Project - Boosted Minivan

**Jeff** · 05-18-2007, 12:42 PM

Well the minivan is getting ready to get deeper into projectdum so I suppose it now deserves its own thread. After playing phone tag with my Daytona's transmission man for three weeks now I am starting to wonder if I will ever be able to get the tranny back together...and so...it starts

5 -speed swap - A520 from an 88 Daytona ES. I ordered all the stuff to do the swap from a guy in Indiana and I got a bum shifter cable out of the deal. So I went to Hill Side salvage in Broadway and ended up with the wrong cables. Apparently an in 87 they changed the design on the shifters...Minivans always had the "later" style even in 85. So all the sports cars got the "HD" parts from the minivan in the late 80's early 90s. So...bottom line...any early car are not going to have what I need.

[Image: 5s1.jpg]

So now I am in talks to get the cables and a new shift knob from another guy...

Original kit -$120
Junkyard - $25
other cables -$50
Total so far - $195!!! Damn I wish that cable would have been ok.

Also, I've got a new turbo for it! A Chrysler turbo II with a 60trim coldside on it! BOOOOOOOSSSSSTTTT!!! I need at least 175 whp...thats the goal.

Anyway I will update with pictures and info as I get them and as all these little micro projects progress.

Dave · 05-18-2007, 02:20 PM

seriously. Daytona first. One project at a time. Just throw those parts in a cardboard box and put them in a corner at the dealership until the Daytona is done.

CaptainHenreh · 05-18-2007, 02:21 PM

Dave Wrote:seriously. Daytona first. One project at a time. Just throw those parts in a cardboard box and put them in a corner at the dealership until the Daytona is done.

He can't, because the autotragic in the van is about to blow up again.

Jewels · 05-18-2007, 02:23 PM

CaptainHenreh Wrote:
Dave Wrote:seriously. Daytona first. One project at a time. Just throw those parts in a cardboard box and put them in a corner at the dealership until the Daytona is done.

He can't, because the autotragic in the van is about to blow up again.

That is because he drives it like a retarded soccer mom on crack.

**Mike** · 05-18-2007, 02:43 PM

hakes head: :droops head: :walks away:

**Jeff** · 05-18-2007, 05:32 PM

Mike Wrote:hakes head: :droops head: :walks away:

That is not the first time you have said that...

It will be fine. It will all get done.

**Goodspeed** · 05-18-2007, 08:38 PM

TurboOmni08 Wrote:It will be fine. It will all get done.

They're all cool, but your Challenger>>>>>>>>>>>Daytona>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>x-elventybillionMinivan :wink:

[Image: phr13800x600cv5.jpg]

**Mike** · 05-18-2007, 08:46 PM

TurboOmni08 Wrote:
Mike Wrote:hakes head: :droops head: :walks away:

That is not the first time you have said that...

It will be fine. It will all get done.

when? 2050? nothing has gotten done...

**Jeff** · 05-19-2007, 09:46 AM

Goodspeed Wrote:
TurboOmni08 Wrote:It will be fine. It will all get done.

They're all cool, but your Challenger>>>>>>>>>>>Daytona>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>x-elventybillionMinivan :wink:

I totally should have done it in purple.... Looks SOOOO hot. Ours is Yellow, with a black hood. So I guess its not so bad. Gotta get that black interior for it though.

@Mike
I will get the Daytona done this Summer...I WILL...I have a few months, and I'm making the $$$$ I need to do what I want to do. Hell I might just buy a new transmission and say fuck worryin about his old one. I missed a call from my transmission guy on friday...so at least I know he is still alive.

