Midnight_Rider's progress log

Do you have a project going or will you be starting a project here very soon and just want to keep a log of everything you and when? Share with everyone every step of the way what sort of progress you are making on your project.
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Jean-Seb
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Post by Jean-Seb » Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:00 pm

Sooo... I'm assuming your old frame is in better shape than most of ours ? :rofl:

This is gonna be nice. :thumbup:

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Post by occasional demons » Mon Dec 29, 2014 7:40 pm

There should be an etched number also on the part. There may be a date there also.

IIRC, it is on the top side.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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Post by Midnight_Rider » Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:12 am

thomas_w wrote:Does the sticker mean they are actually still making these and not just selling off remaining stock?
I don't know. I was assuming that Mopar was just selling off any remaining ones (there are 6 left from what I was told) but, after seeing the date on the sticker, it made me wonder.
Jean-Seb wrote:Sooo... I'm assuming your old frame is in better shape than most of ours ?
It is rusty from the car being a DD for several years. Techs have looked at it several times over the years while underneath the car and told me that it isn't too bad but I wanted to have a new K-frame waiting if and when the time comes. Here is a pic to show kind of the shape it's in (pic is a few years old though):

Image
occasional demons wrote:There should be an etched number also on the part. There may be a date there also.

IIRC, it is on the top side.
"08 10 05" is stamped on it- is this what you mean?
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Post by occasional demons » Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:37 am

August 10, 2005 is probably the actual manufactured date.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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Post by thomas_w » Tue Dec 30, 2014 4:51 pm

Midnight_Rider wrote: It is rusty from the car being a DD for several years. Techs have looked at it several times over the years while underneath the car and told me that it isn't too bad but I wanted to have a new K-frame waiting if and when the time comes. Here is a pic to show kind of the shape it's in (pic is a few years old though):
It does not look too bad judging from the picture. My tie rods and control arms had zero paint left and were much more rusty (you can see those in some of the pictures in my project log). You could get some extra life out of the k-frame by taking the rust off with a wire brush and repainting it while on the car. I use Rustoleum underbody paint for the most part, which is black just like the k-frame. It sticks very well and I have very little rust on the k-frame so far despite seeing road salt for the last 9 years. But then again it won't look as perfect as a brand new powder coated k-frame :)

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Post by Midnight_Rider » Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:39 pm

^^I had meant to wire brush and repaint at one of chipdogg's meets a few years ago but never got around to it that day. My OEM is probably okay and will last for a while but I wanted to get a new K-frame to store for if and when the time comes for a replacement. Thanks for your positive comment about how mine appears but the condition of yours is much more impressive considering your car's age. :thumbup:
occasional demons wrote:August 10, 2005 is probably the actual manufactured date.
Yes, this would make more sense. Maybe the 2014 date on the sticker is from a recent inventory that Mopar did? I'm guessing here...
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Post by occasional demons » Wed Dec 31, 2014 9:55 am

Midnight_Rider wrote: the condition of yours is much more impressive considering your car's age. :thumbup:
1gn's don't rot like the 2gn's do. Mine is still nearly immaculate on my '99. The one on our '96 is till in decent shape, probably better than the rest of the car... The cast iron knuckles are literally disintegrating, while the crossmember is barely rusted.

I guess Daimler decided that just wouldn't do.

Maybe Fiat thought of recalling the neon's crossmember like the Calibers, but then looked at available inventory, and went, =; Meh.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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Post by Midnight_Rider » Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:02 pm

occasional demons wrote:I guess Daimler decided that just wouldn't do.
That's too sad for me to laugh at since it is probably true. :roll:
occasional demons wrote:Maybe Fiat thought of recalling the neon's crossmember like the Calibers, but then looked at available inventory, and went, =; Meh.
Nah. I give Fiat a lot more credit than DCX and would bet that it (Fiat) would have done that if there had been enough of an outcry over the years from us 2GN'ers. I mean, I didn't know about K-frame rot until I started reading about it on this forum- I imagine that those who treat our cars as disposables would be even more clueless than I was. :lol:
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Post by occasional demons » Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:40 pm

The cost would be much higher, if there wasn't enough parts in inventory to cover it. They would need to re tool and take away from current production. And that's if the tooling even exists. I don't see it ever happening under a voluntary recall.

As it is, the Caliber replacement is up to the dealer's discretion. They only replaced the front in Mom's, but the rear isn't far behind what the front was. Now if the rear fails, it will come out of my parent's pocket, not FCA US LLC's.

(Recall was for both front and rear)
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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Jean-Seb
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Post by Jean-Seb » Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:31 pm

Midnight_Rider wrote:It is rusty from the car being a DD for several years. Techs have looked at it several times over the years while underneath the car and told me that it isn't too bad but I wanted to have a new K-frame waiting if and when the time comes. Here is a pic to show kind of the shape it's in (pic is a few years old though):
I see now with that picture. And that's a good thing, you won't have to labor for days to try and restore your current k-frame.

:D

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Post by MyNeonSaysHi » Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:30 pm

Since you have a shop do the work, I would be curious what how your steering rack is doing. I had issues with mine. Might be a good idea to replace that too. New k frame looks great BTW!

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Post by Midnight_Rider » Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:59 pm

MyNeonSaysHi wrote:...I would be curious what how your steering rack is doing. I had issues with mine. Might be a good idea to replace that too.
Oh noes, I have been down to selling existing parts to pay for new ones and now the steering rack? :banghead: You're right though. I already had stdlystdmufn look into it a few years back and the cost then was astronomical.
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Post by INVUJerry » Thu Jan 01, 2015 11:24 am

There was a guy on .org that restored his k-frame. Just the bottom rots out. He replaced it with stronger, thicker metal and powdercoated it. I'll probably do the same.

