It’s time for another Member’s Ride! Last week, we looked at a couple of heavily customized cars from Jay, and I still really want that Death Cab. That thing is a fantastic build, and I love everything about it! This week, we’re looking at more project cars, so hold onto your socket sets.
Members’ Rides is where we share the cars and stories of Autopian Members. The potential to be featured here is a perk for Autopian Members of every level, from the ultra-affordable “Cloth” tier all the way up to “Rich Corinthian Leather.” Click that link and join today!
Today, I get to introduce JCat, a fascinating Autopian living in upstate New York, working in IT, and keeping a great selection of wonderful cars. JCat decided to learn how to work on cars the hard way, by buying a project and hoping for the best!
How did you get into cars?
Cars are really in my blood. Attending the local Adirondack Nationals while still in a stroller, sitting in the back of my dad’s almost-F8 green 1969 RoadRunner on a summer’s afternoon for an ice cream run after elementary school. Brisk October mornings as a teen helping park the local Mopar club’s annual meet. I knew I wanted to have one of my own someday.
My dad started flipping muscle cars in the 70s when he was 15, and he still has a myriad of muscling Mopars in various states of repair. Growing up, we had a run of Intrepids and Rams. I learned to drive on a 1997 Stratus. My first car was a 2001 300m. So of course, now I own a Ford and a Mitsubishi.
What’s currently in the garage?
- 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
- 1986 TVR 280i/Tasmin
- 1987 Chrysler Conquest
What’s the story behind the Lincoln?
It’s been my daily driver since late 2019. Ever since my first car, a 2001 Chrysler 300M, finally went to the great junkyard in the sky. It was my grandmother’s car – he ordered it new but was no longer able to drive. I purchased it from her with about 25,000 miles. Considering the era of COVID was just around the corner and working from home is now possible, it only has about 68,000 miles on the odometer after 6 years. Not bad for an almost 15-year-old car.
How do you like it?
I feel it’s the perfect daily driver. It’s comfortable, efficient, and not all that expensive. Full leather, heated and ventilated seats, everything useful is a physical button and not on a screen (which isn’t something to take for granted in the current year), and a banging THX stereo – there’s even a demo setting to play the THX sound! I average about 35-40 mpg in warm weather. All in all, it’s a heck of a lot less expensive than a comparable Camry.
Have you had any problems with it?
There have been some issues that are common with Fords of this era. The EPAS Steering Rack had to be replaced, and was not under recall or warranty. It was a hefty sum to get that fixed. The module for the seat HVAC shorted out, so no butt warmers as of now. The shop quoted me $1300 on that. And the door handle mechanisms like to break, which I have done once now but need to fix again. Despite these issues, I plan on running it until it has no more run to give. It does everything I need, and I couldn’t be happier.
What’s the best thing about the MKZ?
Really, it gives me everything I want; I don’t have money owed on it, and it should last me many more years. Pretty boring answer, but it is technically a boring car. Though I’m pretty sure it’s faster than any other car I own … maybe I should test that.
Anything you don’t like?
Nothing significant. I mean, there’s always a case to get a shiny new car for whatever reason. I even looked at replacing it with a newer Continental or MKZ last year, but the value proposition of not having a car payment in 2025, when new cars are lucky to be under $1,000/month, is unbeatable.
And now you picked up a TVR?!
Yeah, it’s a 1986 TVR 280i. My uncle bought this at an estate sale in 2024 and gave it to my brother, my Dad, and me as a project. The car has 35,000 miles and was last registered in 2013, sitting under a tree until 2024. I thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the interior (which it really needed, and held up surprisingly well!), but that’s all we really did to it.
For the uninitiated, what is a Tasmin?
From what I gather, there were only 1,100 built and 500 shipped to the US. This Series 2 example used a 2.8L Ford Cologne V6 with Bosch Jetronic injection paired to a 5-speed manual transmission, making 150hp and 162tq. The car uses a full tube-frame chassis and inboard rear brakes under a fibreglass body, with most of the actual parts from other makes, such as Mercedes tail lights, a Jag rear end, and a radio from a Defender. Other markets were able to get variations of the Rover V8. The TVR chassis code is literally called “Wedge,” which I find hilarious.
What was your plan for the TVR?
We weren’t sure what we wanted to do with it originally, likely try to get it going again, clean it up a bit, and go from there. It really all hinged on how much information was out there to easily find out info about it, since it’s obviously an oddball of a car, which we all love. My pipe dream was to either restore it, or on an off-chance make it a Lemons race car.
