Are Shelby Chargers worthless?

Buy it. Spend a few dollars on upgrades, get some real tires, don't be afraid of a rainy day at the track and have some fun.

JFX001 wrote: IIRC, the GLHS was still a Turbo I , which would've been a lot better if he had taken it a step further. Also, the GLH's /have/had an annoying "no-no more boost" function when it would delay the fun. Usually fixed with the grainger valve remedy.

The bottom end was Turbo I, the top end was Turbo II due to Chrysler's bean counters screwing Shelby at every chance to gouge him for parts, etc.

The boost limit was speed based to keep the L-body 5-speed together for the duration of the warranty (and even then it was barely able to handle the abuse)

Biggest issue with the L-bodies are: old and cracked wiring and rubber bits under the hood. This includes fuel lines and vacuum lines. Power steering hoses. Shift linkage, headgaskets and transaxles.

Replace the fuel lines, the lines run right over the power steering pump and the end of the exhaust manifold and more than one has been lost to fire because of it.

Power steering? Dropkick the "hamcan" to the curb and install the later aluminum bodied ZF pump from the yard. Grab the mounting bracket (which includes the much easier belt adjustment) and buy a new pressure line from the donor car. Install and never have another damned leak or misadjusted belt. S/C and GLH have 14:1 quick ratio racks, make sure any rebuilds are the same ratio.

Shift linkage can be upgraded to metal rod ends over the plastic bits, even if you replace the transaxle with a later 520/555. Polyurethane motor mounts help reduce the shock loads and saves the linkage and the chassis.

Headgasket? Upgrade the block to a common block with the cross-drilled head to lower the deck temp by about 75 degrees. Add a 1/4" fitting to the top of the water pump housing near the block, run a line to the driver's side of the head where the coolant core plug is on the head, install another fitting, enjoy less detonation on cylinder number 4. Use studs and a good quality gasket with proper surface prep. Radiators fill with gunk over time, factory intercooled radiators require custom cores, but are sufficient for most uses, run distilled water and the problem is lessened quite a bit.

Transaxles can be upgraded to the later version used in the larger K-based cars. Pay attention to the final drive as the SC and GLH had close ratio gears that can be replicated by combining the 520/555 or the 523/568 transaxles to get strength and close ratio gear sets. OBX limited slip for the Neon is a good solution, provided you check it over properly. later transaxles requires two 1990 Omni automatic driver's axles + K-car intermediate shaft.

Suspension is essentially MK1 Rabbit. tons of tuning info available for that style suspension. Stuff it with tire and enjoy.

Lots of info out there on T-D modifications. Most don't use graingers as the ECU is easily reprogrammed.

BTW, the national club is the SDAC they have a yearly meeting.

My buddy Johnny runs Polybushings.com and sells motor mounts and suspension bushings for the T-D's and other vehicles. Great products and he stands behind them.

And for some clarification on the differences between the Dodge Shelbys and the limited edition numbered cars, go take a look at Shelby-Dodge

It's not a commercial site, it's a historical site dedicated to the Shelby Dodges.

Thanks, Swede....it's been a while since I was interested in these.

In reply to JFX001:

Correct, the GLHS was a 174HP Intercooled Turbo I. Much of what Shelby developed for that engine went to make the Turbo II

In reply to turboswede:

I have the ZF pump and Shelby rack on my old 2.2 FSP car. I needed the ZF to clear the twin 5220 carb set up.

I was patiently waiting for some TD aficionados to come in and lay down the pimp-hand. Well done, sirs.

turboswede wrote: a lot of stuff

If I have to do all that to make the damn thing an acceptable car, I'll pass. Sounds like more of a nightmare than my previous Audis, Mazda rotaries, and Fiat combined.

SlickDizzy wrote:

turboswede wrote: a lot of stuff

If I have to do all that to make the damn thing an acceptable car, I'll pass. Sounds like more of a nightmare than my previous Audis, Mazda rotaries, and Fiat combined.

You don't have to do any such thing-those were examples of mods. If that Charger is in stock form all you'll have to do is regular service items that any 25+ year old car would require. They are fun, reliable, handle well and return great fuel mileage. Should you decide to increase power, its easily done and as others have mentioned, there are plenty of options. I've owned dozens of the things and a number of "real" Ford-based Shelbys. My current GLHS is still running the original engine and is stock except for the computer, very sticky rubber, a Momo wheel, and new springs. It's participated in a number of Team Shelby events, Mopars at the Strip, PCA auto-Xs, track days, etc. Still runs fantastic, returns 30mpg(if you stay out of the boost a bit), passes lots of cars on the track and happily shows the current crop of sport compacts(Mazdas, Minis,etc) who their Daddy is.

DrBoost wrote:

Javelin wrote: IMO, *anything* Shelby made after 1970 is worthless... Especially a FWD 80's Mopar that really has no discernible differences from the factory Turbo efforts beyond some decals and plastic.

'cept for the suspension, engine management, intercoolers, seats, ya know, stuff like that.

The GLHS was running 14's out of the box in a time where only megadollar stuff was running 14's. Insane little car for its day.

Javelin wrote: IMO, *anything* Shelby made after 1970 is worthless... Especially a FWD 80's Mopar that really has no discernible differences from the factory Turbo efforts beyond some decals and plastic.

Yeah, that is completly untrue. There are a lot of reasons to dislike them, but not because of that.
Both the 86 GLHS my dad bought new and the 85 Shelby Charger I owned for a while were very unreliable cars. The GLHS was pretty fast, but the charger was just ok.
With some parts swapping with newer cars (engine, transmission, wiring harness) I think a shelby charger could be decent, but to keep one stock there are a lot of parts that are NLA except for made in china autozone junk, and a lot of things that really didnt work very well that got changed on the later cars which make it not so good for everyday use. Being completely serious, given the choice I would way rather have a $1000 milano than a $1000 shelby charger. I owned both, and the milano was a waay better daily driver.

