Cheap Rally car???

[Duuuuuuuude]

DSM = Fail on street...worse on RallyX.

booooooo! :evil:

Why not a Volvo...they are tanks!

Alright, you just redeemed yourself.

Volvo's are cheap, stout, and you can turbo charge them if they aren't already that way. With some basic mods you can throw down some great horsepower too. They're the second best thing to come out of Sweden.

Check them out here:http://turbobricks.net/

 

[chrisjlittle]

Ty, I'll admit I don't know anything about rally cars, but I do know virtually all chrysler FWD cars eat frontend parts bad. If you're worried about suspension longevity, I'd bet almost anything the hondas would outlast the neons.

Here's an idea: 91-94 nissan sentra. They're not really sought after so they're cheap, all of them have timing chains instead of belts and they're pretty sturdy. Try to score an SE-R, they came with the SR20DE which was a pretty hot little motor with a ton of aftermarket support. Most of the serious 240SX guys run turbo'd SR20's, lots of them get into the 500 horse reigion. They're even semi decent with the base 1.6, certainly no worse than a neon. The newer sentras are also good, I just like the 91-94s better and I don't think the 95-99's came with the SR20.

 

[TURTLE]

Thanks for the heads up Chris I saw a couple on craigs. They all seem to be several hundred dollars more then the neons with 50+ thousand more miles:shock:

I will keep an eye out though."thumbsup"

 

[92PathSE]

Are you doing a SCCA AutoX? If so, check the classes really closely. Simple stuff like removing the back seat can throw you up in a higher class where you'll have to do more mods to be competetive.

I'd get a Nissan (that's a given) but there's a bunch of Civics out there killing everybody's times with some suspension work and good tires.

It's not about raw hp.

edit: One time there was this Volvo 240 with a 302 that was freakin awesome to see. He didn't do well IIRC but that was and probably will be the only 240 I will see burning down some tires.

 

[Pete from Houston]

It's not about raw hp.

yep, it's about torque, and Hondas aren't known for that. :mrgreen:

If the '97 Neon needs a clutch, the PT Cruiser clutch is a common upgrade. I took my original clutch to around 230K before upgrading to the PT unit when we did the 2.4 swap. I liked the feel of the stock clutch over the PT clutch, but the PT part is rated for more power.

 

[TURTLE]

Are you doing a SCCA AutoX? If so, check the classes really closely. Simple stuff like removing the back seat can throw you up in a higher class where you'll have to do more mods to be competetive.

I'd get a Nissan (that's a given) but there's a bunch of Civics out there killing everybody's times with some suspension work and good tires.

It's not about raw hp.

I agree, right now I think its about something dirt cheap with great parts support.
Yeah it is SCCA rallyX. I have been studying the rules for a few months now, figuring out were I can cut corners.

I do now know though that the 2008 U.S. rally champion for production 2wd was driving a Neon.:mrgreen:

I know how the nissan thing goes.
I had a 94 pathy for 7 years, lifted it for the last two years of her life 6" with 33x12.50's. It ran like shit the whole time I owned it. I babied (hitting rocks doesn't count) her till the end when nothing worked anymore (almost literally nothing).

 

[TURTLE]

yep, it's about torque, and Hondas aren't known for that. :mrgreen:

If the '97 Neon needs a clutch, the PT Cruiser clutch is a common upgrade. I took my original clutch to around 230K before upgrading to the PT unit when we did the 2.4 swap. I liked the feel of the stock clutch over the PT clutch, but the PT part is rated for more power.

That is one thing I have heard a lot in my research for this, the Neon kills the Honda on torque.

Good to know I have seen some roll over PT's at the junk yard Im sure I could pillage, I also found quit a few aftermarket clutches that are reasonable priced for the Neon.

 

[thecrusader]

i would get a corolla. if it was a rear wheel drive
rally the ke70 would be good, a little old maybe?
if you can get something with the "4age" 16 valve motor
fwd like a corolla sx would be a good one. the
motor has the grunt, definitely the reliability
and you should manage to get parts for it with
relative ease.

the motors are popular in light cars for hill climbs,
but can rev to 7/8 grand all day "thumbsup" if you can get
a 20 valve even better. the 20v only came in fwd
but are common with rwd conversions, the 16v came
in both configurations like your sprinter, trueno etc with the rwd.

the 16v put out about 130hp flywheel hp factory and the
20v 165hp. for aftermarket tuning the 16v is easier to get
power from. 200hp atw can be cranked out of one. there
are big and small port variants, if you interested there is
loads on google.

 

[AeroSynch]

I wanted to do the same thing, and had the same question, but what about a 1987 VW Jetta?

Like this?

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/cto/1545913769.html

I like the price. "thumbsup"

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

One time there was this Volvo 240 with a 302 that was freakin awesome to see. He didn't do well IIRC but that was and probably will be the only 240 I will see burning down some tires.

Granted this is not a 240, but they can be built the same. I love this vid...

