04-01-2007, 01:24 PM
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#1
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2.4L in K-Body - What comes from where?
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Naturally Aspirated
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SoCal
1/4: 0.000
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Long story short, I finally have a garage to do serious work on my car (a family member's garage, but it'll do) and the permission to do said work. I don't know why but the standard turbo swaps just aren't exciting me anymore and I'm really considering dropping in a 2.4L.
I've done a lot of research and searching through the forums and I've come to the conclusion that I would rather drop in an actual 2.4 than do a conversion, but I'm having trouble getting information on exactly what should come from what cars (the info is throughout various threads, but too scattered and sometimes contradicting for me to piece together).
Personally, I think it would be better for me to actually swap in whatever 2.4 I can get my hands on (turbo or not) and worry about building up the engine later; my train of thought is that it'll be a much smaller bite to chew if I only have to worry about fitting an engine, and not building it up on top of that.
The Engine
I understand that I can get the 2.4 out of just about any Stratus and PT Cruiser, but what other models (and years) had this engine as an option? Are there any particular years and/or models of car that had a 2.4 setup that's preferable to another?
The Transmission
This is a big one for me; I understand that most people just bolt up an EEK trans and fabricate a bracket for the last bolt-hole, but manual EEKs simply don't exist here, despite all the junkyards being filled with EEKs (Southern California), and I've all but given up after years of looking (I'm not going to pay $900 for a rebuilt and then $600 for shipping from a parts company).
That said, what is actually preventing someone from using the original trans that came with the 2.4? I know you'll have to fabricate a trans-mount that you wouldn't have to otherwise, and I know there's supposedly trouble fitting trans-axles, but are these insurmountable problems, and if not, what can be done to overcome them?
Assuming it's not impossible and/or doesn't require a complete re-fabrication of the suspension/steering/ect, I think this would actually be the preferable method as from the few places I've seen, it's cheaper to get the engine/trans together than separately.
If it is impossible/prohibitive though, like the engine, exactly what transmission should I be looking for and from what models/years?
Electronics
As I said above, I'm looking to concentrate on the physical putting of a 2.4 into a K-Car and I'd like to minimize work in other areas for now (at least until everything is proven working, then it comes time to concentrate on the next area).
I know some have tried adapting the electronics already in the car to work with the engine, and others have tried to Megasquirt the car (which I'll probably eventually do), but is there anything stopping me from just transplanting the entirety of the electronics system into my car? My only worry about that method is if I'm going to run into problems with crap like the computer getting confused with ABS or other "oddities" my car doesn't have and won't.
Where to buy parts?
I've found a few auto insurance salvage yards that are willing to sell to the public, and their cars are cheap(ish) - a quick look yields 00-05 Stratus's prices around $2000-4000 (wrecked, but most are side or rear damage). This still seems to be a bit on the high side however.
I've also gone to the regular sites, eBay and such, but I come up empty. The cheapest 2.4 I could find on eBay was $4500 and that's a ridiculous amount to pay for a rebuilt engine (I work at a Dodge Dealer, and replacing an engine in a late-model Stratus with a new engine costs a full grand less than that, including labor).
So I'm curious, where do people look for the parts they need, and could someone point me in the right direction?
Missing anything?
When it comes to big projects like this, there is always stuff we miss, sometimes major things, sometimes stupid little things that nobody could have foreseen. Drawing from the collective knowledge of those that have done these swaps, is there anything that I should particularly look out for and/or have the foresight to avoid/fix?
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