim joint to rebuild the shift linkage and you'll be good to go!
    Thanks! Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been thinking too. Of course I'll have to replace the cat as well since it's probably dead from all that oil. I have ideas of what I want to do from there, but first things first

    Phoebe

  4. #4

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"



    Who is this Carol lady, and what gives her the right to scribble on my dashboard!?

  5. #5
    See me ride out of the sunset... Turbo Mopar Staff BadAssPerformance's Avatar
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    ^^^ LOL...

    Nice new project there!

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  6. #6
    boostaholic
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Nice Car! Im glad Im not the only one who names my vehicles

  7. #7

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Quote Originally Posted by spoolinhard View Post
    Nice Car! Im glad Im not the only one who names my vehicles
    Heehee, yeah I give them all cutesy/silly names. My Focus is Flipper, and my motorcycles are Honeybee, Baby and Spooky.

    ---------- Post added at 12:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 PM ----------

    I haven't started working on it yet, but I did take some more photos of it this weekend since I didn't take pictures of the interior when I first got it:








    There's a couple of pieces I need if anyone has interior parts for sale: the dome light assembly above the windshield (or just the trim ring, since that's what's missing), and a lower front seatbelt bolt cover in light gray. I might be interested in a passenger side armrest (in light gray) as well, if it's in very good condition. I'll probably make a post to the classifieds too.

  8. #8

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    I finally started working on Sunshine last week. I discovered that the car has already been upgraded with an A555 transmission that's being cable-shifted. I'll have to see what's up with that since the shifting is extremely vague. The PO didn't mention the transmission swap when I bought the car. Anyway, I'm in the process of getting the turbo out of the car. From what I've been reading, the easiest way to do this is to pull the head with the intake & exhaust manifolds and the turbo attached, is that correct? Or does anyone have any other suggestion before I go that route?

  9. #9
    Supporting Member Turbo Mopar Contributor 30 PSI SHADOW's Avatar
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    yes the best way is to pull the entire assembly together. not sure what your goals are for power, or if you plan on keeping it original. plenty of turbo choices out there. as for the shifting, make sure your cables are healthy. if its internal, the best trans guy out there is a stones throw from you in cliff ramsdell.

    welcome aboard and don't forget to catch up with the local chapter this coming spring. we presently have over 10 omni GLHS cars in the new england chapter,but strangely no chargers! So yes, your car would be a welcome sight. You can keep tabs on us with our website, www.sdacne.com there is also a forum to join which i strongly suggest!

    hope to see you and your awesome car soon!!
    Bill Baker
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  10. #10

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Thanks for the advice! I do plan on joining SDACNE. Considering that the transmission's already been swapped and some other minor mods have already been done to it (2.5" exhaust, no cat, larger injectors, stage 2 logic module), mechanical originality isn't really a high priority. I want the car to run well and have good street manners, but a bump in power wouldn't hurt. I don't know if anything has been done to the head or manifolds yet either until I get them off the car and separate them from the head. I guess I should also check to see if the cam is stock.

  11. #11
    Garrett booster
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Pulling the head is much easier on the intercooled cars. You can do it in-car, but a few of the turbo mounting nuts are hard to reach, if it's even possible. The oil feed line is also difficult.

  12. #12
    Rhymes with tortoise. Turbo Mopar Staff cordes's Avatar
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Quote Originally Posted by AZTurbo View Post
    Pulling the head is much easier on the intercooled cars. You can do it in-car, but a few of the turbo mounting nuts are hard to reach, if it's even possible. The oil feed line is also difficult.
    Agreed. I can do them with the head on fairly easily, but I've had a lot of practice. Not something for the first timer.

    Congrats on the car and welcome to the site.

  13. #13
    turbo addict Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Nice 'S! Not sure how I missed this thred.

    I checked out your website and it's pretty cool too

  14. #14
    Garrett booster
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Welcome to the site and thanks for posting pics, I wish my glhs looked that nice, oh well maybe someday, good luck with
    sunshine and finding the root of your problems. There is plenty of knowledge here so take advantage of it.

  15. #15

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    I have a question for you guys...this has been bugging me since the first day I poked my head under the car. Why would someone do this? Seriously?


    The flywheel is also open at the back of the motor inside the engine compartment.

  16. #16
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Turbo224's Avatar
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    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    There is actually a small shield that should be bolted there. It only has one bolt that screws it into the transmission casing, and I believe it also has a few holes that the transmission bolts pass through to hold it in place. This piece should be easy to find at a wrecking, and shouldn't be too difficult to install. I would be more concerned about the dripping coolant if I were you...

    ~Tyler Larsen~Salt Lake City~
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  17. #17

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Quote Originally Posted by Turbo224 View Post
    There is actually a small shield that should be bolted there. It only has one bolt that screws it into the transmission casing, and I believe it also has a few holes that the transmission bolts pass through to hold it in place. This piece should be easy to find at a wrecking, and shouldn't be too difficult to install. I would be more concerned about the dripping coolant if I were you...
    It looks like it was just torn off crudely...I know it's a bit difficult to see in the photo. I can fab up something to fit in there, but I guess I could look for it in a junkyard. I just don't understand why it was done. Oh, and pay no mind to the antifreeze, that probably splashed on there when I removed the turbo coolant line. I was surprised how much antifreeze came out, considering I had already drained the cooling system.

  18. #18

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Car looks great and your list of bad would be my list of Meh.

    Your list:

    2. The tach is stuck at 4000 rpm. Check the board on the cluster. Re-flowing the solder points usually fixes this. If they look good, just get some conductive grease and put them on the pins that go into the board. The tach board plugs into the rally cluster board.