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Post by Midnight_Rider » Thu Jan 01, 2015 2:28 pm

Please keep me informed about how his powdercoating turns out- I'm looking for pointers.
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Post by Midnight_Rider » Sun Jan 18, 2015 11:00 pm

Okay, I now have a pair of used rear knuckles, ready to be sandblasted and then powdercoated. I'm going to get estimates this week for these, my OEM battery tray and the K-frame. Now to get the necessary cash.

I have everything else from these rear brake assemblies if anyone needs the parts.
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:54 pm

Drove the car to the body shop yesterday, the first time that it has been out of the garage since mid-October. Terrible weather conditions- first wet (and probably salty) roads it had been on since January 2015. :x
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Sun Apr 08, 2018 11:02 pm

Back from the body shop today. Waiting for the weather to clear up to do the first bath since early October. Had an idiot try to run me off the road on US 40 west of Brazil during the drive home. I'd like to know why people play games (pass illegally, merge in front, slow down and then weave back and forth in the lanes so that you can't pass them). :roll:
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Mon Jul 16, 2018 11:43 pm

Went to the new dealership on Saturday to have the Stage kit wiring harness loom moved to the correct position (the tech at the old dealership had routed it incorrectly, contrary to documentation I had provided at installation time- DCX's instructions and 8 1/2 X 11 color photos that I had printed from an srtforums writeup). I then did some cleanup work under the cowl next to the loom (did a better job of painting than Belvidere did during assembly) and installed new wiper arms, new nuts for the wiper arms, new wiper arm caps and new Torx screws around the cowl. Finally, I installed a new left side hood to fender seal now that the harness is in the correct place (i.e. not crushing the seal).

Driver's seat vinyl repair and rebuilding of seat bottom foam is scheduled for this Friday. Unfortunately, part 1AA681DVAA (OEM foam) is no longer available.
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by thomas_w » Fri Jul 20, 2018 7:32 pm

The SRT is getting lots of love!
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Sat Jul 21, 2018 12:26 am

Yes, the car is so spoiled. LOL
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by jonnymopar » Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:46 pm

Just to throw it out there, I will be getting rid of my Neon this year. Currently installed is an extremely-good-condition PT Cruiser leather shift boot, which is beautifully color matched with the Neon interior. I would really love to see this end up in your car, David. I know you're leary about performing modifications yourself, but I've told you before and I'll once again assure you that it takes nothing but your bare hands to remove the shift knob, unclip and remove the existing boot, slip on the new boot, and reinstall the shift knob.

If you want it, it's yours. I don't even need your existing one in return since I still have my stock rubber boot to go back on.
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Thu Aug 30, 2018 11:50 pm

I just discovered a snipped-off wire that is attached to the driver's side hood hinge. Any idea as to what it is for? A ground wire, I'm assuming. If it is a ground wire, what should it be attached to? I have no idea how this wire was cut and didn't see it when I had parts under the hood repainted last year or when I had the Stage 2 wiring harness moved a few weeks ago.
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by occasional demons » Fri Aug 31, 2018 7:11 am

Probably a left over from evolution, as neons once had a light attached to the hood. Now those ground wires are just hanging around like a useless appendix.

Honestly, I would have to look on my 2000 shell for any clues. I can't recall if my original hinges on my '01 had a wire ground or not.

Other than a light, I don't see a real need. I have never noticed arcing from static build up from air and snow passing over the hood. And if I did, I would floor it until I hit 88 MPH. :D
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Fri Aug 31, 2018 9:43 am

I would appreciate your checking your 2000 to see if it has a similar wire. As much as I have always wanted an underhood light, if this is indeed a ground wire, I would want to redo it to make it like OEM.
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Wed Sep 05, 2018 3:03 am

So- any ideas?
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by MyNeonSaysHi » Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:37 am

The wire is only 3 inches long. I checked mine out since I was interested. It stays on the hinge. Its on both hinges. They eliminate radio frequency interfence (RFI)

From the moderator "stowaway" on srtforums: "to keep the electrical system clean considering we have extra sensors and solenoids and we have make everything read properly. Having the proper ground wires is very important to the overall electrical system health."

Not sure if having one not connected will really hurt anything honestly.

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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:54 am

Thanks for responding. Is your wire actually attached to something or is it a "pigtail" like mine is? I hadn't noticed a twin on the passenger side hinge but, then again, I've owned the car for 12 years and just now noticed the driver's side one!
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by MyNeonSaysHi » Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:59 pm

Sorry for the late reply. Yes the passenger and drivers side look the exact same. It looks like it is riveted in. But as the wire goes, yeah it looks like a piggy's tail. If you are still curious I can take a picture and post it on here what mine looks like.

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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:23 pm

Nah, pics aren't necessary now that I know what it's for and what it should look like. I just had a little panic attack, that's all. LOL
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Re: Midnight_Rider's progress log

Post by Midnight_Rider » Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:07 am

Another trip to the dealership scheduled for October. I noticed my brakes squealing this past Saturday (rare drive day for the car, hot enough for both front windows to be down, hence hearing the noise).I'm puzzled since I got all new brakes at the Missouri dealership three years ago and then had the calipers rebuilt two years ago at a local dealership. The OEM brakes had over 80K miles on them- the new ones have less than 5K so there should not be any problems yet. Yes, all Mopar parts were used.
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