'85 Shelby Charger (Never Ending Project)

[82 Rampage]

Started polishing the wheels for the new tires.
Before

After

2 more to go, then paint the inset areas.

[GLHS60]

Nice car!!
Were you using an original style turbo with the draw through turbo?? You've probably been through this but a draw through system puts full engine vacuum on the turbo and can cause massive oil burning if the turbo doesn't have a carbon seal.

Thanks
Randy

Ok, finally got the car drivable, so now I can put a little history about this project up here. As some of you have said they remember this car, you probably do, I bought it from a member on this forum. I picked it up about a year and a half back with what I thought was a bad turbo, but after changing the turbo, it still smoked real bad constantly. Pulled the motor and put a new long block in for an '88 daytona. After I got that all back together I spent three month trying to get spark to the motor, between working and other things going on. Finally got that somewhat working so it would run, but it still smoked really bad. Rebuilt the original turbo and swap it to the car. Still smoked really bad and would go into overboost way to soon, sometimes @ just 1lb of boost, so I bought a 3rd turbo, low miles on it with no shaft play. Still smoked real bad. Pulled the motor & tranny, starting to get good @ that by the way. Pulled the suck through intake and over the top intercooler off and converted it to a blow through system with a fmic. Finally got it back together and running friday, took it for a test drive, shut it off in town and it wouldn't restart, started to crank over, then lost all power to the engine compartment. Got it towed home, then the next night did some testing and found 3 of the 6 fusable links open. Last night I cut out all the fusable links and I installed a temporary fuse block to get it back on the road till I find a better block that I like. Took it for a test drive this evening, runs better than it did, but still has a stumble and goes in to overboost to soon. The smoke is all but gone now, may need new seals in this turbo, but at least it is just minimal and drivable. And some of it may still be burning out of the muffler, since the prior turbo I took off I dumped the oil out of the output of the compressor side of the turbo. Now I just need to work on the overboosting, I have a new cal chip from boost button to try in it, so hopefully that will help that problem.

[82 Rampage]

Using a Garrett from an '88 Daytona with a carbon seal. No smoking with the same turbo, not even rebuilt on the new blow through system on it. So the smoking is fixed, hopefully some of the stumble issues will be fixed with the new fuel pump that I'm mounting tomorrow. I found it was only pumping 20lbs of fuel pressure. Putting a new Walbro on it tomorrow.

[82 Rampage]

Got a lot done today, straightened the fmic, it was tilted, headliner was falling all over the place and the backer board sagged in the middle. Made some bows for the top side & put counter sunk screws through the board and screwed them into the bows, then put new headliner fabric on it. Leting it dry over night. Will put it back in tomorrow morning. Mounted the Walbro fuel pump today, but didn't get to take it for a test drive since the interior is all torn apart, will do that tomorrow after I get the interior back together. Did some more polishing on the wheels, got all the center caps done.

[82 Rampage]

Well, today didn't go so well. Got the headliner in & interior back together. Went to take it for a test drive after installing the new fuel pump last night. Starts right up now, but runs very rich and has a bad miss! Until you start building boost, then it pulls hard. When you get back down out of boost & try driving @ a steady speed, then it has black smoke out the exhaust, missing real bad. With the new Walbro pump, I now have 55lbs of fuel pressure.

[minigts]

Joe do you have a wide band on it? For the interim if you have an adjustable regulator you could turn the fuel pressure down, but you may have a lean scenario at WOT. Wideband will keep you honest. If not you can turn it down just drive conservatively.

[82 Rampage]

No wide band on it yet, and it has the stock regulator on it mounted on the rail, not adjustable.

[minigts]

I think you have a cal'ed computer. I would see about getting an update done for it. probably just has a lot of fuel added because it wasn't running well at part throttle. Probably didn't know the pump was going bad. I'd get it fixed before you drive it too much if it's only ok on WOT.

[82 Rampage]

Could that low fuel pressure be why the 2 bar external map would never work on it? With that on mounted stock map the voltages may be telling it that you are running in slight boot all the time.

[82 Rampage]

Ok, made some progress. Now that the fuel pressure is back where it should be, I tested it with the 2 bar map sensor. Runs like it did before I put the new pump on it with the stock LM mounted map sensor. Has a stumble on take of & cuts out @ 5lbs of boost. But it starts right up without having to crank on it a while.

[82 Rampage]

Got 2 wheels done, working on the other 2.

[minigts]

Wow that looks really good!!! Man let your wife keep your car and drive this one!

[82 Rampage]

Thanks! Lots of hard work. Told her this is her birthday present. A present that comes from my hard work. She said she'll just be happy to get her car back. Just 16 days to have it ready for the Denver trip. Decided not to drive it all the way, going to haul it with the truck & trailer since 4 of us are going. Can't fit everyone & luggage in the car.

[82 Rampage]

Got the headliner redone, took some pictures of it. Fixed the sagging backer board by using flat aluminum strips about 3/4 in wide by about 3/16 thick. Made them long enough to curve over the outer curves for support. Arched them up a little in the middle, then started in the middle of each one with counter sunk screws through the backer board up into the aluminum bows. I put a total of 5 screws in each one. Then I ground off the screws on the top flat with the bars so the wouldn't rub against the roof. Then I flipped it over an glued the headliner material to it with a good quality spray headliner adhesive. This was my fix for the saving headliner backer.
Picture of the top side bows installed.

The headliner installed.

[82 Rampage]

Taking the completed 2 wheels to get the tires mounted tomorrow. Did lots of sanding on the wheel that has never been polished. Tomorrow evening I'll start polishing it.

[GLHS60]

I've been using balancing fluid, so I don't have to use wheel weights, destroyers of alloy wheels.

Thanks
Randy

[82 Rampage]

Got 2 of the tires put on the wheels that were done.

Working on the hardest wheel now. Here is what it started like. It was a stock wheel that has never been polished.

As of yesterday after several hour of sanding.

And now after another hour of sanding with 2000 grit and about an hour & a half of polishing.

[82 Rampage]

Got the last 2 wheels polished and taped off for paint tomorrow evening. Then I can get the tires put on them Wednesday and on the car Thursday. 10 days till we head out to Denver for the Mopars @ Thunder Mountain car show on June 1st. So ready for a vacation!

[CoolV300C]

Those wheels look awesome, nice work!

[82 Rampage]

Thanks, been a lot of work, but well worth it for the results. Can't wait to get them back on and get some good pictures.