Thinking on a ChumpCar.

I just had the brilliant idea the other day, my dad has an 2005 Dodge Neon with an auto trans, just sitting there while he looks for the title. It has an overheating issue, unsure of the cause. Then i thought hey he said he wanted to go do some racing with me and i thought why not turn that Neon into a Chump Car! Is it crazy? I know we need to fix the cooling and install a roll cage and strip it, but i think this could be fun family activity for my dad, brother, my wife(who has the most welding skills out of all of us) and myself. Build a car, it doesn't need to be competitive, we will all have a blast. Looking for some knowledge i have done some research, but would like to hear it straight from this crowd. Thanks.

It's not crazy. You probably want to put a cooler on that tranny. An automatic Neon will be pretty slow in Chump and is probably better suited to LeMons if you want to be competitive.

I am doing the lemon series this year. Whatever I learn I will let you know!

If you keep it an automatic, I think that is a 275 pt base value car. It would add 20 pts for a trans cooler.

Basically, you would start at a 295 pt car if you left it STOCK.

I think you will be disappointed in the performance of a auto trans neon.

However, if you can bend / weld up a cage, go for it! Some team will buy it from you when you are ready to step up.

Rob R.

Speaking of cages... what is the deal with bolt-in cages? Good? Bad?

bad. They won't let you race with one in chumps or lemons. If you go on there site they should tell you how to weld the cage

pav5069 wrote: they should tell you how to weld the cage

Unfortunately welding is usually the easy part. It's the bending, cutting, notching that'll get you. Best to farm it out unless you're a good welder, then you could look at a pre-bent kit. The roll cage is one thing you definitely want done right.

FWIW, some of my friends and family have been wanting to do Chump or Lemons, and not all can drive stick. First Gen Neons with AT are near the top of our hit list for a whole bunch of reasons. ( bringing home a trophy isn't one of them though )

In the rules I read last night it says they allow bolt in cages. I am not saying I would want one. Just wondering everyone's take on them. How about anyone know any weak points on a 2nd gen neon? I know the auto isn't ideal but like HappyAndy I have people that would like to go but all can drive stick.

Don't do a bolt in cage, just don't. Rules or not it's not as safe. Plus you'll be legal only in one series. Pretty limiting.

A different idea is to buy or rent a Chump car so everyone can race first, then work on the Neon.