How do you fit a 2.2 into a neon?

[TurboNeon568]

I am builind a 95 Neon 2 door coupe and I wanna go with a turbo motor but I have a few options to me and I want to know which one is the most recommended.

Option one:Get a T3 Lotus head motor and try to get that stuffed into it.

Option two: Get a 2.2 iron cb and get a conversion kit to put a 4v Neon head on it.

Option Three: Get an SRT-4 motor and start from there.

I am leaning towards the hybrid engine ust because I can start with a bare block and build it exactly how I want to but i don't know how much of a problem fitting it into a neon would be. I am aiming for 600+ hp and I know I can get it. I work at a dealership and have access to things like cradle jacks and a mig welder if it would help at all.


Please help me out. Thanks.

[tryingbe]

Go option three.

[ShelbyZD]

Yeah I was gonna say.. if your gonna go through all the trouble an SRT-4 engine would be the best choice... however I guess you can't beat 2.2/2.5s for cheap parts and easy repairs.

[Frank]

Option 4? Option 4 would be more money, but the best option. That is 2.0L. The car is light and torque can be hard to manage on FWD cars. I would go 2.0L.


Frank

[rbryant]

I would convert a plentiful 2.4 NA block into an almost SRT4 engine using the SRT4 parts from the dealer and swap that in! Overall getting the turbo and header won't be any more expense (time/money) than fitting the 2.2/2.5 in a Neon.

When Neil E did it with the TIII they did a lot of motor mount work from what I remember and also some cutting for clearence. The 2.4 turbo option is a much better choice these days or even a 2.0 turbo for that matter.

-Rich

[TurboNeon568]

I read about that on his website. He said something about the A/C compressor pully hitting the right side of the subframe. He also told me the same thing: to stay away from the 2.2 neon swap. But this 16v Hybrid thing has really gotten into my skull as the best option for custom building exactly what I want and that is why i hesitate to go with the 2.4 SRT style engine. I also could care less about A/C because it won't be anything more than a weekend warrior. My daily driver is 93 5th ave that I am restoring slowly. Mainly because i like to take it on road trips. But that isn't relavant to this conversation. Anyways, Neil's clearance issues were on the T3 Lotus head engine. The motor mount issues were the SOHC 2.2 allthough he did have some trouble mounting the overflow tank and getting the hood to clear. I like the SRT motor for the Shadow swap better anyways.


On another note, I just found the car I want to start with. I found a 96 2 door Neon for $1600 that is in good shape.


As far as this forum goes though (realizing that I accidentally posted this in Induction rather than Swaps), what intake would be recommended for the 16v Neon Hybrid engine?

[TurboNeon568]

You guys also didn't tell me if any of the things I can get through my job (cradle jack, MIG welder, etc.) would make it any easier. This info doesn't seem like much to you but whatever I can get ahold of to make it eiser helps. This is my 1st FWD project. I have done a couple RWD projects of my own but that is all I have experience with. My last project was a 1985 Chevrolet S10 Blazer w/ a 355 SBC and a heavily modified TH350 trans. Wasn't much done to the engine itself other than warmed over stock heads but it was fun for beating up on ricers.

[11secGLH]

IMO not only would it be waaay easier to get the 2.4 in there, the 2.4 is more capable of making 600HP and living. Not only that but it (the engine) all bolts together with no special work or parts. The cradle jack is a POS and I wouldn't bother with it.

[turbovanman²]

I am doing a SRT4 engine into a Neon and let me tell you, its far cheaper and easier to buy a complete SRT engine. If you have a 2.0L DOHC engine, NOTHING swaps over, its taken me over a month of working on it, ordering parts etc and its a ROYAL PITA. I am using the stock 1st Gen trans for now but he will upgrade later. Were going MicroTech standalone so that solves alot of issues.

I dropped the engine and trans out the bottom and it was a bit tough, the turbo hooked on the rack and due to the design, if the front cross member had been notched better, it would slide right out. I haven't reinstalled yet, hopefully in the next few days and wil let you know how much harder/easier it is.

