Turbo K-Car
Well I may not be the first to build a turbo k car but I thought it would be a fun project. I located a clean 43k mile 88 Plymouth Reliant from my parents neighbor. It was a clean, garage kept specimen though it had some dents here and there from the little old lady that drove it to church and bingo. After obtaining it for 525$ (a steal for a car so clean) I drove it for a few weeks and then tore the motor out for my beater and got to work building the 2.5L commonblock and assembling the parts that I had been gathering for a few years. Here is the rundown of the parts involved.
Brakes first… I didnt want to die!
The K car sports the SLH-2 brake package which consists of 1990 Dodge Caravan 60mm piston K-H Single pin calipers and Caravan rotors up front, 1989 Chrysler Lebaron GTC solid discs in the rear, Dodge D150 28mm master cylinder and custom brake distribution lines to use a single Wilwood Rear Brake Proportioning Valve. Basically I tied both outputs of the master cylinder together and split off the rear lines after the Wilwood valve. I did this so I wouldnt have to use two valves for the rear with the stock diagonal braking system. I meticulously maintain my braking system and replaced all the lines so I dont fear brake failure. This mod isn’t for everyone.
The Suspension
The suspension consists of Eibach springs and Koni adjustable struts and shocks. I had a 89 Lebaron GTC dual pivot k frame, fast ratio steering rack, and the big 1 1/8″ swaybar that I swapped in and upgraded the control arm bushings to the poly units from www.polybushings.com A big thanks to Johnny Spiva for making these units for the 89-90 stamped steel arms.
The Engine
- 1992 Dodge Shadow TBI block and crank.
- FWD Performance stock replacement T2 rods with ARP rod bolts reworked and rebushed by RV Engines of Alexander NY
- JE forged pistons
- Mitsubishi Fuso Intercooler with modified endtanks for 2.25″ inlet and outlet.
- Garrett T3 turbocharger (50 trim compressor, .63ar exhaust housing)
- Turbo’s Unleashed 3″ Swingvalve Housing
- 1st Gen Talon BOV
- FWD Performance 3″ Exhaust with Dynomax Ultraflow Welded muffler
- Custom 3-bar ECU done by myself utilizing code from www.moparchem.com
- Accufab AFPR
- 52lb/hr injectors
- 2.25″ mandrel bent intercooler piping from JCWhitney
- 2.25″ Silicone hose and T-Bar clamps from McMaster Carr
- TSC Lawn Tractor battery
- The shortblock was machined and assembled by RV engines of Alexander NY. 585-344-0784 ask for Rick. Tell him the guy with the K car with the turbo sent you. He is excellent.
- Homemade alcohol injection
Instrumentation
- Stock 88 K-car gauge cluster
- Autometer 2 1/16″ 30psi Boost/Vac gauge
- Autometer 2 1/16″ Oil Pressure Gauge
- Westach 2 1/16″ EGT Gauge
- Summit Racing 2 1/16″ Narrowband A/F Gauge
- Tech Edge WBO2 2A0 DIY Kit with Palm OS PDA Display
- OTC 4000E Scanner and laptop
The Drivetrain
- 1991 A523 Transmission with Alabama Man Differential Pin and T-Trac LSD.
- TU (www.turbosunleashed.com) 6-puck clutch with Blue pressure plate.
- Solid motor mounts and bobble strut
The car ran a best ET of 13.1 @ 103.7mph on slicks and a fastest time of 13.7 @ 103mph on street tires.
More to come for this project in the future….
