Mon 5.23

Monday, May 23-

Racing accidents happen. With numerous advancements in technology to make safety equipment, the risk of a fatal or serious crash with injuries has decreased greatly. Drivers can now walk away more frequently, but still the carnage of a crumpled automobile cannot be avoided. This is what happened to the #22 Dodge SRT-4 Touring Car. Hugh piloted this car in 2005 and 2006 and won the Sunoco Hard Charger Award both years at the first race at Sebring.

Unfortunately, the silver Dodge was to run only two rounds in 2006 after the car was spun into the wall hard at St. Petersburg. It was supposedly on the first lap and the SRT-4 had been bumped and sent into a spin which shot it backwards into one of the concrete walls. Hugh was taken by paramedics to be examined but had no injuries. The car however, did not leave the track that race weekend unscathed. The whole rear end was pancaked (especially on the right rear) and the rear glass had been busted out completely. The frame was completely cracked in the back and the rear suspension as well as the doors were no longer usable. The decision was made not to repair the car due to its severe damage. The car was dragged onto the trailer, and the season was over.

The car sat for a bit in storage until one day a few years ago when the front half of the car was cut and salvaged. It then sat in HSM's then-new shop in 2007. Nothing really had been done to it since the car seemed to always remain content in its own corner in the back near the tire machine. Not until this past weekend was it finally pulled out and disassembled. Luckily, the front clip was set on dollies so rolling it was a breeze to do.

The pedal cluster, dash, gauges, shift linkage, steering rack and mirrors had been left in the front section that was saved. That was soon removed and then the only thing left to do was to remove the engine, transmission, and the complete front subframe, as it would be soon swapped into another Neon.

SRT-4 engine and drivetrain swaps are quite common in the older generation Neons, and add a strong punch to their performance as well. But this particular motor is no ordinary unit. This engine was built strictly for SPEED World Challenge by Dodge Motorsports. The valve cover has self-stripping threads on it to prevent technicians on teams from possibly tampering with the cams and valvetrain to get an advantage over the competitors. 

Unfortunately, we do not have the actual motor specs as Dodge was not allowed to release any info about it. The motor has less than 10 hours on it since the first startup, and the turbo is a Mopar unit specifically made for World Challenge. The car made approximately 260 or so horsepower when raced, but the car was run with a throttle body restrictor to choke airflow therefore limiting power output. The motor is easily capable of making more than 300 horsepower.

This motor and drivetrain is currently in the process of being swapped into a 2002 Dodge Neon. The reason we chose to go with a normal Neon is that when the car is eventually put up for sale, a good selling point is that the car will have the relatively cheap insurance cost of a base Neon, but the power of an SRT-4. No word yet on the price of the car, but stay tuned!

-GG