Dream Car Revival! Dodge SRT4 First Impressions

Get 10% off any of the products from MaxpeedingRods using code: Reignited
bit.ly/3GwRjIj
This car has been a bucket list car for me for a very long time. I always wanted a SRT4 because of my past as a Neon kid. Now I've finally got one in my hands and I'm excited to make it the car I always dreamed of! In this episode we are Fixing the major mechanical issues, and installing a set of aftermarket coilovers then taking it for our first drive. I hope you enjoy this one!
Contact me with business inquiries: [e-mail]
Follow me on Instagram @reignitedtx
0:00 Amuse Bouche
0:20 Don't look at my shoes, they're awful
2:46 I really paid too much for this car LOL
6:33 Just an excuse to put Motorcycling in my video
9:55 Easiest Coilover install ever
15:03 She's looking sweet!
16:17 First Drive! That you know of anyway
18:52 My car goes "Pshhhh"
SRT4, neon, dodge, coilover install, dream car

[@agentmuzz]

My wife has a 2005 SRT-4 CE with 17K original miles. She has ones just like yours we bought new but then sold a few years later to get a Durango (family grew and needed something bigger). However, we regretted getting rid of the her orange SRT-4. A couple years ago we were looking at used cars for my son and ran across the CE. Now my wife has her baby back. Pretty much stock except for a UPP with aftermarket BOV, Mopar CAI, and a 91 tune. They are little rockets to drive and handle really well.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Dang, 17k original miles! That's awesome 💪

[@rojo5331]

I cant wait to drive my SRT4 swapped 1st gen neon. Thing weighs just over a ton and is making somwhere in the mid 300s HP (Big wheel stocker, E85, stage 3 fuel pump,1000cc inj.)... its been a long little project but, by the comments, im thinking it'll put a pretty decent smile on my face.

[@MeatyGoulash]

My buddy and I in highschool…we took my 98 Plymouth neon we spray painted the entire inside bright yellow and red trim. This was over 12 years ago. I’m pretty sure we lost a lot of brain cells that day

[@ReignitedAuto]

😂 The ideas we think are genius in High school!

[@royp2905]

These srt4 s are so underrated. I have a 04 fully built with a 2.9 Turbobay BWS . So much fun . New subscriber 👍

[@ReignitedAuto]

Every time I see the car it makes me smile. That definitely counts for something! Appreciate you watching 👍

[@srirachasauce8430]

Nostalgia. It gets us all. Helluva find, though! I remember when my pops took me for a test drive in a 2008 Silver Caliber SRT4 back in the dizzay. It gave me a deep seeded longing for one. Worked on a few 80s turbo dodges along the way, and stumbled upon a deal that was too good to pass up. A red '09 Caliber SRT4 with a stage 1 mopar tune for $2500. Slightly beat up but ran/shifted flawlessly. Took it back, fixed it up, and been scooting around with pride ever since. Now that it has warmed up, it's time to make it pretty once more.

[@The3chordwonder]

A few upgrades I recommend for track use Sky (And having both a stage 2 and a stage 3). Keep the stock turbo, but go with stage 2 or a tuned version. The spool delay in stage 3 is too slow for track use. I highly recommend yanking the oil pan and removing the balance shaft assembly. It allows the engine to rev much faster, almost like you put in a lightweight flywheel. Yeah you get more vibration, but it is not terrible. I would also recommend poly engine mounts, which help with shifting because the engine doesn't move around so much under boost. The last thing is the "PT Cruiser" sway bar upgrade. All of this stuff is super cheap upgrades and really helps it out. If you want to spend a little more, and want to get an even rowdier exhaust, I absolutely loved my 3" side exit exhaust. With just the cat on it, it sounded awesome and at idle by the side exit, you could hear the turbo spinning. Just an absolute gem of a daily driver. 25mpg is what I would get with stage 3 and terrible daily traffic. I seem to remember getting about 170 miles out of a tank. Preventive maintenance wise, the multifunction switches melt/fail because there is no relay, so I would recommend doing a relay kit for the lights so the MFS doesn't have to deal with 10+ amps of current the entire time your headlights are on. You may want to also replace the shifter bushings with delrin ones as that helps with shifter feel also. If you are the type of person who loves to do little mods to cars, the SRT-4 is probably one of the best platforms to have.

[@Glenwood62]

I have an 05 PT cruiser GT with the HO turbo. I believed it is the same engine and trans as the Neon SRT4. Would those Delrin bushings work for my shifter? it is a bit sloppy. I couldn't find any specifically for the PT.

[@The3chordwonder]

@@Glenwood62 I'm not positive, perhaps look up the part numbers for the shifter and the shifter cables. If I am not mistaken the PT GT had a getreg transmission whereas the SRT-4 had the New Venture T850 trans.

[@Glenwood62]

@@The3chordwonder thanks, I will take a look. I didn't know the transmissions were different, you're right that the PT has a getreg.

[@BboyMobster]

You hit every nail on the head with this post about srt4 neons.

