My 1981 Dodge Challenger aka sapporo project begins

city hunter · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 1:03 am

Might as well start a new thread. Looks like I have a bit of work ahead of me.

First to begin, what the car is.

It's a 1981 Dodge challenger with some real custom paint

Has the factory turbo style wheels which I love, but will save for a box type lancer I plan on importing later this year. The car is a automatic with about 165k on the chassis. Engine might possibly have a spun bearing as the crank doesnt really turn freely. This car is also a automatic.

Since it has sat for about 10 years, the interior smells moldy and possibly mice have been in it. I will be pulling the dash out and cleaning the entire hvac system. I am going to toss the carpet as I believe a starion carpet will slide right in. I will also be tossing the seats and seeing if I can get a set of starion seats to fit. The rest of the interior I will steam clean.

The other big issue right now is it is a automatic. I just cant have that

. I have a 5 speed swap from a starion ready to go. I havent got under the car to see what I will have to deal with for driveshaft issues, but the rest of the stuff I have experienced before.

Exterior wise I intend to do. I will be painting the front grill and entire rear section of the lights and in between the lights a bumperish matte black. I will be installing 14x9 konig rewinds which I am picking up in a few days. I also plan on taking off the side window louver.

As far as the engine is concerned. I am up in debate if I really want to do a turbo swap right now. I have all teh parts, and am almost finished rebuilding a g54b turbo engine, but I just want this thing driving for now. I can get the engine out of my 84 mighty max spx truck for pretty cheap and it's still in very good condition, so I may just go that route for the time being. I have a weber with adapter that has been recently rebuilt, plus I have a pacesetter header for it. Should free up a few ponies.

Just gonna post one pic up since most everyone has seen this in the should I thread.

FireArrow · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 2:24 am

Good luck with your project. :tu:

The louvers have functionality; one can drive with all of the windows down and the wind does not "buffet" inside the passenger compartment - it comes in and goes out, silently.

If you do take them off, can I have first dibs on them? I love spares.

kuasakuda · **Joined:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:57 am **Posts:** 47

Good luck too. Now i can see more Lambda/Sapporo/Challenger bought back on the road.

Before you start the project, can you or anybody else write some stories how Dodge/Plymouth and Mitsubishi are connected via this model. I wonder why the second gen Challenger is the Japanese make?

city hunter · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 11:52 am

because chrysler had no cars asnd was in financial troubler. it was basically them splitting pu car models to sell under chrysler plymouth dodge. This car was also sold as a plymouth sapporo . or was it chrysler.. No idea why they sold it as a a challenger, but look at the next gen of challenger, were the fwd k cars basically.

Garant · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:24 pm

kuasakuda wrote:

can you or anybody else write some stories how Dodge/Plymouth and Mitsubishi are connected via this model. I wonder why the second gen Challenger is the Japanese make?

firearrow knows a lot about these
and oldcolt know a whole lot about just about everything mitsi

let's see if we can get them to talk ...

FireArrow · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:13 am

No time to do it today, but I'll try to post some info tomorrow. :wink:

ben · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:06 am

kuasakuda wrote:

Good luck too. Now i can see more Lambda/Sapporo/Challenger bought back on the road.

Before you start the project, can you or anybody else write some stories how Dodge/Plymouth and Mitsubishi are connected via this model. I wonder why the second gen Challenger is the Japanese make?

Pick up Issue 2 of JNC mag

http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/shop_ar ... ticle=0102

city hunter · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2009 7:01 pm

Well, I made some progress on the car today. I managed to pull the carpet, dash, and seats out. Gonna throw the seats and carpet away. Dash has a lot of cleanup work to do. Been spraying everything down with white vinegar and water. Gonna pull teh heater core and what not out tomorrow and clean out all the blower vents

I'm taking a break for the local car meet right now, but I will be getting the engine ready to pull tonight as well. I'll also get the transmission ready to be pulled as well.