What happened?
Ultimately, I didn’t have enough time and energy to put into it. I tried to research the car on the side, between doing things with the Conquest and other personal things, but came up with inconclusive results. I didn’t have experience looking for UK parts, and I felt like I would have needed a comprehensive list of “X Part comes from X Car” in order to get a grasp on it for a TVR.
The final nail in the coffin for me was when we did the photoshoot this summer and discovered I could not fit well into the driver’s seat. That’s not to say there isn’t a dedicated community for these cars, but it just wasn’t in my wheelhouse.
It has been a pain for me to try and research things about this car, as it is a low-production car with little following, made with parts from who knows how many old cars. It does have a plaque under the bonnet of being at an All British Car Day car show in Orlando in 1990, which is pretty cool history.
Aside from the fact that it doesn’t run, is it in pretty good shape?
It does have issues of a 1980s convertible that has been sitting outside for a decade. The paint is pretty thin, and the wood trim will need refinishing. The leather is in surprisingly good shape, softer feeling than either the Conquest or Lincoln, in my opinion. There is a decent crack in the driver’s side A-Pillar fibreglass. No rust that I could see.
Any idea what’s keeping it off the road?
I don’t really want to speculate, but I don’t know the first thing about Bosch fuel injection if that would have been a problem. It turns over.
What led to the Conquest?
I grew up in a Mopar household: muscle cars in the garage, Dodge Intrepids as the family cars. I even learned to drive in a Dodge Stratus. Then in 2021, I moved to a rental that had a two-car driveway, and being 25 during COVID, I was consuming a lot of automotive media.
Eventually, I decided to get a beginner sports car to learn stick on, and to learn how to wrench. It was sort of my “quarter-life crisis.” I wanted a Mopar product because I thought I knew them, but I also enjoyed the charm of 1980s cars.
You actually wanted a Chrysler product from the 80s?!
Chrysler in the 80s was not really at the height of their performance prowess. The Rich Corinthian Leather cars were not muscle cars, and the K-platform sports cars were FWD, which I absolutely did not want at the time. I’m not sure how I learned about the Chrysler-Mitsubishi partnership cars, but I do remember playing Forza with the Eagle Talon TSI, which is one of its direct descendants. The Starion/Conquest was one of the only front-engine RWD manual transmission cars Mitsubishi ever made, and being a four-cylinder turbo car meant it was likely easier to work on.
When a Marketplace listing came up five minutes from me for a 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi, I jumped on it. Original owner, 83,000 miles, tires from 1993, had the window sticker and all the original literature. From a novice’s perspective, it looked immaculate. It had been off the road for five years, but that meant it would be a great project! So I became the new owner of this box-flared Japanese marvel.
How did that go?
The first challenge was getting a stick car home after having a few manual lessons in a parking lot with a friend. I love getting attention from people who haven’t seen one since 1990, or confusing it with a Celica Supra. I actually got the “Harlan Kip” Under-30 award at the Hemmings Cruise-In for 2022, despite not really trying to win any award at the time.
Unfortunately, with it being a 35-year-old car that was off the road for years, it did have some challenges of its own. Fixing one thing caused an issue somewhere else, like a bad fuel injector, when fixed, led to a head gasket and a rear main seal leaking oil into the clutch. The clutch job somehow caused the engine to crack a piston and lose compression in cylinder three. Fortunately, getting a freshly built engine installed at the beginning of 2024 was the end of the majority of my issues. I did not do the head gasket or the motor swap, but I did do the other stuff.
Was it hard to find an engine for the Conquest?
Actually, no! The Starquest community is knowledgeable, dedicated, and easy to get a hold of. There are quite a few people who salvage old cars, and others who sell or manufacture new parts as well.
Have you modified anything about it?
Yeah, I’ve done quite a bit to it. Downpipe, smog pump delete, 10lb wastegate from a later year car, up from seven lbs, catback exhaust, stainless steel brake lines, stainless steel fuel lines, solid steering coupler, H4 headlight bulb conversion, Balance Shaft delete (came in the new engine, I would much rather have it back) and an absolutely insane looking JDM Panasonic graphic equalizer radio.
What’s so amazing about the stereo?
