Busywork Sep 4, 2008
We're waiting for the passenger-side engine mount bracket as well as a pair of Crane camshafts for our Neon. Not ones to sit on our hands, we've been busy getting other things done, like installing a Flowmaster exhaust, getting our engine mounts extra beefy with the help of Energy Suspension inserts, and further working on the long block itself.
Once we get the bracket and cams, we should be able to finish assembling the drivetrain and get it installed in the car.
Neon Ready to Fire Up Oct 8, 2008
Our Neon ACR is almost ready to fire up after two years of slumber. We've installed the slightly freshened engine, and now we're busy buttoning up loose ends.
It’s Alive! Oct 14, 2008
We finally got the Neon running this weekend--for the first time in our ownership of the car. Though we had installed the engine and hooked it up electrically, we couldn't get the car to start. We checked for fuel pressure at the injector rail and found none. After some headscratching, we removed the fuel pump from the tank. Aside from the smell of varnish--the car hadn't run in two years--we also noticed that the pump would not work, even with power directly applied to it.
We sourced a new pump from Autozone and threw in a new filter as well. After some more cranking, the car chugged to life. We buttoned down the details like the AEM intake system and took it for a test drive. Aside from some alignment issues, the car appears to be quite strong. That's good to know, as it's scheduled to go to the Rallycross National Championships in two weeks.
It’s Dead! Oct 16, 2008
As our production editor says, "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug."
Well, yesterday morning we were the bug. While we were on our way to work for the first time in our reanimated Neon, the car died quite suddenly. Looks like we've got some diagnostic work to do. We're hoping that it's something simple, but rarely is anything simple when you're up against a deadline.
Turns out that the problem isn't simple, as we've had a cospatial event between the valves and the pistons thanks to a slipped timing belt.
Holiday Wrenching Dec 29, 2008
We took some time over the holiday to reassemble our Neon ACR's engine with a good, used cylinder head. While we were putting things back together, we also installed some Crane No. 12 camshafts and a pair of AEM cam gears.
We had to have this used head milled slightly, which threw of the cam timing a little bit. The cam gears will come in handy, however. They’re adjustable, so we can just dial them in on a dyno for the most power.