My 1989 Chrysler LeBaron GTC Turbo II: The Red Baron
This is my 1989 Chrysler LeBaron GTC. It came with the Turbo II setup. It's 1 of 1,033 Turbo II hardtops produced that year. I bought it in June of 2004 from someone in Ohio. I bought it as I was looking for a project car and I had owned a nice one of these that was totaled in an accident. I flew out there and bought the car for a mere $600. It had a good sized dent in the driver quarter panel and the door skin was rippled. The previous owner's son backed into it with the family Buick which was the reason he was selling it. I drove it all the back to Utah where I promptly fixed quite a few issues. My intended purpose of this car is to bring it back to new, if not better than new condition. I would also like to make it occasional track car, with emphasis on handling. When I'm done it should be putting down 350 HP to the wheels.
History: The Project Begins
Before I even got the car home a lot of issue became apparent. The PCV valve hose kept popping off under boost. I didn’t fix that until I got to Colorado to visit a friend who had an extra screw clamp. The tires were cracked but didn’t show me that one of them had a slow leak until somewhere around the Indiana border. The brakes weren’t in good shape, they would fade easy and there was a good amount of pedal pulsation. Once I got it home I removed a lot of yellow “dress up” items under the hood, some pinstripes, the mud flaps, and a steering wheel cover.
Current Work: Quieting Things Down
Now that the major overhaul with the suspension is done it's time to move on to the next part of the project. That would be the interior. To start with I need to put in some sound deadening. I've decided to pick up 100 square feet from Be Quiet. It showed up the other day and now I just need to find the time to start installing it. I have almost all of the interior trim that I need. I'm just waiting on a few more pieces. I also need to finalize my decision on the scheme of the interior. Then I can get the re-upholstery dine and get the interior, gauges, and stereo installed. I'm also debating with replacing the wiring with a system from Painless.
Table of Contents:
Page 1: Background, History, & Current Work
Page 2: Exterior
Page 3: Interior, Audio, & Gauges
Page 4: Wheels/Tires, Suspension/Steering, & Brakes
Page 5: Engine & Transmission
Page 6: Extra Shots