[Racerstev]

I'd go the 2.4 DOHC route. I went with a pre 02 block and head so I
could use the factory crank trigger for the Mega Squirt, worked out great
so far..

I chose to go the cheap route and put in stock SRT pistons and rods, these
won't make it to 600 hp though, 450-500 is there limit I'm told. They have
held up fine at my currant 425.

Steve

[TurboNeon568]

I have been reading your suggestions and the suggestions of others including a contact I have with FWd in houston where I went to school ad they are all making it painfully clear that the 2.4 or 2.0 is the way to go.

With that said, now I need to start gathering knowledge about the 2.4 and what is available for it. parts availability is the BIGGEST reasong for deciding one of these 2 options (leaning towards the bigger 2.4). But I wanna know if there is a scat crank of this block because this is the brand I prefer and if not, what is THE best for this app. I want my bottom end to be nearly bullet-proof.

[contraption22]

Stock cranks hold up pretty well. I dont know of anybody offering an aftermarket crank. But if you need one, Crower will make you a billet steel crank for a few grand.

[Racerstev]

You can make over 1000 hp on the stock srt crank, so why bother with
anything else..

[TurboNeon568]

You can make over 1000 hp on the stock srt crank, so why bother with
anything else..

Is that so? That cuts some cost(yay). What about rods and pistons though?

The way I understand it, the 2.4 doesn't actually have main caps but a bedplate. How does that work? Is it similar to a windage tray?


What about bearings? Are they different because of the bedplate? What are the best?

[TurboNeon568]

Stock cranks hold up pretty well. I dont know of anybody offering an aftermarket crank. But if you need one, Crower will make you a billet steel crank for a few grand.

That screams ouch! If I was rich I would do it. I saw someone post that Turbo Mopar guys are cheap-assess (lol) I might get it nitrided just cuz. Probably not, though.

[Racerstev]

There's all kinds of pistons and rods out there. JE, and Weisco come to mind.

For rods there's Crowler, Eagle and GRP. I'm sure there's more if you look around. Foward Motion carries most of what you need.

[TurboNeon568]

What about the bedplate though? How does that work?

As for pistons. Does Venolia make pistons for it? Are they good pistons?

Rods: I am thinking of going with H-Beam rods beacause of strength.

[TurbododgePirate]

What about the bedplate though? How does that work?

As for pistons. Does Venolia make pistons for it? Are they good pistons?

Rods: I am thinking of going with H-Beam rods beacause of strength.

Not to be overly critical, as I see you don't have very many posts, but if you simply take the time and READ you'll find a lot of the information that you are looking for. I personally posted about different pistons, and the places you could buy them, and even the cost. http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7904

As for the bedplate, yes the 2.0 and 2.4 does not have individual main caps. It is one large piece of iron that houses all the caps. That is one of the reasons it is a stronger design than a conventional 2.2 or 2.5 with individual caps.

~~H

[TurboNeon568]

Not to be overly critical, as I see you don't have very many posts, but if you simply take the time and READ you'll find a lot of the information that you are looking for. I personally posted about different pistons, and the places you could buy them, and even the cost. http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7904

As for the bedplate, yes the 2.0 and 2.4 does not have individual main caps. It is one large piece of iron that houses all the caps. That is one of the reasons it is a stronger design than a conventional 2.2 or 2.5 with individual caps.

~~H

No problem. I am just impatient. I ask a lot of questions in person as well. its a habit.

[mario03SRT]

You can get plenty of uummphhh out of the 95 Neon just installing a stock SRT-4 turbo/mani on the 2.0 already in the car. Get some stock SRT injectors, walbro 255, returnline, map clamp, SRT I/C some piping, mbc, and run 13.0 flat on only 9 psi. The SRT turbo and mani's go for 250.00 on the average.

FYI,
Marion