[gkcooper]

What did you figure out with the speedometer?

 

[allardtom]

gkcooper,

Pretty sure we have an idea. The harness came with a 3 wire speedo sensor for GM (miscommunication when we built the harness), because I have a Viper 6-speed we had to convert the connector to a 2 wire sensor for the Viper trans.

One of the 3 wires is a 5v power wire and we tried to use it for power, but that's confusing the computer. I haven't had time to get under the car and confirm, but we think the Viper trans will require a separate 12v power then we'll only use the signal wires from the harness. Once I confirm I'll have more details.

In the future I plan to go to the GM variation of this 6-speed since it puts the shifter 3" further back so the harness I have will work great. Ultimately Chris's team built what they thought I needed vs. what I currently have. If we had caught it up front they could have easily made the harness differently.

Tom

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 15 MAR 17

Reinforced the clutch pedal and I'm really happy with how it came out. Much better, very smooth now. I tried a higher mount, but found the original location worked best. (pictures attached)

Also set up a cold air intake using the factory evap canister location as my filter location. Running flex duct for now but eventually will make a nice duct from aluminum.

Probably time to put the front end back on so I can put some miles on the car!

Best wishes
Tom

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 17 MAR 17

Reassembled the front end of the car last night. Got all the lights etc working again. Went for a short drive last night surprised how much brighter the headlights are compared to the 1992. Turned out to be a nice day today so I've been putting a few more miles on the car.

Bedded in the brake pads today and surprisingly for using the stock master cylinder with no vacuum booster the brakes are really good. Pretty sure that has to do with the fact the car has 13" front and 11" rear rotors, which is a lot of brake for this car.

Plan to keep driving the car and working through all the little issues that will surface. Next two focus areas will be getting the speedometer working and powering the reverse lock out solenoid when the brakes are on to make it easier to get into reverse.

Took some pictures out in the driveway. Once the car is done I'll get it painted, but still looks good to me!

Tom

 

[ILIKESHELBYS]

Ya know...if you didn't know, you wouldn't know. What a total sleeper! I am sure every Stang' and Marro' and just about anything else would be wanting to give you a go from the light but what a mistake that would be if you were racing for pink slips. This project harkens me back to the day of the V8 Vega which would be near as nice a ride but like this Hemi Daytona, it's got a lot of energy! Good show....real good show.

 

[89TonaVa]

You really need to do a video of it running ! Would love to hear sound of 8 cylinders plucking away under the hood of a Daytona.

 

[ILIKESHELBYS]

you really need to do a video of it running ! Would love to hear sound of 8 cylinders plucking away under the hood of a daytona.

really...

 

[89TonaVa]

Really Really ! I dont mean In the garage either . Something like sitting at a light ready to pounce ! Or even in the drive way with a little gas peddle action .

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 18 MAR 17

ILIKESHELBYS: Great to hear from you! It is quite the sleeper!

89TonaVA: I plan to!

I finally had a chance to check out the speedometer wiring today. I sent the color codes to Chris and we'll see what he recommends.

Wired the reverse lock out to the brake switch. Figure I'll have the brakes on before going into reverse and it works great!

Set the ride height on the car. 26" in front and 27" in rear. Interestingly enough I had to pre-load the drivers side coil overs more than the passenger to get the car level. Especially the drivers front. Not 100% sure why that is, but once I drive it some more I'll see if it's an issue. I will say the BC coil overs I got from Rich Bryant are worth every penny. Thanks Rich!! Having the ability to separately adjust ride height and spring tension along with camber and dampening makes them super tunable. "

I've put about 100 miles on the car and mechanically things are going pretty well. I did have to drop the rack to get at the PS pump pressure banjo fitting to fix a small leak. I also had not put a vent tube on the rear axle so I made a hose that runs up to the frame.

