w00t!
w00t!
EastCoastMojo wrote:
OH SNAP! Now's time for all the Turbo Mopar guys to give you crazy ideas.
Sweet. I was just beginning to think I might run out of crazy ideas.
EastCoastMojo wrote:
Somehow, I highly doubt that ;)
curtis73 wrote: Its an updated K-car which was the single floppiest unibody ever put on the road. Not kidding. The torsional stiffness of K-cars and their derivatives are terrible.
I remember watching a turbo Daytona at the drag strip back in the day, and the driver launched it way too hard and got tons of wheel hop (another issue with that chassis). I was sitting in the stands 50 feet away, and the chassis flex from the wheel hop was visible to me.
Tom_Spangler wrote:curtis73 wrote: Its an updated K-car which was the single floppiest unibody ever put on the road. Not kidding. The torsional stiffness of K-cars and their derivatives are terrible.I remember watching a turbo Daytona at the drag strip back in the day, and the driver launched it way too hard and got tons of wheel hop (another issue with that chassis). I was sitting in the stands 50 feet away, and the chassis flex from the wheel hop was visible to me.
I just ran a string 1.6-1.7 60 foot times....with a K car.
The Spirit R/T is a nice car. The engine probems associated with the T-III's have for the most part all been addressed at this point. As far as cylinder head cracks at the core plugs go, if it's not cracked yet, it's not going to. Previous posts on what to look for and what to address with them are pretty much bang on.
Someone earlier mentioned the trans and the diff pin. I've drag raced the FWD Dodges for years and yes, the 2 pin diff trannies seem to eat the diff pin. I have yet to see a 4 pin diff (which is what is in the A568 in a Spirit R/T) eat the dif pin and split the case. I'm not crazy about peg leg burnouts, but it should be pointed out that trans is extremely stout in bone stock condition.
As for durability, the T-III has all the goodies. Factory forged crank, rods AND pistons. It's also a mexican cast common block, which are touted as being the ones to get. My last 120k mile T-III long block that I ran in my Shadow went as fast as 10.5's with a best trap of 137 mph (roughly 500 whp) before I started seeing some issues. When I tore it down, I found the main caps were starting to lose the press fit into the block and I found one bent rod. Now, I should point out, the reason I took it apart was that I lost the headgasket. It's very possible that I was detonating a bit on that last pass, which could have contributed to bent rod and possibly even the main cap issue.
If you score one for a good price, there is a ton of potential for power production. Replacement parts are pricey compared to an 8v 2.2, but compared to much of what is out there, is not too bad, particularly for the power that can be made with one.
One other thing to add...
Pull the intermediate shaft that drives the oil pump and inspect the bearings. On many of the T-III's I've torn down, that outer I shaft bearing is well worn and/or failing. My theory on the oil pump failures is that the I shaft gets pulled in by the timing belt trying to pull the cams against the ridiculously high rate valve springs. It wears the inner part of the outer bearing, the I shaft gets cocked over a bit, it wears the mating surface of the oil pump/i shaft gear, eventually leading to failure.
If worn, replace the inner and outer bearings and go right to the raised retainers to reduce the spring rate. Motors that have had the raised retainers have had that bearing hold up fine for me.
Pat
Congrats on the purchase, I've lusted over turbo dodges since I was a kid, and the particular sleeper nature of the spirit r/t.
This is what happens in my head when another GRM'r picks up a turbo mopar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgosi8Mp41Q&feature=related
Funny K-car story. In college my best friend had a Reliant. It was a 2-door, so one of those cars that is very rare, but far from collectible. It had the 87-hp 4-banger, but it was enough to rip the subframe mounts out of the unibody. When you dropped it in D the wheels moved forward enough that the tires hit the inner fender wells. One day I opened the driver's door and it fell on the pavement. The top hinge had pulled off the door jamb... not just a rusty hinge pin, the whole hinge ripped off.
So one night we decided to get drunk and chop the top off. About 2/3 of the way through the roof the saw blade seized. We tried everything to get it out but we were too drunk. The next morning we woke up to a terrible hangover and the car had collapsed to the ground. It buckled right in the middle and the floor of the car was on the ground.
The good news is that we got the saw out... that was the most valuable piece in that pile.
He had originally paid $250 for it and he sold it for $50 to a junkyard. Good thing they didn't open the hood or they would have seen all the duct tape wiring repairs we did after his engine caught fire one day.
Tom_Spangler wrote:curtis73 wrote: Its an updated K-car which was the single floppiest unibody ever put on the road. Not kidding. The torsional stiffness of K-cars and their derivatives are terrible.I remember watching a turbo Daytona at the drag strip back in the day, and the driver launched it way too hard and got tons of wheel hop (another issue with that chassis). I was sitting in the stands 50 feet away, and the chassis flex from the wheel hop was visible to me.
We got enough wheel hop in an 82 charger that the windshield cracked
for sale:
http://www.turbododge.com/forums/f7/f30/384591-1991-dodge-spirit-r-t-6000-a.html
My k-car story; Got a k-car for cheap, wrecked, needed front clip. A friend had a k-car wagon with a broke motor. I got it for free. Put clip on and drove car to work. On way home I pulled out of driveway and strut towers came thru hood. Frontend just colapsed. But I still bought a 89 Daytona ES Turbo last year. Shake down run, spun bearings. I guess Im a slowwww learner?!
OK, enough of the K-car bashing. I want to hear an update from ECM on the R/T. 
My k car story; parents had an omni, drove it for 250k with no issues, gave it to my older sister who broke the AC and got rid of it.
I need a turbo motor for the 93 Dakota I have, lol.
My K-car story: my then-fiancée managed to roll a new K-car one and a half times off a highway at 100+ km/h and landed on the top corner of the windshield. She crawled out with a tiny scratch on the back of her hand. We bought another K-car.
For Christmas I asked Santa (and got) new shocks and struts, and new motor mounts. SO far, I have talked Santa into installing the motor mounts, and he discovers that there is a little shock absorber bit that works like the rear motor mount. He sourced an improved design with urethane bushings instead of a shock, that is supposed to work better at keeping the horses under the hood. We have yet to install that as Santa has been under the weather (he is in bed as I type this with a cold). Once we get some warmer weather, I imagine we will install the rear motor mount bit and the shocks and struts and get an alignment done.
I also need a Cat, as mine has stuff rattling around inside. Certainly does add to the sleeper quotient though! No one expects to be passed by a K-car with a rattling cat!
Unfortunately it is with a heavy heart that I bring you today's update on the R/T. This morning she was totaled. I was heading to work, northbound on one of the busiest streets in town, three lanes in both direction. Two lanes were stopped, one lane was clear. I was in that lane when a 75 year old dude who was driving his wife to the cancer center pulled across traffic directly in front of me. I t-boned him at about 35mph, completely destroying the front of my car.
I declined the ambulance ride but did have Chuck drive me to the ER, where they X-rayed about half my body, but all I "broke" was my ankle. I have surgery scheduled for Friday where they will screw me back together. I am banged up and still really pissed off, but all in all, it could have been so much worse.
For those who may remember a few years back when I had a red Prelude, you may recall that I had owned it for exactly one month to the day when someone turned across traffic in front of me, totaling that car. This seems to only happen to cars I am passionate about, as I have driven more "appliance-type" vehicles for many years with no incidents. I can at least say I had the pleasure of driving the Spirit for three months before it gave itself up to save me.
The driver of the other car was definitely at fault, and unfortunately his wife did suffer injuries and was taken away in the ambulance that I refused. The police who responded to the scene were car guys, so they distracted me with car chat once they figured out I was a car gal. I think they were really surprised that I was more concerned about the car than my big fat ankle, but even if she is all squished up and not ever going to be driven again she is still my baby.
The ER referred me to an Orthopedist, where I spent the rest of the day waiting in their waiting room. They poked all the parts that hurt and didn't touch anything that didn't. When it was finally time to leve we were waiting at the entrance/exit for traffic to subside as it was now rush-hour, when I saw someone getting ready to pull across traffic into the parking lot we were leaving and all I could say was, "Oh God no, don't do it! I can't watch." And covered my eyes right as that guy got t-boned right in front of us in the exact same way that my accident had happened only hours ago. Well, let me tell you, I LOST my E36 M3. Chuck was nice enough to pull back into the parking lot and give me some quiet time to stop crying and shaking, but I am definitely having some PTSD symptoms. I will probably need some counseling once I am mobile again.
Sorry to say, but there is one less R/T on the road. I do intend to buy it back from the insurance company and part out what I can salvage, but it is just too painful to think about right now.
Signing off for now as the pain meds are finally starting to kick in. Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading.
Glad you're (relatively) ok. Godspeed on the recovery.
oh snap, mojo lost her spirit! 
i will +1 Marty!'s comment. take care of yourself. the car can wait.
oh, and please lose your passion for the celica before something horrible happens to it. 
Well..sh!t. That sucks.
I am very sorry to hear that, Mojo.
I was just saying to my wife yesterday that if you live in Raleigh it isn't a matter of if you're going to be in an accident, it is a matter of when.
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