It's a 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T. 2.2L, DOHC, turbochagerd... all that good stuff. Its build date is 11/21/1990, so it turns 20 years old this year!
Part I of this project consisted of removing the engine and doing a nice rebuild on it. It had a coolant leak from the head gasket and only needed a new head gasket, but it got a full engine rebuild. New Clevite bearings all around. New ARP rod/main/head fasteners. New Mopar and Felpro gaskets. Lots of stuff! It even got its balance shafts removed and intake manifold, cylinder head and exhaust manifold ported. It’s ready to take beating. The car is currently sitting in ”winter storage”, under a car cover under a bunch of snow.
\/ The Spirit the day before going into "storage".
\/ Rebuilding the engine (Spring/Summer 2009)
I’m not sure what “Part II” will consist of. I’d like to make it look a little better and perform a little better. There are two things that need to be taken care of for sure.
1) On the way driving it to storage the radiator fan stopped working. I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. I’d like to repair it so it’s at least drivable. After that I’d like to look into replacing the radiator with a new full aluminum one as well as a new fan and independent fan controller (so the cars ECU no longer controls the fan). The new radiator will also allow plenty of room for a new, much better than stock intercooler.
2) The lash adjusters have started making a little noise. Sounds just like a Neon (which is never a good thing!
). I’ll pull the lash adjusters and see if I can clean/rebuild them. Or I’ll get a new set.Once these two problems are resolved (with emphasis on the fan/cooling problem) I can move on to the other things.
Exterior:
The paint is starting to lift/separate from the primer/metal. I don’t want the paint/body to get in any worse condition than it is. Here are the options I’ve thought of…
1) Touch up a few spots where the paint is peeling, leaving the exterior mostly as is and inevitably encounter more peeling/lifting.
2) Professional paint job. Lots of money.
3) DIY paint job. Likely over-the-counter spray paint. I think I can produce a pretty nice finish this way. (This is the option I’m leaning towards.)
*** I'd like to maybe do a few exterior modificatins to make it look a little more "cleaner".
Performance:
I’d like to make the car even more fun to drive… by giving it more power!
Options I’ve thought of…1) Keep as is. Around 200whp, very low 14 second quarter mile.
2) Computer, injectors, intercooler, exhaust, ect... 200-300whp, 13 second quarter mile.
3) Larger turbo and supporting upgrades. >400whp, 11 second quarter mile.
4) Even larger turbo and better supporting upgrades. >500whp, <10.99 second quarter mile.
(From what I’ve seen, 450whp typically runs mid 11 second quarter mile in these cars.)
Next weekend it's suppose to get above freezing, so I'd like to free it from it's cover, diagnose/fix the fan problem and take it for a bit of a drive if the roads are clean enough.
