Help save a DSM!!

[baracuda645]

Hey guys, need some help saving a friend’s 2g eclipse 420a. He's had the car less than 6 months. He's to the point were he's stripping it (body panels) and selling the body to a junk yard. Needless to say he's very frustrated.

He spun a rod bearing and has damaged the crank. So the bottom end is toast. The block is still intact and seems to be ok but i'm still a little nevious about using it. The head is intact as well.

I've been reading through the forms to see what we could swap in to replace the engine. So far he has been unable to locate an exact replacement (420a) or the price was worth more than value of the car. (1700 for a rebuild or 1300 used). He's just unable to spend that kind of money at the moment.

One idea has been to use the bottom end of a Chrysler 2.4. I'm unsure if the head off of the 420a can be used for this, the thread didn’t go into that much detail. If someone has some experience with this please share your knowledge.

I have had 2 DSM's: 96 Eagle TSI and 98 Eclipse Spyder. I'm familiar with the 2nd gen's. I know everybody want to slide a 6 bolt into the car. I understand the engine is "backwards" compared to the 420a. My question would be for the 4643 N/A in the 1st gen's. Is this engine 1.8 for 91-94 and is it also "backwards"? I have been to junkyards and seen many first gens with engines that sit the same way as the 420a. In the past I have not inspected these engines due to the engine not facing the same way as mine.

Lastly, mounting 4g63 to the 420a tranny I understand to be very costly. i have been presented with the idea that a Neon tranny would be a good substitute. Knowing little about Neon’s I have been advised the neon gears (4 and 5) are longer and would be a good upgrade to a DSM tranny. Is there anyone who can confirm this information?

Sorry for the long speech but time is short. He is looking to get rid of it on Saturday unless an alternative can be found. He loves his car he's just out of ideas.

 

[Locke]

He can use the a short block from a 1st gen DOHC Neon, or a bare block from a 1st Gen SOHC Neon. He can use the entire long block from 2.0 1st gen Avengers and Sebrings. The head on the 2.0 Avengers and Sebrings are identical to those on the 2gnt.

The 2.4l swap does require a small bit of fabrication. You would need to reshape the oil pan, and refab the timing belt side motor mount. The cam sensor has to be rotated, and the injector harness rewired. The 2.0 420a head must be used in this swap, and the cam gears have to be turned backwards. When using the 2.4 block, you can use the stronger stock internals from the SRT-4 if you choose, though the pistons have to be placed placed backwards. Look at the Wiki on 2gnt.com for in depth info on the 2.4 swap.

All motors in the 1st gen vehicles were mounted with the timing belt on the driver side. About nothing is usable to a 2gnt from any 1g. You could use some of the interior body panel clips from the 1g.

Any transmission labeled as a NV-T350 will work for us. Many of these out of the Neon have a 3.55:1 differential, vs. the 2gnt 3.94:1 differential. To use a 1st gen Neon NV-T350 transmission on a 2gnt, you must swap the bell housings from a 2gnt tranny to the Neon tranny, and then swap the differential back between the two. The 1st gen Neon uses a cable clutch, the 2gnt uses a hydraulic clutch. Some NV-T350 transmissions from the Neon have a longer 5th gear.

• 95-99 Neon SOHC 3.55:1 final, 0.72:1 5th.
• 96-99 Neon DOHC 3.94:1 final, 0.72:1 5th.
• 95-99 Neon ACR/RT and 2gnt DSM DOHC 3.94:1 final, 0.81:1 5th.

There are various other Neon choices, but these are the most popular for 2gnt use.

Power-train parts for the 2gnt are plentiful. Neon's are a dime-a-dozen at the scrap yard. Hope that answers your questions.

 

[baracuda645]

Locke- thats exactly information what i was looking for, thank you for your help

 

[Locke]

I'm glad to help save a DSM.