john in KY

Well, no thermostat means the ECU always sees a cold engine and that could explain the fuel-fouled plugs. May also want to change the oil because it has a bunch of gasoline in it by now.

If you start the car and drive a total of 2 miles the battery is probably always in a state of discharge. May want to invest in a battery charger.

What size is the EA86?

I guess if you turned the input shaft by hand and shifted through the gears, that could tell you how many gears the box has.

30-year old radiator may be a contributing factor.

Will also need to swap the differential as the turbo transmission will have a 3.70 ratio.

Photo attached, hopefully. Photo of the stubby shaft with bearing. Left side shows that nut that needs removed and what a pin socket looks like.

Short answer is no. To remove the stubby splined shaft, have to remove that nut on the backside of the knuckle. Right way requires something called a pin socket. Or if you are good with a hammer and punch, you can loosen it that way.

Remove and clean all the PCV hoses and replace the PCV valve and you should be good to go.

That box next to the battery contains the 4 fusible links. Test connector should be close to the brake MC. If I am reading what you posted correctly, you have fuel flow. Have you checked for spark? Fuse box should have one marked IGN. Good idea to check that one. Remove the distributor cap and verify the rotor turns while cranking the engine.

If you remove the rear driveshaft the car can be moved using a tow dolly.

Did the original tires survive the trip?

I would think so. Since not making that horrible screeching noise, still have some service life.

Ten-year old tires that have been flat will have flat spots you won't believe. Don't plan on them making that 120 mile trip.

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oops. John

Definitely pull both heads. If one valve seized from sitting, trust me others will also seize in short order. Had this problem with an old Mopar I inherited that had sat for almost 20 years. The more I drove it, the worse it got. When I found the 5 bent push rods, I knew what the problem was. As far as I know, all MPFI injectors across the years are exactly the same.

Can't do the intake swap without also doing a head swap. That single port /dual port thing.

Stock size is 205/75. Link shows the two sizes are almost identical. http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit

Part of the problem to me sounds like a failing AFM.

Getting the distributor right can be a real problem. Gears are cut at an angle and this makes the rotor jump forward when installing. Probably need to have the rotor pointing 1/2 between cylinders 1 and 3 when installing it. When all the way down, rotor should be pointing to #1 cylinder. From experience I know if the distributor is just one gear tooth off, no way the engine can be timed.

Those "brown chunks" sound to me like someone added some sort of stop leak product to the system. A good/new radiator plus "stop leak" usually just ends up yielding a bad radiator.

I would think worn valve guides and or worn valve seals would be the cause of the white smoke. Check for white smoke when doing this little test. Take the car out on the highway and get up to a good speed. Then remove foot from gas pedal and allow the car to coast. If there appears a cloud of white smoke behind the car, almost a given oil is being pulled into the combustion chambers.

I would strongly suspect the radiator. The few times I have experienced a collapse top hose along with a cold radiator, it has always been a clogged radiator.

Should be ign timing marks on the harmonic balancer. Only interested in the TDC mark. May or may not be correct because the XT6 balancer is a two-piece affair and the outer ring tends to slip over time. Verify the TDC mark is still correct. Guessing will have to use a dial indicator down #1 cylinder. Once you have ascertain where TDC is on the balancer, remove it and move 90 degrees from the TDC mark. 90 degrees from TDC puts the piston 1/2 down the bore. Don't know if you have to make the new mark left or right of the TDC mark but whichever side is important. If the original TDC mark on the balancer does not line up with the pointer on the timing belt cover, you'll have to rig up a new pointer.