ok, im new to the car scene. literally. i just bought my first car, a neon, and i bought it for the sole purpose of modification. the one question i have is basically, what, if any, engine swap options are there for the 1st gen neons? i need help on this baaad, cuz for 1, my engine is on its last leg.

 

you mite want to put this in the neon area you would get more replys
https://dodgeforum.com/forumid_3/tt.htm

 

Either of the 1st gen engines (2.0L SOHC and DOHC) swap in, obviously. The 2nd gen SOHC is the same block and head and will swap in. The Neon Magnum (same block, better head and cam) that came in the 2nd gen ACR's and R/T's swaps in faily easy. The 2.4L non-turbo that came in the Caravan, PT Cruiser, Stratus, etc. swaps in fairly easy. And there have been a few successful swaps with the SRT-4 engine, not quite as easy, but doable. Then there are the freaks out there swapping V-8's in - and if you have to ask, you won't be able to do it...

What do you mean by "modification?" Body kits and wings? straight line performance? or a great all around driver? Plans/budget for a turbo? These are the things you need to think about before deciding on an engine...

Best of luck!

 

oooh, thanks man. outta all of those, id probably go with the 2.4L pt engine. are there any turbo kits on the market for the 2.4? oh, and to the question aboutmy mods, basically all around performance. if the chance presents itself in the future, i want to go the way of a modest body kit and maybe a wing, but till then, performance mods are it. thanks again man.

 

The money you'd spend on body kits and whatnot could be put to much better use in my opinion, but it's your ride.

The 2.4L is a very nice platform for turbocharging, particularly if you upgrade the internals.

Normally I'd suggest to do the suspension components first, but if your current engine is on its way out... You can usually pick up a used engine from a salvage yard for $300-800 (try www.car-parts.com). Forged pistons and rods, plus new rings will run you another $1k, give or take. Getting a machine shop to bore the cylinders over, make sure the deck and head are level, and balance the assembly might run another $500 depending on how much work you are willing to do yourself as far as assembly/disassembly. If you don't get the engine from the PT Cruiser, you can at least upgrade the valvetrain components with those (don't recall pricing). To get the engine to fit under the hood, you'll need a special motor mount (try www.deyemeracing or search around on the www.neons.org Engine Swap forum - emphasis on SEARCH first...). There are minor modifications you'll need to do if you want to keep power steering and a/c. Add all that up, and I'll just about guarantee it's less than what the local shop will quote you for a rebuilt 2.0L...

Chill Factory and Hahn Racecraft both have bolt-on kits specifically for the 2.4L in a Neon. If you keep the stock internals, the best you can hope for is 235-250 HP before you start bending rods. With forged internals, 350+ HP is pretty common now. Kits run in the $3000-3500 range. You can put together your own parts for under $1500, but you really need to know what you're doing...

With that much power, you'll need to upgrade the clutch($500ish), get stronger axles ($500-1000ish, depending on which route you go), and preferably install a limited slip differential ($850-1200 plus installation). Which brings us back to suspension...

Best of luck!

 

wow, yet again, radarlove has quenched my thirst for knowledge. WOW. i worked on a 91 escort wag before this and managed to get it up to 240 by mostly internal mods ,a jerry rigged turbo and prayer, so im gonna stick with the same strategy, but with an actual turbo kit. that escort turbo hookup was nothing remotely recognizable and usually leaked once it got to full boost. great projest though... anyways, i think im going the road of 300+ (god willing). thanks for the info dude. it will be put to good use.

 

http://www.johnnyracecar.com

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The srt swap is doable.
Check the link in my sig for pics.
Later
Jake

 

(o_O) some how, i dont think ill be getting my hands anywhere near an srt-4 engine that fits into my $9,000 overall budget. freaking sweet though, but i cant do it. what i was wondering though, is how much internal work would i be looking at to get a DOHC to 225hp all engine? i know that porting the heads and boring out the throttle body would be required, and adding better camshafts, heads and rods, but thats as far as i've come. i know that its an absurd question, but i have absolutely NO history in cars. anyways, if anybodys got any info, feel free to contribute.

 

A 2.0L DOHC? And 225 flywheel HP? That would put it in the 195ish HP range to the wheels.

High compression pistons (10.5:1 if you want to run on pump gas), p/p head, PT valvetrain, 0022 cams, box intake mani, true CAI, long tube header, UDP, straight-through muffler (if any) - that should get you there with room to spare. You'd want some sort of timing retard control (like MSD DIS-2) or, even better, full fuel & spark control (like MegaSquirt), the PT clutch, and maybe stronger axles. With all the money you'd spend though, it would be cheaper to bolt on either the Hahn or Chill Factory turbo kits on the stock engine and make the same power.