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Thread: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

  1. #1
    boostaholic Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Well, I decided I'm far enough along on this build to post a proejct log, so here it goes.

    Some of you who know me have seen my Scamp at SDAC-26. It has been a carbed truck it's entire life.
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    For a long time I thought it was going to stay that way forever. Then I bought my Daytona two years ago, and I have offically become addicted to boost! So, about a year ago, I started collecting parts for an eventual turbo conversion of the truck. It all kind of started by chance, a couple of parts for sale posts, and a friend who was parting out an 89 Sundance 2.5 turbo...

    Last June, I found myself in possesion of a 2.5 turbo short block, 89 P-body wiring harness, computer, and misc other items(thanks 2manyturbos!!!). I found a good deal on a 782 head, then located an A-520 trans to back it up. I was following one of the Shelby factory guys on ebay, and scored a like-new 2 piece intake, and virtually brand new Garret TII turbo & exhaust manifold as well... Figured I was 80% of the way there...

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    Well, I found out that wasn't correct! But almost a year later, I have collected most of the various parts I need to do this project. Last night I re-assembled about 80% of the short block. The head should be going out for a valve job for the +1mm valves shortly. I'm going to port it, install an 88 TBI cam, PT lifters, and the MP 813 valve springs out of the N/A motor.

    The motor is also getting +40 injectors, an FMIC, 2 1/2" turbonetics SV, and the obvious tuned SMEC to run it all. I'm aiming for about 300 hp, I figure 20 psi should get me close. I'm hoping to have it done for SDAC-27, so I can post much better times than I did last year. Traction will be my biggest issue...

    I'll update with more pictures as I progress...

  2. #2
    Hybrid booster
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    I'd like to think I planted that Turbo Seed, in one of your previous visits to the little Ponderosa My Friend. You just move faster then I do,lol. The Man upstairs willing, I'll supply your beer at 27, Jer

  3. #3
    boostaholic Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by bigbarneycars View Post
    I'd like to think I planted that Turbo Seed, in one of your previous visits to the little Ponderosa My Friend. You just move faster then I do,lol. The Man upstairs willing, I'll supply your beer at 27, Jer
    You definitely pushed me forward Jer, as did a couple other friends out there. We'll just have to see how the build progresses... If I can't get it done, I'll just have to bring the Daytona... Which isn't a bad second choice...

    As I see it now, my biggest hurdle is going to be the wiring conversion. I don't want to change the dash, and the pre-84 L-bodies are way different than the later stuff... The harness is out of the Scamp, I just need to figure out what I have to splice in from the P-body harness to the original 40 way bulkhead connector to make it all work...

  4. #4
    Hybrid booster Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    I just made a harness for my 84 Rampage by spicing in an 89 Daytona harness. I used an extra 83 Rampage harness I had so I could save the original 84 one and as best as I remember the 83 was just short a couple of wires in the 40 way. Some of those early L bodies had the engine temperature and oil pressure light tied together I think. The Rampage harness also did not have cruise control so I used a few of the blanks in the bulkhead to run them though as the newer L bodies had. I have copies of all the wiring you would ever need to Frankenstein any number of harness together just let me know what you need.

  5. #5
    boostaholic Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by rgl10 View Post
    I just made a harness for my 84 Rampage by spicing in an 89 Daytona harness. I used an extra 83 Rampage harness I had so I could save the original 84 one and as best as I remember the 83 was just short a couple of wires in the 40 way. Some of those early L bodies had the engine temperature and oil pressure light tied together I think. The Rampage harness also did not have cruise control so I used a few of the blanks in the bulkhead to run them though as the newer L bodies had. I have copies of all the wiring you would ever need to Frankenstein any number of harness together just let me know what you need.

    Thanks, any notes that can help me along the way would be greatly appreciated!. I do have the complete 83 & 89 FSM's, so I can figure out the wiring, but Cliff's notes are always helpful. You are correct, the oil pressure & temp were tied to one idiot light. Part of the reason I installed mechanical gauges a long time ago so I could keep an eye on engine temp & oil pressure.

  6. #6
    boostaholic Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Got the oil pan baffle welded up today. I eliminated the balance shafts from the 2.5, so with all that extra oil moving around, I figured I'd better find a way to control it...

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    I made a template from cardboard first so I knew it would clear the pickup & dipstick. I should be able to bolt the pan on tonight!

