2GN.ORG

Since i want to buy myself a R/T neon i want to know what the best basic mods are for the car from people who actually know what they are talking about before i waste my cash.

Firstly: What cams should i get? Will crane 14's be okay in a daily driver aswell as giving good power? I have a piggyback chip if that will be needed and will it give a bit of a choppy idle? Any other suggestions? Assuming i will need to buy the crane valve springs they have on MP aswell.

Adjustable cam gear? Recommended? And are they universal or car specific? Since im all the way in S.A i want to have to import as little shit as possible, only what is hundred % necessary.

And a light weight under drive pulley, read that it is a good mod to install, also, is it also car specific or universal?

Please feel free to recommend mods, remember this will be for a R/T Neon..

Thanx gents, helping a rookie out

If you go with a bigger cam you'll want an adjustable cam gear, it's car/engine specific.

I don't have one, but from what I've read and people have said a UDP would be nice, also car/engine specific.

Shipping will SUCK BALLZZ, I can't imagine there being many aftermarket parts for a Neon in SA too.

Other basic mods:
- cold air intake
- exhaust/header, but the stock RT ones are already pretty nice
- box intake manifold w/ bigger throttle body


I suggest you search around the forum and look through soem project logs to see what other people have done.

If its a 2gn rt its cam, not cams lol. But I was looking into crane 14, u need a fuel controller to pull fuel at idle, safc ll will work. But crane 14 is designed for high rpms, so if u have stock pcm, might not b worth it, comp 400 would b better.

Long tube header is a good mod, bigger throttle body, cold air intake, 2.5 inch exhaust, udp and a overdrive pulley so u dont get a low battery light

Short throw shifter and boogers is nice to have too

WHAT Model YEAR is the Neon in question ??
Keep in mind that the 2002 model year, has a problem with UDP's triggering a CEL (Check Engine Light).

This doesn't affect any other model year, only the 2002's.


- Nick

I'm going to assume 2004 since that's what's listed in his garage.

Lol, no need to correct my grammar, i know it is only one cam, haha.. The neon i currently have is 2004, but i want to get rid of that and get a magnum, the car im looking at is a 2001 Neon R/T, good choice? I have a piggyback chip that im going to put in for fuel control, i hear bout the comp 400, but i dont know which one to take, some say crane 14's with the crane valve springs and others say the comp's, i just want the car to get a good hp boost. With either cam, adj cam gear and UDP, how much gain am i looking at with the chip and the dyno tune?

http://capetown-westerncape.gumtree.co. ... Z417209204

There is the link to the neon im looking at

Piggyback chip?

Just a chip you connect to the ECU so that you can manipulate the manage the fuel usage at different revs and stuff like that, lol.

And what is a long tube header now actually? And how is it different from the standard one?

Long tube header deletes the cat and down pipe, allows better flow at high rpms

http://www.modernperformance.com/produc ... st_headers

I removed the cat on my current neon, just put in a free-flowing exhaust with standard headers, lol, im just 19 so cash is scarce, haha , think about 2.5inch pipes, but wanna get rid of the car and get a R/T, and start from scratch.

you say crane 14's are for high RPM's, what is their range? And the comp 4OO's? And how much the comps cost? And do i need new springs with them too?

I don't know what you're trying to gain, but there's only so much hp to get with bolt ons. You can make the car a little more fun and responsive, but don't expect it to be fast.

an 01 RT would be a good "trade"

a couple goodies, with a 3.94 tranny, and a little higher compression. Plus then you don't have to deal with "NGC" from the 03-05 Neons

epatchett82 wrote:Even though the crane 14 is made for 7500 rpm (i think), with the use of a cam gear, you can bring the powerband down closer to the rev limits of the stock pcm.

03blackrt wrote:by tuning the cam timing you can bring the power band down, but you will also down-tune the performance of the camshaft and therefor not get max performance.


also, the comp 400 will outperform the crane 14. the comp cam is tuned for optimum intake and exhaust duration and lift for the stock magnum motor

Not sure exactly what the rpm ranges are but the comp 400 is designed for the magnum engine and stock computer.no need for new springs with the comp 400 either

So comp 14 is the way to go? But getting the bigger valve springs is not a bad thing too, if i have the cash should i take it? And how do i increase my compression? I assume the higher performance cams will like that

U can shave the head or get higher compression pistons

For now the pistons is a bit out of my budget, so yea. How much horsepower is a SOHC magnum capable of if you do the full monty, cams, springs, pistons etc etc?

They say the crane 14's are for high revs but im the power band probably starts about 2000revs? That sound correct?