**Jeff** · 05-22-2007, 07:31 AM

Well, the guy that sold me all the stuff for the conversion says he is going to send me $30 back though paypal to help cover the cost of another shift cable. He was very nice about it. I just asked him if he could tell me what type of cable I should get and he said he felt so bad he had to give me some money back. He seems to think I can still get them from the dealer...I suppose I could find that out right quick :wink:

Maengelito · 05-22-2007, 10:01 AM

TurboOmni08 Wrote:@Mike
I will get the Daytona done this Summer...I WILL...I have a few months, and I'm making the $$$$ I need to do what I want to do. Hell I might just buy a new transmission and say fuck worryin about his old one. I missed a call from my transmission guy on friday...so at least I know he is still alive.

qouted for posterity. last day of summer is ~sept 22, right?

**Jeff** · 05-22-2007, 10:25 PM

So yeah...I can still get the cables new from Mopar. But get this... I can see the original price that they were 20 years ago. $25 each. But then you supersede the number to the new price/availability. You can still get them....$105 each. So I guess I get to keep looking for used ones! YAY!

**Jeff** · 06-10-2007, 10:42 AM

Got a shifter cable for an 89 Daytona from AUTOZONE! It was there all along and I didn't know it.

So the swap is done...
It took Nick and I working over three days to do, some of that time was spent going to junkyards looking for random parts.

[Image: DSC00799.jpg]

Transmission is an A520 manual from an 88 Daytona. These were the light duty transmission for that year, coming in turbo I cars. The weaknesses that make it "lesser" then the 555 going in the Daytona are the shift forks and the diff. This diff WILL NOT stand up to pirate burnouts very long, so I will be avoiding them.

[Image: DSC00798.jpg]

Biggest pain in the ass was mounting the clutch cable and running it out to the transmission. We had to pull the strut to bolt the cable mount to the strut tower. It also required the removal of most of the dash and the steering column.

[Image: DSC00793.jpg]

Getting the old tranny out was a cinch....45 minutes.

[Image: DSC00800.jpg]

Had to weld the shifter plate to the floor. There was room for error here as the shifter plate was so bent up we could not see the contour it was supposed to follow on the floor. Ultimately we mounted it about 3in too far forward...which works out great because I am short and sit pretty close to the wheel. The way the OEM had it would almost put the shifter behind the prime location.

[Image: DSC00794.jpg]

It turned out pretty well. On the first test drive I toasted my clutch a bit because the linkage was not adjusted properly....I kept taking off in third gear. We couldn't figure out why first was SOOO high. But it felt like it was shifting 1-2-3-4-5. It was actually going 3-4-3-4-5 I couldn't figure out why it took off so high and then it felt like a downshift to 4th...needless to say I felt like a dumbass when I realized that if I lifted the lift ring for reverse but only went over a bit I could take off just fine. So I suppose my clutch is well broken in... Won't make that error again.

I'll post finished pictures today once I get the dash bottom back on.

ScottyB · 06-10-2007, 03:33 PM

yay! sorry you had to take the dash apart so much, i hate doing that stuff. i end up putting back half as many fasteners as i took off :lol:

Maengelito · 06-10-2007, 04:03 PM

TurboOmni08 Wrote:

i know the tranny is not there, but it looks like you're workin on the car with the engine holding at 1.5k rpms

CaptainHenreh · 06-10-2007, 09:33 PM

Fucking awesome!

**Jeff** · 06-11-2007, 10:47 PM

So...Hurst T-handle FTW? Its setting out there, I'm just debating putting it on (making the custom thread lug) or taking it back...

[Image: shm_transmission_1534900.jpg]

I think its pretty classic...American...and PERFECT for the minivan.

Maengelito · 06-11-2007, 11:31 PM

do eeet! i was thinking of using a hurst shifter as a tap for my kegorator.

**Goodspeed** · 06-12-2007, 07:29 AM

No way...with the fuzzy dice, you totally have to get a chrome skull shift knob with the red eyes that light up, that would be pimp. How much power do you think you'll pick up by ditching the slushbox?

[Image: chrome-skull-shift-knob.gif]

**Jeff** · 06-12-2007, 09:29 PM

Goodspeed Wrote:How much power do you think you'll pick up by ditching the slushbox?

I don't know...I guess we'll see at Dryft next car show!!!

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