After researching his powerplant, he discovered the durability and strength of the TIII. The crank, rods, and pistons are all forged from the factory, and the head was designed by Lotus. The block itself is high in nickel content and is extremely stout. With knowledge of the motor's potential, Wallace set a goal of besting the lowest recorded Spirit R/T e.t. of 12.49 secs.
After pulling the engine, Wallace handed it over to Steve Day of Absolute Auto Machine in Topeka, Kansas. Although the shop is over 100 miles from his home, Wallace wanted the most skilled hands possible to work on his baby. With the motor disassembled, it was discovered that the crank was walking an eighth of an inch front to back. A new OEM piece was ordered, along with ARP head studs and rod bolts. Venolia pistons were installed, increasing bore slightly by 0.02 inches. While Steve was assembling the short-block, he also removed the balance shafts to reduce rotating mass. The short-block and internals were all balanced, and finally, a radius cut and back-cut valve grind was performed to ease flow into and out of the combustion chamber.
With the assembled motor in hand, Wallace and Lone Wolf Performance completed the buildup with some help from their friends at FWD Performance. First was a Stage 1 head port, a specialty of Lone Wolf Performance, yielding a 15 percent improvement over stock. With better flow in mind, the manifolds were also ported, as was with the oil pickup, to reduce parasitic loss. The head and manifolds were then thermal coated to keep heat where it belongs. Blown head gaskets are a common problem for the TIII, so Wallace addressed this with a Cometic MLS head gasket, which he states is a must have item for anyone with this motor. The intermediate shaft was friction coated for a dramatic reduction in rubbing. Custom ground cams, also coated with a friction reducer, bump with the help of adjustable cam gears from Relentless Racing, and are set at 110 degrees exhaust and 118 degrees intake. A FWD Performance underdrive pulley kit further reduces parasitic loss. Finally, a custom baffled oil pan with a six-quart capacity keeps it all slippery.
The boost maker is a Turbonetics T3/T4 50 trim Stage II, blowing through a Spearco intercooler rated at 1,080 cfm. The intercooler piping is all custom work, with thermal-coated, mandrel-bent 2.5-inch piping and silicone connectors. Compressed air shoots through a 52mm throttle body pilfered from a Dodge mini-van, while a TurboXS RFL bypass valve prevents compressor surge. Accufab's adjustable fuel pressure regulator feeds the thirsty engine through Mopar injectors rated at 52 pph. Exhaust gases are sped away via a trick thermal-coated 3-inch downpipe. For the street, the downpipe feeds a 2.5-inch exhaust terminating in a Dynomax Ultraflow muffler for quiet commuting. But when the Spirit hits the strip, a flip of a switch is all that is needed to activate a McCord electric cutout that dumps exhaust gases straight from the downpipe into the atmosphere for maximum flow. Finally, Wallace tuned it all using an FWD Performance trim-cal computer. Preset with four different boost settings, each one was perfected through dyno time and endless track runs. Icing on the cake is a Quaife ATB differential.
What does all this work, time, and money amount to? 421 wheel hp and 457 lb-ft of torque at 21 psi-enough to send the Spirit down the 1,320 in 11.68 seconds at 121 mph. Damn impressive for a four door grocery getter. "Every time I take the car out, whether it's to a show or a race, it is initially overlooked-until go time."
Mopar has been blending practicality with performance for years. For those who need their vehicle to pull double-duty, the Spirit R/T can do. This car is just another example of why you should think twice next time an "econo-box" pulls into the lane next to you.
1991 Dodge Spirit R/T
EngineEngine Code: TIIIType: iron block, aluminum headInternal Mods: Balanced internals, balance shafts removed, custom oil pan, ported oil pump pickup, friction coated oil pump and intermediate shaft, Venolia 0.020-over pistons, Stage 1 ported head and manifolds, thermal coated head and manifolds, radius cut and backcut valve job, Cometic MLS head gasket, ARP head studs and rod bolts, custom ground cams friction coatedExternal Mods: K&N cone filter with Akimoto Spiroflex SS intake, thermal coated exhaust manifold, turbine housing, and 3-in. downpipe, McCord electric cut out, 2.5-in. intercooler piping, Turbonetics T3/T4 .50 Stage II turbo, Mopar injectors, Spearco intercooler, Magnecore plug wires, 2.5-in. exhaust, TurboXS RFL BOV, Accufab adjustable fuel pressure regulator, FWD Performance underdrive pulley, Relentless Racing adjustable cam gears, SS turbo oil feed line, 58mm throttle bodyEngine Management Mods: FWDP trim-cal performance computer
ChassisChassis Code: AA body
DrivetrainLayout: Front engine, front-wheel driveDrivetrain Mods: Quaife LSD
SuspensionFront: KYB GR2 Shocks, Eibach Pro-Kit springsRear: KYB GR2 Shocks, Eibach Pro-Kit springs
BrakesFront: Performance Friction padsRear: Performance Friction pads
ExteriorWheels: StockTires: Yokohama AVS DB S2 205/60-15Body: Stock
InteriorPillar mounted Auto Meter boost gauge and Nordskog digital EGT gauge