About time I open a thread for my extended restoration project:
1989 Chrysler (Canadian) Daytona Shelby T-top
A bit of history first:
This is an original British Columbia car, somehow made it across the country and fell into my hands in Nova Scotia. Very little rust, only rust is around e-brake grommet. Car was repainted at some point, but is an original black/silver car.
Paid $600 for it off my best friend, he bought it to save it from some guy who was moving out west. Buddy had already torn all the interior out of the car and shipped it out west (don't make sense to me?) but gave up on getting the car out west and decided to sell it. I was looking for a TD project and my friend did not need anouther project so I bought it off him.
At some point in it's life someone blew up the original 2.2 TII and threw in a 2.5 TI, but all the TII hardware (turbo, air cleaner, intercooler, transmission, etc) was still there. Come to find out that the original motor had a Super 60 package when it was blown and the S60 computer was still in it. Runs well with 2.5 TI computer, but S60 ran like crap obviously.
Since there was no interior in the car from the start (my friend drove it home sitting on a bucket:thumb:, but since then we threw in some ES highback seats) I had to request a build sheet and figure out what the car came with.
According to build sheet I requested from Chrysler Canada:
Non - A/C car (1 of 42 Shelby's without A/C :shrug
Digital Dash
Gray Cloth Power Enthusist Seats
Infinity II stereo
Headlight module with "time delay" - uncommon as I come to find out
TII A555
Rear window wiper
Power locks, windows
Rebuild head and Performance cam (will choose when the time comes)
Poly engine mounts
Moly plate in tranny
TU Stage II clutch
Shelby Valve cover (because I love the way it looks)
Acid dip block and head, paint factory colors
New/rebuilt steering pump, alternator, water pump
Clean tranny and paint
Basically I want to show with the big boys and run alittle faster than most of them too! I want everything new on the engine and drive line, no going cheap, I want a new 1989.
Also wind of some rumored turbo dodge's layed to die in the middle of nowhere last fall. Went out on the hunt and was welcomed to an 89 Shelby T-top, 84 Turbo Z and several shelby chargers and omni's.
Parted out the two Daytona's and made some serious score, anouther set of t-top's and all the windshield trim and the ever so hard to find:
Going to use this steering wheel on the Daytona, like it alot better than the later styles.
Believe it or not that steering wheel was sitting in 10 years of open weather
Picked up an 88 Shelby Z in December to part out for $100, barn find but rusted to hell, surprised it made the 100km trip on the u-haul dolly, so rusted the k-frame seperated from the car backing into my drive way and I ripped out the seats with my bare hands, no frame rails were left either.
Was hoping to get a 2.2 TII block out of it but it was swapped out for an 85 2.5 TBI tall block. Worth it for the power enthusist seats I needed and the spare 555 tranny, TII intake and set crab rims.
Picked up a spare engine to build.. 89 2.5T, $200 on the stand.. ironically I bought this engine from a guy that use to own my car, the engine was originally destined to be built for my car but he sold the car and kept the engine in his garage. Now it's back with the car :thumb:
IDK why chrysler ever decided to stop production of that steering wheel. They put it in 5-6 other cars, and they looked really nice. Sadly only an 84 optin. Good thing I have one too!
No pics or progress, been building a cheap shelter for the car to keep the weather and earth from it.
For reference.. i've been having an unsuccessful time trying to find a t-top headliner, I picked up a mint hardtop headliner in hopes that I can cut to fit. I put it up into place last night and it looks like it shouldn't be a problem at all. Just need to carefully cut of the t-top holes and the hole for the front interior light because the headliner came out of a plain jane base model. It's odd though that the hardtop headliner has a padded section that looks like it is the exact size of the t-top holes on each side..
For the headliner, I pieced together a rotton t-top headliner and laid it on the hardtop board and traced, I have to say that the hardtop shape is much different as far as curves go, than the t-top board, however it's flexible so it will fit in place. I'll snap a pic of the trace, but I won't fabric-ing it until the car is painted.. which is going to be while.
In the mean time I did some serious work to get the 12 button navigator and Infinity II radio to work, with success.
The navigator needed buttons, re-flowed solder joints, a new beeper and bulbs.
Alittle story on that, the beeper (MuRata P# PKM25-6A0) is very unique and obselete, and has been for a very long time, after days of searching I found a supplier in California that, according to them, has the last 51 NOS in the world. I bought 7 if anybody needs one, about $5 a pop, solders in 3 pin thru-hole.
Also built a cheap / not so cheap shelter / garage for the Daytona, we have harsh winters and it has near-no rust so I plan to keep it that way. Floor is just a thick ass tarp on top of gravel with a framed in floor to drive on. The whole thing is held down by the car, works pretty friggen good, we have acouple hurricanes/tropical storms pass by and it didn't budge.
After trying out the nav and radio, took the old daytona out for a spin up and down the driveway half a million times with my daughter Salara, she loves the t-roof :thumb:
Been tearing her apart, floors look good for a canadian car eh! Next step is to get everything electrical working, more so the illuminated entry and headlights.
There has also been a change of plans in the project, she's getting a System Check and Electronic Voice Alert installed (Thanks Jim34 for helping me out when I blew up my EVA). I have it halfway installed, pics and video to follow when it's done.
She is also getting sequencial tail lights installed, whipped this up at work with what I had laying around, going to screw it somewhere in the back hatch under the panels and out of sight. Pics and video of it working when I get time to install it. Got to figure out how to make it work with the (yet to be installed) EVA tail light outage sensor though, shouldn't be too big of a deal.
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I had to patch the frame rail. It's into good metal on both ends and through the center. Cut out the rusty stuff, treated it and painted it underneath. New poly...
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