    3. The remote hatch release doesn't release the hatch. It opens fine with the key, though. Does it not release or does it work at all? If it works but doesn't release, just check to see if it's greased well enough around the pivot point. If it's not working at all, there may be a fuse for it I don't remember.

    5. The windshield washer line has been disconnected. .....really?

    7. Although the sunroof wasn't leaking, the seals should be replaced. Greg (Omni-potent) sells a one-piece gasket for the sunroof. EXCELLENT product if you ask me and not a bad price. http://www.omnipotentparts.com/

    8. The shifter linkage and bushings DEFINITELY need to be replaced and upgraded. The shifter feels like moving a wooden spoon through mashed potatoes. I kept putting it into reverse or 3rd gear when I was trying to put it in 1st. I know the shifter on my old GLH wasn't that bad. There is a write-up I did on this site with supported information from other users that explain how you can do a conversion if you like. http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/kn...d-Heim-Shifter There is also someone on the board that sells a kit with the parts, you just have to do the work. I think there is an option to have him do it too.
    [SIZE="3"] [B]Jon Trotter[/B][/SIZE] [B]1985[/B] Dodge Shelby Charger, Currently decommissioned [B]1987[/B] Shelby GLHS, #937 [B]1987[/B] Shelby Lancer, #628 [QUOTE=Reeves;587010]I can be ready. Please send pics of wife. _____DodgeZ add comments here______[/QUOTE]

  19. #19

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Quote Originally Posted by minigts View Post
    Car looks great and your list of bad would be my list of Meh.
    Oh, the list grows as I continue working on it of course. I guess I should make an updated list of things to do.

    2. The tach is stuck at 4000 rpm. Check the board on the cluster. Re-flowing the solder points usually fixes this. If they look good, just get some conductive grease and put them on the pins that go into the board. The tach board plugs into the rally cluster board.
    Thanks for the tip. I was going to go in there and check it out before buying a replacement. I've done a lot of wiring and soldering before, so this stuff is easy for me. It's a good thing, because there's a lot of buggered wiring in this beast.

    3. The remote hatch release doesn't release the hatch. It opens fine with the key, though. Does it not release or does it work at all? If it works but doesn't release, just check to see if it's greased well enough around the pivot point. If it's not working at all, there may be a fuse for it I don't remember.
    Yeah, that's not really a high priority right now since I can open the trunk with the key. The solenoid pops, but doesn't release the trunk. One of the POs wrapped up the whole affair in electrical tape. Eventually I'll get in there to figure out what's going on.

    5. The windshield washer line has been disconnected. .....really? [/COLOR]
    Haha, not much of a complaint, right? I suspect the hood was off of the car for a while, which would explain that.

    7. Although the sunroof wasn't leaking, the seals should be replaced. Greg (Omni-potent) sells a one-piece gasket for the sunroof. EXCELLENT product if you ask me and not a bad price. http://www.omnipotentparts.com/
    Yup, I was already planning on buying that =)

    8. The shifter linkage and bushings DEFINITELY need to be replaced and upgraded. The shifter feels like moving a wooden spoon through mashed potatoes. I kept putting it into reverse or 3rd gear when I was trying to put it in 1st. I know the shifter on my old GLH wasn't that bad. There is a write-up I did on this site with supported information from other users that explain how you can do a conversion if you like. http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/kn...d-Heim-Shifter There is also someone on the board that sells a kit with the parts, you just have to do the work. I think there is an option to have him do it too.
    My GLHS has a 555 installed in it, and it's cable shifted. I didn't know this when I bought the car. I don't know which shifter was used or what cables...that will be something else to figure out once I get to it. I think the clutch arm also has too much free play in it.

    Anyway, there's more stuff that needs attention since I made my list of gripes. Off the top of my head:

    1. Lots of wiring repairs need to be done. Whoever did it before had no clue at all.
    2. The power steering pump is leaking like crazy, so that's getting replaced
    3. The flywheel cover mentioned above.
    4. Even though the water pump is new as of last year, it's leaking at the gasket. It was probably torqued incorrectly.
    5. The vacuum lines are all a mess. I'm most likely going to replace everything with all new lines and a vacuum block.
    6. Where the valve cover meets the head, it's been kind of butchered with screwdrivers and prybars. I'm not sure what I can do about that, so I'm open to suggestions.

    That's the important stuff anyway (that I know of)...there's other things like some of the bodywork and whatnot. None of it's major stuff, it's a bunch of relatively minor things. My focus is first and foremost to get the car roadworthy, and then deal with the minor stuff as I can.

    By the way guys, the head is detached and ready to come out, but still in the engine compartment right now because I'm not strong enough to lift it out myself with the intake, exhaust manifold and turbo still attached. My dad is visiting this week, so he'll help me pull it out and get it on my bench.

  20. #20

    Re: 1987 Charger GLHS #151, "Sunshine"

    Right, forgot about the 555 install. Carroll on here (rx2mazda) was doing something with some nice cables for the cable-shifted cars. I doubt you need new ones, but may entice you to get some if you find the thread on here.

    Good luck with the rest of the dis-likes, I'm working on mine as well. The list grows regularly. haha
    [SIZE="3"] [B]Jon Trotter[/B][/SIZE] [B]1985[/B] Dodge Shelby Charger, Currently decommissioned [B]1987[/B] Shelby GLHS, #937 [B]1987[/B] Shelby Lancer, #628 [QUOTE=Reeves;587010]I can be ready. Please send pics of wife. _____DodgeZ add comments here______[/QUOTE]

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