I purchased the Conquest with a motorized antenna stuck in the upright position, and a little kink near the bottom. About a month later, the antenna snapped off completely while driving. The tape player in the stock radio also did not work, so I was now without any sound in the car. I failed at fixing the tape player, and I’m not great at understanding how to wire in a new antenna. So I drove with earbuds in when I wanted music for the last few years (allegedly).
Earlier this year, I came across a reel of a Panasonic VZ-200, and it absolutely mesmerized me with its design. I started looking on Japanese auction websites for the chance that they would pop up. Those VZ200 models? They regularly go for $800!!! They were incredibly sought after, since there was nothing like it.
I found that the VZ-303 is an upgrade by way of a more powerful four-channel amplifier and extra animations. Unfortunately, no swimming dolphins, but it can turn its graphic-equalizer display into many animations based on the beat of the music playing, such as Talking Lips, Man Tapping Foot, or Walks Along the Beach.
How well does the JDM stereo work in the US?
The darn thing looks like a microwave, and you can tell it’s made for RHD cars because the control panel, which sticks out about an inch from the face of the stereo, is pointed in the exact opposite direction of the left-side occupant! It really is the best outcome as-is because I needed a double-din size, and I really did not want to put a clunky Android Auto screen in it and ruin the aesthetic. I’m also listening to Japanese city pop more for some unknown reason …
Here’s the crazy thing. Japan uses 76-90 MHz. Considering the US FM frequency range starts at 88.1MHz, this means there are a total of five FM bands I can use on my FM transmitter that work on this head unit.
What’s the purpose of the balance shaft delete, and why do you wish you had it back?
The true Autopians will definitely correct me on this, but the balance shaft is a system that uses counterweight bearings and a chain drive to phase out vibrations inherent in an unbalanced inline-four engine. Balance shaft elimination kits exist to remove the shaft and system, which was explained to me to give more oil pressure and less rotating mass.
The new engine runs great, and it does have new engine mounts, but it does vibrate the car a noticeable amount more, and I don’t notice any more horsepower or acceleration on the trusty butt dyno. It’s a very “racecar” modification that I feel doesn’t suit a street car, even a slightly modified one.
Any additional plans?
Oh yeah. Over this winter, I plan to do more. Mitsubishi 16G Turbo, ECU from a later car, new speakers, JDM tail lights (with amber turn signals!), fix a loose power steering belt.
Have you had any fun adventures with it?
I christened the new motor with a 600+ mile road trip on OPPO Rally 2024 (thanks for the invite Nick!) across the Finger Lakes region of New York. I did not think through it all that much, so it was basically driving from six AM to nine PM as I left and arrived home the same day. This year, I also ran it in the 2025 OPPO Rally, where it was over 700 miles across New Hampshire over a weekend, including climbing to the top of Mt. Washington Auto Road!
Tell me more about the rally.
The Opposite Lock Rally is a yearly scavenger hunt that explores a region, showing the beauty of the surrounding area, including local attractions and features. The few I have been on were across the Finger Lakes region of NY last year, and across New Hampshire and greater upper New England this year. There is a list of locations or challenges given with associated point values. The task is to post a mascot of your choosing at the location on social media to receive points, and the goal is to have fun!
How did you end up on it?
My first year was courtesy of a gracious invite from the benevolent ruler of the Autopian Discord, Nick to join the very welcoming community of OPPO, and I absolutely did not think anything through that time. I decided to try to do the whole trip in one day! Driving out from the Capital Region, NY to Oweg,o NY (near Binghamton), arrive by 9 am, complete the rally up to Rochester by 9 pm, then drive back home the same day.
Did I forget to mention this was on a new engine that had about 100 test miles on it? Despite being a slightly stressful day, I didn’t get to meet everyone there as much as I would have liked. I ended up making a mistake in my route planning that had me near Syracuse at 8 pm – about 90 minutes away from Rochester and 2 hours to home, so I decided to call it there, in all but last place. It was still a 600-mile round trip, but it was very entertaining!
Was the second one less stressful?
This most recent year was a lot of fun, mostly because I didn’t make it a rush job. It took place in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Mount Washington. I AirBNB’ed with a portion of the Rallygoers the night before, and our eclectic driveway was on full display.
The vibes overall were fantastic. I took the Conquest up the Mount Washington Auto Road as one of the rally’s listed challenges, and for a car that was giving me slight overheating issues earlier in the month, it didn’t overheat and made it to the top! On the way to the hotel after the final stop, my car had trouble idling and increasingly smelled of oil. It was nine PM in the hotel’s employee-only parking lot, and I couldn’t see the issue, fully preparing to call AAA for a 150-mile tow.