RickTheRacer wrote:How much horsepower is a SOHC magnum capable of if you do the full monty, cams, springs, pistons etc etc?

There's a member on here that's local to me who had an NA magnum, if I remember correctly it was at 170whp

It had:
- FULLY built mag head, w/ a crane 007
- stock magnum bottom end
- long tube header
- cai
- running megasquirt

That's about as high as you'll see, and even then it's way too much money for such little power. He (or the previous owner before him) could have picked up an SRT for the money that was put into it.

If you want some power, I suggest you save up for boost. Otherwise, you can add some bolt ons and just have some fun. Maybe focus on the handling; coilovers, sways, bushings.

Seriously buy a SRT? Shits expensive, lol.. I just want a good bit of extra power, bit of a sport feel and then make her look good with some nice black rims and some coilies

RickTheRacer wrote:Seriously buy a SRT? Shits expensive, lol.. I just want a good bit of extra power, bit of a sport feel and then make her look good with some nice black rims and some coilies

I just didnt want you to think you can make an na 2nd gen neon "fast"

My rt is pretty much stock, but dumped on coilovers, it's pretty fun to just drive around, and picks up nicely at 5k+

boost doesn't mean buying an srt..

Yea i know, just want a bit more power for now, just a lil' more kick, coz that bitch be slow at the moment, lol.. Your car looks great bro, did it come stock with those headlights with the nice tint or you do that yourself?

In my opinion...if your looking for a good daily driver with better gas mileage than an srt, cam+gear, udp, magnum intake manifold (and the essentials), sts with cradle and booger bushings. Your not going to get crazy power, but I gaurentee you will enjoy it a lot more. But alllllll of this means if you truely like the neon for daily driver.

If you want power...srt. I say this because the money you put into a 2.0, you could of be a little short from srt that has an engine that was meant to be turbo.

But I love my neon for dd, latest project I did was short throw shifter....made it feel more sporty and would recommend one. (Maddogsts.com). Enjoy your neon

There are no SRT's here unfortunately, otherwise i wouldnt even think twice about saving up for one, i dont know hey, i love my neon but i dont know if i should change rides.

What is a short throw shifter no actually?

RickTheRacer wrote:There are no SRT's here unfortunately, otherwise i wouldnt even think twice about saving up for one, i dont know hey, i love my neon but i dont know if i should change rides.

You could always boost the SOHC or you can find a 2.4 from another chrysler, like a cirrus/stratus (if you guys have those) and build it with SRT internals.

RickTheRacer wrote:What is a short throw shifter no actually?

It's a shifter that shortens the throw when changing gears

I would love to throw a turbo in her, also going to take some decent saving to get the right but it will be worth it. And I know there is a 2.4 PT cruiser, wonder if the engine has any similarities to the one in the SRT-4, will have to check if its a DOHC, but again that's going to be pricey, how much that shifter going to be about?, price wise?

Lol, sorry I'm asking so many questions

RickTheRacer wrote:I know there is a 2.4 PT cruiser, wonder if the engine has any similarities to the one in the SRT-4, will have to check if its a DOHC, but again that's going to be pricey, how much that shifter going to be about?, price wise?

Lol, sorry I'm asking so many questions

PT Cruiser 2.4's work! They also had a Pt Cruiser GT which had a 2.4turbo in it. Search around the forum, lots on info on it

depends which brand you buy, and if it's new or used.

I picked up a Mopar STS brand new for $100 locally. If you buy one, match it with a set of Booger bushings.

We didn't get the GT here, In my opinion it is one ugly ass car, haha.. But ill search around, see if a scrap yard has a 2.4 lying around

The 2.4 must be a 2003 or newer. You can tell by looking for the crank sensor. It will be very close to the starter, just like on your engine.

If it is not there, it would be above the oil filter, which would be too old. There is no cheap way to make a 2002-older engine work in your car. It will bolt right in, but it will not run. Since PT's were sold before 2003, it is something you will need to watch for.

I checked online and the 2.4 PT cruiser engine makes the same power as the 2.0 magnum

But it makes about 20 ft lbs more torque soon so it will pull harder then down the road you can do the same thing your talking about now to your 2.4 swap. Srt internals, cams, bolt ons, then when you get bored with that go boosted 2.4 and you have srt level performance.

Plus with a better torque curve, it may actually get the same, or better fuel mileage, provided you can resist the urge...

If you have a lead foot, I doubt it.

This is pre boost BTW...

Hahaha, ill have to see how much this whole conversion will cost me, where the best place to get SRT internals? Modernperformance? I'm betting the engine in the PT cruiser has a very conservative setup so a bit of tuning and internals will make a massive difference hey?