ITA Neons!

Well I started rebuilding the car yesterday. I have all new studs but only replaced the front for now. Removed the carpet, did a slight modification to the seat (more to do still), and some other good stuff. Also replaced the front rotors.

I discovered what broke in my last SSC race was one of the dust boots on the steering rack, draining all the p/s fluid. I'm unsure whether damage may have been done inside the rack. I'll probably have to remove the entire rack. Any suggestions or experience with this?

The shifter has excessive play; it has a sloppy and indirect feel. I doubt it's that sloppy when new, although the car has 14,000 race-driven miles on it. Would a new detent spring firm it up any?

I noticed a valve on the fuel rail. Is this a sufficient valve for fuel sampling, or do I need to install one on a fuel line?

Thanks for your help! :023:
 
As far as the shifter goes...try modern performance "booger bushings" 21.99 $ + shipping.You will get 4 of them ,2 to go at the tranny and 2 more at the shifter if it still needs work you will get a good look at everything while your in there.The steering rack needs to be replaced with a new one or a re-built one...a dodge repair manual will come in handy for this one...be careful there were 3 racks avaiable for most neons..after 96 or so there were only 2...as far as fuel sampling goes,the rail is an easy spot to get it, but dangerous ie hot engine stuff...so you might try somewhere else ?? :023:
 
I ordered the booger bushings yesterday! I may look into a short shifter, but I'll see how the new & improved stock shifter feels with the new bushings. This may be a stupid question, but can I rebuild the rack on my own, like you can do with a caliper? I'm sure I can find one in a junk yard. Any idea what would make one fail?
 
The bushings are a good idea, but I would question there legallity in IT. The Short throw shifter is also a grey area with some. I say do it and let let someone else worry about protesting you if they think it's not legal.
 
The bushinga are not sold seperatly through mopar :( ...to make it even worse they sell the shifter cables in pairs only 200$+ The bushings on the factory cables are a "hard plastic" to quote a parts guy...the booger bushings are molded from the same item...so ,same shape and yes a hard plastic...no performance gain...I do not reccomend the short shifter...like you said a grey area...as far as the rack goes...failure wise..could be a # of things...wrong fluid...old fluid...low fluid...age...I would'nt mess w/re-building the rack just get another one....oh and for fluid red line power steering fluid :023:
 
Originally posted by Rabbit07@Nov 1 2005, 08:41 AM
The bushings are a good idea, but I would question there legallity in IT.  The Short throw shifter is also a grey area with some.
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No question, and no grey: these items are illegal in Improved Touring and to use them would be cheating. You disagree? Then show me where in the rulebook they are allowed. - GA
 
Gregg , you are talking about the shifter...right ?? I back step...I looked on the "booger" site :( they are an oem design...but a harder substance ie urethane..I'm going to give them a call since they have the molds...maybe they can change the formula to be more like stock ?? For us "IT" anal types ;)
 
I can't see where either the short shifter or the improved bushings is legal. Remember the standard: IIDSYCYC ("If it doesn't say you can...")

Repairing with new OEM-quality bushings is fine, but harder bushings and/or a short shifter is definitely out...Regardless, I wouldn't choose the lime green ones, if I were you...
 
It amazes me how many IT cars in the 'classifieds' are illegal with this type of mod. Short shifters are illegal - PERIOD. Non OEM shifter bushings are illegal - PERIOD.

What grey areas are we talking about?

AB
 
Ok, The grey area thing is stretching it! The reason I say this is grey is because I have heard people justify it in many ways. You can bend the shifter above the tunnel right? Well in a Neon the whole shifter is above the tunnel. Some have said that a short throw shifter is bent above the tunnel? It's a stretch, but I have heard it that way. I think the Neon shifter is sloppy, but you get used to it. The bushings in the cable ends are the problem to much of the feel. By the letter of the rule you are unable to replace with anything but stock. If the part you replaced them with looked stock could anyone protest you and win, I doubt it. Any plastics guys out there? The simple truth is if someone wants to piss and moan because of a shifter bushing they have way to much time on their hands. I believe that most of those folks should spend more time driving and less time worried about such things. We all do this because we love it, lets keep it that way and not worry about such things like replacing a bushing to service a very expensive part. The guys that are good at cheating, don't cheat parts that you can see through the drivers window anyway.

Please don't misunderstand me, I don't condone cheating. We do need to use some reasonableness ( is that a word?) when dealing with issues like this.

:blink:
 
:blink:

The steering rack costs $600 new from Dodge. Determined by the VIN #, mine is Canadian-built...I doubt junk yards would be able to decipher. I've searched the internet for places to find stock Neon parts but I can't find much other than Howell and Mopar. Does anyone have suggestions for getting a used steering rack?
 
I found a remanufactured rack from NAPA. $320.

Thanks for pointing out that the short-throw and bushings are illegal. I'm used to my local club whose rule is opposite: IIDSYCYCan, so I need to keep in mind that SCCA is opposite when reading the rulebook.

Ammended IT rule for 2006: Air intake hoses, tubes, pipes, resonators, intake mufflers, housings, etc. located ahead of the carburetor/throttle body may be removed or substituted. On cars so equipped, the air metering/measuring device (i.e. air flow meter, air mass meter, MAF) must be operational and shall not be modified. (Nov. 05 Fastrack). I ordered an Iceman intake and Pacesetter header. :happy204:
 
I ran a Spec Neon level car in ITA in 05. My first year of road racing. I think it will be a very competitive car. The main tuning issues are the dampers and suspension bushings. There just aren't any good hard core parts suppliers out there with Neon racing in their blood. So everything is custom for now.

I get sick hearing my friend talk about the Mazda Racing catalog of parts for his RX-7. I wish that Mopar HQ would get a new VP, someone with a ITA neon, a SRT4 drag car, Charger 6speed manual drift car, and a Dakar prepared Jeep SRT8 in their garage. :angry: <_<

I think the DOHC 2dr's are the way to go. With time I hope our numbers will grow to a point that Koni, TIEN, Bilstien, or somebody will help out with some serious, neon specific dampers. Maybe even Mopar will help out with some technical support at least, maybe some contingency $$$, like a few years ago.

I will be back in 06 with some cheap $1000 coilovers from D2 racing and a few more improvements. Eat the elephant one bite at a time.
 
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