[usetaboost]

I don't know much about the daytonas but have always considered getting one and fixing it up for a DD. I found what I believe is a true 89 C/S. It is red wtih charcoal or grey interior, black carpet. Still has factory crab wheels, doesn't have pwr windows or locks, don't think it had pwr mirrors either. 5 speed car. Probably is a true C/S. Only things that stood out for options was rear defrost, tape deck radio, and rear wing. Car is sitting in an alley. Was bought last summer by current owner and had new starter put in it by a shop. He says he's got 550 into it all together. Inside looks acceptable and body is straight except for rust (pass door is shot, bottoms of quarters need patched behind the doors, and a spot on the lip of the quarter wheelwell) otherwise no rust at all. Tried getting under the car to see if there was major rust but the tires are flat. I was told it runs but don't know anymore than that. Has 156k on the clock. Should I even mess with this or keep driving my t/a that gets 11 miles to the gallon in town?

I've seen there's a lot of talk about these specific c/s, what's the big deal? I know they have the TurboII motor which is 175 stock adn shelby suspension and such. Are there any cheap/easy mods for these cars? How's the reliabilty on these higher mileage cars?

 

[patrickjengram]

Let me be the first to say that you should buy this car if you can get it this cheap and not dump a bunch into it. If it has the factory crabs, then that would denote the C/S Competition package, which is more desirable than the Performance package since it gives the TII instead of the TI motor.

I'm sure there are many more who want to put in their 2 cents so I'll let them take it from here...

 

[The Dude]

1. LOCATION???? I see you are from Iowa. What part of the state? I can tell you all you want to know. If you pass on it, PM me with the location, I would be interested. I'm in Waterloo.

The '89 CS with the Crab rims denotes a TII car with a 5-speed. It will have the beefy T2 motor, good tranny, etc. Same drivetrain as the 5-speed Shelby Z but without all the extra weight of power options and ground f/x. The brakes will be the 11" front disc with vented rear. It will have the larger diameter front sway bar and solid rear axle.

Being in Iowa I will make an assumption on the condition of the body: Rusted. Underneath the car near the parking brake will be shot. Possible both floor pans at the drivers/passengers feet. Spare tire well will be rusted. If the quarters are rotting, the rear inner wheel wells at the front of the well will be rotting. Behind the front wheel up inside the wheel well will be rusting. Every single Iowa Daytona I've found is like this UNLESS it was VERY well maintained. Not trying to burst your bubble, I've rebuilt them from this condition and am currently in the process of doing one right now. It isn't impossible, just want you to be aware of what you would be getting into.

 

[usetaboost]

I know its gonna take some work, and I've seen waaay nicer daytonas in the junkyard for sure, but you NEVER see teh turbo ones there! I'm thinking if the floor is easily repairable or solid I'm gonna go for it if I can save the money. I'm more worried about the driveline aspects. I've been told by some people these cars are either awesome or they;re a freakin nightmare. 156k on the clock and condition either says "I was just driven and never really maintained" or "some crackhead took me for everything I was and will be worth." So that's all the CS package is a bastard child of stripper daytona and a Shelby T2? I checked recall info and didn't see much on the turbo cars. How long do the bottom ends last on these? the last shelby with the 2.5 I was going to buy had a sleeve at less than 100k. THat's scary. I would think the tranny would be ok beings it SHOULD have the beefy one, my main concern would be head problem, bad clutch, bad rings, bad turbo. If it runs and don't fog the alley I will prbably buy it if its ok with the wife. I'll be at 4 cars again but the gas in the T/A is killing me. I only drive 2 miles to work but I can't drive it anywhere. How comfortable are these cars on trips? Are parts available and fairly reasonable? What about gas mileage in town and highway? And still don't see what is so great about the 175 hp. Is it a power to weght ratio thing or are they just incredibly cheap and easy to mod??

I would also like to take a look at some recipies for the T2 motor. Nothing insane, just the basics/inexpensive mods and quarter mile times. Still haven't been able to find a quarter mile time for the 89 c/s bone stock. I really can't find any info on it besides what I've found here and the car seems to be a hot commodity for some reason.

BTW, second CS I've found here. Passed on a white one with red interior a while back cause the turbo didn't work adn blew a little smoke on revup. Wish I wouldn't have passed on it, clean car and only 1000bucks. No spoilers except rear and had the pizza wheels with 2.5????

 

[The Dude]

There honestly isn't a whole lot of reliability in these until you have them nicely rebuilt. If maintained, the bottom ends last forever. Beat on and neglected they spin a rod bearing and trash a crank. Tranny may or may not be good depending on how it was abused. Heads, clutches, rings, turbos... all easy repairs. I think they are a very comfortable car as long as you understand they have a stiff suspension. Parts are everywhere and reasonable, although more and more are being crushed as the price of scrap is high. Mileage can be decent with the 5-speed. Some are getting 40 with modifications. The 175 may not sound impressive, but they take to performance modifications readily.

what city are you in?

