Rally SRT4

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:10 pm

Seed 9 Rally, Jean NV, Nov 2010

picture: Bill Rogers-
Jack Szanto with my co-driver Jack Penley waving at the photog

C1DoG · Post by **C1DoG** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:28 pm

Cool

Post by **occasional demons** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:37 pm

Awesome to see a neon in the dirt.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:37 pm

Um....sweet! First time I've seen someone doing that in a Neon since Baal was around

synviper · Post by **synviper** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:11 pm

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:11 pm

quicksilvr wrote:Um....sweet! First time I've seen someone doing that in a Neon since Baal was around

who was Baal?

INVUJerry · Post by **INVUJerry** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:14 pm

An older member who lived in Mexico. He used to rally his 2000 neon but I don't think he did dirt rally, just road rally.

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:18 pm

synviper wrote:

click my photobucket slide link under my name...

synviper · Post by **synviper** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:42 pm

DCHtemecula wrote:
synviper wrote:[
click my photobucket slide link under my name...

Thanks

esfan · Post by **esfan** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:57 am

Looks really cool!

dart_man440 · Post by **dart_man440** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:27 am

Very nice! I like

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:24 am

nice! have you won any events yet with the srt?

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:32 am

r/tguy02 wrote:nice! have you won any events yet with the srt?

have done ok...
2008 California Rally Series, rally-x R2 class, year end points champion
2009 California Rally Series, rally G5 class, 5th place year end points
2010 Rally America, rally G5 class, Southwest Region year end points champion

I don't win a lot but I am pretty consistant and my goal really is to have a GREAT time, go as fast as I can without crashing, and most importantly - be able to drive the car back on to the trailer after the event is over - so far so good!

the car is actually running a custom tune PCM with reduced hp and a flat torque curve - makes it a bit easier to drive/control and it was mandated by Rally America as they do not allow a 'rookie' to run in an open class (G5 is 2WD open) because inexperienced guys have a tendancy to ball a fast car up in the first corner... big crashes are not good for the organizer's insurance!

for this season I will probably be going back to a stock PCM (the custom one is about 200whp... my stock one is about 240whp on the dyno) - rally is much more about car control and finishing then it is about high horsepower - you must first finish before worrying about finish position

but an extra 40 whp WILL make coming out of some of those tight corners a little easier (I hope...)

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:53 am

here is my car during assembly at Chrysler in 2001:

looking very much like jbwunderlich's picture he posted a while ago about the bare SRT4 body that he was able to purchase (same pallet):

& being raced by Tom Young (original builder/owner of my car):

I can still see slight remains of this dent/scuff above the drivers door:

in my garage, after unloading from the transporter in 2006 (and after cleaning off the road grime from the trip from MI to CA):

& me, after returning from Desert Strom Rally in Blythe, CA last year:

superdan · Post by **superdan** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:16 pm

thats awesome! its so cool seeing someone taking a neon seriously like you are and using it in rally.

I bet the other cars you beat respect the neon a little more and also your skills as a driver. I always wanted to be a co-driver in a rally race haha

Post by **occasional demons** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:29 pm

DCHtemecula wrote:
quicksilvr wrote:Um....sweet! First time I've seen someone doing that in a Neon since Baal was around
who was Baal?

From days gone by...

viewtopic.php?t=27188&highlight=

viewtopic.php?t=28934&highlight=

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:37 pm

thanks for the links - I will try to get hold of him - definitely the same stuff I do but in other parts of the world they do a lot more tarmac events where-as we do mostly gravel in the US....

Post by **Canada** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:08 pm

Too bad you are all the way in CA. I would love to see this car compete up here in "Rally of the Tall Pines", really great event that draws people from all over.

http://www.tallpinesrally.com/

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:27 pm

I think this guy does Tall Pines - he is from up your way - maybe works at or related to someone who owns a Dodge dealeship - I don't recall the details

Post by **Canada** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:42 pm

I notice that throughout the pics, the front bumper has changed several times.

What's the deal and what bumper is currently on it??

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:01 pm

Canada wrote:I notice that throughout the pics, the front bumper has changed several times.

What's the deal and what bumper is currently on it??

good question - I tear front bumpers up badly ...
(shameless request for ANY damaged front bumpers anywhere near SoCal - I will buy them from you ((for cheap...)) - our bodyshop slaps some filler on them, paints it white and I bolt it on)

so yes, you may see a few different ones pictures over the years - the car came with a 'pre-production' front fascia (no snorkles) on it originally which is very similar to a SRT-D front bumper only it had a bigger lower lip on it - I beat it up, fixed it, beat it up again and then decided since it is kinda-of a 'one of a kind' bumper I would save it then I started finding used bumpers and getting them fixed...

