Modifying stock 420A parts for free hp

[MENA1996]

Ok long story short I'm just looking to see if anyone ever heard or read a magazine called Mopar Now, 1998-2001 if so there was a article called Bump stick boogie, dial in your cams for free HP, it was for the Neon's 420A head not the Eclipse but it wasn't as much HP gain as it was RPM gain that this mod done for the Neon's.

My car a 1996 Eclipse GS, sport suspension, CAI, 4-2-1 Eh, PT Cruiser lash adjuster & roll rockers, pp head and Neon at tb. Ever thing else is bone stock. My car Dyno at 147 hp at 6200 rpm and I have to keep the cams and gears stock but there's no where in the rules that said the stock one couldn't be modified they just had to be stock.

So my question is does anyone have, heard or read this article? I had the magazine but lost it over time and I've been on this article for a while can't find the magazine online or the article so now I'm just trying to see if anyone has the information. I went on the Neon page and got trolled because I'm looking for lost information. Thanks for anyone's help.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

In order to dial in your cams, you will need adjustable cam gears. If you have to keep the stock gears then this obviously will not work for you. I'm also not sure how much the peak hp would be affected. What you can really do is alter the powerband. (Make good power in high rpm for a sacrifice of low rpm performance or slightly improve low rpm power but run out of breath quicker, essentially.)

 

[MENA1996]

Sorry if I didn't give out enough info.

I race my car on a race track in LA and in my group/stock class, the rules say as long as the dealer put a official part# it it's legal and no where in the rules said you couldn't modify the stock parts. After talking to most of the racers they either bought the car with the parts already on them or ordered if offline. I'm not finding a lot in my budget due to not winning a single race and I'm up against Sentra SE-R, Civic's, and Miatas to name a few. My car was bought used and bone stock, but I have port and polished the head, PT Cruiser lash adjusters & roller rocker, Dodge Neon AT throttle body, Injen CAI, light weight flywheel, stage 2 Neon clutch kit, EGR delete, 4-2-1 exhaust system to factory muffler, sport suspension, and sticky tires.

Before the mods it was 132bhp@5600rpm 112fpt, after was 147@6200rpm 124fpt. When I'm cornering or going down the straights the car has a rubber band like effect on the rpm and peaks out at 6200rpm, so like anything I'm trying to gain at little more RPM by modifying the stock cam gears.

I lost the mag but from what I could remember you start by setting everything to TDC, use a dial indicator on the cams, then use a degree wheel on the crank, after you find TDC you check the cams alignment and adjust the cams by widening the slot out. The magazine was called Mopar Now and the article was called Bump Stick Boogie, dial in your Neon's cams for free hp. In my situation this trick can at least get me in the fight but Id figure to think outside the box and see if someone out there that may still have one laying around could help me with the info I don't remember how it was done.

I still appreciate you, or anyone's help

 

[97egl]

I'm trying to gain at little more rpm by modifing the stock cam gears, I lost the mag but from what I could remember you start by setting everything to TDC, use a dial indicator on the cams, then use a degree wheel on the crank, after you find TDC you check the cams aliment and adjust the cams by widening the slot out.

You'll want to retard the timing on both cams. Retard the exhaust cam more than the intake to increase overlap to move the powerband into higher RPMS. A few degrees can go a long way so don't over do it

Other thoughts

Upgrade the valve springs to Brian Crowers. They can be found for under 100 bucks. You are probably starting to float some of the stock springs that are worn out. The chances they actually pull your valve springs to check pressure are slim to none and the Brian Crower ones look stock

Use a Jeep 4.0 throttle body. Its bigger than the Neon AT one and it still has a Mopar logo on it

 

[Canadian_CD9A]

There are ways to shim Mopar 2.2/2.5/2.0 cam gears to adjust timing, search neons.org to find the procedure. The recipe for cam timing for performance can also be found there.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

My Brian Crower valve springs have bright blue paint on them, but I'm sure it could be easily removed.

I wouldn't expect to be beating any Spec V Sentras with stock-ish parts. They weighed almost exactly the same as your Eclipse but made 165hp and 180tq with a 6 speed manual trans. Peppy little cars I'd say.

 

[MENA1996]

I'm waiting to get approved on the neons site. I've did a little digging and one mag was Mopar Action aug 1998 vol 9 #7 page 21, but I can't get to any pages just list the index. A buddy of mine got a jeeps tb so that's one down, Its going to be a minute to get any more parts for now but it's on my list. Yeah there's one spec v out there and yes at my current power it's next to impossible to catch him and the type R but I'm really losing it out the corners and straights. I have 0 points and just trying to get in the fight instead of trying to keep up I know I bit off more then I can chew but it is what it is hopefully by next season I'll have the cam information.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

You think they would notice higher compression pistons? Those would help squeeze out a couple extra horses. And I'm sure they won't tear the block open, right?

If you're willing to spend the $700 that is. This is what the 10.5:1 JE Pistons cost when I bought them at least. Wiseco were a bit cheaper, but it's been a while since I researched this stuff.

 

[MENA1996]

They go threw the cars pretty good as long as it's with in the rules, not leaking, safety measures are in place and good tires you good to race and at 2000 a pop it's expensive to race a car, in my first race I was pushed off track recovered only to finish 8th. I had Frankenstein a 2004 neon short block to this head and if it wasn't for the cam sensor being located in the front I would be using that set up again I had to drill out the plate in the rear of the engine and plug the cam sensor in the front, swap the crank back to the 420a and I'll admit this was a descent set up even with stock parts it pulled hard and was a lot quicker out the corners but when I got the offer to race I had to put the original block back in.