2003 Project Neon

cook2790 · Post by **cook2790** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:29 am

Hey all you 2gn owners, my name is Cameron.
this is my second neon, however my first one was a '96 2dr POS
and my new one is a 2003 SE (no power options what-so-ever) POS lol
I just moved from Indiana to Florida in late Jan. and I bought this car as a DD and a project as I'm starting at Lincoln Tech in early April (which is about 60 miles away from me)
I thought, what better to work on then a NEON!!
Great mpg, nice and roomy and there's tons of aftermarket for it, plus I've always loved the look of them, they dont come in a boxy 80's version so I guess I've never had any distaste for them lol

But here's the story and a few of my goals
I bought the car about a week ago, covered in bird crap and dirty as hell...A lot of the clear coat is ruined and theres somehow rust only on the bottom/inside of the doors...funny thing is that its a Florida car...the under carriage is spotless though.

First thing comes to notice is the "hood scoop" (piece of plastic that was adhesive-taped to the hood [not even centered right]) and the noticeably out of place SRT wing (hard to miss with black side moldings, door handles and the SE badge on a red car lol
Also is equipped with the awesome looking 17's that seem to be rusting...(wheels must be older than the car?)

So that's basically what I'm starting with. After I get some of my (very) basic tools unpacked I'll be able to start doing some stuff but as for now I have a mechanic looking at some stuff that I shouldn't be fixing myself, as I live in an apartment complex...

I'll be making a project log here soon after I pick up some parts at the bone yard tomorrow, If you're interested follow along...I'll be looking for a little advice and honestly some opinions (easiest ways of going about my goals) and such.

Thanks for reading, pics will come as SOON as I get the horrible adhesive crap off my car!

C1DoG · Post by **C1DoG** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:45 am

Welcome to 2GN!

2k1MotorSport · Post by **2k1MotorSport** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:51 am

Welcome to the boards!

TheRandom1 · Post by **TheRandom1** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:47 am

Welcome!

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:49 am

welcome, thank you for saving the car from ricer hell.

gtxtreme19 · Post by **gtxtreme19** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:15 am

welcome

Tam · Post by **Tam** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:18 pm

Hello! We have a great and helpful crowd on this site with great info. We can point you in the right direction with your car.

k-b-s-neon02 · Post by **k-b-s-neon02** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:03 pm

welcome....

cook2790 · Post by **cook2790** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:07 pm

Yay, got my ugly white faced gauge cluster with tach today and a rear view mirror with map lights...those should work if I just hard wire them to a 12v constant right? they're switchable...
just saying, after I make some good progress Ill start my proLog

And Thanks For All The Welcomes!

sidepipe87 · Post by **sidepipe87** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:09 pm

Welcome!

Glad to see YOU weren't the one to rice that car out! Now 86 the "hood scoop", and black side moldings and you'll be in much better shape. I don't care for the auto parts store 17"s either. I'd source a set of red door handles or paint yours as well.

The wiring for the mirror MAY be above the headliner but I have no idea. Yes a constant 12v source will work, but not like factory I don't think... They fade out when you lock the car etc. At least, I'm pretty sure.

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:17 pm

Welcome!

The wheels in your sig appear to be aluminum. The "rust" may be from brake rotor dust that has never been cleaned off. Some cleaning/polishing compound and elbow grease might clean them up.