 

[Marcus86GLHS]

pop the hood and look at the tag on the radiator support you should see the letters "AGS" somewhere on the tag.....that will confirm this is a real 1989 CS Competition Package optioned car.....best Daytona ever made if you ask me.

 

[usetaboost]

hmmmm. Why is it that one person tells me I should jump all over this neglected time bomb and others tell me to stay away from it but yet you all wanna know where it is? Trust me guys, NO WAY you would wanna drive this car back to where you live. It was bought by the current owner for 300 bucks if that tells you the condition. Most of you guys would probably consider this a parts car at best. I will go through teh cars for sale and find something in similar shape to give you an idea.

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

Reason why is you want it for a DD and its not what you're looking for in that. Its something obviously thats going to take a LOT of work, which some of us are willing to do. I find it rather amusing that you won't tell anyone where you live. If you're still interested in it I understand, but if you're not its just greedy. I know people here are willing to put in the wrench time. It would be a nice vehicle and reliable eventually, but untouched its probably junk to most people. If you're not going to take it tell people where its located so someone can save it.

 

[usetaboost]

It's in Sioux City-feel better:thumb: Anyway, I got four cars so its not a big deal if I have to do a head gasket or a clutch. If it is in need of a weekend of work it will have to wait in line till later this summer (IF I do get it). When I get a little bit more serious about it after I'm not laid off any more ina few weeks I will probably go check it out. If I start it up and it clouds like my turbo T does with the shot turbo after a hard boost, then I may reconsider. I'm not going to just drive it into the ground if I do get it. I will cut out the rust and patch the three holes that are known of and get a pass door. I've wanted a TD almost as long as a ICTB. If I do get it, it will recieve body and paint along with everything else that is wrong. I just don't want to deal with a soggy floor or junk short block. I'm doing a frame off on my car right now so any major work that requires garage time will make it a no go. I couldn't find any cars in the for sale section that looked as sh!tty as this one, but compared to the one in the link, the one in the link is in good shape
http://www.turbododge.com/forums/f7/f30/140158-88-shelby-z-daytona-t2-a555.html

THis C/S I've found reminds me of my TB- cosmeticly sh!t aside from theinterior which is filthy. Just trying to join the TD crowd guys.

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

I bought one that was going to the junkyard, it was in terrible condition, so when people say bad I'm hesitant to comprehend how bad it could possibly be after experiencing that TD.
Go for it if you're going to fix it up! It'll eventually be a nice car, I'm like you though, trying to find a TD at the moment. I just want some POS that has potential so I can build it up here in the next couple years. From start to finish I expect it to be a 10year plan from now w/ a $15-20k budget.
Let us know if you're not going to take it though so a TD guy can get it, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it!

 

[usetaboost]

Yes if I do get it I probably will fix it up. I'm hoping worst case scenario is surface rust underneath, patch the holes, get a door, replace some seals, fix a sloppy shifter, tune up, and brake and suspension, tires. If it looks more horrible I'll pass. I'm just looking at going this route for one cause I know no bank will ever give me a loan for a nice one. If I decide to get it will be in good hands with some help, that's why I'm asking the questions I am about mileage, part availabilty/affordable, and cheap mods as this will not be used as a whipping pole

THIS WILL:thumb: My progress thread... - TurboBuick.Com

The daytonas body is worse than this in comparison to size of rust holes. I will take pics of it when I go look at it and base my decision, until then I want to know as much as I can about these cars.

15k-20k? HFS batman, are you flying it to the moon? J/K

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

It will actually be an 87-89 platform moreless changed to an '86 TurboZ w/ (preferably) '93 Iroc R/T guts. I'm up in the air on interior but I may just keep it as an '87-89 though.
I have high hopes, nothing will be left untouched, I will do every single thing to it, so essentially it will be a brand new car that I'll keep for the rest of my life.
If you ever need any help or advice feel free to PM me. I'm in Davenport, but will move back to Cedar Rapids when I finish school. I've had 6 of these, my brothers each had 2, so I can help you and I'm relatively close.
FYI, I don't know how the yards near you look, but the ones around me are looking more and more sparse for TD stuff. You know of any good ones out there?

 

[usetaboost]

Oh dude tell me about it The one yard left with Gbody stuff-smashed it all. Basically everything out here that is 20 years old is crushed whether it has good parts or not. I do know of one place that stocks up on dodge and mitsu stuff though. Its a metal scrap yard called wheeler iron. Basically a pick your part yard. One other place I know of that would likely have some older stuff would be Grab n GO in spencer. My buddy said there was a bunch of Gbody stuff so I would automatically thing there would be an abundance of dodge stuff and maybe turbo stuff. I've seen some pretty decent looking daytonas, aries like cars, and lots of caravans out at that wheeler place. Sells stuff cheap as hell too. Last time I scored stuff there was for my 86z28. Got a z28 hood, a fender, hatch motor and supports, front nose, headliner, and a bunch of other little things for 90 COuldn't believe it and the stuff was like new with no rust. Spencer GrabnGo would be the one to hit though if you are from out of town. BIG selection. Wheelers is hit and miss and very small.

