www.neons.org

Well fine, I am not going!





ok... maybe I still will

Ah well, enjoy Germany.

Bummer! I was looking forward to a rematch of the N2K4 finals... Or a contest to see who can embarass themselves the least with two untested cars. Have fun in Germany.

Germany how boring you just got back from there.

Drew

That sucks! I'm still going! Len you have a PM!

Yeah, it sucks. Wish I could say I was gonna have fun in Germany, but it's gonna be all work.
The project I'm working on is far more important than playing with my Neon, and a lot of people and money are counting on me to get the job done.
I hope you guys have a good turn out, and I hope Matt can run some good numbers.
I still plan to have Grover running at the track soon.
Maybe I could tow Grover over to Erick's house if anyone wants to come check it out during NEON'08.

I wish ppl would come by and lok at my car with out thinking its a fixerupper!!!!!. damnit so how goes grover?

Okay here's another mini update until I can find more time to do some real work on Grover.
I did a test fit of the AEM pencil coils and mapped out how I want to route the wiring. I'll mount the AEM ignition inside the car on the floor next to the Megasquirt. It really is nice and small. I like! I went with the pencil coils because I was worried about the heat of the turbo messing with my coil pack, and the ignition will deliver the extra spark energy I'll need for 40 psi boost.


I also modded my valve cover for some better crankcase evacuation by tapping -8 fittings into it, and adding some cool black braided -8 lines into a catch can.


I'm also upgrading the fuel system to all -8 lines and I'll be using the same black braided fuel line I used for the breather hoses. It's a lot lighter than the braided stainless, and looks pretty good too.


This last shot shows the beginning of my custom trans mods. It's a Tilton hydraulic throw out bearing that eliminates the clutch cable, and clutch fork. Just the ticket for running a twin disc clutch. It'll get installed like in Matt Tripp's bellhousing. I also have a Tilton clutch master cylinder and flow control valve to help ease the shock of WOT shifting.


I have some new items to re-plumb the brake lines, and some braided stainless lines to replace the old rubber stuff. I'll be replacing the stock prop valving with a line-lock and Wilwood prop valve. I'll mount the prop valve in the cabin so I can switch the brake bias after the burnout.

How'd you get the original fittings out of the valvecover? I've been wanting to do the same thing for a while, pretty much exactly how you ended up doing it, but wasn't sure if the fittings were pressed or bonded.

Lookin' good man.

They were just pressed in. I put the nipple in the vise and crushed it flat, then twisted it out.
(That didn't sound very pleasant did it, lol.)

Then, I opened the hole to the correct tap size, (I used 3/8" NPT) and tapped the holes. Pretty simple, and works great. I have the catch can mounted to the strut tower. It has a built-in separator, and a huge filter on it.

grab em with channel locks or vice grips and just twist back and forth, they come right out

Good to see you working on Grover again! I love Pro-Lite hose! It smells great too! Trust me give it a smell I want to see this "in car" prop. valve sounds like a great idea!

Such a beautiful build with my personal favorites being that header and DP. I haven't really looked into it before so are there other advantages to using the HTOB over a cable or is it only so you can run a twin disc?

DJ

Thanks, and I'm jealous of your sweet intake manifold.
The HTOB is a good idea for any clutch with a higher load pressure plate.
I'm also incorporating a Titlon flow control valve into the HTOB circuit that slows down the clutch release. It's to help ease the shock load during full throttle shifts.

Isn't that an old Chill Factory intake?

Thanks Len, but I could have never done it in a neon. You guys are way more spacially challanged than I am. It's one thing I love about the Shadow, though with that comes the awful weight of the thing.



And not to thread jack but because he asked............no, not even close.

Thanks man. That does look SWEET!!! I could only see the little pic in your sig. and couldn't enlarge it.

I got a super-trick new TiaL blow-off valve. The machining is beautiful. It's supposed to be more efficient than the old 50mm version.


I also made a billet solid tensioner during lunch today. Gotta make time whenever I can!

Sweet! Len did you by chance have an old tial wastegate before? If so do they use the same flange? If nothing else the new tial's look awesome! Loving the billet tensioner! Mostly cause you made it on your lunch!

you eat toolboxes for lunch? you are harcore!
that thing looks mint! i just cant wait! to see it run

Added custom alternator mount to relocate it up front, and low enough to clear my intake manifold.


