Turbo:
Turbo charging my neon was supposed to be the last of the bolt-on modifications. Yes, I said bolt-on, because it could be done without ripping open the block. I had long had my eyes on one of the ready-made kits offered by HAHN Racecraft, and figured that eventually I would go that route. Research is both a friend and an enemy. Anyone who is serious about turbocharging a non-turbo vehicle, with the goal of making A LOT of power must understand that a bolt-on kit, with nothing else required just about doesn't exist. HAHN makes some great turbo kits, but realistically, a lot more is involved than simply bolting it on and going for a spin. So, it was settled, I would have to build my engine first, then possibly look into a ready-made kit OR build my own, piece by piece.
So, if you read my section on the 2.4L Engine, you'll know that my plans changed quite drastically from a simple 2.0 Turbo Neon, to a radical 2.4L Turbo Neon. To go with that awesome engine, I needed an equally awesome turbo setup. So, the search began for a big, reliable, turbocharger. The truth is, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, and had a lot to learn about turbocharging as a forced-induction method. I bought a turbocharger on impulse, not having any clue what it was or what it could and could not do. It wa a T3/T4 unit that I eventually sold because it was very small and not up to the power demands that I had planned for it.
So, if you read my section on the 2.4L Engine, you'll know that my plans changed quite drastically from a simple 2.0 Turbo Neon, to a radical 2.4L Turbo Neon. To go with that awesome engine, I needed an equally awesome turbo setup. So, the search began for a big, reliable, turbocharger. The truth is, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, and had a lot to learn about turbocharging as a forced-induction method. I bought a turbocharger on impulse, not having any clue what it was or what it could and could not do. It wa a T3/T4 unit that I eventually sold because it was very small and not up to the power demands that I had planned for it.
So, I was stuck without a turbocharger, with plans of turbocharging, and an ever-growing storage room of 2.4 parts. I actually came across most of the turbo parts from someone who had run their setup for a very short period of time. Unfortunately, he had sold the turbocharger itself already. Regardless, he had been running a very big-horsepower setup, and I figured I could make that even better on a built engine. So, I was able to get a giant intercooler, various piping, a Blitz blow-off valve, and a 44mm Tial wastegate as a custom setup. The best part was the custom built turbo-manifold, a thing of great heft and sheer beauty. I was on my way... minus a turbocharger.
Like the 2.4 itself, the turbo kit needed a bunch of little things to make it work just the way I wanted, so I was still looking for parts when I came across someone selling a never-used monster of a turbocharger. The blowzilla is not for the faint of heart. It has the same compressor housing as the GT35R without costing two grand. T04S.70A/R makes for a lot of power potential, and it was brand new.
I could have mentioned the intake manifold in the 2.4 section, but the truth is that is was custom built to serve two purposes, one of which was to allow the intercooler to get as much cool air into it as possible. The other was to allow it to stuff that air into the engine as efficiently as possible. Matted with a 60mm Throttle Body from Modern Performance, it allowed both of these things to happen.
So in my years of planning, I learned that one of the most important aspects of an effective, powerful, reliable, and awe-inspiring turbo system is the fuel system. I basically copied what more educated minds had done before me. I went with a Spoolboy modified canister, stainless lines, a Lorenzo fuel rail with a gauge, Aeromotive 1:1 regulator, RC Racing 750cc injectors and some braided lines/fittings where needed. Who would have thought the fuel system could also look so good...
And so, all of those turbo parts bolted onto the 2.4L engine that they would be working with. The rest of the story continues somewhere in the 2.4L Engine page.