Know any GN owners out there? A few TB,com board members live there, one has a sweet GN he's building with a stage 2, lowered, all sorts of crap. Saw it when I drove out there to pick up parts-NICE! A few in des moines also. ALso a member in cedar rapids, he's got a 78 regal sport coupe (old school turbo)

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

I see a GN in the same place EVERYTIME I go to Ames sitting in the West HyVee parking lot. Thats been for 5 years, so he obviously works in that center. Its beautiful, otherwise I never see those things.
Hey, is there any chance you could help a guy out and see if one of those yards has a set of crab rims? I'd really like a set of them unmounted. If they do I'd be tempted to make a trip there to grab them.

 

[The Dude]

I was not trying to yank it out from under you. I simply find it interesting to encounter another enthusiast from Iowa and try to keep track of what city everyone is from.

If you have the time, the patience, the money, and the shop to do the work, anything can be rebuilt. My 1st gen Z is about 1/2 way through a new floor. Not just the pans, the complete floor 3/4 way up the firewall. Front wheel wells, rocker panels, floor pans, etc. Only thing staying is the exhaust tunnel. It is a lot of work, but I'm slowly getting there.

If you DO decide to pass on this car, PM me the details. Take your time and make your own decision, but I'd most likely be willing to trailer it home.

And, as mentioned by InfinityShelbyZ, if you ever need anything, just ask! Always happy to help a fellow TD enthusiast.

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

Agreed....I don't think there are many of us Iowa boys left. My brothers and I were the only ones in CR other than ONE other guy. In our state they're more viewed as just "another car".

 

[usetaboost]

I did see another one by the lake where my friend lives. Saw it one time up close when it camem into the shop-very nice aside from faded paint like the rest of them. I would definitely buy the car if I could ever get a hold of him. Every time I get a chance he's always driving it lately for some reason. Car used to be sitting in his driveway the same spot for years. Must be for gas reasons. I'm pretty sure a TD is going to be my next ride. I've noticed you can grab a pretty nice one for under 3k. I would prefer to get an adult owned one that is unmodded but I guess I'll be lucky enogh to find one around here. If the floor is rotted I will pass on it. What other areas do I need to check out besides the floor? What "sounds" and wear items do I need to look for on the motor and tranny? What mechanicals are easy and cheap fixes and whats not? I figure if I can rebuild a few gm motors and do a timing belt and water pump in a v6 caravan, I could handle simple repairs on a TD. Although, if the motor and tranny seem tight a sundance conversion would be tight! Keep the info coming, I want to know everything I can about these cars-mods, general maintinence, bang for the buck stuff, etc. If people are getting 30+ highway miles with 5spd cars, and still haul ass on the street, I'll buy one of these things eventually.

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

Well in Iowa, watch for rotten underbody. That can't be fixed w/o HEAVY work, which I'm even watching for in my search for one. However w/ the amount of time, money, and work I intend to do, rotten floors probably isn't such a big issue for me. So send it my way. Anyways, aside from that, while you're down there check the fuel and brake lines. As trivial as is sounds they rot prety easy and are BORING to replace. Check the turbo for boost, most of them will have fairly noisy lifters, but use your best judgement as far as TOO noisy. Trannys always seem to be a problem, autos are good for 100k, anything over that you're in gray area, over 125k you're lucky. Thats unless its been taken great care of, which doesn't seem to be your case. Engine, check the obvious oil condition, pressure, etc...Its really hard to get too nitpicky for a cheaper car. Theres nothing too specific to our cars compared to anything else to watch out for. Watch the idle too, I've chased loping, high, or low idles around like crazy. They're a pain in the ass w/ these w/ the sensors and vac lines. MC failures I've experienced (which is ME personally) includes: TPS, AIS, MAP, O2, fuel pumps, vac line problems, headgaskets. The nice thing is these cars run hard, but are hard to get running good. I always seemed to have some minor problem pop up, but what do you expect on older cars? My overall experience is good, I love the pain!! LOL!!

 

[usetaboost]

Yeah heard all about the auto trannys from the last owner I was going to purchase from. Around 2000 I had a 86 caravelle with a 2.5 adn auto trans, I beat teh living piss outta that thing for like 3 years, (tranny drops, flooring it for miles on end on the interstate, JUMPING IT:thumb:, long periods of idling in the winter and summer) then it started doing doing weird things one day like idling up for a while, then back down normal, even when it was at full temp. Sold it a while after that, then a week later it blew a headgasket from what I was told. I cranked the timing up a little too high I think
Man, I used to race cavaliers on the interstate manually shifting it-I'd keep in in second until about 70 mph, or whenever it would stop moving-LOL!

 

[InfinityShelbyZ]

Yea, they only can take a beating so long just like anything else.