I am on my third or fourth proper SRT4 bumper now and the orig is stored away (damaged but stored anyway) - I have a HUGE skidplate under the motor/trans/rad/intercooler and after a couple of hard hits it bends up a bit then the leading edge of the bumper lip starts folding under the skidplate eventually tearing it off...

I have plans to someday re-do the skid plate to come forward further so it does not bend up behind the bumper but instead extending it out under the bumper and maybe welding some stuff on so it won't bend as easily - although then something else will likely break and right now bumpers are pretty cheap cause lots of SRT4 guys seem to hit the parking curbs and damage them -

Post by **Canada** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:18 pm

Cool. Good to hear the proto bumper is somewhere safe, thats the one I was worried about lol.

What year was the car originally assembled? Was it always 2.4T?

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:56 pm

Canada wrote:Cool. Good to hear the proto bumper is somewhere safe, thats the one I was worried about lol.

What year was the car originally assembled? Was it always 2.4T?

registered & insured as a 2000 SXT auto Neon... VIN donor car

I will check the rally logbook but I think it did it's first event in Oct 2002 - Lake Superior Pro Rally (LSPR) as a blue car -

painted with the Mopar 'M' livery a year later I believe & no never a street car - the ODO shows about 5000 miles - true miles - all easy, country road miles

& always a 2.4L - Chris Whiteman's former car was once a yellow SXT with a 2.0 racing in G2 class before the transplant but the rest of them all had 2.4 motors right from the start

SC62391 · Post by **SC62391** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:16 pm

Awesome post, glad to see snowflakes on it too!

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:18 pm

I gave up looking at the pic show, awesome car and thanks for joining us here and getting to know you

Your car was assembled at Chrysler? The proto type bumper, do you have anymore or know where any more of them can be found? The SRT prototype bumper is desired by a few here so we could have the SRT lip without the nostrils....
As others have mentioned, the car looks great!

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:28 pm

Chris Whiteman's car:

built & raced as a G2 class 2.0L car 2002

still G2 car, got the 'M' 2003

still a G2 car with new paint 2004

got a 2.4L turbo and moved to G5 class 2005

sold to Paul Dunn then to Zach Babcock (Babcock shown here)

Babcock crashed the 5h1t out of it in 2009 (with my co-driver on board... both ok) - car currently being rebuilt

BlackRoseRacing wrote:I gave up looking at the pic show, awesome car and thanks for joining us here and getting to know you
Your car was assembled at Chrysler? The proto type bumper, do you have anymore or know where any more of them can be found? The SRT prototype bumper is desired by a few here so we could have the SRT lip without the nostrils....
As others have mentioned, the car looks great!

the album version is waaay easier to look at then the 'slide show':
http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/nrsg/DCH%20SRT4/

and I don't know of any more orig style bumpers but I will ask around - they were actually fiberglass at first... then poly later...

& BTW - Whiteman's yellow car shown above is not mine - someone asked if mine ever had a 2.0L motor in it and Whiteman's is the only Mopar car that I know of that started with a 2.0 and then got a 2.4 turbo later...

hul kogan · Post by **hul kogan** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:50 pm

Wow, very cool! Thanks for sharing.

Keep us posted on events that you attend.

Post by **Canada** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:00 pm

Wow. These pics are amazing. Thanks so much for taking the time to share these with us.

I will echo BRR's sentiments that I hope you stick around and give us regular updates on this car and your races!

I am curious, looking through the pictures, what are you running for an exhaust?

Thanks again!

DOSneons · Post by **DOSneons** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:15 am

love this, i agree with the others stick aroung and keep us updated

DCHtemecula · Post by **DCHtemecula** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 12:25 pm

Canada wrote:I am curious, looking through the pictures, what are you running for an exhaust?

Thanks again!

Billy Boat 3" downpipe with cat and then custom 2 1/2" all the way back with single outlet (tucked up as close as possible to the floor) - results in nice pop pop pop on decel...

had stock downpipe and it broke during a race mid-stage... all of a sudden I had more power and more noise then usual
(it is prettly loud inside anyway with no sound deadening at all and lots of stuff hitting the wheelswells and floor all the time...)
so we keep going but it is getting really hot in the cabin! I am checking guages and turning heat on - just plain kinda freaking myself out casue I can't figure out what is going wrong... then the paint starts buring off the firewall and smoke starts drifting in -

I told my co-driver 'we have a problem' and she says "L5 100 over crest into R3" so I figured if she wasn't worried I would just keep going - we melted all kinds of stuff - shift cables, p/s lines, her left shoe... and later pulled out of the race before it caught fire