StealthII (Richie Shields)
Ride of the Month Submission 3000GT/Stealth International March 2010
3SI Member #2349
Engine:
- IPS EVO3 16G Turbo Kit
- IPS TD05 Headers and 02 Housings Kit
- Custom Aluminum heat shield w/ HP Armor on front header
- IPS TD05 FMIC Kit
- IPS TD05 "No-MAF" Intake Pipe Kit
- AEM Hi-Flow Intakes
- HKS SSQV BOV
- Unorthodox Cam gears
- 99’ lifters
- 3SX Custom Stock Sized Crank Pulley
- 3SX Custom Polyurethane Motor Mounts
- Goodyear Gatorback Belts
- Goodyear Gatorback Power Steering Belt – 4PK0925 (4040365)
- Goodyear Gatorback Alternator Belt – 4PK1130 (4060445)
- E2KMFG EGR Block off Plates
- E2KMFG Spark Plug Cover
- E2KMFG Red Anodized Injector Cover
- Vacuum Reduction w/ High Temp Silicone Hoses
Exhaust
- ATR Downpipe
- ATR Catback
Polishing
- Intake Plenum polished by Dave Best
- Valve Cover polished by Dave Best
- Spark Plug Cover polished by Dave Best
- Polished Injector Resistor Cover
- Hayame Chrome Radiator Cap Cover
- Hayame Chrome Reservoir Cover (L) for Brake Reservoir
- Hayame Chrome Reservoir Cover (S) for Clutch Reservoir
- Hayame Red Reservoir Cover (S) for Transfer Case Reservoir
Ignition
- MSD 8.5mm spark plug wires
- MSD Coils
- HKS Twin Power DLI (43001-AK001)
- NGK V-Power Spark Plugs gapped at .032
Fuel Components
- Denso “Supra” fuel pump (hard-wired)
- SX Hi-Flow Fuel Filter
- Earls SS Braided Lines from SX fuel filter to MagnaFuel Y-Block
- MagnaFuel Y-Block
- oohnoo - SS -6 AN Fuel Lines
- oohnoo - Custom Fuelab FPR Bracket
- Summit Racing Chrome Plated Fuel Pressure
- E2KMFG Fuel Rails
- PTE 680CC injectors
- Fuelab Fuel Pressure Regulator
Cooling
- Setrab Oil Cooler
- PWR Aluminum Radiator
- IPS Polished Upper & Lower Coolant Pipes
- Earls SS Braided Coolant Lines for turbos
- Earls SS Braided Lines for Oil Cooler
DriveTrain:
Transmission
- Kormex rebuilt 5-speed Transmission
- SuperCar Engineering AWD-Center TORSEN LSD w/ 300M Output Shaft
- SPEC Stage 4+ Clutch
- SPEC Pressure Plate
- RPS Lightweight Flywheel
- 3SX Stainless Steel Braided Clutch Line
- Seattle Roller Bearing Short Throw Shifter
- Transfer-Case/Drive Shaft
- 3SX/LIPP Front & Mid SS Transfer Case Housings (Kormex rebuilt)
- E2KMFG Transfer Case X-Cage
- Transfer Case Reservoir MR333902 & MB555135
- PST Carbon Fiber Drive Shaft
Suspension
- Megan Racing “Street Series” Coilovers
- Ultimate Performance Front Polished Strut Bar
- Ultimate Performance Rear Polished Strut Bar
- Maximal Performance AWD Adjustable Control Arms
Brakes
- Cross Drilled & Slotted Rotors
- Porterfield R4S Brake Pads
- 3SX Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines
- Speed Bleeders
- G2 Painted Calipers w/ Vinyl "STEALTH" lettering
Wheels/Tires
- Volk GT-C 18" Wheels
- Volk GT-C 18x9 "Face 1" +30mm (in front)
- Volk GT-C 18x10 "Face 2" +31mm (in rear)
- Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Tires
- Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 245/40/18 (in front)
- Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 275/35/18 (in rear)
Exterior:
Body Enhancements
- 1993 3000GT VR4 Rear Hatch
- 1993 3000GT VR4 Active Aero Spoiler
- Cianci CR-2 Viper Hood
- Hayame Brushed Aluminum Hood Pins
Lighting
- Hella H6545 165mm ECE Hi-Lo H4 Conversion Headlamp Kit
- Hella Micro DE Fog Light Kit
- Blesk H4 4300K Bi-Xenon HID Conversion Kit
- Blesk H3 4300K Xenon HID Fog Light Conversion Kit
- Upgraded headlight wiring (KnuKonceptz wiring/Stinger SR80 relay)
Interior:
Interior Enhancements
- MOMO Jet Steering Wheel
- MOMO Combat EVO Carbon-Fiber Shift Knob
- MOMO Performance Boot
- MOMO Pit Stop Carbon-Fiber E-Brake Handle
- MOMO Pit Stop E-Brake Boot
- MOMO Carbon Fiber Pedals
- SMOKINVR-4 Black Anodized Defroster Vents
- SMOKINVR-4 Black Anodized Front Speaker Grills
- SMOKINVR-4 Black Anodized Rear Speaker Grills