So what happened?
The morning after, I could clearly see that the PCV hose had been completely disconnected. It would come off a few more times on the three-hour journey home, until I could find proper hose clamps and drive gingerly so as not to push any extra pressure through the loose hose. All in all, an almost-incident-free 700 miles in a weekend, seeing sights and friends.
So what are the long-term plans for this?
I think I will have it for a few more years to come, at least. It’s been the start of my “quest” through the automotive space, and I want to get the car to a point where I’m satisfied, which is the ultimate lie we tell ourselves besides “Just one more TikTok/reel” before bed, and now it’s morning. I want to have more experiences with it, go to more places, do more things, and it’s already taught me a lot – not just about car-specific tasks, but research, work, community, critical thinking, engineering, etc.
What’s in your dream garage?
- Mitsubishi Pajero Evo
- Lancia Delta Integrale Evo
- Porsche 924 GTS ClubSport
- BMW E24 with an E39 M5 S62 swap
What do you love about each of your choices?
I think I have a type, and it’s Homologation Specials with extreme box flares. They just have a certain aura, and each fulfills a different purpose. Definitely welcome members of a dream garage.
For the BMW, again, I have a type. I feel like people always fawn over the 5-Series of this generation, and the 6-Series never gets any love. Even the E28 M540i was BMW shoving a burbling V8 into the sedan. The combination of the 400hp E39 M5 engine and the shark-nosed luxo-barge just feels like it was the European muscle car that was never meant to be.
I don’t really have an eye on supercars or high-dollar classics. Of course, a TestaRossa or a Temerario would be insanely cool to drive or own, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I’d rather be in a CrossCab for the fun of it and not be worried about curb rash or resale on a 458.
Balance shaft delete – yikes. That’s one of those modifications that you see plenty of owners gushing about, swearing that it’s a win-win with zero tradeoffs. “Oh, you’ll never notice the extra vibrations.” Also on the list are, “a 2-inch lowering kit with coil-overs and solid bushings will have the same ride as stock, just corner flatter” and “deleting the resonator just adds a bit of growl over stock.”
A few years ago, I visited a work buddy/colleague who lined up a borrowed Moto Guzzi for me to ride, and we went from his home in a Boston suburb up to the top of Mt. Washington. My now ex-wife has the 24×36 prints from that trip on her walls and I still have the coffee cup I bought from the Mt. Washington OBS. That’s how life works, sometimes.
The Conquest is rad, but I’m really digging the MkZ. Lincolns make me feel things.
This is why I love this site. The fact that the beige daily is getting the love over the rare import is awesome! I have always liked those too for sure. It’s a fancy Fusion, which is hard to argue with.
I did love the way that era’s Fusions looked. Kind of like an 8/7ths scale early 2000’s Jetta. Which I owned. I rented a 2004 Fusion. It was, as word I used to see on this site a little too frequently a couple of years ago, cromulent.
I bought my wife a 10 Fusion Hybrid and it was a great car. We owned it about 130k and all I ever did to it was oil changes, tires, wipers and a couple of bulbs. One of the seat heaters did fail. I didn’t get a chance to trouble shoot it before it was totaled in an collision at just about 170k. I hadn’t planned on replacing it until well past 200k. So yeah it should have a lot of life left.
That eventually led to me purchasing a 15 MKZ hybrid for my DD, it typically returns 38-42 mpg.
It’s a bit sad when a beloved car gets clobbered by someone before its time. That happened to my 150K miles 1971 Peugeot 504.
And then when I sold my 165K miles, but still driving great, 2001 TDI Jetta, to a self-declared “sovereign citizen” who got pulled over by Texas LEOs who didn’t see things the same way. Breaking glass to pull that idiot’s ass out of the car totaled it. Hopefully, some parts helped another owner going forward. Mechanically, physically, it was in great shape. All he had to do was unlock the doors. Instead, he didn’t and they did what they did. He still got arrested and went to jail, and a really decent car went to salvage. That was four years ago. He’s still in prison. Probably about to get out. Parts, unknown.
An ’18 Black Label Hybrid popped up near me and I was also extremely tempted, took it for a test drive. It had a bit of hood rust and a cracked headlight ($800… ouch!) from a fender bender, and a bad hip bolster air bladder. It was a very good price. Turns out they have the smallest fuel tank of past or present fusions! (14gal vs 17gal in the 3.0TT).
