This very cheap 1992 Dodge Daytona IROC R/T was spotted by Barn Finds reader Brian A., and the ad sounds like a potential good time if you’re local to the Tampa Bay area. The seller says to come on by his “car guy garage sale” and check out this Daytona, along with several other interesting Mopar project – including a genuine Shelby Charger for $175! Find the listing here on craigslist where the IROC is listed for $1,700.
The seller says there’s other items for sale that would likely appeal to any gearhead, including a large selection of tools and “many” old cars. The IROC was a running/driving example when parked in the pole barn, but obviously will need some work to fire up again. Fortunately, the interior looks quite sound and entirely stock, a good sign for a tackling a long dormant project.
The seller does not include any whole pictures of the $175 Shelby Charger, but that’s peanuts for a car with its drivetrain still attached. He does say it’s quite rusty, but the turbocharged four-cylinder would make for a compelling engine swap into one of the other cars on the property, pictured below. Oh, and there’s also a genuine Omni GLH Turbo available, described as “rough.”
This 1984 Omni 2.2L is just your basic econobox driver, but this is the engine swap I was talking about: why not grab all of the bits – wheels, suspension, motor, etc. – from the rusty Shelby and drop it into this car? Regardless of your plans, this seems like a garage sale worth checking out, and at least making a run at the Daytona IROC. Which Mopar project would you bring home?
I have a problem using the name Mopar for these cars.
It just doesn’t sound right.
Oh its a mopar and you cant hide it !
More like Mitsubupar! dododoododododododoododo! I think i’m Tunring Japanesea!!!
Those late 80s turbo Mopars were awesome cars. Quite fast for the day, even for today, really. Put many a 1960s super car to shame, many did on a regular basis. They have nothing to be ashamed of at all. I see these, esp the Shelbys of the era becoming sought after and collectible soon. Grab them now and smile all the way to the bank in the near future, or better yet, grab them now and drive them for the rest of your life with a huge smile.
I had an 1988 Shelby Turbo Daytona. Loved that car when it wasn’t in the shop. In April of 1990, traded it in. That was after Chrysler under warranty replaced a third head gasket and a scorched piston. The Honda dealer who took it in on trade couldn’t sell it so it went to a local car jockey who sold it at discount to some kid who with in a few days blew the engine to bits. I suppose the tight new piston didn’t take to high winding. Anyway, the dealer then pt in a new rebuilt 2.2 turbo and I saw it many years later in a parking lot. I recognized it by a distinctive scratch on the nose cone (long story) and the owner saw me in the parking lot and came out to see what mischief I was up to. Turns out he was “the kid” about a decade earlier. The new rebuilt 2.2 had served him well the past decade and it had an additional 100K miles on it (plus the 20K I had put on the original engine) Never had a lick of trouble with it, and he said he drove it like a :mad man”. Maybe my original engine was a lemon right from the factory, built on the proverbial Friday afternoon or Monday morning, or maybe it was my own old man who asked for the keys the first night I owned the new Dodge. The man was in his late 50s at the time, but decided to race some kid in an old Chevy at a street light. He of course won the race (he was so proud, I can still remember the beam on his face….always a Chrysler man) so maybe he over stressed a brand new engine. Or maybe it was me, I was still single in those days and I drove like it. Either way, I wouldn’t mind one again. Hopefully with less drama then the one I had. It was seemingly more in the shop then in my garage. It got to the point where I was almost nervous to drive it. Lord knows in the end it didn’t drive it spiritedly as intended. So I figured, why not have a more reliable car if performance was no longer reliable? I traded it in on a base Honda Civic. Had that car for 23 wonderfully effortless years. To this day with a few exceptions, I am still a Honda man.
The 2.2 turbo was prone to problems. The self aspirated is the one to get. I get my information from the dodge forum.
I’d take the Dodge Shelby Charger home. I love these little FWD Mopars.
Actually the 2.2 & 2.5 engines used in these were American made not Japanese mitsubishi. Chrysler was way past using problematic mistubishi 2.6 engines in thier vehicles by then
Actually Chrysler 2.2s did have a weakness, like the Mitsu 4 bangers, they had problematic head gaskets. Found that out on my own 2.2 turbo back then. Mitsubishi 3.0 V6s however, were a delight. Had one in a 90s Plymouth Voyager minivan, ran great until 150K miles, when I ran it too low on oil out of laziness, then it made valve noise but still ran okay. Traded it off on a 220 HP Mazda MPV minivan, also great.
For the money, I’d roll the dice on any one of these…all in fact, if I had the room. This era of turbo Mopars helped keep the horsepower wars stoked, despite their diminutive cubic inches.
If I were a few years younger I would be heading that way with my trailer. I bought a new GLH Turbo in 86, my first autocross car. Kept it for 8 years. Loved that car and it was still like new when I sold it to a friend. I had several other 2.2 turbo Mopars….all fun to drive and minimum maintenance…
I had a new one too, Phil. Really fun car, never autocrossed it, though. Mine was still like new too, when I wrecked it.
I worked with a guy younger than me in 1992-93 and he was a newlywed. He and his wife bought (I think he had to do some sweet talking) one of these, kind of hot and pretty fast as I recall.
They’d had it about 9 months and the wife got pregnant with TWINS so the Dodge had to go. Guess what they got? That’s right, a Dodge Caravan. Haven’t seen him since the twins were about 2 years old so I don’t know what he’s driving now.
My aunt bought an 88 Shelby daytona in 92 for $4k. It had about 80k on it. She drove it less than two years. It spent an awful lot of time getting fixed. I remember reverse gear was no longer after a spirited driving session. She sold it to my teenage cousin for less than a grand in 94 and he promptly blew the engine into pieces. Silver with a maroon interior. It was a beautiful looking hot mess. I read somewhere that there were only around 800 Shelby Daytona’s built for 1988. I wish I had a chance at that car before it went on it’s way…