Hi im new here and a new neon enthusiast and was wondering what some of the veteran builders/racers out there think of my build for my 1998 DOHC neon.

Im looking for something to race around the tight country roads around eastern Tennessee. I plan on running Deal's Gap (the dragons tail). For those of you who don't know Deal's Gap it has 318 curves in 11 miles and is some of the tightest roads in the US (no gaurdrails). Therefore my car is going to have to handle extremely well. Power wise im looking for around 275-300 HP. Now here is problem 1, (along with most other people too im sure!!).......money, im looking to do have a finished product for around 6 grand or cheaper if possible. Im just not sure if what i want is possible for that amount. Here is problem 2, my car needs to be a daily driver.

Sooo here is my build breakdown for the cash i have.

Suspension(including wheels and tires)-50% of my money
Engine work-40%
MISC-10%(or more)

In the suspension department- Im looking to get coil overs front and rear, lower my ride around 1 inch in the front 2 in the rear inches a decent set of light weight rims, front and rear sway bars, camber plates strut tower supports.

In the engine department im looking for a decent turbo/intercooler set up, full exhaust (including header), double plate clutch, possibly a set of cams, cold air intake, hi performance computer, possibly a 2.4 liter conversion, hi performance plugs and wires, and a short throw shifter.

in the misc. department i would get a engine bobble strut, new motor mounts, i need a new shift cable, a body kit, racing seats, small cosmetic stuff, and anything that might help lighten out my ride a little bit.

Well please post some things on my build ideas or anything that i may have left out or might not need. The reason behind my build is a few things #1 "O it isnt a Honda Civic it must be slow" thats what everyone in eastern TN believes. #2 is "HAHAHAHA its a neon thats not even a decent sports car"..... I hate ignorent people!! lol well my hands hurt from typing im done for now.

-Eddie

 

Also any "Do it yourself" or home fabrications would also be great

 

i was also thinking about keeping my engine naturaly aspirated? what kind of horsepower could i expect out of a fully built street motor with good reliability.

 

To get anywhere near 300 hp with engine mods, im guessing your gonna need a Stage 3 turbo kit. Casper, one of the moderators on here highly recomends chill factory so theres a good place to start. HKS is a good brand too. As for short throw shifter I wouldnt do it. All 1st gen. Neon drives know how the seats set, so imagine trying to do it with a short shifter. I know some people that do it that are happy with it and for them it works, not for me though. About exhaust though. PLEASEEE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, NO FART CANS. DONT BE LIKE CIVIC DRIVERS . Show us some pics of the baby before and after man. Im in the middle of tuning my car too.

 

hmmm you mean i should take off the little cherry bomb muffler i just put on..... lol just kiddin man but i just removed my muffler from where i crashed and it was really hard because of some damage im getting my new windshield wensday and my body kit some time next week. the rims and tires are coming next month and the struts and rest of the suspension work will follow sometime in early january. i plann to start all my motor work in early spring. As for the pictures well i still need to take some lol sorry im lazy lol well im going parts shopping in the morning so i got to get some sleep. FYI i need the windshield b/c of my wreck last week (just to clear up any confusion)

 

hook us up with some pics of the new body kid man. Sounds great. Pick out some nice stuff

 

Sounds like a good general plan. You are not going to get what you want for $6000 though. Unless you build your own turbo kit, which is very possible with some knowledge, the kit alone is gonna run you from $3200 - $3700. If you are looking for a dependable 300+ hp you are going to need to build the top and bottom of the motor ( cams, forged crank and rods, pistons). Thats another $1000 - $1500. I would plan more on about $8000 - $10,000 to do it right.

 

yah i know i need like ten grand but my budget is limited sooo im not quite sure on how im going to do it yet but i will fabricate my own turbo kit (i have a few ideas in mind) when i do some more research on these ideas i will add my info to this post. I talked to a ladie at morganms performance today and she said that i could possibly have a subaru turbo and top mount intercooler if i had a hood fabricated......my brother is a profesional bodyman i dont think the hood will be a problem. if i actually consider this idea i will post with more info. thats all for know

-eddie

 

I have two turbos a super 16g and a 16g, both are mitsu turbos which will be good to put in your car it cost me 0 dollars... find a wrecked eclipse lazer or talon or stealth or whatever....downpipes can pe custom made for your turbo application very cheap. Go find a person who custom fabs turbo manifolds, usually you can get em for 200 dollars....Find a car w/ FMIC outta a junkyard Saab or Srt-4 you can get a used one for under a Hundo...you can pay someone to do the intercooler piping or use heat hoses but it can collapse on itself w/ hoses...so you can spend the majority of your money on the engine work....fuel rail, injectors, walbro fuel pump, Fuel pressure regulator, Bottom end kit, top end kit, and then when you are done you will have a fairly quick car for about 3000-4000 dollars and when you are ready to get a chill factory or hahn turbo kit (manifold included) you can bolt it on for a real thrill car!!!

But im pullin turbos left and right lately for little or no cost...and coming up w/ some friends buyin em and turbocharging their cars w/ em....my friend will have his done by spring cuz he is buyin the mods necessary for his vdub...

I will have mine done by spring...b/c I am saving for my engine build-up.....

 

www.phantomhp.com has a complete coilover setup for the 1st gens for under $1k. That's height adjustment, jounce/rebound adjustment (single ****), and camber adjustment (camber plates up front included). You aren't going to find a better deal on a suspension to meet your needs competitively. As a daily driver though, the ride will be harsh. There's simply no getting around that.

You can do a fairly decent DIY turbo setup for well under $2k, which would include the fuel pump, turbo, manifold, intercooler, injectors, fpr, fuel line return setup, MAP gizmo, and all the associated piping and fittings and gauges. There's no such thing as a header and a turbo, there just isn't room... You can get 225-235 ft-lbs torque out of the stock pistons and rods properly tuned. Naturally aspirated DOHC's are plenty capable of 200 HP at the wheels, but it'll run at least double what a turbo setup would cost... Add an aftermarket cat and larger piping (2.5" is usually plenty) and a straight-through muffler for another $400 or so.

A decent set of wheels and tires is going to easily run you another $600. 15" Kosei K1's and a good set of sticky summer tires would be the best way to go and not break the budget. The Eibach front bar and Mopar rear bar make for a very nice combo, around $450 for both.

Megasquirt is by far the best for the money standalone engine management out there. $450 for a pre-built kit from www.rs-autosport.com, or build it yourself for less.

Best of luck!