Adventures In Rad

"Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru" (matt-powershiftmedia)
11/15/2020 at 07:47 • Filed to: Dodge, Radwood, Project Car, turbo, lancer

So as y’all know, I recently got myself an old turbo Dodge in the form of an 86 Lancer ES. Yesterday the maintenance and improvements began along with some shake downs. Here’s the scoop.

The car has been running and driving good prior because Nathan and his wizardry in getting it running in the first place with a new Walbro 255 fuel pump. The previous owner had done the 782 roller rocker head conversion and a Mopar Performance ECU. So to keep with that theme, I’ll be doing more as I go. First though, I needed to make sure things were addressed and I need some advice at the end from y’all.

The car always ran cold and wouldn’t make heat so I knew a thermostat was in order. I decided to order a billet housing that eliminates the gasket in favor of a Viton O-ring and just looks prettier. Of course at this time I decided to also replace the radiator hoses because I’m OCD about replacing anything I touch when I don’t know the origin or age.

From there it was time to address the ignition as things looked old. From the factory Dodge decided to run a 4 heat range plug which is entirely too hot for a turbo vehicle in general; especially a non-intercooled one. So I threw some NGK BPR6ES (good ole DSM plugs) into it with some new NGK wires and a new cap and rotor.

I also was glad I ordered a K&N panel filter as the old paper filter was so dirty that the FBI is likely investigating it as we speak. From there I inspected everything else under the hood and I’m still shocked how clean things are under here. It’s really kind of crazy.

The brakes were always terrible and we quickly found out why. The driver side had a pad frozen up and things were extremely old. Some TLC in removing corrosion and re-lubricating components was clutch here. The car stops impressively now and that’s a welcomed change. Speaking of clutch; him and I both believe it’s got a performance clutch and flywheel of some sort. The clutch has a solid amount of chatter and the car revs extremely fast which makes me thing it has a lightweight flywheel. Time will tell I suppose, but it’s holding great.

The old crab wheels had some tires likely from the age of the Bush administration so we threw on some SRT4 wheels we had with some really good condition snow tires. The car drives so much better for it!

Here’s the problem (before we get to the good stuff) I’m having. The wipers aren’t kicking on at all. The stalk will engage the washer pump but not the wipers. This was a slight issue last night. Any advice on this is greatly appreciated.

You read that right; last night. Once the work was completed I had promised my daughter I’d take her to dinner in it. So began the shake down and my slight nervousness. I first drove 12 miles each way down the road to keep an eye on the gauges and the car started earning my trust. From there the drive a few towns over began.

The Lancer definitely needs new shocks and struts as she’s a bouncy girl, but I couldn’t believe how responsive the steering is. It turns in surprisingly fast! The manual transmission is a masterpiece in smooth and precise shifting and the clutch, while heavy, is a joy to use.

Then there is the torque- so much of it. It’s so refreshing after driving the Mirage which has none. It pulls hills with zero effort and will gain speed quite quickly. The sound of the turbo spooling is just lovely.

The car made it to our dinner with zero issue and us putting 10 gallons of fresh V-Power gas in it. The drive home was cumbersome as the rain came, but it did so with no issues at all. Torque steer in the rain was hilarious and honestly exciting, I couldn’t stop smiling.

All in all I love this thing to pieces. I’m debating taking it home on the 120 mile journey and getting my testicular fortitude in order to do it. Should I?

DISCUSSION (4)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru
11/15/2020 at 08:42

I love that you are saving that old Lancer....there are NO Chrysler cars of that vintage around here on the roads anymore, and I remember them well from when I was younger, so it’s awesome seeing you bring this one back!

Also, you don’t post AS often...I am sure you heard the unfortunate-but-true news that G/O is killing off Oppo and all the user blogs/community sites? :(

If you hadn’t, it’s sad but true....everything gets locked tomorrow, hence the storm of ‘shitposts’ here today in protest.

PLEASE come join us on one of the various ‘life rafts’:

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-current-various-life-rafts-post-1845599665

The Discord is very active for everyday chatting, but both the Oppo DriveTribe and Oppo’s new home at ‘The Hyphen’ are doing well! Most people are over at ‘The Hyphen’ and posting their more professional/long-form content (like this post of yours!) both there and also on DriveTribe to get more views. :)

Hope to see you there!

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/15/2020 at 08:49

Thank you :) I love this car to pieces. It’s so enjoyable to burn up miles in.

Yeah I’m over on DT and a few others. It’s so sad we’re losing this platform :(

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru
11/15/2020 at 09:21

Yeah....still think they are shooting themselves in the foot by doing it, but who knows...

Those SRT-4 rims look grea t btw!

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/15/2020 at 09:32

I think they are too, this community is a big part of the whole picture in my opinion.

Thanks, I had them laying around with good tires and figured why not haha. Ended up loving the look on it and it has improved the handling greatly