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Thread: The Neon thread!

  1. #21
    turbo addict
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Here's the thread to my neon when the previous owner had it. At it's best it ran a 14.1@104 with a weak 60 foot. Any agressive launch would break axles every time.

    http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...o-neon-project

    Not meaning to sound like a d1ck, but the oil feed from the head is still just fine 5 years later just in case anyone else was thinking of doing it.

    And the megasquirt thread, which had become a fuel economy thread. Currently running a max boost of 7 psi from the stock srt-4 turbo.

    http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...ts.&highlight=

    The 41 mpg was only possible with an ALL hyway run and very delicate throttle control and concience efforts to help fuel economy. Normally, mixed city and hyway it gets around 32 this winter. Not bad for a car rated at 25 city, 35 hyway, 29 combined.

  2. #22
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    If the car was consistently breaking axles there's something wrong with it. Turbo/5spd cars dont launch much differently than na/5spd cars so if it were the axles' fault a stock neon would break axles every time too.

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  3. #23
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Upgraded clutch to handle the increased torque of about 260 foot pounds at the flywheel available at 3000 rpms, slicks and a sticky track and stock axles are pretty weak. Once you don't shock the driveline with a hard launch, it held together fine.

  4. #24
    Super Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff contraption22's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    My brother's nitroused SOHC broke axles every time he tried to launch it hard on slicks. They are notoriously weak.
    Mike Marra
    1986 Plymouth Horizon GLMF "The Contraption" < entertaining sponsorship offers
    Project Log:
    http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?69708-The-Contraption-2013-14&highlight=

  5. #25
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Ive heard pre-loading with the ebrake is KEY to keep the axles alive, along with good motor mounts. Supposedly slicks are easier on the axles because they wont wheelhop like a street tire. Although you guys have made me very nervous about putting slicks on my coupe to take it to the track. I dont want to break a axle on my daily driver.

    I forgot I had a picture of this car. It was my first neon (Im on my 5th) and it was a lot of fun. I bought it when the turbine shaft broke on my shadow and I needed something to drive while I rebuilt it again, and the season wasn't over so I wanted something to race. Its a 95 sport sedan SOHC I paid 500 bucks for it, but it had a miss above 4k and the ABS activated all the time. I figured even if I had to put a motor in it or 2.4 swap it $500 wasn't bad as when I bought this a decent neon cost over 2k. I limped it home and got to work. It had some goofy coated spark plugs in it that had started flaking and that was causing the miss. A set of $5 stock champions fixed that! The ABS was even easier, I just pulled the fuse! So now I had a SOHC sedan that ran good and I had less $505 bucks in! Naturally I took it to the strip the next test and tune, with the only mod being a 3.0 intake. It ran a 16.1 I was surprised. A Completely different feeling racing this compared to my shadow that trapped 100mph and severe traction problems. The guy I bought it from couldn't believe I had it at the track as I had only bought it a week or so before and he thought it needed a motor. The next step was to gut the cat (car had 167k on it, I thought it might be clogged) and installed a small burned out "fart cannon" I painted black so it didnt stand out. It was loud, but got faster! The next time I took it to the track it was wearing the drag radials that are normally on my shadow. I ran a 15.8 on a BOG! Sadly, the track got rained out and I never got another pass but I know it had at least a 15.6 in it if not lower. Not bad for a almost stock SOHC that I had very little cash in. After that I bought a NX wet kit with the plan on spraying a 75 shot on it. Then a local kid who had a 89 CSX put it in a ditch and I ended up trading him the neon for the CSX and the neon went down the road. I was looking for another neon withing a couple months....

    Burnouts are FUN!

  6. #26
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    I will tell you this to help support my claims and contraptions findings too. The first time that neon broke an axle was on a "neon day" event at the local track and there were a few racers who brought spare axles to sell me to help get us home. I wasn't the only one who broke an axle and needed a new one that day.

  7. #27
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    That sedan looks just like my first 95 other than the lack of fog lights...

