83Scamp's 89 Daytona ES project

[83scamp]

I have 523's in a couple of my cars and 568's in a couple others. THe 523's just seem to shift with less effort, lighter gearset coming into play I suppose. What kind of exhaust work have you done to the Daytona? Single biggest free to rev improvement in my experience...

I've removed the cat. That's it so far. Everything else is stock. I do plan on running 2 1/2" exhaust all the way back eventually. But for now I'm going to enjoy it. Next year it will get painted, and hopefully an FMIC, +20's, and a Boostbutton tune... May even pull the head and do a little tweaking on the ports. I did all the port work to my Scamp, and it screams all the way up to 6500 rpm with no trouble...

I did get to drive it a little more today through town, I do like the shifter position in the Daytona better than the L-body(you have to reach for it). It does shift pretty slick. I'm really going to enjoy this...

[2.216VTurbo]

If you are having to 'reach' for the shifter, you can use the one from a P body that has a bend in the shaft that puts it a little further back. I haven't used a shifter from a Neon but I think it also relocates a little further back?

[83scamp]

If you are having to 'reach' for the shifter, you can use the one from a P body that has a bend in the shaft that puts it a little further back. I haven't used a shifter from a Neon but I think it also relocates a little further back?

Sorry, I don't think my post was very clear. I have to reach for the shifter in my Scamp. I'm 6'3", and have the seat all the way back. It's not uncomfortable to shift, it's just a long reach. The Daytona shifter is up higher, relative to your seating position, and I believe it's further back from the dash. I drove it to work this morning. I'm definitely going to enjoy this car as a 5 speed!!!

55 mph is now about 1800 rpm... 75 is only 2600 rpm. A drastic improvement over 3400 rpm in the auto!!!

It's interesting how a change like this changes the whole dynamic of the car. I had gotten used to it as an auto. I have to stop each morning and remind myself to push in the clutch before I start it. Forgot that once already, luckily I was far enough from the house I wasn't at risk of hitting anything...

[jonnymopar]

Awesome, it's rolling with a manual! With the 523, it must shift like butter. Sometimes I do wish I had the 3.50 final like I've always had (2 Daytonas with 3.50 plus my Neon is a 3.55). Even the 3.85 isn't bad on the highway though. 3000rpm at 75 with a 16" wheel. Still a far cry from the auto!

[83scamp]

Awesome, it's rolling with a manual! With the 523, it must shift like butter. Sometimes I do wish I had the 3.50 final like I've always had (2 Daytonas with 3.50 plus my Neon is a 3.55). Even the 3.85 isn't bad on the highway though. 3000rpm at 75 with a 16" wheel. Still a far cry from the auto!

Yep, and you were right. It's a whole bunch more fun this way... I may be in trouble... Took my Father for a ride last night. Even he admitted it is way faster now than the first time he rode in it...

[jonnymopar]

Yep, and you were right. It's a whole bunch more fun this way... I may be in trouble... Took my Father for a ride last night. Even he admitted it is way faster now than the first time he rode in it...

I think the whole combination of a heavier car, the low boost engine, and a slush box makes for a bit of a snoozer. As I said before, stepping out of a TBI/5-speed car into a T1/auto car, the old butt dyno had a hell of a time trying to find the supposed 50hp difference.

L-bodies like yours are nice and light, and they handle great. But you can't beat the comfort of a Daytona (or Lebaron for that matter). Hopefully you've got a nice week ahead where you can really enjoy the work that went into the conversion!

[83scamp]

L-bodies like yours are nice and light, and they handle great. But you can't beat the comfort of a Daytona (or Lebaron for that matter). Hopefully you've got a nice week ahead where you can really enjoy the work that went into the conversion!

It's supposed to be a great week here. Beautiful T-top weather. So I am definitely planning on enjoying the Daytona this week.

You are correct about the differences. Comparing my Scamp & Daytona through the curves, I don't know that one is faster than the other, but the Daytona definitely does it with more finesse... The Scamp attacks a corner like a Pitbull, where the Daytona is more like a sleek Greyhound... The Daytona is definitely more of a cruiser, which is what I want.

A few performance mods & paint next year, and I will have a great DD...

[83scamp]

I forgot to add, I had some fun last night. Driving home from work, I got into town, and at the stop light, going the cross direction, was a Blue 89 Shelby Daytona. He honked at me, waved, and we both gave each other a big thumbs up.

It was cool to see another Mopar guy recongnize what we had in common. I hope to see some more of that car soon!

[83scamp]

OK, I'm going to post a question here, and hope I get a few responses from the tuning gurus.

I'm on my 3rd tank of gas since the 5 speed swap. First tank I managed 28 mpg, 2nd tank, 26.8 mpg. I wasn't the most gentle on it the first tank, having way to much fun with the extra accelleration of the 5 speed. I didn't really beat on it, but definitely was more aggressive. Second tank, I tried to take it easy. Looking to beat 30 mpg. I did get on it a few times(just can't help myself). 3rd tank, I'm sitting at about 1/4 tank left, and at my major mileage marks, I'm running on par with the first tank. I have definitely been getting on it more this tank.

Does the 2.5 turbo like to be in boost? Does the FE go up if you are a little more aggressive with your right foot? Granted, I'm only on my 3rd tank, but so far is seems that I get better mpg's when I'm romping on it a little...

Just curious what others have experienced...

[83scamp]

Been a while since I posted, so time for another update.