- SMOKINVR-4 Black Anodized Door Trim
- 1999 3000GT Jet-Black Carpet
- 1993 STEALTH Charcoal A & B Pillars
Seating
- Dodge Viper SRT-10 Seats w/ Corbeau brackets
- 1999 3000gt Jet-Black Rear Seats
- Schroth Profi III-FE ASM Harnesses
- NRG Harness Bar
Gauge Pods
- PPE Engineering gauge Pod
- DoomZdaY Steering Column Single Gauge Pod
- SMOKINVR-4 Blitz Overhead Pod
- Stillshot2 Universal Laptop Stand
Lighting
- White LEDs Light Interior Conversion w/ 20000mcd 180* LEDS
- White LEDs in SMOKINVR-4 Blitz Overhead Pod (24 LED array)
- White LEDs in “Arm Rest’ (4 LED array)
Electronics:
Battery/Charging
- Optima 34/78 Yellowtop Battery (mounted in rear hatch)
- Optimatrays.com 34/78 Battery Tray w/ Flaming River Disconnect Switch
- Mechman 250A ProPower Alternator
- KnuKonceptz 1/0 Kolossus Fleks Kable from Alternator/Distribution Blocks/Ground to Battery
- KnuKonceptz KNF-23/KND-23 Distribution Blocks
- KnuKonceptz KBT-30P/KBT-30N Battery Terminals
- KnuKonceptz KNI-11 Fuse Holder w/ 250A Fuse
- KnuKonceptz SSRT0/SSRT8/RT4516 Ring Terminals
Tuning
- Greddy E-Manage Ultimate version E.
- Wired for Stage III in Speed Density
- Greddy e-Manage Harness Kit (2.5 meter)
- Greddy e-Manage Ultimate Air/Fuel input Harness
- Greddy e-Manage Ultimate injector adapter
- Greddy e-Manage Ultimate Pressure Sensor w/ harness
- Spectre “2369 Universal Fuel Filter” for Pressure Buffer
- Innovate LC-1 Wideband controller
- PocketLogger on Sony NX70V
- Handheld Halo Datalogger on laptop
Alarms
- Valentine 1 Radar Detector
- Viper 5902V Alarm (Remote Start/Remote Trunk Pop/Turbo Timer/Neutral Safety Switch)
- 522T Trunk Release Solenoid
- 508D DoubleGuard Field Disturbance Sensor
- 504D Stinger DoubleGuard Shock Sensor
- 514N Neo Revenger 6-Tone Siren
- FIAMM CR/S Air Horns w/ CRD Compressor
- Dynavox (Grainger) 2EXU9 Neutral Safety Switch
Gauges
- Autometer Nexus 6401 Module
- Autometer Nexus Speedometer Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Tachometer Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Fuel Level Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Fuel Pressure Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Boost Pressure Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Oil Temperature Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Oil Pressure Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Wideband Air/Fuel Gauge
- Autometer Nexus Water Temperature Gauge
- Blitz SBC-iD III
- Blitz PowerMeter III
- Blitz FATT DC Turbo Timer III
Stereo
- Kenwood DDX7015 (2-DIN In-Dash 6.5" Monitor DVD/CD/MP3/WMA Receiver)
- Kenwood KAC-X541 (Multi-Channel Power Amplifier)
- Kenwood KAC-X811D (Class D Mono Power Amplifier)
- Kenwood KFC-XR601 (6-1/2" DualMag 2-Way Speakers)
- Kenwood KFC-X698 (6" x 9" 3-Way Speakers)
- Kenwood KFC-XW1205dB (12" Subwoofer)
- SMOKINVR-4 12” Subwoofer Corner Box
- StreetWires Zero Noise 7 Stereo Patch Cables
- KnuKonceptz 4 Gauge Kolossus Fleks Kable from KNF-23 to StreetWires Distribution Powerbox
- KnuKonceptz 8 Gauge Kolossus Fleks Kable from StreetWires Distribution Powerbox to Amplifiers
My story:
My addiction to 3000gts/Stealths all started with my first encounter with a Stealth when I was a teenager. I was traveling down to Fort Lauderdale with my family, when an electric blue 1st Gen Dodge Stealth flew past us on the interstate. I just remember I was awe struck and my Dad saying, "You'll want one of those." I was always into cars but I never knew the Stealth existed at that time. At that point, I fell in love with the 3/S. When I got home, I immediately started looking into the Stealth and checked out all of the specs. Since I was younger with little income, I knew I couldn't afford a Twin Turbo and it would be a while before I had one. But one day, I would have one.
