TIII in my Omni GLH

[iTurbo]

I've got the drivetrain out of my Spirit R/T and was going to reinstall it in the next month. I removed the engine to fix a lot of problems it had thanks to the previous owners. It now has a fresh stock cylinder head from Lone Wolf Performance, LWP cams, new lifters, titanium retainers, ported exhaust manifold, and black powder coated intake and valve covers. The Spirit R/T is in great shape with 140k miles and has been sitting in the parking lot motionless for almost a year now..

But now I'm thinking of installing the whole shebang into my Omni GLH Turbo. I'm hesitant because I've already made a substantial investment into the SOHC setup it now has. I'm also not sure if the TIII would work with my NPR intercooler setup which I have a lot of money and work put into. It would be nice to drive my Spirit R/T again, but it is one more car I'd have to register and insure too. If I swap everything into the Omni, I'll just store the R/T in my garage.

Thoughts or opinions on this?? For what it's worth, my twin brother thinks I'm crazy for even thinking of doing this.

Also, I have a couple technical questions on this swap...

1. Do you guys think the TIII will fit and work in my Omni with the radiator and intercooler setup I have in it? I know I'd have to revamp the pipes. It's a large NPR sandwiched together with a new stock Modine radiator. I have a low-profile Mr.Gasket electric radiator fan and custom sheetmetal shroud. Here is an underhood picture of how it is now.



2. For electronics, I was thinking of modifying a '90 Omni TBI SBEC underhood harness with parts from a TIII underhood harness to make an L-body TIII underhood harness that uses the stock TIII SBEC. I have already made a 40/50 pin bulkhead adapter that would allow me to plug it into my Omni GLH firewall. Would this work?

[nemiro]

You have a nice looking setup there! I am a big fan of TIII's, and have done my share of 16v swaps. I haven't done it to an L-Body (does PL-Body count?). I thought long and hard about putting a TIII in my 86 GLHS #053, but in the end, went with a VNT setup, which worked fine. I might have kept the car with a TIII in it . OK, let's get practical. The 90 SBEC harness is 100% the right way to go. This was how I made my VNT harness, which is very similar to the TIII. You will need to relocate the cam sensor plug, and do some work with the injector wiring and TPS/AIS stuff. Not a big deal. OK, the mechanics of the swap are straightforward, but what about day-to-day use? My guess is that A/C will be hard to come by (doesn't look like you have it, anyway), and you *will* have overheating issues. TIII's put out a lot of heat. Ask me about a miserable summer in Phoenix with a black neon, with the biggest radiator you could stuff in the car. Yeah, even when it was *only* 100°F, I had to run the heat in the car in traffic to keep it from overheating. Oh, yes, it did have a nice oil cooler, and lots of fans. Overheating will be an issue for you, even in Wyoming. OTOH, the car was an incredible blast. It was fast, and powerful. BUT, the L or PL platforms are not really well suited for what a TIII does best - Autobahn blasts.

Bottom line is that it's up to you. I like swaps. The best TIII car I have ever driven was my 88 CSX-ND (CSX-T). The P-Body just 'feels' right with a TIII. For a commuter car, it's hard to beat the Spirit. I've had many. I like the room, comfort, and the all-out, jaw-dropping, surprise it generated on peoples' faces. If it were up to me, I'd leave your very nice TII setup as it is, and fix the R/T.

[87OmniT2]

I have seen the install done before. If you want to make it happen, it will. You may have to make some "adjustments" in the placement of things, but it would be awesome when its done. You look like you do really nice work, so I am betting the T3 will find a home in there one way or another!

[Scottmon]

I agree with Neil. Put the motor back in the Spirit. Heck, you can make a Spirit R/T run strong anyway. Just ask Wallace! Besides, if you do the swap you'll have BOTH cars down, instead of just one while the work gets done. Heck, swap in a 2.4 16v (which parts are VERY plentiful for) and go nuts.

I'm also kind of beginning to look at TIII cars as potential collector's items these days, and think they should be preserved as much as possible. Plus parts availability will become an increasing issue as time goes on so you probably don't want to beat on one frequently.

[iTurbo]

Thanks for guys opinions, keep them coming!

I hear you on the TIII cars being collectible; I'm sure one day they will be. I have no doubts my Spirit R/T will be worth more than my Shelby Lancer 10 years down the road. No matter what I do, I'll keep the Spirit R/T. I'm not going to convert it to SOHC, hack it up or butcher it in any way if I decide to put the TIII in the Omni. Keeping the miles off the Spirit R/T could be a good thing.

The biggest thing stopping me from doing the swap is trying to determine if the TIII will fit in the Omni's engine bay. It looks to me like the intake will hit the radiator fan. Would going with an aftermarket intake from LWP or RDI allow for more clearance?

So far I don't have any cooling issues with the way the car is now. The big NPR covers up the entire radiator core but the external fins are not dense and the intercooler is only 2" thick so ambient air flow through the core(s) seems to be pretty good.

[nemiro]

Sounds like you're bent on doing it I can understand why.

The engine will be much closer to the radiator, and it will block the air coming out of it more than your current setup. It also takes up other areas where air escapes from the engine bay. You *will* have cooling issues. Trust me. That's my experience.

[iTurbo]

Well I wouldn't say I'm bent on it, because it probably is more practical to just put the Spirit R/T back together. It's exciting to think about putting a TIII in the Omni and what it would be like to drive though. I've already built up the chassis and suspension in the Omni as well so that makes it even more tempting.

Thanks for the insight on the cooling issues. I will definately look further into that aspect of the swap before I decide what to do. I'd love to hear from some TIII L-body owners too!

[Subliminal]

Do the engine swap, then stick the 8v in the R/T, and then sell it on here claiming like 600 HP!

Ok, that was a low blow, and in all fairness, i'm totally kidding.

d

[iTurbo]

Hahah well so far I have a '90 Omni TBI underhood harness that I will base the new TIII harness on, and a lead on another Spirit R/T underhood harness, so I have almost everything I need to do the swap. Having to revamp the intercooler piping is going to cost $$ though.

On the other hand, I also have a lot of new parts that I was going to use on the Spirit: new motor mounts from PB.com, new gauges, 255 ltr/hr fuel pump etc....the Omni already has all that stuff. Both the Omni and Spirit both already have 3" exhaust as well.

[charger R/T]

the pictures of the Omni rock. I would put the TIII back in the spirit. Then you can have 2 rocking underhoods.
Tim

[ART]

How about runnin that great OMNI setup while you're completing the RT, then sell the top end off the OMNI: head, turbo, both manifolds, TB, & that great IC piping. Sold as a package it will sell in a heartbeat. Then, while driving the RT, you can put a 16 valve Hybrid in the "L Body". Hook it up to the big NPR, like Cliff did on his wagon. I think the Neon head will give you more room than the TIII, especially if you use one of the LW intakes. Done this way, you allways have one to drive, & when you're done you have two a$$ kickers. NTFB

[86Shelby]

It's been a while, but there was a TIII swap in an L-body covered in Up Front 2-3 years ago. I seem to remember them relocating the radiator forward among other things. it was in a Charger so they had the luxury of moving stuff around like that. Unless you want to copy Russ Jerome and have the intercooler as the grille your options will be limited. You might want to get ahold of Barry(sdacguy) to see if you can get those backissues if you don't have them already.

I'm all for getting the R/T up and running and keeping the sweet setup you have in the GLHT. I'm thinking I might have to copy what you did with the battery and intercooler; that's an awesome job!

[Ondonti]

TIII in the spirit,

16v hybrid or 2.4 in the omni.

[sillywabbit]

The Throttle Body area on the TIII manifold will hit the radiator. Also, some work needs to be done for the power steering pump to fit right.

[blk86trbo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ondonti TIII in the spirit, 16v hybrid or 2.4 in the omni.

I totally agree.