    I need to get some pictures of the short block to post...

  7. #7
    Supporting Member Turbo Mopar Contributor GLHS60's Avatar
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    When I did my Rampage many years ago I installed the fuel filter under the hood.

    There wasn't enough room under the truck as I wanted to retain the stock lines.

    Curious what you come up with.

    Best swap ever.

    Best of Luck!!

    Thanks
    Randy


    There is no logical reason to call an Engine a motor.

    Randy Hicks
    86 GLHS60
    86 GLHS 373 : SOLD, but never forgotten
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    Edmonton,Alberta,Canada

  8. #8
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    I laid the Rampage harness out on a 4 foot by 6 foot sheet of plywood and then cut everything out of the harness but the lights, wiper and washer harness and the brake light switch wire that goes on the proportioning valve. I then removed all the lighting, wiper and washer and brake light wiring from the Daytona harness and laid what was left over the lighting harness for the Rampage which worked as a good pattern for shortening the Daytona harness to fit under the L body hood neatly. I used the heavier wires from the Daytona harness all the way to the terminals in the bulkhead connector instead of just splicing them to the smaller wires that were in the Rampage harness. It leaves a little extra loop of wiring just below the bulkhead connector since the G or P body is wider but its not a problem as there is room for it to lay down in there out of the way. Its the same way I did the harness for my blue 86 GLHT 20 years ago and that now is in my black GLHT. Works just fine.

  9. #9
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by GLHS60 View Post
    When I did my Rampage many years ago I installed the fuel filter under the hood.

    There wasn't enough room under the truck as I wanted to retain the stock lines.

    Curious what you come up with.

    Best swap ever.

    Best of Luck!!

    Thanks
    Randy
    Thanks for the info Randy. I may go the same route. I'll let you know.

    Quote Originally Posted by rgl10 View Post
    I laid the Rampage harness out on a 4 foot by 6 foot sheet of plywood and then cut everything out of the harness but the lights, wiper and washer harness and the brake light switch wire that goes on the proportioning valve. I then removed all the lighting, wiper and washer and brake light wiring from the Daytona harness and laid what was left over the lighting harness for the Rampage which worked as a good pattern for shortening the Daytona harness to fit under the L body hood neatly. I used the heavier wires from the Daytona harness all the way to the terminals in the bulkhead connector instead of just splicing them to the smaller wires that were in the Rampage harness. It leaves a little extra loop of wiring just below the bulkhead connector since the G or P body is wider but its not a problem as there is room for it to lay down in there out of the way. Its the same way I did the harness for my blue 86 GLHT 20 years ago and that now is in my black GLHT. Works just fine.
    Awesome notes!!! I'm curious how you managed to get the spade connectors out of the 40 way bulkhead connector? I would really rather do the same thing. Remove the connectors, and directly attach the wires, than splice every wire right there...

  10. #10
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    The terminals in the bulkhead are easy to remove. Justremove the foam seal that’s down in the connector and you can see the smallplastic latches that hold each terminal in. The terminal has a small squarehole in the middle that the latch clips into. I use a terminal removal tool topry the latch over so the terminal can be pulled out the back of the connector.You can also use a very small flat blade screwdriver or a larger paperclip torelease the latches.


  11. #11
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by rgl10 View Post
    [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]The terminals in the bulkhead are easy to remove. Justremove the foam seal that’s down in the connector and you can see the smallplastic latches that hold each terminal in. The terminal has a small squarehole in the middle that the latch clips into. I use a terminal removal tool topry the latch over so the terminal can be pulled out the back of the connector.You can also use a very small flat blade screwdriver or a larger paperclip torelease the latches.
    Awesome info!

    Thank you.

  12. #12
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Well, I've made some more progress, and had a setback...

    The short block is done. I bolted the pan on.

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    Unfortunately, after getting the block done, I started on the head and realized I had a serious problem. After cleaning it up, the head is an obvious reman. The cam bearing bores are oversized, the head has been welded between the valve seats, and the valve guides are oversized... IMHO, it's just not worth putting any time into it.... The good news is, I believe the "88 TBI roller cam" I bought at SDAC last year is actually a FWP F1 cam, so it should have a little more power than the TBI roller...

    Again, thanks to a friend, it looks like I have another head coming that is in good shape, so I should be able to move ahead shortly...