So a few years down the road, I compromised and purchased a black 91' Dodge Stealth ES. I drove this car around through high school and it was a great car. It was very reliable and fast enough for a teenager. That is until disaster struck one week before I went to college. For some reason, I decided to take the intake plenum off to paint it, and upon reinstall, I dropped a washer down the intake manifold. The good thing is I didn't start the car. The bad thing is that I had NO idea how to get it out. I wasn’t very mechanically inclined at the time. So we took it over to a friend of my dad’s, and he was able pull the head off to get the washer. But he didn't know how to get it timed back up. It took a while to find someone to re-time it and after getting it all together, the oil pump failed on start-up and killed the bottom end within minutes. The same guy was able to rebuild the bottom end with a remanufactured crank and new bearings and all was well again. I continued to drive the car through college until I graduated and got an awesome consulting job making great money.
It didn't take me long before I was on the hunt for a Stealth Twin Turbo. I was looking for one in specific, an electric blue 1st Gen Dodge Stealth Twin Turbo. I searched for months and months and NOBODY was selling a Stealth that I was interested in. Then one day, a guy from 3Si noticed I was looking for a 1st Gen Stealth and sent me a PM. He had a red 93' Dodge Stealth TT that he was trying to get rid of. There were quite a few things wrong with it mechanically and cosmetically, and not to mention it was red. Not to mention, it was also in another state and had been in a recent fender bender. I really wasn't a big fan of red and wasn't looking forward to putting some work into it. But he was selling it for $7500 (which was in my price range) and I was getting really antsy to buy one. So I pulled a Carfax on it and it came up clean. I decided to take my g/f (wife now) with me to Kentucky to check out the car. So we rented a car and took a trip up there to take a look at it. The minute I saw it, something came over me and I bought it without even driving it. The color red was starting to grow on me really quickly. :)
All was great for the drive back to Florida. I was in bliss until the transfer case decided to lock up all 4 wheels on I-95 at 12:00 at night. It was a start to a wonderful relationship. After getting it towed to Gainesville to drop off my girlfriend/wife, the car was then towed to an Orlando Dodge dealership to get the transfer case replaced. I knew there was a recall and it was replaced without any hassle. Soon after, I moved to Daytona and used the car for a daily driver. Then I started to dump some money into fixing it up and installing some minor modifications. I fixed the metal damage the previous owner did and replaced most of the aging interior parts. I also put in some gauges and electronics and did some minor engine upgrades. The car was great, for a time......
One day, I was sitting at a stop light and noticed my oil gauge sitting at 4 PSI at idle. My face lost blood pressure and I probably looked like I had seen a ghost. I drove the car home and immediately drained the oil. You could have guessed it; there was a nice glitter in the oil. I knew at this point, it was time to throw in the towel, or so I thought. I towed the car to my parent's for storage and that same day, I purchased my Chevy Colorado for a dependable daily driver. I left the car to sit at my parents so I could figure out what I would do with it. In trade off, I gave the black 91' Stealth to my dad in compensation for rent (which he is still driving to this day). Then life decided to take me on another course. I got engaged to my girlfriend and I started saving all the money I could for the wedding. I was also in the middle of moving jobs and income wasn't too stable. Shortly after the wedding, life began to come around. I landed a good job and had a nice place to live. So naturally, my interests in the car were coming back. My new apartment had garages that I could rent, and so I decided to get one to rebuild the car from the ground up.
After doing quite a bit of thinking, I decided to start with a clean slate and I demanded for more horsepower. Instead of rebuilding the old block (this was before stroker kits), I was going to rebuild everything with new parts including overhauling the entire interior. I sold the old short block and got a great deal on a new OEM block and 60k mile OEM parts from Rockville. I had the heads rebuilt by a local shop with new VSS and cams and purchased all of the parts that are currently on my mod list. It took me 6 months to save and build up the engine. Since it was my first engine build, I took my time and made sure everything was 100% correct. After those long six months, it was time to start it over. Since my parents were a big part of this car, both emotionally and physically, I had them come up to see the first start up. I was pretty nervous but as the car started and roared to life, I knew I had finally built the car of my dreams.
After the start up, the car and I were still on a winding road, as it had developed a continuous amount of problems afterwards. The transfer case locked up yet again from the leaking seals. I’ve had numerous transmission leaks including both the input and output shafts seals. I had overheating issues due to the bigger manifolds and I also managed to burn up the VCU when my driver's side axle snapped. This in return, made me pull the transmission for the 3rd time in less than 1500 miles. (I am now able to pull the transmission in under an hour. Not bad eh?) When I started building the car, my philosophy was “If something broke, replace it with something better”. And so far, that’s what I have done. Even though the car and I have not seen eye to eye, I haven’t regretted the $ I have dumped into it, yet..... In the end, I feel that I have put together a car the right way and I feel good about the mods I have done. I also have a car that's fun and fast and is a great hobby for me. It also just recently put down great numbers on the dyno (521HP on pump 93 gas). I also just recently bought a helmet and will be taking it to the 1/4 mile here soon. So I'll be praying for some good numbers.
Overall, the knowledge I have learned from this car is irreplaceable and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It's become such a big part of my life, that my wife even considers it part of the family now. Maybe one day, I'll be taking my kid to school in it. haha
-StealthII
My Website:
