Well, that's good, Nosinger.

Alright, so it looks, feels, and smells like a car now! The cigarette smell from the interior is gone as far as I can tell. It's gotten its first wash (no polish or wax yet... this paint job isn't even worth of it). It's got Hawk HPS pads and NAPA Ultra Premium rotors all around, along with brand new e-brakes that are freshly adjusted. I must say, I love how it stops and feels all around now. I guess I can almost get to doing some more mods, but I have to get the washer fluid pump issue (and some other electrical issues) cleaned up first.

Here are some fresh pictures after the wash, some of the old brakes, some of the new brakes and tires, and some of the rusty ol' hubs being cleaned up...

Looks good NOS!

Suprised that the Balt sold so fast....

Nos exhibits that essential Hot Rodder characteristic: he takes an affordable car and spends his money to make it his own, unique chariot. Guys have been doing this since hot rodding began. For that, my little soldier salutes him. Keep the updates coming, Nos!

The little Neon cleaned up quite well!

The little Neon cleaned up quite well!

+1

Why thank you, gents. And I never thought of it that way, oblu. Nice outlook, I like it!

OH, and FWIW, the SRT drivetrain is VERY easily swapped (and quite cheap) into any '03-05 Neon. I may be doing that in a couple years... we'll see.

I'll look into the Leatherique once I get some money and some money invested into the car. I have to decide if I want SRT seats or if I want to stick with what I've got...

I was there a few years ago when I got my first car, a Pontiac Grand Am, and wanted to upgrade everything on it. Then I got a Grand Prix, spent a lot of money and time on the engine, just to crack a piston. But then I got a GTO, which doesn't need anything done to it.

My suggestion would be to not spend a lot of money on the car, and put that money towards getting the car you really want in the future. You may love the car now, but give it a year or 2, and you will be looking into what you can move up to for your next car.

True, XLRV. However, I don't think that he's going to sink a ton of cash into this thing. Think he's going to drive it until he gets out of school, and then get a Camaro SS or something.

Chris

You've gotta do what you've gotta do.

That dashboard inset in red is kind of interesting.

Yes, don't sink too much money into it. Drive it into the ground and then get something to reward yourself for finishing school.

Only parts of this that are painted are the silver pieces...

Sorry for the low-quality pics, they're from my phone.

Hmm, is that taupe? What paint is it, how durable is it, and where'd you get it?

If I may make a suggestion, paint ends of the dash as well, and some part of the door panels.

lol I said the only parts that are painted are the SILVER pieces.

The white and black are a fake leather material.

Ah I gotcha. How'd you attach it and where'd you get it? I'm very interested.

Contact cement, lots of time, and lots and LOTS of patience. I picked up the material from JoAnn fabric, and I know Hancock Fabric also carries it.

Looks good, my friend...

Chris

Hmmm ... I do like that material on the dash.

I wonder if Neons support RB1 or RB4...

Nice car man. My buddy has a Neon with around 80,000 miles on it and it seems to be a pretty decent quality car. The tranny shifts pretty hard, but its an automatic so you shouldn't have to worry about that.

Looks good!

It does look pretty cool so far, except for the silver end caps on the dash. Nos, is it finished? It looks like maybe you're not finished.

Back from the dead... Nope, car's not finished. I run into minor things I don't like about it here and there...

• Suspension's not as tight as I'd like it, so I'm fixing that with some struts, springs, and sway bars in the summer
  
• Tranny has a real nice grind upshifting/downshifting into 2nd (well, I did buy a Dodge...). A rebuild kit costs over $500, plus installation. My fix? Bought an SRT drivetrain out of a wrecked '04 with 33k miles. Total swap will cost around $3-4k with full exhaust and a couple modifications (fuel system, bigger intercooler, etc.), minus what I will make from selling my OEM parts
  
• The cheapo tires I put on it "just to get me by" aren't quite cutting it in the snow, so I'll have to get a set of winter tires and summer tires (on aftermarket 17s).
  
• Other minor gripes I can't think of right now too...

Good to that she's still going....

Good to hear, there's nothing more rewarding than accepting a challenge and making a car like that not only better, but your own!

Good to hear, there's nothing more rewarding than accepting a challenge and making a car like that not only better, but your own!

Yep!

Good to hear, there's nothing more rewarding than accepting a challenge and making a car like that not only better, but your own!

I'll drink to that!