The Restoraton Begins!!!

Go here for Suggestions and Comments regarding the Website and Forum. For car discussion, use topics below.

Moderators: 89ARIES, Webmaster

The Restoraton Begins!!!

Postby capev86 » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:45 am

I got a preliminary estimate from the resto shop of about 8 to 9 thousand dollars for paint and bodywork. mind you, this is not a body shop that pulls dents, but an actual restoration shop. current projects are a 55 t-bird that just got a beautiful black paint job and a 59 chrysler wagon that had swiss cheese for floor and rear quarters. i need to find a donor car because my 86 k wagon needs new rockers (rotted all the way through) and some floorboard patches. figure i'll chop up a nice clean 4 door since the floor pan is identical. nobody makes good repair panels for these cars anymore. he's even going to use 2 part poly bed liner to coat the floors inside and out like he does on most jobs and will coat the insides of the other panels too to cut down on road noise. paint will be factory light cream like it came with from the factory, but sans sun fade!

today i put a request in for a personal loan from my c/u that will cover most of the body work and i'll cover the rest of the associated costs directly over the next few months. i am planning to run a 2.5 T1 w/ full factory T2 induction, 3" exhaust, TU 3" swing valve (+5hp/30tq over 1989+ 2.5" mopar unit), built auto w/ 2.60 FD (for better highway), custom lockup converter, and LSD. chassis will be the works: 91 k member w/ dual pivot arms, 89 shelby daytona big sway bar and rear axle, poly bushings, braided brake hoses, spirit r/t 11" vented 4 wheel disc, 16" 5 spokes with 205/50 rubber, cs racing adjustable track bar, strut brace, etc. resto-mod is the theme. car will look pretty stock going down the road but i'm hoping for sub 6 second 0-60 times. with the engine setup mods i have planned and an aftermarket cal, power should be around 250hp/300tq at the crank....not bad for an old 8 valve. it would be a better street racer if i could find the correct bucket seats and 87-89 5spd (shorty) console in almond (tan/beige). most bucket seat cars came with gray, blue or red interior. the 5spd console is much more attractive than that boxy piece of junk they used in floor auto cars but it is very rare and i have NEVER seen one in almond.

yes i will have to get some pics up before the reconstructive surgery begins (hopefully in the next couple weeks).
capev86
Car Fan
 
Posts: 104
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:45 pm
Location: Eliot, Maine
Car Information: 1986 Dodge Aries Wagon LE 2.5

Re: The Restoraton Begins!!!

Postby Butch » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:56 am

The factory intercooler is a cork, to achive 250 HP you'll need a better cooler. Talk to Chris ( TU ) about cam and Turbo selections if you want to achive your desired HP.
Mopar or No car. Tires and Tits, Rock on.
Butch
Car Fan
 
Posts: 647
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:59 am
Car Information: 86 Chrysler Laser BUILT 89 T2 2.5

Re: The Restoraton Begins!!!

Postby capev86 » Sun Oct 16, 2011 12:43 am

yeah, 200hp/250tq is more likely what I'll have, provided i can get an automatic cal that will allow max boost at low rpm. i will need the "high torque" tuning if i'm going to have a 2.60 FD that will hurt off the line acceleration a bit. i want low rpm for long distance cruising. a 3.02FD isn't bad with a lockup converter but not as nice as cars with an overdrive trans. if you figure the weight and tire size, 2.60 on a k car would be like an old mopar muscle car with a 2.78 swap. other than a bigger, better flowing exhaust, some internal improvements, tweaks, etc, i want it to be somewhat close to what chrysler would have done so i'll take whatever power numbers i can get. i have the full T2 plumbing and the 87-89 daytona rad/ic combo i have will bolt right in along with the multi blade fan. i'm going to keep an eye out for an aux trans cooler because synthetic atf won't help much if you can't keep it cool. i want a slim unit that will stretch across the bottom of the rad support under a/c condensor (yes, keeping a/c as well as this will be a daily driver).

first priority is the body of course. i need to get that out of the way before i go spending too much on hi-po parts (really just need the exhaust stuff and rebuild the 91 tbi trans i have with turbo parts, built lockup converter w/ torrington bearing, peloquin lsd, etc. trans work/parts will probably cost $2k. think i will go order a TU 3" swing valve now before they are all gone (last batch is already on the market).
capev86
Car Fan
 
Posts: 104
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:45 pm
Location: Eliot, Maine
Car Information: 1986 Dodge Aries Wagon LE 2.5

Re: The Restoraton Begins!!!

Postby capev86 » Tue Jan 03, 2012 3:20 am

decided to forgo a built up automatic in favor of the ultimate 5spd so i can have the best of economy and performance. trans will be a 91+ large spline 568 like you find in a daytona iroc and spirit r/t. 92 gear set with deeper first gear like and the trans will actually be a hybrid utilizing the 3.50FD out of a 523 (3.85 in the bad boy trans) which require running a quaife LSD for a neon t350 5spd instead of the unit for a 555/568. gonna talk to Cliff Ramsdell down in CT as he is a retired master mopar mechanic, is a transmission guru and built a 400hp 2.5 stroker out of an Spirit R/T 16valve 2.2 and put it in a k wagon a few years ago....he knows his stuff!

the floors, rear tub, rockers, lower rear quarters, etc are all suffering from years of new england salt spray followed by a decade sitting outside (!@$#% septic field). well, i got me the perfect parts car. 88 Aries from NC. it may be a 2dr, but 90% of the sheet metal i need is the same and this thing is clean enough underneath to eat off of! the rest of the body is beat up and missing a lot of parts so i don't feel bad sacrificing it to save a life (there were more 88 2drs than 86 wagons built anyway). the icing on the cake is this is an original 5spd car so it has the shorty console only found on 87-89 Aries and Reliant with stick shift as well as other parts i need such as the mounting base for the shifter and console (will be swapped with the floor pan), clutch/brake pedal combo, bobble strut and bracket, clutch cable bracket for the strut tower, and the little plastic thingy that reads "front wheel drive" that will replace the auto shift indicator above the steering column. on top of all that, this car has a turbo-intercooled 2.2 setup that i plan to trade or sell and included a brand new power steering pump and rack (not installed) so that will be going in my k wagon. i have a for sale thread posted so anyone interested in parts off this car is welcome to check it out and inquire.

Image
Image
Image
Image
capev86
Car Fan
 
Posts: 104
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:45 pm
Location: Eliot, Maine
Car Information: 1986 Dodge Aries Wagon LE 2.5


Return to Suggestions and Comments

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests

cron