Now for the slightly bad news. The front cross member needs 1x more tweak. The wheels are too far forward by 1/2", doesn't sound like much. but it's enough that the front wheels rub on the fender when turning. I confirmed using the 87 Shelby Z I'm restoring. At the points I measured the wheel opening is 29" and on the 87 the centerline of the hub is at 14.5" on the V8 car it's 15". Additionally there is 2 1/4" of space behind the wheel and 1 1/4" in front. I have a plan though so no issue.

Thank you all for your support!!
Tom

 

[89TonaVa]

Hey Tom. Aren't you scared the engine will suck that intake hose flat at WOT?

 

[allardtom]

89TonaVA,

It's specifically made for intakes. It's got a plastic rod that is spiral wound into it. It's hard to collapse by hand so I figure it'll be okay for testing. At some point I'll make an aluminum tube, but for now Just wanted clean air and this was a $15 solution.

Thanks for asking!

UPDATE: 18 MAR 17

Working on fitting center console back into the car. So far it's going pretty well. I have the metal base plate almost done, I just need to lower the back brackets a little more. Then I'll trim out the shifter hole on the console since all I have is an automatic console. I also need to make a bracket to move the shifter back 3 to 4". This brings me to a question.

Does anyone have a manual transmission center console for a 1990 Daytona?

Tom

 

[89TonaVa]

I was gonna say I have a manual one but its pre 9o. I think that is when they updated the interior.

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 19 MAR 17

I learned and remembered a few things today.

The consoles are different from 1990 to 1991. I knew 1990 and up had a revised interior, but I forgot that in 1991 and up they lowered the console. The higher 1990 console will actually work to my advantage with this transmission since the shifter is basically under the ashtray. Once I make a bracket to move the shifter back 6" then all that mess will be under the higher console. Additionally since I do have to lower even the 1990 console some (due to taller driveshaft tunnel) I can use the 1992 E-brake since the handle is less tall. I have a plan, it'll make more sense when I send build pictures. Pictures of the differences below.

So... definitely looking for a 1990 manual center console.

The reverse lock out didn't quite work as expected. With the key in ACC if I push the brake peddle the reverse solenoid lock out works and I can get into reverse. As soon as I start the car the polarity switches and I can go into reverse only when I'm off the brake... weird. I'll search around to find the wire that powers the brake lights when the car is running.

Still fighting a PS leak. Not impressed with the braided flex line fittings. I used one of the make your own braided lines kits and I'm having a hard time getting them to seal. I think I got it tonight, we'll see.

Tomorrow I'll bring the car to get the front end aligned. For now just centering the wheel and setting toe. I'll have them check camber, but don't plan to adjust unless it's radically off.

Seems the suspension work I did worked. The car rode really nice today. Sits nice front to back and side to side.

I just keep chipping away at the to do list.

Tom

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 20 MAR 17

Got the car aligned today. Pretty happy to report that it aligned using 1990 Dodge Daytona spec sheet with no special requirements.

Received and installed a shifter boot. It's a 87-93 94-04 Mustang T5 lower shift boot. Pretty much the closest boot I could find that has a "factory" like look.

Power steering line finally blew today, but at least now I know exactly what was wrong. There were 2x issues. 1. the 6AN nut was interfering with the rack body before it was fully seated and 2. the Summit make you own braided flex line kit just couldn't bite into the hose enough on the pressure side. So I'll find a 36" pre-made hose and replace.

Tom

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 10 APR 17

I brought the car to a local fabricator today, TBCworks.com. Since the drivers wheel is 1/2" and the passenger wheel is 5/8" to far forward I'm having the lower control arm brackets repositioned.

Once I get the car back I can finish the fuel pump install. I have isolators to mount the pump that I was waiting for. Short story on the fuel pump. The new Hemis need 55 to 60 psi and I was running to small of a fuel pump and to low of a regulator. So I installed a Holley fuel pump that is capable of 255 liters / hr. @ 60 psi and a 60 psi regulator. Once I finish the install I'll send before and after pictures.