[@ChrisLeiter]

I bought a 2004 E-Blue SRT-4 new from the dealer in Nov 2003. I really miss that thing. I would NOT be willing to build one today though... props.

[@tomcooper920]

I like where you're going with this project. It's really good to show, especially people just starting out, that you don't have to go all out and spend a ton of money or have all the tools in the world to have fun working on a car.

[@muricancars797]

I will never forget hauling ass in my 95 Triple Black Convertible 5.0 down Rt 6 in Chillicothe IL and having an SRT 4 Neon catch me, wait next to me, and drop the hammer and whoop my ass. Went to the dealership the next day to test drive one and was blown away. Always wanted one too!!

[@ChrisC-bc8od]

I FULLY agree with your nostalgic view! I sat in one new back in 2003(yellow) just out of HS and it was the coolest thing ever! I personally never owned one because I went on to become a GM tech in 2005 and the Chevy Cobalt SS kinda caught my eye after installing stage1-2kits. Then when GM made the 08 Turbo Cobalt SS I had to have one! But I MUST THANK DODGE for making GM make the Cobalt ss a reality. Is the Cobalt a ecoshit box....YES! But I still love it! SRT-4/Cobalt SS still really fun cars and cheap to buy!

[@04srt4champ]

Orange and blue the best colors.

[@leeperry1999]

Track day woohoo! I see some super fun and maybe a roll cage in your future.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Yessir, this is hopefully going to be my first attempt at a cage 👍

[@paulk6240]

Excellent choice! Good job.

[@cannondale4567]

Love the srt4 content! I always wanted one since hs as well and i finally bought an '04 e blue and Im in love. Thanks for saving another one!

[@EricWyman-ki7nh]

That lowered stance looks great, Sky- I'm curious to see all the improvements you've got in mind for the Neon... I liked the footage taken at ORP. I'm hoping to take the Mustang there later on sometime.

[@jayztools4038]

I had a Neon same year. Loved it!! Great car

[@shanewilson9250]

Don't forget about the nasty spot under the right fender where the water leaks under right into the cab area. It's a body seam that they coated from the factory. I believe there is a bulletin from the factory that the mechanics get.

[@ReignitedAuto]

I'll have to look into that!

[@waltergrasmick5615]

So glad you are going forward with this car. I know you have always said what a fun car it was for you when you first started out. Too bad you were hit, but hopefully it will be fixed and good as new as soon as a shop can get it done. Now I have to try to be patient for more content..... I see you have the same warmer season like we have. At least we have snow today so we will have a white Christmas, hope you get more also.

[@ReignitedAuto]

I have actually never seen a winter this warm here, and I've been here about 17 years in total. It's been averaging 45 degrees all December!

[@davestewart9146]

Really cool little car, Merry Christmas to you and yours 👍😁

[@SpazAntics]

ORP is really cool. Bring it out to a Bridgecity Auto sports autocross. We do events at P.I.R, ORP, Sanderson air field in shelton Washington. We do a "track cross" on the ORP once a year. On of our members has been autocrossing an 04 srt4 and she is really talented. I currently own a 2001 r/t dodge motorsports edition. I need to some work to it. But i have had the car since 2012.

[@iDanielch]

Planing on buying a srt4 since my first car at 16 was a 97 neon

[@meltonsappliance]

I have a 97 neon I have had for 23 years. I have it beefed up a little bit. Only has around 70 thousand miles on it. Still in very great condition. Only gets driven a few times a year.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Dang that's awesome! Very rare to see survivors of these cars. They were cheap so they usually got trashed. My original was a '96 and I got mine because my Dad bought a '97 brand new, he got the two door fire red one. He also bought a 2005 in black brand new as well. I was kind of the black sheep, my brothers and sister all bought fox body mustangs, I was the 4-cylinder guy. Very ironic that I grew up to have a channel focusing on the Hemi V8 😄

[@EarlSinclair97]

I watch this channel for all things Hemi, but its cool to see a Neon SRT4 again. Haven’t seen one of those in years.

[@AceSRT]

I'm a simple man. I see an SRT-4 video, I click. Sucks you got rear-ended.

[@ReignitedAuto]

I kinda felt bad for the lady, she was distracted by her kids yelling lol. But hopefully it gets fixed all right. I'm a little concerned because this is a pearl paint job so it's hard to match properly.

[@rafaeltorres2886]

Darrel Cox Racing , they specialize in Neons, change the lower control arm bushings will definitely tighten up the front end.

[@ReignitedAuto]

I'll check em out!

[@cliffelmore5834]

Merry Christmas. New subscriber.

[@SRT.GRIZZ63]

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS SKY

[@Dangerous_Drivers_of_CA]

I used to have an 05 SRT4, I loved that car!

[@ReignitedAuto]

It's a terribly cheap car, but so cool 😄

[@kevinknabe7252]

Srt4! 💪

[@Mansmyth802]

Aww my dream car neons love them I bought my srt 4 finally couple years ago got an 04 with 293k drives like a dream. Another note I’ve had like 8 of these second gen neons rear ends rot if u have any salt

[@dyoutubechannel8218]

You might get rear ended again with those black brake lights. I know they're stock, but nobody see when you use the flashers or brakes with them. Maybe try to go with LED lights for the rear, it might help.🤔Great project!