As far as the shelby charger colors go, if I remember right as far as relative amounts in each color it was black/silver>red/silver>blue/silver>silver/blue>solid black (GLHS)

SlickDizzy wrote:

turboswede wrote: a lot of stuff

If I have to do all that to make the damn thing an acceptable car, I'll pass. Sounds like more of a nightmare than my previous Audis, Mazda rotaries, and Fiat combined.

No, but from my experience you will want to do them at some point. Just trying to prepare you for the common pitfalls, the one in the ad looks to be well maintained, so you should be able to have a ton of fun with it before the mod bug bites.

I've had nearly one of each turbo-dodge body style (including a non-turbo Rampage) my older brother had a GLH-S and both uncles had T-D's. My first car was an 87 CSX and to this day, the L-bodies hold a special place in my heart. If someone wanted to trade my CSX for their GLH-S, I'd jump on it immediately. They are just so simple and raw. Before you decide, take it for a test-drive and make the decision based on what is in front of you. Then realize that the SRT4/PT Turbo drivetrain almost drops in.

i've never actually seen a Shelby Charger, but i did own an 86 Charger for a while in the mid 90's.. it was a good car that got decent mileage, and it was a quick and cheap fix when the timing belt on the 2.2 (or was it a 2.5?) broke.. i traded it to one of my cousins for some car i've long forgotten about, and he beat the crap out of it for about 6 months until something in the clutch linkage died and the pedal just went to the floor and did nothing.. at that point, he disabled the neutral safety switch and just started it in gear for another few months before leaving it at the front gate of a junkyard with the signed title on the dash..

I had an 85 2.2 HO (NA Shelby minus appearance package and Shelby seats/decals) it was one of the most fun cars Ive owned granted I was 16 and just having a car was awesome. With fresh SC suspension and good tires they handle great. The brakes are impressive more so if you use Caravan calipers and rotors on the front (known as SLH upgrade) put polybushings everywhere you can. A Gvalve,+20% injectors, and, a 3" exhaust should get you to about 230hp at that point you have a great sports coupe for $1500 CHANGE THE FUEL LINE!!!

www.thedodgegarage.com

Theres a Omni on Appletons CL. Its a five speed.

http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/2798053521.html

$800

I've never had a glhs or SC, but my 88 Shadow turbo was a GREAT car. I bought it with around 180,000 miles for $1,000, sold it when it had 265k for $1500. Only problems in between were timing belt and brakes, and I ABUSED that car. My 85 turbo New Yorker OTOH, was a complete piece of E36 M3. Constant electrical problems finally culminating in a ball of flames.

Where is vigo?

A motherload of GLH racing in Pontiac, MI
http://toledo.craigslist.org/cto/2793564289.html

SlickDizzy wrote: http://greenbay.craigslist.org/cto/2796243551.html A buddy and I have been kicking this link around for a few days now. It appears to be very nice, but neither of us know jack E36 M3 about turbo Dodges. Are we missing something? IIRC the 80's Charger is kind of a bastard among bastards as far as desirability, but that interior looks pretty darn clean... We have a friend in the area and could scrape up the cash to get it...

Looks like a clean car in the photos.. but watch out for rusty floorpans..

Other than that... those cars are serious good cheap fun..

They have a few quirks here and there.. but fixing them is not a problem once you understand the car.

At the house now I have a

1986 GLHS

1987 CSX

1990 Turbo 1 daytona

1989 Shelby daytona

1989 Turbo van Auto

1990 Turbo 5spd van(factory)

a Sand rail with Turbo Mopar VNT engine..

Need I go on...

That SC needs a Turbo 2 conversion (blow through vs draw through Throttle body) and a nice intercooler... (upgraded to GLHS specs)

maybe down the road the 525 trannies are 'weak' compared to the later ones.. and the 2.2 turbo 1 bottom ends have lighter rods.. But still... With an intake and logic module upgrade.. and a decent intercooler... Fun fun fun...

oh and...

You could also get a Mopar Performance RWD swap for those cars. Only fabbing was the rear suspension, and you could do that easy with a complete back-half kit from Competition Engineering.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987-Dodge-Shadow-Shelby-CSX-/250971387423?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a6f0f761f

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984-Dodge-Shelby-Charger-Non-Running-Project-/180796162678?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2a184a8276

In reply to 93gsxturbo:

Actually, I saw in an OLD, read mid 90's, Mopar rag where someone did a Charger/Turismo RWD conversion in his 2 stall garage. All he did for the rear suspension, was to weld on some brackets to an 8 3/4" from an A-body and run the stock trailing arms. IIRC, he used a panhard bar to locate it.

Wish I knew where that magazine was....'Cuz for course I bought it because it was an odd duck...

a401cj wrote: they might be worthless in the same way a '68 or '69 Charger R/T was say from 1975 - 1985. Couldn't give em away. Some sent to the crusher. All got used up (thanks too to a certain TV show). Then, when they were almost all gone, everybody started wanting one. You couldn't drive one down the street today without everybody pointing, waving, and giving a thumbs up....

I keep seeing that, about how the Dukes show crashed all of the Chargers. But the numbers don't make sense. The high estimate is that 329 of them were used, of which a couple of dozen remain. Nearly 90,000 1969 Chargers were sold. Assuming there was a 95% mortality rate between 1969 and 1979 when the show started - which is a very pessimistic estimate for a 10-year-old car, of course - we're still looking at 4500 cars remaining. The show took out 7% of that number.