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[kikcaffine]

Grab a mid 80's 200sx, rwd, cheap and if you get the good one its got a turbo ca, that should be good for about 160bhp. The sentra sr's arent that great for high boost about 10psi due to the 10.5:1 compression. If you run 8psi though, that car will be a screamer. I think the 1.8 sentra should be a ca also, but its got a timing belt not a chain.

 

[TURTLE]

Picked up a 96 Neon today for dirt cheap. Lets just say I have 3 times as much into my comp rig then this thing cost.
Plans right now.
Gut interior(already started)
Snow tires (done)
Full size spare (done)
windshield
Paint
cage
seats
pull the tranny
custom exhaust
air intake
mud flaps
This is going to fun.:mrgreen:
Time to sell some stuff.

 

[EeePee]

Neons were always very competitive in SCCA's Showroom Stock C class. Actually, there might have been one year the whole field were Neons. I'm not sure if it was because a more competitive car came around, or they couldn't run them anymore simply because the car had to be within a certain age limit for the class. This was right when the 1999 Civic Si came out, I remember because I'm a Honda fan and I remember it was one of the only cars to give those Neons any competition.

 

[Pete from Houston]

Did you get a 2door or 4 door? SOHC or DOHC?

What nare you planning to do for an intake? Most of them actually cost you power.

www.neons.org has a ton of info and FAQ's or pulling codes and such.

You'll want to replace the timing belt and water pump before thrashing on it too much, and for reliability's sake, replace the fuel pump.

 

[rmdesignworks]

Ty, I'll admit I don't know anything about rally cars, but I do know virtually all chrysler FWD cars eat frontend parts bad. If you're worried about suspension longevity, I'd bet almost anything the hondas would outlast the neons.

Here's an idea: 91-94 nissan sentra. They're not really sought after so they're cheap, all of them have timing chains instead of belts and they're pretty sturdy. Try to score an SE-R, they came with the SR20DE which was a pretty hot little motor with a ton of aftermarket support. Most of the serious 240SX guys run turbo'd SR20's, lots of them get into the 500 horse reigion. They're even semi decent with the base 1.6, certainly no worse than a neon. The newer sentras are also good, I just like the 91-94s better and I don't think the 95-99's came with the SR20.

X2 on everything chris said but you really cant go wrong with the neon for this,,the wheel base alone and the upper body weight is good and a reliable front end,,i cant remember the roll center numbers on the neon but as i do remember they were good

 

[engineerjoe]

Picked up a 96 Neon today for dirt cheap. Lets just say I have 3 times as much into my comp rig then this thing cost.
Plans right now.
Gut interior(already started)
Snow tires (done)
Full size spare (done)
windshield
Paint
cage
seats
pull the tranny
custom exhaust
air intake
mud flaps
This is going to fun.:mrgreen:
Time to sell some stuff.

Sweet :twisted:

Manual or auto?

Pics??

 

[rmdesignworks]

Picked up a 96 Neon today for dirt cheap. Lets just say I have 3 times as much into my comp rig then this thing cost.
Plans right now.
Gut interior(already started)
Snow tires (done)
Full size spare (done)
windshield
Paint
cage
seats
pull the tranny
custom exhaust
air intake
mud flaps
This is going to fun.:mrgreen:
Time to sell some stuff.

Ty,,let me know if you still need help with some cad work.

 

[TURTLE]

Sweet :twisted:

Manual or auto?

Pics??

Manual duh! That was one requirement it had to have.
I'll get photos in the next couple days.

Did you get a 2door or 4 door? SOHC or DOHC?

What nare you planning to do for an intake? Most of them actually cost you power.

www.neons.org has a ton of info and FAQ's or pulling codes and such.

You'll want to replace the timing belt and water pump before thrashing on it too much, and for reliability's sake, replace the fuel pump.

I got a 4 door, I figured it was easier to get a cage in and its only an extra 50 lbs. or so.
I think it is the SOHC, Im such an air head I forgot to check, I pray it is the DOHC.
For the intake not planning a lot actually, probably just move it and make a bigger opening for air, I did read that a lot of the cold air systems don't really do anything, so it will probably be pretty minor.
I have been checking out the Neons site quite a bit, since the neon was forced into my head, a lot of great information over there!

Timing belt and water pump are definitely on the very top of the list, I never thought of doing the fuel pump (not sure why), but I will check it out and get that taken care of as well.
I am hoping to rip her apart next week and start getting her ready.

Ty,,let me know if you still need help with some cad work.

That would be awesome Thomas thanks."thumbsup"
Thanks for all the help guys, I am really excited about this project.
I have about a month and a half to get her apart and back together, so hopefully I don't have to rush this to much and get some practice time before race day.

 

[TURTLE]

Just looked and Im pretty sure it is the SOHC...

While on the topic does anyone have experience with these?

http://www.performancechipsdirect.com/Dodge/Neon-4Dr/

 

[Pete from Houston]

there is no such thing as a performance "chip" for a Neon. You can look for an ECM from a same model-year ACR, but that's more of a high-speed mod. For rallyx, the stock ECM should be fine.

Check out the Rallynotes website. They've gone through a lot of trial and error and have a pretty good car.

Here's another cool Neon rally site: www.glhracing.com