[@ReignitedAuto]

Ya actually the tail lights have this terrible dark tint applied to them, I will be removing that ASAP!

[@RemnantSRT440]

Good to see Emma on the road now and getting upgrades that I couldn't get around to. I miss her very day. The neon I kept is fun, but it's just not the same as Emma. Sucks that yoy got rear ended, that bumper got painted a few years ago. Will you be painting the whole car? Also have you joined the PNW FWD Mopar page? You might be able to find a bumper is that one is not salvageable

[@keenanmatthews1208]

smooth form on the bike. I ride an H2sx myself. You would love racing perimeter at UMC.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Is that the old Miller Motorsports Park? Some good racing with AMA there back in the day!

[@MH-rb7lp]

I always like those Neons, especially the ACRs and I would look for one but I have a 85 MR2 as a daily along with several other vehicles (in other words I don't have anywhere to put one). Awesome work, should be a blast to drive.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Always something special about small light cars! That MR2 has got to be small inside I'm not sure I'd fit 😬

[@MH-rb7lp]

@@ReignitedAuto Actually it is pretty comfortable, I am 5" 11'" and 220 and fit no problem. At 40 it feels like you are doing 80... lol its a lot of fun but still a 1985 car...

[@Lilmiddwest]

Those neon are quick. Wish dodge put LSD in neon SRT and dart SRT version.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Fortunately they did! The original model 2003 did not, but I believe in 2004-05 they installed the LSD in the SRT4. This car definitely has one, makes it much more predictable. 👍

[@RaymondEldridge-lm8dk]

I bought one a few months ago in Georgia for 1700.00 needs paint and a clutch

[@RandallSoong-pp7ih]

Throttle!

[@ReignitedAuto]

💪

[@rojo5331]

I need to find out how you did that supercharger setup… I want to twin charge my neon

[@TheVideoGameVault]

Hemi swap! Love that color

[@ReignitedAuto]

Still the long term plan to 392 swap this thing. But I want to get the Twin charged Magnum working properly first!

[@ethankoehler5597]

Sooooo what happened to the 392 swap? I was so stoked for that

[@ReignitedAuto]

It's definitely still the long term plan for this thing. In the short term it'll be my daily while I get the Twin charged Magnum back up and running properly!

[@craig8fs]

Hell yea bro! I got a 05 OB stage 3 cam and other goodies yours looks amazing

[@michaelhollaway4238]

What size tires are those pls ?

[@inchaoswearereborn9586]

Hopefully you did the evaporator core too lol

[@ReignitedAuto]

I did think about it, but no 😬. I'm rolling the dice! 😄

[@SRT.GRIZZ63]

so you not going to put that hemi with he hellcat blower in it i think it sould go in to the magnum

[@ReignitedAuto]

Unfortunately I had to part with the Hellcat blower so I could afford the forged bottom end for the Magnum rebuild 😢

[@SRT.GRIZZ63]

great choice cant wait to see the new build series on the magnum @@ReignitedAuto

[@Smasher-Devourer]

I just got a 2005 Mustang GT a couple weeks ago. I've had a 2007 and a 2006 (both V6 models) and loved them. Always loved the S197 body style. Long story short: That car is getting a Coyote swap. I've got the car, got the motor, just need some more parts and in a few months, I'm making it happen.

[@ReignitedAuto]

I think they did that swap on an episode of Hot Rod garage a couple years ago it was pretty sweet! Very tight, but that's to be expected. 💪

[@j5mcmahon]

Bro what I do I’m 20 my neon has 60k miles. How do I make it fun but don’t want to the reliability away from the car. It’s already clapped out odometer light doesn’t work resonators none existent. Throw a muffler on the car bc how fucking loud it was. Flutter from turbo sounds nice. Do I say fuck it and try and get a gto. Ngl I love the 2.4 platform it’s fun asf but god it’s gonna be a money pit soon

[@nedunonnyp704]

Not Sure how you gonna be comfortable dailying in that neon. I'm sure you're about 6ft or over. Im not even 6ft and My Leg hurts driving 90-100miles everyday in My C-Class Mercedes. I move the seat all the way back to stretch My legs and its still not not enough. My left side have gotten sore over time. But I hope the neon seats move back far enough.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Ya I'm 6' 1" so definitely a fairly large guy, but surprisingly I do pretty well in smaller cars. I think it's because in my job as a Dodge tech I'm constantly getting in a variety of vehicles all day, and we're not really supposed to mess with people's seating positions, so I'm very used to driving while somewhat cramped 😄

[@rj5485]

Can't stand idiots that can't drive! Hopefully, the damages are repairable

[@iissac22]

Cheap car with cheap components, but in this market its $16 - $20,000!🤷

[@wallerdog6]

I just saw some young loser run his BMW into the back of an SUV today. Put your damn phones away people.