1995 Plymouth Neon NYG ACR Coupe - Restoration

So I am very new to this forum but not so new to Neons.  Will start this project thread with a bit of background and then how I got my hands on this car.  For those that know, a Nitro Yellow Green (NYG) neon is very rare to begin with and is one of those 'special' cars that are somewhat unicorns, particularly as a Plymouth and also as an ACR.  There were only 63 - 1995 Plymouth Neon NYG ACR Coupes ever made.  My first car was actually a 1996 Dodge Neon Base Coupe that was stripped of virtually every option and as a new driver, I really did not know what I had but I came to appreciate it over the years and it is the reason I got into the car hobby. 

Now onto the car... I found the NYG forsale through a fellow Mopar Enthusiast, who believe it or not, had two (2) NYG Plymouth ACR's. I had always wanted an NYG and I finally found my opportunity.  He was looking to sell one in order to use the proceeds to rebuild the engine and restore it completely back to stock.  I was more than happy to snatch up.  My goal on the car is to restore it where I can with the intent of actually driving and enjoying it.  So without further ado... this is the car on the day I picked it up.  Originally labeled "SNOTROCKET" from the drivers seat you can see where it was burned into the windshield glass (from the inside).

The NYG (my wife refuses to acknowledge it as the SNOTROCKET) needed paint more than anything else but for the most part was complete.  The original wheels were loaded in the trunk but had been painted black.  Those will need to be restored.  The original 2.0L DOHC engine had been replaced with a 2.0L SOHC Magnum engine and transmission but retained the factory A/C and other rare factory options (this one came with rear defrost also).  Interior was complete and relatively unaltered.  The center console and shifter taken from a PT cruiser.

I started the search for a painter and was astonished by some of the pricing I was quoted ($8-10k) was what I was told to budget.  I found another source that my wife and I work with that cut that price in half.  The only requirement was that I strip the car of all the glass.

My first step was removing the glass from the car so that I could have it painted..  I also swapped on some black steelies to make sure that no wheels were harmed unintentionally during the painting process.  For those with a keen eye... Yes, that is a bible quote on the back :)

I will add more to the post as the project progresses.

Car just came back from the painter (actually this is the second time).... First time there were some fisheyes and paint correction that needed to be done... but here it is now.

In reply to florenj :

Welcome. 

You're gonna be popular here!  

We are off to an excellent start. Neons get love here.

More great Neon stuff. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/1995-dodge-neon-acr-celebrity-challenge-car-19/180868/page1/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/neon-acr-coupe-2012-challengedd-build/50461/page1/

Definitely watching! Welcome to the asylum!

In reply to John Welsh :

Thank you for the greeting!

Let me know when you'd like me to start hunting for dohc engines to swap

That's awesome, my dad has a 95 NYG ACR 4 door.  It's in rough shape but he bought it new.  The paint on those didn't hold up well at all, it's cool to see someone restoring one though. 

Dang, cool find--nice unicorn.

If you want this thread moved to the Builds forum, just say the word. 

Thanks for sharing with the rest of the class. 

BTW if you need extra wheels I think my dad has at least 3 extras he would sell.  Also, you may already know this but the fog light holes with no fog lights in the bumper is the way they came new.

There is something weird in the water on this forum

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Thank for you the offer Dave.  Please move to the Builds forum.  Thank you!

In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :

Ironically, I have another ACR (1999 Dodge Neon ACR Coupe) with a 2.0L DOHC.   The motor has some piston slap but purrs like a kitten once warmed up.  Was considering using that as a donor for the NYG and going through the engine completely.  I also have a complete PT GT Cruiser that I bought for parts... so an SRT-4 swap into the 1999 might be what is needed... so it would just be my time (ALOT of my TIME) but I may go down that road.  I do like the 2.0L SOHC Magnum motor BUT it is not correct from a restoration perspective.  Even though it would not be the original 2.0L DOHC.

florenj said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Thank for you the offer Dave.  Please move to the Builds forum.  Thank you!

And moved. Thanks again. 

Yes! Another Neon build thread :)

florenj said:

Car just came back from the painter (actually this is the second time).... First time there were some fisheyes and paint correction that needed to be done... but here it is now.

Not sure how exact of a restoration you are going for, but you know that is not the right color for the bumper stripes?  It looks fine though lol.

In reply to florenj :

More welcome to GRM and here is a little tip...

At the very top, first entry, of this thread there are some small icons.  Easiest to recognize is the Facebook icon and the Twitter icon.  The very first icon is an eyeball.  If you click on that icon, this thread will be added to your Watchlist.  Think of it as a way to bookmark your thread so you can return to it easily.  

So, now that you have added it to your Watchlist, how to get back to it... 

At the top of every page your will see a drop down menu titled "Jump To..."  The 4th choice in that menu is Your Watchlist and that will get you back.  You can also do the same for threads you did not create.  Really, anything you want to bookmark to get back to easily.  

I'm telling you all this because I selfishly want you to be sure to continue to update.  

In general, the Watchlist function is an underutilized feature of this board so you can consider this as you have done well enough with this posting to have earned your way into "secret handshake #1" or "level 2 activated!"  There are more.    

What's the red car hiding behind it? 

Welcome! Love me some nyg. If ya have any questions or need parts let me know. I'm always more than happy to help. 

In reply to WillG80 :

That is a 96 Neon DOHC with body kit completely done up.  I swapped a 2.4L DOHC motor I'm that one.  I'm a Mopar fan for sure.;)

In reply to Tk8398 :

I know it looks black in the lighting but it's a Dark Quartz Metallic (per factory spec).

In reply to florenj :  Pictures of the red one.

This is a little out of order but for those that want to see the car during paint prep...  I got updates throughout the process.

It's great to see another NYG get restored to its former glory. They're cool cars. I think I've only ever seen one or maybe two in the wild.