Truth is, I've been enjoying driving this car so much, I haven't really taken any time to do much to the car itself. I did spend some time on it this past weekend. I had a weird noise under the hood, so I needed to investigate that, plus I had a few nagging gremlins I wanted to take care of.

The noise ended up being a loose intermediate shaft sprocket. This one is all on me. Evidently when I put the front of the motor back together after replacing the seals, I forgot to tighten the bolt. No real damage other than it ate up the lower splash cover... Bonehead mistake on my part...

I also replaced a bad light socket on a backup lamp, fixed my 3rd brake light, replaced the fog light bulbs, and worked on the power mirror switch. Also dove into the drivers door to adjust the linkage so the door opened easier, and worked on the power window. This car has had an issue since I bought it where the driver's side window didn't want to go up all the way without help. I cleaned, lubed, and adjusted everything I knew, and nothing seemed to work. Last night, I dug out the FSM and started reading up on window adjustments. I followed the factory proceedure, and AMAZING, it now works. Hmm, I guess those Chrysler engineers do know what they are doing... BTW, the T-top adjustment is completely different than the standard car. If anybody needs it, I can scan the page and send it as a pdf... It basically boils down to loosening every adjustment bolt, and re-tightening in the correct sequence...

[jonnymopar]

Good stuff! You got the 5-speed in there. That's what counts. Any other mods after that are gravy, in my opinion.

I gave up on my windows opening and closing correctly years ago. I should really take that procedure and see if I can get it set up right. I also need to make some new pads for the window guides too. Before I owned the car, the front guide in the driver's door had worn so bad that it had left a brown rusty scratch all the way down the window.

Even 25-30 years later, a T-top Daytona makes one hell of a nice daily driver, doesn't it?

[83scamp]

Good stuff! You got the 5-speed in there. That's what counts. Any other mods after that are gravy, in my opinion.

I gave up on my windows opening and closing correctly years ago. I should really take that procedure and see if I can get it set up right. I also need to make some new pads for the window guides too. Before I owned the car, the front guide in the driver's door had worn so bad that it had left a brown rusty scratch all the way down the window.

Even 25-30 years later, a T-top Daytona makes one hell of a nice daily driver, doesn't it?

Yes it does make a great daily driver. I'm absolutely enjoying the heck out of it. So much so, that the Scamp didn't see a lot of road time this year...

I would definitely recommend following the FSM proceedure for the windows. When I read it I thought "I've done most of this already". The key is in the sequence. Trust me, it worked...

[83scamp]

Well, I figured it was time to resurrect this thread.

The Daytona is in the garage being disassembled for paint. I started on it last Saturday. The doghouse is off, ground effects are off, and I spent the last two night tediously removing the T-top seals & trim. That is a job in itself. Trying to get them off without destroying them. Mine are in good shape, so I don't want to have to replace them. I was pretty successful but it is a ton of work...

Doors should get disassembled tonight, then it's on to some engine work before paint. I have recently developed a wicked oil leak. Looks to be the turbo lines. I have a braided kit from FWP, and it appears the head gasket may be seeping in the front corner at the oil passage, so I'm going to replace it as well. Looks like the only way to do the turbo lines is to remove the head anyways, so I'll kill two birds with one stone...

No pictures yet. I'll have to take some and update this thread.

[83scamp]

I have the Daytona most of the way apart. Painted the intake & valve cover last night. Putting a TII intake on in preparation for later mods. I know, only difference is air temp sensor..

He's some pictures of the progress... And proof what a hack job the t-top conversions were..

[83scamp]

Been a while, so it"s time for an update...

I've been working on the Daytona as time permits. That's been a problem in itself the last couple of months... Two week trip for work, sick kid for a week, then I got it... So I basically lost the entire month of August...

Anyways, I've been putting in some serious hours on the Daytona the last couple of weeks, and finally was able to put down some paint yesterday & today. Sprayed the car with Viper red base/clear coat. Man is it RED!!!! I'm in so much trouble... I'll end up with tickets now for sure...

[83scamp]

Well, it was a busy 4 days, but well worth it. The Daytona is now fully in color. And I must say it is a BRIGHT color.

Viper red with medium charcoal grey metallic ground effects. It turned out fantastic. Very happy with the end results. The colors set each other off very well. Much better than the original silver ground effects.

[83scamp]

It's looking more & more like a car again. Painted the T-top trim last night. Hoping to do the mirrors tonight.

[2.216VTurbo]

Yep, that's red alright! Looks great. Whatcha gonna do about the wheels now? They look lackluster because the rest of the car look so fresh and shiny

[83scamp]

Yep, that's red alright! Looks great. Whatcha gonna do about the wheels now? They look lackluster because the rest of the car look so fresh and shiny

Yeah, I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm going to keep these rims for now. Going to polish the lip, and paint the centers the same charcoal gray as the ground effects. Should give a unique look to the rims. I was a huge fan of Hunter back in the day. Anybody remember McCall's Daytona that had the crabs with the black centers? Even though these aren't crab wheels, should give a similar look. I have always like rims with a polished lip & dark centers...

Maybe next year get a set of 16" rims for it... I've been eyeing a couple different rims at Tire Rack...

[jonnymopar]

Hmm... I wonder how much it is to ship a car from Mass to Indiana...

My car is the opposite of yours now, haha. I powdercoated my 16" pumpers last year. Rest of the car still looks terrible.