    Ive heard pre-loading with the ebrake is KEY to keep the axles alive, along with good motor mounts. Supposedly slicks are easier on the axles because they wont wheelhop like a street tire. Although you guys have made me very nervous about putting slicks on my coupe to take it to the track. I dont want to break a axle on my daily driver.
    Taking the slack out of the drivetrain is the key. There is a way to drive that will not kill axles, if one cares to ask around before giving up. Firm motor mounts are a good thing, and pre-loading the drivetrain with the E-brake is a possibility that definitely would do the job, but in most cases i think people could avoid breaking axles just by altering the way they're doing the clutch take-up. Shocking the drivetrain is definitely the enemy.

    Now, if people with Auto neons are breaking the axles with ~200hp, that's something else. But something tells me they dont..

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  8. #28
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    This car has even broke an axle on the shift to second. Pretty tough to avoid a shock load there with a stick shift. The stock axles just can't take the increased torque input and loads associated in drag racing on a good track.

  9. #29
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Well, i guess i can look forward to snapping axles in my 150hp neon at the track then, because a turbo car doesnt make any more power letting the clutch out during a shift than a stock neon does (unless you are flatshifing/powershifting in which case you are inherently making it harder on the axles).

    Also, imo axles that break AFTER leaving the line were usually damaged coming off the line. Where are these axles failing? That might tell me something.

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  10. #30
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Only look forward to breaking axles if you're really trying to get the best possible ET, otherwise, you'll be fine.

  11. #31
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Id be really curious to know what motor mounts the guys breaking axles were using, AND how far their cars were lowered. Both of those have effects on the axles, just as much as the tires and power. I know lowering a neon really screws with the angle of the axles and for some reason most neon guys think their frame rails need to drag the ground.

  12. #32
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Yeah it's really a shame that 1g neons look so good and function so bad when lowered. It's kind of funny, but because of the design this is one of my only cars that i WONT drastically lower. You basically need a custom coilover setup to have the suspension retain any kind of functionality once you've lowered it very much.

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  13. #33
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    I got solid mount inserts all 3 mounts and it's not lowered at all.

  14. #34
    Supporting Member Turbo Mopar Contributor j4278h's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Couple pics of a pair of 01 neon r/t's that I owned a few years ago. Some stupid reason I like that body setup better than the srt.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  15. #35
    Garrett booster
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Here is a pic of my 98 neon r/t back in the day. Still have the car, just not quite as good lookin any more.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  16. #36
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Quote Originally Posted by j4278h View Post
    Couple pics of a pair of 01 neon r/t's that I owned a few years ago. Some stupid reason I like that body setup better than the srt.
    I think that style bumper and grill are the best looking for 2nd gens. I actually like it better than the srt setup.

  17. #37
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Quote Originally Posted by ShadowFromHell View Post
    Id be really curious to know what motor mounts the guys breaking axles were using, AND how far their cars were lowered. Both of those have effects on the axles, just as much as the tires and power. I know lowering a neon really screws with the angle of the axles and for some reason most neon guys think their frame rails need to drag the ground.
    The stock axles are very weak it doesnt matter which mounts you use or if its lowered or not.Some guys go the low budget route and use shadow or Pt axles(should be a thread on it on neons.org) which are a bit stronger.I never broke a axle in my first 98 R/T and god only knows how many passes I made in that car slicks,dragradials and streets.While I lent to the car to Don Howard at the mopar nats in 01 or 02 he broke 3 axles in it.It all depends on how hard you launch,wheel hop and how sticky the track is.By the time I got my 97 ACR I had purchased one of the first sets of DSS stage 3's(tubular axles)I ran them in 3 different cars and never had a problem,though the long one was slightly bent.I was going to upgrade to a set of stage 5 DSS as we had 2 sets lying around Hahn but the oil pump broke before that happened.In the first 98 rt I had I used stock side mounts,AFX FMM and Bobble.in the 97 ACr and turbo R/T Deyemme filled sides and AFX FMM and bobble.If you can find a set of deyemme filled sides grab them,the inserts work but not as good as the filled.I dont think Deyemme is around anymore.Best advice if you take it to the track bring spare axles a 32mm socket,a 15mm and 18mm and a big pry bar.

