Thread: Cars Cars Cars

This thread has been a little slow lately, So I thought I would post some 80's Mopar performance pocket rockets.,
Feel free to add some of your pictures of what ever cars made some what of a performance in the 1980's.

The Dodge Omni GLH, Dodge Omni GLHS, and Dodge Charger GLH-S

"While originally intended to be a late 1985 model released that summer, production delays kept the Omni GLHS from dealer's lots until the spring of 1986. The performance world was set on its ear by early reviews, including an April '96 Hot Rod Magazine cover with the announcement "GLHS WHIPS GT-350!" and a comparison article declaring the little Omni 2-seconds faster over a side by side lap at Willow Springs and 1-second faster in the quarter-mile than a 1966 Shelby Mustang. The official GLHS numbers went like this: quarter-mile in 14.7 seconds, 0-60 in 6.5 sec, and .88g on the skidpad. Bite was improved tremendously over the GLH, but at a cost - a slightly harsher ride, and care had to be taken when pushing the car quickly over surfaces that were less than ideal, as the little Omni could lose grip going over bumps."

OK, I competed an '87 Merkur XR4ti in the SCCA National Road rally series, finishing 5th in 1988 and 2nd in 1989.

This was an Americanized version of the European Ford Sierra and was sold at Lincoln/Mercury dealers. The european model had a 2.8 litre V6, but the Merkur was fitted with a turbocharged version of the veritable 2.3 litre 4 cyl. The car kept its independent rear suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes, making it a good choice for autocross and road events.



The car was far better than its reputation. It was nimble and responsive for something from the '80s. I was once clocked at 142 MPH on a closed course in stock configuration. The car was wonderful on the dirt roads we often saw. The RWD allowed for powered oversteer, which could be induced with a flick of the parking brake as well. A set of urethane bushings firmed up the front considerably and got rid of an understeer tendancy. This car simply went where I steered it, even on snow and ice. The car was very responsive, especially at sea level. In Colorado, it tended to be a bit peaky, with the turbo not really kicking in until 3000 RPM.

The problem was that it was serviced at Lincoln/Mercury dealers, and they didn't understand the car. This led me to Rapido and doing all my own work for most of its 170k mile life. In addition, some of the conversion to US specs was poorly engineered. For example, the battery was positioned directly above the turbocharger, which had the effect of giving me a new battery every 18 months under warranty. The heat simply cooked them. The 5 speed transmission was also under-speced. I never had any problems, but a lot of folks did. One thing I absolutely hated was that you needed to pull the engine to change the clutch because the idiots threaded the tranny and placed the bolts through holes in the bellhousing instead of the other way around. PITA.

I finally sold it a year after I bought a new '95 GTI-VR6. I kind of regret it, as the GTI was problems from the start.

Crash test.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CU-k0XmLUk]YouTube - 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air Vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu IIHS Offset[/ame]

I want to know why the Bel Air driver would have died.

If it had something to do with seat belts or the lack thereof, it makes a huge difference.

If the driver would have been impaled on the steering wheel or column it makes a big difference.

If they're trying to convince us that all of the advancements are important, they need to show us how they were important.

For those who still change your own oil, what brand of filter do you use? for me Motorcraft for my '08 Ford with 5-20wt Mobil synthetic, on my old GMC I am switching to Wix as I ran out of the "good" AC Delco filters, been running Castrol GTX 10-30 but thinking of going synthetic also...

Motorcraft for everything with four or more wheels.

Fram for me.

Do a google search on fram. You won't like what you find. I use either castrol or mobil synthetic oils with either a mobil filter or royal purple.

For Oil I've used AMSOIL . I have used it for years. I would use Mobile 1 if I couldn't find AMSOIL.. I also use the AMSOIL filters. I keep my vehicles for 15 years and then buy again. And I've never had engine problems.