    So, I moved onto the trans upgrade. I put the 520 on the bench, and began installing the OBX diff.

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    I am waiting for the shims to show up. The diff right now has about .032" clearance, instead of the .010" preload it should have...

    A few more misc parts were delivered in the last few days, so I am moving forward with what I can until I get the other head in my possession...
    Last edited by 83scamp; 04-09-2017 at 10:41 PM.

  13. #13
    Supporting Member Turbo Mopar Contributor GLHS60's Avatar
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Thats some cylinder head report!!!

    Maybe the G head spirits are signaling you

    Thanks
    Randy


    There is no logical reason to call an Engine a motor.

    Randy Hicks
    86 GLHS60
    86 GLHS 373 : SOLD, but never forgotten
    89 Turbo Minivan
    83 Turbo Rampage : SOLD
    Edmonton,Alberta,Canada

  14. #14
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by GLHS60 View Post
    Thats some cylinder head report!!!

    Maybe the G head spirits are signaling you

    Thanks
    Randy
    You know, I've had several folks suggest I go that route, but I've not been able to find turbo exhaust valves for it. FWP & TU don't list any G head valves anymore, and I can't trust the aftermarket ones to be correct. Plus I already have the investment in the +1 valves for the 782...

    I don't know.... If somebody can point me to valves, I may consider it...

  15. #15
    Super Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff contraption22's Avatar
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by 83scamp View Post
    You know, I've had several folks suggest I go that route, but I've not been able to find turbo exhaust valves for it. FWP & TU don't list any G head valves anymore, and I can't trust the aftermarket ones to be correct. Plus I already have the investment in the +1 valves for the 782...

    I don't know.... If somebody can point me to valves, I may consider it...
    I'd stick with the swirl.
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  16. #16
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by contraption22 View Post
    I'd stick with the swirl.
    Thanks. Since I located another head, I'm going that route. Just less variables with the tune IMHO.

  17. #17
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Shims arrived yesterday, so I set the preload, and bolted the diff in for the last time.... I hope.

    I do have a question for you trans gurus out there. By the FSM, all of the shims go in the bearing retainer on the driver's side of the trans. I noticed once I had mine set, the ring gear is offset from the pinion a little bit. It's actually really close to the bellhousing side of the trans case. It was offset before I changed the diff, and I had to add .040" shims to get the correct preload. Nothing rubs, and checking runout with my dial indicator, shows it's running really true. Does that hurt anything? Just seems like some of the shims should have been added to the passenger side to keep things more centered, but the FSM doesn't recommend that... I did what the FSM showed, because after thinking about it, I highly doubt .040" difference is going to affect gear strength.. Just curious what others have observed.

    Another thing that kind of surprised me is the recommended torque specs for the trans bolts. Maybe it's just me, but 65 lb-ft on the ring gear bolts just doesn't seem like that much. The cover bolts are only 40 lb-ft. I torqued everything to spec and used loctite on everything, so it should stay together.

  18. #18
    Super Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff 135sohc's Avatar
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    A few I have done were all over the place with respect to how centered the ring gear is on the pinion gear. Just my guess but the reasoning for the fsm method of doing all the shimming from one side is probably largely driven by time and repeatability in a production line setting. Its not a hypoid gear meshing so they could get it 'close enough' and still have a generous margin of tolerance.
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  19. #19
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    Quote Originally Posted by 135sohc View Post
    A few I have done were all over the place with respect to how centered the ring gear is on the pinion gear. Just my guess but the reasoning for the fsm method of doing all the shimming from one side is probably largely driven by time and repeatability in a production line setting. Its not a hypoid gear meshing so they could get it 'close enough' and still have a generous margin of tolerance.

    Good to know you've seen the same thing. I would probably agree with you on the assembly. Also, since the driver's side is steel & the passenger side is aluminum, it probably has less chance of galling or cracking...

  20. #20
    Supporting Member Turbo Mopar Contributor jonnymopar's Avatar
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    Re: 83 Scamp GT turbo conversion

    I ran into the same thing when I put my LSD in my 555. There was an added layer of complexity to my install that I'll leave out, but I actually put all my shims, including the original, on the passenger side.

    I loved reading your original post. Just another life altered by a turbo Daytona, haha.
    Jon J.

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