    ---------- Post added at 08:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:11 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Vigo View Post
    That sedan looks just like my first 95 other than the lack of fog lights...



    Taking the slack out of the drivetrain is the key. There is a way to drive that will not kill axles, if one cares to ask around before giving up. Firm motor mounts are a good thing, and pre-loading the drivetrain with the E-brake is a possibility that definitely would do the job, but in most cases i think people could avoid breaking axles just by altering the way they're doing the clutch take-up. Shocking the drivetrain is definitely the enemy.

    Now, if people with Auto neons are breaking the axles with ~200hp, that's something else. But something tells me they dont..
    While preloading with the ebrake would work its really difficult to get down.I use to hold the car in the beams with the clutch and probally why I never broke any.The autos not breaking them,thank the tq convertor for that.

  18. #38
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    I use to hold the car in the beams with the clutch and probally why I never broke any.
    Youre probably right about that. Come to think of it, if every track was just slightly uphill and everyone had to do that, id bet no low-power neons would ever break axles on the line..

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  19. #39
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Quote Originally Posted by Vigo View Post
    Youre probably right about that. Come to think of it, if every track was just slightly uphill and everyone had to do that, id bet no low-power neons would ever break axles on the line..
    I did it even with my turbo one on tracks that where slightly up hill and downhill.Not hard to do with practice.It probally came from growing up in Pittsburgh and learning to drive stick here.

  20. #40
    Bad Mother Flecker Turbo Mopar Staff fleckster's Avatar
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    Re: The Neon thread!

    Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but,

    I'm dying for this winter weather to end and get back to working on my car projects and right now I'm itching to work on my Neon!
    Some of you may remember my Neon if you were at SDAC-23:
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    and if you weren't, here's another shot of it:
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    It has finally after all this time, developed the "2.0L Headgasket Leak" and is losing oil down the back of the block. As was suggested, since I have to have the head off anyway to replace the gasket for the MLS one, I might as well upgrade the head while I'm at it. So I currently have on the bench:
    Click image for larger version. 

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    This is a ported and milled .030" head I had redone with new valves and everything else by Steve Menegon. I'm hoping for some nice extra power here to go with the current Iceman, Auto throttle body, AFx UDP, and Mopar ECM. I also have a set of Crane 12 Cams to be installed with the head.

    All this cold weather has given me plenty of daydreaming time and with the Indy Cylinder Head swap meet this weekend, I have decided to check into a deal on a new (or used) Indy intake manifold and a TTi Mid-length header. This will require me to modify the exhaust system since it is 2.5" outlet and will require cutting the downpipe. From what I've seen and heard, the Thermal R&D Muffler looks like the way to go. It has the look that still resembles the stock exhaust tips a bit with there being dual tips and they look sharp. The sound seems quiet (very important) but throaty and hopefully not to droaning on the highway at speed. The problem is that Modern Performance website shows that it might be out of stock and possibly discontinued (?) and I would still have to get the rest of the exhaust system. It looks like pretty much everyone has quit making cat back systems for 1st Gen Neons. You think it might be possible to get a mandral tube system minus the muffler from either TTi or Cindy at FWD Performance without their Dynomax mufflers? I realize that it would probably take some minor trimming to fit to the Thermal muffler.

    After I figure this stuff out, the future plans would be:
    - A 60mm (Jeep?) throttle body onto the matched Indy intake
    - a custom programmed ECU to better match these parts
    - maybe larger Cams than the Crane 12s?

    I would absolutely love to get around 200hp at the wheels eventually and have my N/A Neon running in the 14s.

    What do you guys think?

    John M. Fleck

    '83 Dodge Rampage 2.2 w/ 2.5L Turbo 14.79@94
    '87 Shelby Lancer #213 14.99@94
    '89 Chrysler LeBaron GT Turbo 'vert 15.88@92
    '92 Dodge Spirit R/T 13.50@104 ; 13.34@102 on slicks
    '98 Dodge Neon R/T 15.66@89
    '03 Dodge SRT-4 13.91@98

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