Also, I will absolutely have to rebuild rear end. Never know what you're going to get with a used axle and this one has to much back lash, no biggie, but something I will need to address soon.

That's it for now. These are all the little things I knew would surface once I started driving the car, but making progress every day.

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 22 APR 17

TBC works moved the lower control arms 1/2" rearward. For now I just had them move the rearward tabs and install a spacer in the front to ensure the geometry remained the same. I can now do full lock turns without worrying about damaging the fenders. The car drives the same, but now it's one step closer to correct.

I finished installing the fuel pump. The rubber isolators made a HUGE difference. The pump is so quiet that at times I can't even tell if it's running. Pretty impressive for an external fuel pump. The set up is as follows: 100 micron pre-filter, 255L/hr pump @ 60psi, 10 micron post filter with regulator. The whole assembly is connected via 8AN o-ring fittings with 6AN connectors for the fuel lines.

Also reversed the speedometer wires per Chris's guidance. The car doesn't cut out, but the speedometer doesn't work either. I'll follow up with Chris to see where to go from here.

Also installed the plastic inner fender wells.

Next: fix the headers. They look nice but leak horribly! Sounds terrible when I decelerate since it pops through the exhaust. Just one more thing that I paid for that didn't work...

Tom

 

[LaserDad]

Tom, each post leaves me wanting to get started on my Laser's conversion, which will be my retirement project.

One thing that I have considered doing, and which you might be wanting to add, is to fabricate tubular lower control arms, to replace the stamped ones you now have.

There are a lot of sprint car/dirt track shops that will do it, but I just haven't investigated it yet.

Also, any plans to redo the gas tank, or will you leave it as a fuel cell?

 

[allardtom]

LaserDad,

Good questions!

I don't plan to add tubular lower control arms. I did on the first car out of necessity, but because folks can still buy the stamped and cast A arms new from sources like partsgeek.com for $80 each it would be a tough sell. Also a big part of my vision for this project was to enable people to re-use as many factory parts as possible. Lastly, these were never big money cars, so I have to be very careful to keep the cost in a range that is affordable.

For now the fuel cell works. I have other major items to refine such as: exhaust manifold vs. custom header, rebuilding rear axle, getting a good fabricator to make more cross members, and little things like plumbing the heater bypass valve, hooking up air conditioning, and finishing the center console.

Thanks for asking!
Tom

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 7 MAY 17

Well I decided to go the long tube header route. Kooks headers is about 3hrs. away from me so I brought the car there last week. It will take about 3 weeks, but my hope is it's worth it. I really wrestled with this decision since I want folks to be able to find the parts vs. having custom parts.

I think folks can use the 2015 and up Challenger / Charger manifolds and I know the 2005 - 2011 Grand Cherokee manifolds will work, but I also feel that each builder will choose one way or the other based on their own goals. I confirmed that once I have the headers made I can bring them to anyone to make a jig from so that is an option too. I built my own long tube headers for the 1999 - 2004 4.7 Grand Cherokee's and the jig cost me about $3,000, but after that anyone can now contact Bruce at Stans Headers and get their own set for $750-$850 so this is always an option down the road for these Daytona's.

What's next:
- install center console
- hook up AC
- install heater core bypass
- get speedometer to work
- redo rear axle (it was narrowed too much and I want to get rid of the wheel spacers)

The list is getting smaller and after the headers are done I can drive the car every day.

What's the long term plan:
I already spoke with Chase at East Coast Gear who lucky for me is located in Raleigh. He is buried with work at the moment, but the plan is to bring this car and a 1988 Daytona to his shop this summer to have him make a set of cross members for my 1988 and make designs / jigs for the cross members. After this we should have cross members that will bolt into these cars. Sounds simple enough, but we'll see how it goes.

Take care
Tom

 

[allardtom]

UPDATE: 18 May 2017

Picked up car from Kooks today. Very professional service and on time delivery. One of best experiences I've had with fabrication.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUPN9MZh71z/

Car runs and sounds a lot better.

Tom