It's adjustable via the 3/8" rod end on the top of the mount.

Looks good as always. Do you need to disconnect the top alt. bold every time you want to adjust it? Looks like that may be a bit combersome. It also made your timing belt really loose..........might want to look into that

DJ

You and your billet aluminum! Looks great!

I figured he could take out the bolt at the other end (the one that goes through the rod end), twist the rod end until tension is correct, then slip it back into the bracket.

Looks good Len! Find those gears yet?

Yeah it's really easy to adjust the belt tension. Just not as easy as a stock alt bracket. I originally wanted to use two rod ends and a center section to twist and adjust tension, but I just didn't have the room for it.

Matt, I am having a new set of input/output shafts, and all the gears on the output shaft tempered again. I can't find them anywhere. I'm sill really upset that they are just plain gone. I think they may have been thrown out as garbage while I was gone. What a waste.

I guess I learned my lesson for trusting someone else with my stuff.

Hope it wasn't anyone I know.
Think you'll have Grover done for all practical purposes by next summer? I might have my car running again by then too.

Man, that alternator looks so much easier to get to up there! Jeez! wonder if you could replicate a stock pusher tensioner... I'm envious of your mount. way envious.

Another brief update, 1/31/09:
I have been silently working on putting this T850 trans together for the last few months. Everything inside is all brand new, custom tempered, and shot peened. It also has custom close-ratio gearing, a billet input shaft with oversize spline diameter, a TIM KISH drag spool, and a tempered and shot peened 3.77 final drive.


Got some new Boomba cam gears from Lorenzo. They're flippin sweet.


I went to a drag racing swap meet and scored a bunch of killer deals on stuff I needed to finish up Grover.
Scored a brand new set of DSS axles for the new trans.


A decent 2 gallon Pro Stock fuel cell.


I got this really unique and perfect for my application, jumbo breather/catchcan setup. It's really cool the way it works, and is compact enough to fit where I need to put it. Also got a big, big Weldon fuel pump and some -12an fuel lines and fittings


And lastly, I got an amazing deal on a set of 15 x 10" WELD Prostar wheels and 26 x 10" Mickey Thompson tires. I can't make these fit under the fenders no matter how hard I try, so I'm waiting for that new CFT 3 pc. front end to be finished.

hey len whatcha doing with your old dss axles setup? pm me

Awww BOOO a spool. Was hoping to see Grover still streetable.

Anyway, glad to see an update, as is everyone else on the forums .

Abandoning the NV350 camp, eh Len? This should certainly be more durable I suppose! Do you have any idea yet what is going to be required to make it fit. I'm thinking it is substantial sheet metal surgery, so do you plan to have Grover making angry noises by spring?

Keep up the good work len,

Drew

Sweet! Great to see updates! Man what kind of drag swap meets are you going to? DSS axles......Big Weldon! I never find any good stuff like that! The front tires are MEATY! Love'n it!

I love to see your work Len, but I feel a little disappointed when I see you changing things before everything is finished. It's a project I'd love to see run/drive again, but hope the changes don't keep you from ultimately finishing. Keep plugging along. Looks good

Tranny looks bullit proof hopefully would be sweat to see it at N2K9 if all goes to plan!

Hope when I finally make it out that way again you're avail. for lunch and Hangin' out. Still like to see Grover, even if he is disassembled.

The trans dropped right in on my car without any cutting. I'm making a custom trans mount because of the motor location. I was gonna put Grover together last summer for NEON'08, but I was working in Germany. I have all the parts I was waiting for, to put Grover together the way I envisioned. I still need to have some chassis updates completed, and I'll be waiting for the CFT front end to be finished, but that won't stop me from firing the car up and getting it tuned.

From my point of view, I haven't changed anything from my original vision of what I wanted to do. It just took me a few years to get all the parts together that I really wanted to use.
The T850 trans parts didn't even exist until a couple months ago, but it was something I wanted from the get go.

so your not even going to use the trans mount i sent you for free?

i see how it is.

Yes I am! I cut the guts out of the center, and I'm gonna have an off-center solid mount inside the stock aluminum.