That's when fate stepped in, the day I got home from Ohio, I went on my local Craigslist page and found a 1975 Dodge Colt for sale less than 2 miles from my house. It was a hideous yellow, with hacked up front fenders, and cut up front suspension, but the chassis was solid.
My plan for the car was a little different than the Challenger Build. I was going to keep the 2.4 liter G4CS engine, turbo, intake, and Intercooler, but I wanted to go back to a manual transmission, instead of the TH350 that was in the Challenger. I was also planning to keep the 8.8 Ford rear from the Challenger, but it of course would have to be narrowed to fit the Colt. I wanted this car to be a driver, things like, heat, windsheild wipers, street tires, etc... would need to be kept functional.
Here's a few pics of the original engine and the start of the tear down process...
After the old engine was removed, and the bay cleaned and sanded down, I decided to paint the entire engine bay with GM Trunk Paint. It is similar to bed liner, or undercoat. It's a thick, textured paint that is very durable, and clean looking.
...and with the ETS 4" intercooler mocked up...
...now with the aluminum C&R Radiator...
Since I was going with a manual transmission I had to work out a Hydraulic Clutch, and pedal assembly. I decided to go with a Wilwood set up. I sandwiched a 2 mil. thick plate in between the pedal assembly, and master cylinder to strengthen the firewall.
The underbody of the Colt was in great shape, but I decided to give it a new coat of underbody spray.
Now that the engine bay was prepped, It was time to mount the heart of the Colt in there. I wanted to move the engine forward in the bay about 2 inches to clear the CAS. I didn't want to have to modify the firewall, and I wanted to be able to remove the CAS if needed. I used some 3/8" steel plate and trimmed, spaced, and welded the stock motor mount brackets 2" forward.
So, since I was going with a Manual Transmission, I needed a Bill Hincher bell housing to be able to bolt up my T5 transmission to the 4G63. I decided to use a South Bend clutch, and a T5 out of a 1994 GT with a .68 5th gear.
Now it was time to try and fit it in the engine bay. I decided to try and maneuver the engine/trans combo it into place together. It was tricky, but I was able to get enough tilt on the cherry picker to squeeze it in there. Looks right at home....
Here's the Turbo, Forced Performance 3065...
I guess Im pretty good at that whole Math thing, because the shifter ended up in the right place. I had to do quite a bit of trimming of the trans tunnel to fit the T5, but it sort of fit...
Now back to the rear end... As I mentioned, it was a bit too wide...
I had it narrowed by a nearby shop call ProFab Chassis, they did a beautiful job...
I installed my .411 gears, Eaton Diff, and custom 31 spline axles.
For the front, I decided to go with 1994 Toyota MR2 KYB Gr2 shock inserts, (they fit, weird), all new bearings, bushings etc... and poly sway bar bushings. The brakes were puny up front so Charlie for the Colt forums made me some custom caliper brackets to fit 1994 Eclipse dual piston calipers with 11.7" rotors.
Of course the factory dash, and gauges would not work with the 4G63 so I decided it would be cool if a 1975 car had a fully digital dashboard.
I went with Intelletronix guages for the main cluster, as well as an innovative LC1 wideband gauge, and a Greddy Profec Boost Controller.
Now that the car was running and driving. (sort of) it was off to the Body Shop. the front fenders were hacked beyond repair, so I had to find another pair that was unmolested. I actually found a guy in PA selling a set of Fiberglass front fenders for a 75 Colt on craigslist. Really??!! I bought them immediately.
The quarters were in much worse shape than we thought, and needed a ton of work.
After about 40 hours of sanding it was time to roll it in the paint booth...
The color is a 2015 Corvette color called "Tiger Shark Grey" it looks almost silver in the sun, and dark grey in the shade. I love it!
The wheels I decided to go with were Enkei Compe Gunmetal (coated black) in 16x7 with 0 offset in the rear, and +25 up front.
I also decided to do the Bumpers, and grille in Satin Black. here is the final product...
The car is amazing to drive, and I am still driving around at 15lbs of boost, the car is currently back at the Chassis shop getting a custom steering centerlink. (had a clearance issue), and a 4 point roll cage. As soon as it comes back, and there is no salt on the roads, I plan to really put it through its paces. Thanks for looking...
