Category Archives: 1978 Plymouth Arrow

All the updates

Here’s some updates;

One day, on my way to pick up the turbine wheels you’ll see below, the Eclipse started to overheat. I was running ~70mph for an hour, messing with fuel trims, seeing how lean it would run cruising. It didn’t have a problem until about 15:1, just surging a little, so I dialed it to about 14.5. When I got to the dudes place, it was burping a lot. Temperature looked fine though, so I headed home. About 45 minutes into it, temperature started jumping up, so I pulled off. A dude in a lancer stopped and asked if I needed any help, it looked like I was low on coolant. He gave me some coolant he had. I got back on the road. About 5 minutes in, it started overheating again. I pulled into a Gas Station, bought a couple jugs of coolant, let it cool off and had some lunch, then headed home. On my way home it ran cool, until I got close to home and decided to see what happens under boost. Whala.. Increase in temperature with boost. No good. I got home, check some stuff, seemed like a bad radiator cap, but I knew what it really was, just didn’t want to admit it. Headgasket, right? Yep. Next week, did a full boost run, 21psi, blew the lower radiator hose off, overheated bad, smelled like burnt oil, nasty. Real nasty. Trailered it home, with the help of my girlfriend Jamie. Compression wound up being 0-40-80-20, something like that. No good. Bad news. So I put it on the trailer, and parked it in the back yard. I’ll get back to it later.

These are the turbine wheels I picked up.

15×10 and 15×7. 5×4.75 Bolt pattern Mag lugs. These are for the colt. Which, are 4×100, sooo…. It needs some stuff changed. Like the rear-end and front spindles.

In the meantime, I started checking out the trucks hard starting issues. Looks like there’s a short directly to ground off both batteries.

I just put a piece of hose around it and taped it up, now it starts pretty easy.

The colt is getting the 4G61T that I was planning to put in the Arrow. The Arrow is getting the g52b that was in the colt last season. This simplifies the Arrow a little bit. It should make for a fun daily driver again.

It does however, make the Colt more complex. But, for a race car, that’s ok I think. It only races once a month or so. We’ll see anyways.

I found the transmission leak.

So now the Colt will be:

4G61T, itbs, 5 speed, Chevy 10 Bolt 3.73 w/lsd, 15×10 rear 15×7 front, conquest spindles, s10 front rotors, 2g twin piston calipers. At least that’s the plan at the moment.

The new power plant

The Arrows crank got beat out of round, so instead on having the machine work done to get the stock motor back in it, I decided on a motor swap. The plan was to go 4G63T 2.0L DOHC Turbo engine. But, as they say, you can make plans, but not plan the outcome. So I traded Dibari a stroked 4g63 for a stocker, or so I thought. After I got it all unloaded and thrown on the stand, it looked, off. After some inspection, come to find out, it’s a 4G61T. The DOHC Turbo 1.6L from the mirage/colt. How fitting for an Arrow.

So, now having this basically stock 1.6L bottom end, it’s time to check it out.

New bearings ✔

all new gaskets ✔

hks 272 cams ✔

Evo 8 intake manifold ✔

Evo 3 big 16g ✔

2g head and head studs ✔

So far everything is coming together smoothly. From the specs of this combination, it should be ~250HP. Which is right where I want to be.

One difference is the deck height of the block is shorter, so I had to clearance the timing belt tensioner bracket, and slot the top hole for it. Also, the water pump is different than a 4g63. It’s shorter as well.

Everything is lined up, the cams are degreed, they were about 4 degrees off. I got the crank trigger mounted, I just welded a bar on and drilled and tapped some holes in it. I welded a couple beads on to keep it centered.

The crz got some love this weekend too. I took the roof rack off the Montero and cut it down to 42″ then took the mostly destroyed plastic off and used gaffing tape as a traction material/color.

Then added the basket.

I also did some kayaking with my girlfriend Jamie last weekend after wandering around the shore of Lake Michigan.

Fare thee well

The time has come to say goodbye to the 1987 Chrysler Conquest. It had some good runs, but I have too many cars, and it’s just a heap. So it went to the scrapyard.

Now that the conquest is out of the garage, the Arrow can get some love. Time to pull the motor, and get those bearings replaced.

But wait, why don’t I throw the Comanche axles under the Comanche and get it off Jack stands. Great idea! So I did that.

I like how it sits. But it has the og rear axle, 2.something gears, Spring over swapped and the 2wd front axle under it. The only 4wd axle I have is 3.73 gears, so I didn’t want to put that under it. I also threw the 4inch front lift on it.

But wait, there’s more…

The maroon 85.5 conquest is giving up its motor. I pulled that tonight. I forgot how easy this pulling Motors and swapping axle stuff really is.

Whew. That was easy. Now it’s time to focus on what’s important. Dinner!

Shrimps and grits. Delicious.

Let there be light!

So the arrow still had “test lights” in. That is, 35w low on the driver side, and high on the passenger side, a 100w high on the driver side and a 55w low on the passenger side as if that’s not confusing enough. So now it’s running 55w low hids, and 100w Hella bulbs on highs. I had already installed high amp relays in anticipation of going hid.

It’s really hard to capture the cutoff on a fence on uneven ground.

More Arrow dash

The built gauge not matching was driving me nuts, and the wood grain just didn’t look right. So I got all matching gauges, and coated the dash with bed liner. I think it came out nice.

The gauges are; exhaust gas temperature, boost/vacuum, rpm, volts, and air fuel ratio. Some day I’ll address the actual dash pad.

Dashing

The arrows dash was in need of some help. The digital gauges were to bright, the boost gauge read -14 no matter what.

I pulled it out and ordered some different gauges.

Now there is room for five gauges. The fifth hole is there, I just need to cut out the wood grain peel and stick cabinet lament.

I also replaced the radiator with an oem style copper/brass one.

What you’ve been missing

Not much. Actually, not much, so the Comanche is drivetrain less, and the purple jeep is about to be, and the broke jeep is just, broke. In order to get the arrow out of the garage, something has to move. So the arrow snuck out carefully with the aid of a jack.

I’m running eight pounds of boost, on the stock 2L block, crank and rods, with new pistons, a non jet valve head, conquest cam, and Megasquirt throttle body injection. It runs well. The new radiator is on the way. Along with new gauges because the bright blue digital ones overtake the road at night.

http://ilostmymind.com/wordp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/video0023.3gp

The above was filmed with a potato for informational purposes.

So the 5.9L is coming together, and I’ve got the mounts ready to be installed in the mj chassis. I need to get rid of its old drivetrain so it’s out of my way.

But the engine is assembled, I need to change the transmission filter, but otherwise it’s ready to line up in the mj chassis.

Spring is in the air

With 50s and sunny, February is starting to feel like spring! But since this is Michigan, it could be winter tomorrow, so seize the day!

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Got the arrow all aired out, so I could rearrange the garage so I have room to walk and tear open the 5.9L for the jeep.

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That went pretty smooth. Until an intake manifold bolt broke off in the head. But whatever, I’ve got the technology to get that out.

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Looks like the crank has been turned before. I didn’t get to checking the bore yet.