Hey guys, total noob here. To this forum, to the G-body, in fact to any other vehicle other than a Jeep CJ or Wrangler, Im a noob. My TJ gets paid off in March, and I want to keep it but add something stylish with good performance that'll be easier on gas, more comfortable on the highway and a good all around ride. I thought of several import coupes, as well as the last generation of Mustang. I really want the new Challenger, but at $30-40K, thats gonna have to wait. Ive always liked the Daytona and Laser, especially the '84-86 models so that'd be a different approach than another late model car.

Im after general advice. Since starting my research, Ive learned enough to get myself into real trouble. What should I look for? What should I avoid? What other factors should I consider? What am I getting myself into?

What I will want out of the car is a great all-around ride. I want to hot rod it enough to maximize its potential, but not get so specialized that its no longer a reasonably practical and reliable car. Bolt on mods, better turbo, suspension tweaks, etc will be the level of building Im going for. Nitrous, rwd conversions, way-insane hybridized engines, etc wont be. Im not an auto mechanic, and only have basic tools at this time. I dont have a full fab shop at my disposal. But Im mechanically inclined and not afraid of getting my hands dirty.

Here's what I know I want--or at least Im pretty sure:

I really REALLY like the style--especially the front clip--of the '84-86 models. But can the front end pieces be easily swapped out?

manual tranny. No flexiblity on this at all, it MUST have 3 pedals in the floor.

Turbo engine. But preferably the level of performance of the later models. the 224 hp 2.2 turbo is the most powerful I know of. But can the earlier models be built to or beyond this easily? Should I just find a wrecked Spirit R/T? What G-body package had performance equal to or beyond this?

T-tops. Rare, I know. Potential pain in the ***, I know. But I do like them. Not a must have, but it would be nice.

bolt on performance mods: How easy is it to find speed parts? Headers? Cams? Turbo upgrades? Suspension parts?

What about some of the head swaps Ive heard about? Ive heard of heads from Neon and stratus engines swapped onto 2.2 engines...How hard is this? What are the gains? 2.2 vs 2.5? Which of those is better?

Anyone still reading this? I appreciate any and all help, I want to know all I can before I go shopping and plunk down my hard earned cash on one of these sweet rides!

 

The Neon cylinder head swap: http://home.comcast.net/~ozspeed/CylinderHead.htm
That swap puts a better designed head on the engine (it doesn't have the intake and exhaust on the same side).
The swap also opens up a lot of better upgrades than what is available to the 2.2/2.5L engines.

Rust can be a big issue depending on where you live, the firewall (near the strut towers), the floorpans (it usually starts around the parking brake cable), and the rear fenders. Rust requires the replacement of the old rusty metal with new metal, it is best to weld it in.

 

In other words, its a cross-flow head, making it an infinitely better piece. Cool. How direct of a swap is this? And wasnt there a twin cam engine available in the late '90's neon R/T? Wonder if that head would swap as easily.

I live in Portland, OR so finding a rust free car nearby shouldnt be much of an issue. I wouldnt touch anything from the rust belt anyway, so I have that much knowledge going into it.

I did go onto allpar.com, and did a little reading there. Tempting as a turbo III or IV sounds, theres enough evidence there, plus what you're telling me about the neon head swap, that I think the Turbo II is the best starting point. I dont want the headaches associated with those latter engines, and theyre a lot harder to find anyway.

So it seems that an '86 would be ideal for me. 5-lug bolt pattern, available Turbo II and the style I like...

 

Read the info in this link--> http://home.comcast.net/~ozspeed/CylinderHead.htm it walks you through the swap, and yes it is the DOHC head. The SOHC neon head would also work, but it would provide less power.

 

That looks simple enough, not too bad at all. Makes sense if youre going to go with a head swap, to go ***** out and get the DOHC version...

Wonder what about swapping out the front fascias? Like if I found a good deal on an '87 or newer, would it be pretty straightforward to swap in the front clip from the earlier cars? Im REALLY stuck on the look of those.

Ive heard a few things about a 'blow-thru' conversion to the turbo...What does that mean, how hard is it to do and what are the benefits?

 

Find a 85 or 86 they have 5 bolt wheels. 84 was a one year for computer and 4 lug wheels. Wire it for 87 electronics and convert to a turbo 2 motor intercool it and go blow some doors off of mustangs and camaros !