I convinced my buddy who bought the last g54b turbo shortblock off me which he hasnt used yet to sell it back to me

I will be picking that pu in the next day or so. I still havent decided if I will turbo this or not, but we will see.

city hunter · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:22 am

some pics.

The main reason for getting rid of half the interior and pulling the dash

The carpet was soaking wet. pretty nasty

Dash out.

city hunter · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:07 am

Well, I just met a great contact in australia and will be picking up a few adm goodies for the sapporo. I'm getting these below, plus I should have a delete panel for the side louvers soon

First off is the spoiler which is off sigma gsr but works perfect on a sap.

Then a set of early tails. I will rock these until ic an find a set of the latemodel tails. These are sitll much bette rlooking tan what I have right now.

FireArrow · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:45 am

OMG

The spoiler is AWESOME.

I hate you. :mrgreen:

kuasakuda · **Joined:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:57 am **Posts:** 47

This is the facelift of the second gen challanger, isn't it? It changed from the Lambda to Sapporo. Difference can be seen on the tail light but the head lights remained as the Lambda's. The latter version should have big square light each side. Some of them came with IRS.

city hunter · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:27 pm

yeah im not sure. They seem to be a bit different in the states. Probably has something to do wth chrysler.

This also has cruise control which is made by chrysler.

city hunter · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 2:34 am

Made some good progress today. Coulda made more but the booze kicked in during the night time.

Pulled the stock engine/auto out. What a pain it was to get the exhaust bolts off, even after soaking in kroil. After that it was great.

I went and picked up a 700 mile shjortblock i had built then sold a while back. Still ij the same condition as I sold it. My friensd never used it. I'm very very happoy, this engine spec'd out very very nicely when i built it. Should be a strong engine

Drove back and put it in, cleaned the crossmember up a bit. I will clean the engine bay up and what not ebfore I drop teh ehad and transmission on. I jsut wanted to get rid of the cherry picker im borrwing so I tossed her in.

Out with the old

The car was bleeding a bit lol.

I missed you shortblock, welcome home

The mood was set at 10pm

Turbo engine complete.

Komeuppance · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:42 am

Drop those Turbo door handles on and you should be able to crank it and GO!!

LOL...

-Robert

ben · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:37 pm

You sure don't waste any time

This is gonna be awesome. keep us posted!

city hunter · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:51 pm

Didnt do any work on thec ar today. I spent the day driving up to seattle to buy wheels for it

Hell and I snagged a set of watanabe rs-8s for the lancer.

Anyhow, scored a brand new set of 14x7 -9 konig rewids and a set of brand new toyo 195 45 14 t1r's for the lambda.

city hunter · **Posted:** Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:03 am

So I paid for the late model grill for the late model composite lights spoiler and tails today. Should have the tails here in 2 weeks,. Grill n spoiler and headlights probably the end of march depending on when he gets it packed up.

I stipped more wiring and shit off the innter dash area and got an idea of what I need to do for the 5 speed conversioh. There is a damn double firewall so i cant just use a punch to knock a spot wehre I need to dirll the master hole for the pedal. I;m going to take a grinder and grin the outter stamped area way so i can get a punch in there and mark a spot, so i can drill from the inside. Picked up anothe r3.99 13piece holesaw set from harbor crap today since I lost a peice for my last set. I should be drilling out the hole forf the clutch pedal tomorrow along with fabircating the mount for the clutch pedal afte I drill some fucking gay brackets out off.

And on another cool side note. I'm picking up a metal lathe tomorrow. Should come in handy for something.

I have also decided I will side dump the exhaust because I am lazy. I will replicate this.

ben · **Posted:** Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:34 pm

Awesome idea :tu:

MonkeyMadness · **Posted:** Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:05 pm

city hunter wrote:

The car was bleeding a bit lol.

OMG NO WAY! Thats so bad A$$! you got a "Smart-Pot" crock pot too!
I use mine all the time! I even splurged and got the Martha Stewart Jail House cook book! I use my crock pot to make hootch, personaly I thought it was a better Idea then using the toilet like Martha.... :mrgreen:

My 1981 Dodge Challenger aka sapporo project begins

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