1995 Plymouth Neon-ND

I bought this neon in November of 1998, to be used as a daily driver for about a year, and then turned into a project car. While looking for a new job in Phoenix, AZ that winter, I ran accross a deal on a Nitrous Express N2O kit. I couldn't resist. After a meticulous installation, I had to try it out. About 10 seconds of fun 'mo-gas' was all I got. It ended in a less than spectacular piston meltdown. The cause? While the engine ran well on its own, it did have one partially clogged fuel injector. Well, you guessed right, it went lean, and that was all she wrote. With one severely melted piston, the car was limped over (smoking worse all the time) to the house and garage of good friend, Vic Dobney. We wasted no time in making plans for what was next. We pulled the 2.0 SOHC engine out that night, and got the tape measure out. This car needed a 2.2 Turbocharged engine! After some crude measurements, we decided, yes, this will work. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into at the time. Actually, I had a fair idea, having built a project car or two, but Vic, Keith, and the other guys, had no idea how many nights they were not going to spend at home for the next year or so....

We quickly threw a mock up engine together. We used an 83 carb short block (4 speed flywheel attached), bolted an 85 vintage A413 auto to that. We sat some head we found to that, and bolted the intake on with two or three bolts. If you look close at the pic, you'll see the wide gap of the head rolled back, and the kitty litter all over the engine. This wasn't for looks, it was for fit! With that, we got more measurements, and Vic set to work. Vic made all of the motor mounts, and did a really darn good job of it. While this was going on, we (I) decided that the drum, 4 lug rear setup had to go. Keith started on that, and transferred all of the guts of a 96 ACR over. Incidentally, the rear brake hardware for an ACR and an 88-89 Daytona Shelby are the same. Same part number, everything. However, call a parts store for a caliper for a 96 ACR, and hang onto your wallet! Daytona brakes at the same store were significantly less. Go figure. We had an engine at the machine shop by this time, and I was up to my elbows in wiring.