The one thing in this whole project I must stress the most is, please solder all of your connections, this is your ignition system here, the last thing you want is for it to fail at 6:30am 400kms from home in a snowstorm...................so SOLDER ALL CONNECTIONS
I made this how to so that people in the Neon community could do something themselves that is different that what has been done before and make our ever aging cars have alittle modern touch. All I ask is that someone doesnt go and make these plates and sell them at a profit of their own on a design of mine.
Materials list:
*Piece of .250" thick aluminum 14.5" wide by 8" tall
*4x 2000 Dodge Intrepid 2.7L coils($29.99ea at Murrays, BWD p/n E230)
*4x 2001 Honda Passport 3.2L V6 coil boots(cyl 1-5)($6.99ea at Murrays, BWD p/n SPB125)
*4x 2000 Dodge Intrepid coil pig tails(got mine at the junkyard)
*Small spool of 16GA wire(used to extend and make harness)
*MSD coil connector($25 at Summit, p/n 8883)(not necessary but if you want it plug and play it is)
*Small tube of Ultra Black RTV
*Small tube of dielectric grease
*4x 1/8" x 1" bolts and NYLOCK nuts
*8x 1/8" washers
*4x M6x1.0 40mm long bolts
*4x M6 large washers
*8x 3/8 Nylon spacers(got mine at Lowes, they didnt have any 3/4" spacers I liked)
How to make the plate:
*First layout what the plate is to look like using the measurements I have provided. Make all of the marks first before cutting out the final shape.
*Once you have transferred all the marks I have in the diagram make the "coil template" out of bristol board or something similar. Using this template you will mark all the holes the coils will pass through. Place the template on the piece so that the hole lines up on the layout mark you made, now rotate it so that the tip touches the line you made on the top of the plate. Make sure the arrow is pointing up. Do this for all 4 marks.
*Now its time to do some drilling. Center-punch and drill a 1/4" hole at each of the bottom marks on the plate, this is where the coils will be bolted down to the plate.
*With those drilled you can now move onto the holes the coil is to pass through. There are a couple different ways to do this but I will address the one that anyone can so with basic tools(I used a Bridgeport myself). Pick to opposite points on each square you layed out, measure 1/4" over from each point and use the intersection of those lines to mark where to drill a 1/2" hole. Center-punch this mark and drill your hole here, this will allow you to drop in a jigsaw with a bi-metal blade and cut out each square. Take your time and do it right, its not worth forcing it and screwing up over an extra 20 seconds. *****You can place the coils in any position you want just make sure that the hole in the coil template is on the X you marked on the plate, but remember the mounting holes for the coils will now be off and you will need to mark and drill them later once the coils are in the plate.********
*With all the coil openings now cut out drill the 4 holes you layed out on the top of the plate, these are what will hold the plate to the valve cover. Center-punch them and drill them to 5/16".
*Now that everything that had to be drilled is drilled you can cut out the plate itself. Use a band saw or jig saw and cut out the plate as per the dimensions provided.
*The last step in making the plate is putting the bend in it. I did this with a press but it can easily be done with some wood, a vice and a hammer. You are going to bend it right where the two "shapes" meet. Use a grinder with a 3/16" grinding wheel and make a 1/16" grove along the BACKSIDE of the plate where it is to be bent. This will ensure it bends where it is supposed to and decrease the stress on the front side of it allowing it to bend and not tear. With the grove cut place the long or coils side of the plate in the vice with a piece of wood on either side so that you don't ruin the finish. Using another piece of wood to hit against hit the part of the plate that bolts to the valve cover with a large hammer until it bends to the angle of the template I provided.
*Now that the angle is there, the holes are drilled and the coil holes are cut out the plate is done.........................not decide whether you want to paint it, polish it, powder coat it, or leave it.
Making the boots fit the coils:
*Ok so the boots aren't a "perfect fit", they work but are a little loose and left alone the spring doesn't fit in the 2.7L coil.
*Take the spring that came with the boots and stretch it out a couple times until it is a little shorter than the length of the boot. This makes sure that once you get it all together there will be really good contact between the coil, spring and spark plug............kinda important.
*Now to make the spring fit into the 2.7L coil grab the very tip of one side with a pair of side cutters and stretch it out, cut off the first couple coils, it will now fit in the coil(try it and make sure).
*Place some dielectric grease in the top of the boot and slide the spring in from the top until it pops out the bottom, pull it back enough that it will contact the coil once installed.
*Since the boot is a slightly loose fit I place a small bead of Ultra Black RTV on the base of the coil to make sure nothing got in there or out of there. With the bead of RTV on the coil, place a small amount of dielectric grease in the tip of the coil where the spring goes and place the boot onto the coil. Make sure the boot is firmly pressed onto the coil for at least a couple hours(I left mine overnight).
*That's it you know have coils that will work on a SOHC car.
Coil wiring:
*This believe it or not is both the easiest and most important part of the whole job.
*Simply follow the instruction in the diagram I provided, and make sure to solder and shrink tube all joints.
*If you are using the MSD adapter, then wire it onto the adapter in the same orientation as it will go onto the coil pack connector. I provided alternative instructions cause I knew I would be getting the questions "what wires do I hook it into if I don't have the MSD harness"
Assembly:
*Bolt the coils to the plate
*Put some dielectric grease in the ends of the boots and push the whole assembly into the spark plug holes. You wont fell a "snap" when the plugs are on place cause they aren't spark plug wires so just put some good pressure on it to insure its on there good.
*Place your spacers on top of each other(I put a small amount of RTV between each set of 2 and let them dry overnight to make things easier) and slide them under the plate lining them up with the hole in it. Place you M6 bolts with washers through the holes and snug them down.
*Install your wiring harness, plug it all in and start the car.............If you did it right it will work if not then you somehow wired it wrong, check everything over again and find the issue.
