Conquest: Home-Made with a V8 Heart

A Boy and his Mits

When John Lazorack was 16 years old, he came into possession of a babied 1988 Chrysler Conquest, the Pentastar's version of Mitsubishi's Starion. Like a lot of teenagers, he took what was a one-owner car with barely 70,000 miles on it and promptly blew up the motor. Okay, that's not fair, he drove it a couple of years then he blew the engine. But hand-in-hand with youthful fearlessness comes resilience. So John bounced back and rebuilt the G54B turbo four with a larger turbocharger and a few other go-fast parts. After the rebuild, he wasn't totally happy with the power it made, plus he was wary of another blow-up. Upgrade plans would have to wait though, as John was on his way to college out-of-state.

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D.I.Y.

John, who didn't take that old chestnut 'don't make your hobby your career' to heart, went to school for automotive design, landing a position in Detroit with GM after graduation. Being away from his Conquest gave him a fresh perspective and new ideas, so he brought the car from his Pennsylvania hometown to his new home, ready to start from a clean sheet of paper. His new plan called for a car that he could drive to the track, and on the track, time and time again with zero issues. What John lacked in money as a recent grad he made up for in engineering know-how, which would prove invaluable since there wasn't much of an aftermarket for Conquests. And John didn't know he'd learn everything from welding to fabricating skills to track car set-up.

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Goodbye G54B

The Mitsubishi engine had left a bad taste in his mouth. John's goals of affordable power, combined with finding a package that would fit in the Conquest's engine bay without weighing the nose down too much, there was really only one logical choice: an LS. John got his ex-2002 Corvette 5.7 liter LS1 from a friend for a good price and got to work. He left the engine itself pretty much stock, save for a K&N intake, an aftermarket oil pan, and of course, (long-tube) headers that allowed it to fit in the Conquest. The beauty of his build came in how far back he set the LS—the engine's placement required John to alter the firewall to make it fit. The engine position required the use of a new steering rack—John utilized a Ford Mustang GT rack and pinion, coupled to steering knuckles of his own design. 

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Hello Grip

Steering knuckles weren't the only thing John designed and built—he drew up new control arms and a strut tower brace via CAD, stitch-welded the entire chassis tub, and designed a 10-point roll cage, and had it built by Art Morrison. The Conquest is suspended on D2 custom-valved coilovers attached to adjustable camber plates, and urethane bushings are used throughout. Front and rear Suspension Techniques sway bars help keep BFG G-Force Rival tires (275/35R18 front and 315/30R18 rear) mounted on 18-inch CCW Classic wheels planted. Currently, it's more Mustang parts hauling the Conquest down from speed—Mustang Cobra R 13-inch rotors with PBR calipers, though John is planning an upgrade to Wilwoods.

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Wide and Square

Though some Conquests (TSi models) actually shipped with 16-inch wheels back in the '80s, they weren't as wide as the 18s John is running. He made room for the extra width by—you guessed it—designing and building the body kit himself. The '70s-era FIA Group 5-look bodywork is a perfect stylistic match to the squared-off shape of the Conquest, so much so that we'd like to know if he's taking orders. Not all of the bodywork is John's handiwork, though. The hood is an LMS item, as are the aero canards, adjustable front splitter, rear diffuser, and rear wing uprights that secure the APR GT250 wing. John's design background shines through in the HID projector headlights that peek out from behind the altered Conquest pop-up doors, it's a smart solution that keeps the car's lines intact. 

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The Fab don't Stop

Rounding out the build is the equally-as-impressive interior. John cleaned up the environment with an eye toward light weight and simplicity, forming a new dash from carbon fiber and suede. You won't find any '80s-tech digital bar graphs here—unless they come up on the integrated Samsung tablet. Track essentials like Sparco Evo-L seats and Corbeau harnesses help keep John in place during hard cornering, and a custom short-throw shifter mated to the Tremec T56 6-speed gearbox keeps the gearchanges swift. A designer's work is never done so the Conquest is in a constant state of evolution, with John's bi-monthly track days always providing new data. We're glad his engine-blowing, four-cylinder days are behind him... now, where can we get a set of those flares?

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