Interesting that the top of the line would be less capable
Love the Conquest, and always love me some Lincoln luxury. I’m glad you drive and enjoy your cars!
The heated seats not working in the Lincoln is due to a burned ground in the harness connector under the front passenger seat. You can buy the pigtail, replace it and add a second ground.
Yes that’s it! I’ll get around to it at some point lol
I love seeing old cars that people most forgot about like the Conquest. As I was reading the article and the Adirondack National car show was mentioned I wondered if I have seen your Conquest at any local car shows. I’m also near Albany and I am certain I’ve seen a conquest at some of the local car shows in the past few years. Not sure if it was yours. I can’t remember now which show or shows I saw one but I think it might have been the Saratoga show. There is also an all CDJR car show every summer in Latham so I maybe it was you I saw there? If not then there’s another one around here. Anyway that’s such a cool thing to see, obviously there aren’t many left. I would hold onto that thing forever just to have something almost no one else has.
I had an ’87 Conquest for a few years in the late 2010s. Totally unmodified. Clearcoat was shot but other than that it was in really good condition. Just an absolute blast to drive and could even turn a few heads. And yes, at least one person mistook it for a Celica Supra as well.
I decided I had to let it go when I moved across the country. The hilarious part is I sold it back to the original owner. Not the guy I bought it from, the guy who bought it new in 1987. I guess he was keeping an eye on Craigslist and recognized it by the license plate. It was still on it’s original CA “sunset” style plate which which looked incredibly rad. At least seeing it go home eased the sting of having to give it up. God, I miss that car.
That’s awesome! I love when cars are so loved that they end up back at former owners!
Great collection! My Conquest is white and fits in my fingers like your red one does. I had forgotten about the Turbo wording on the seat belts on the life size Conquest.
Such a great collection of cars (usually there’s a truck in there somewhere, so your purity makes me happy), and that topshot of the Conquest is amazing – I can practically hear the synthwave.
One of the cool kids in my high school had a red Starion, but I always seem to prefer the domestic version of the DSMs (one of the reasons why SWG’s Stealth captivated me so).
Glad you made it through your first rally okay though…people go missing in the Fingerlakes all the time.
Haven’t needed a truck yet. Usually I just borrow one, or AAA is just a call away ???? But these cars won’t drive themselves!
I love that Conquest! I nearly bought a Starion back when they were new (and ended up getting an Eagle Talon the first year they were produced). There’s a guy in our neighborhood who has a Starion that’s in absolutely mint condition. I’ve only seen it once, though, as it’s squirreled away in his garage and almost never driven.
They are so nice. And such an unusual choice too, not something I see very often these days. Or ever really.
A TVR! So rad. What’s the plan–sell it as a project? There has to be a community for these cars…Hopefully somebody will point you in the right direction, at least to find a fan who knows what you’ve got and can give it the right attention. Thanks for sharing!
There’s definitely a community for them! But yes it is for sale as a project. Check your local FB Marketplace.
It’s far too tempting. I established a decent network of UK based parts suppliers between my old Celica GT-Four, and the Peugeot. I am confident I could find anything I needed for it… If I had space for it, I would be looking to figure out how to get it home to VA!
There was a Lieutenant in my unit who had a burgundy Conquest or Starion – I really don’t remember which badge it wore…
…but that was one cool looking car.
Look ma, I’m on TV!
My heart stopped when I saw the image for this article. My first car in HS, and my first true love, was a ’87 black on black Chrysler Conquest TSi exactly like this one. You have a beautiful car there my friend. Never sell it, you will always regret it.
That’s a hell of a first car! Mine was a 97 Oldsmobile…
It was my dad’s. He got wrecked into and the insurance totaled it. He bought an ’88 with the insurance money and found his old ’87 in a junkyard where he bought and plonked it in my mom’s garage when I was 14. My friends and I would work on it after school and I finally got it back on the road just before my 17th birthday.
Even better! With the rebuild story it’s no wonder you miss it. Anytime I put that much effort into a car I get attached and have a hard time letting go of them. What made you sell it?
I was a broke HS student and Mitsubishis need a lot of care and maintenance. When it was running it was the most fun you could have on 4 wheels but it was just one thing after another and I couldn’t afford to keep up so at some point in college I sold it and bought a $500 Datsun to get to school.
That makes sense. Not the lowest maintenance car.
Incredibly kind words my friend, and I will take them to heart!