The Dodge Neon SRT-4 Story

Driving Dreams: Young Tuners Behind the Wheel of 2003 Dodge SRT-4

Auburn Hills, May 17, 2002
Twenty-six-year-old Marques McCammon came to work at DaimlerChrysler for one reason and one reason only. And this December, it begins rolling off an Illinois assembly line as the quickest production car available in the United States for less than $20,000.

"The Dodge SRT-4 - - plain and simple. That's why I chose to work here," says Marques McCammon, Program Manager-Small Vehicle Product Team. "My dream was to make a car like that a reality."

No stranger to the street scene himself, McCammon got his driver's license at about the same time the sport compact car craze was just beginning to hit his hometown on the East Coast. "I took a turn at the starting line at many a stoplight myself throughout high school and college, mostly in import cars I tuned in my garage," admits McCammon. "But I always dreamed of doing a performance version of a production car for a major automaker."

In 1998, with a Mechanical Engineering degree from North Carolina A&T University in hand, McCammon got his chance. A recruitment call from DaimlerChrysler brought him to the company's Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. There, as one of his first assignments, he was asked to help develop a version of the Neon with a list of performance features based on the sport compact cars that Tom Gale, (then Executive Vice President-Product Development and Design) had seen at the 1998 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas.

Team Dreams: From Wish List to Turntable

Within weeks, a pack of young tuners began to form around Gale's request. Along with McCammon, the initial team included 35-year-old Powertrain Engineer Marc Musial and 36-year-old Mechanic Dave Chyz, one of the youngest technicians to work on the original Dodge Viper. In addition to youth, the team members also shared first-hand experience in one form or another with the existing Dodge Neon.

"Mark brought his experience with turbos and superchargers," recalls McCammon. "And Dave threw in his engine expertise, and before you knew it, we had built a car from scratch in just four months."

"We all realized that this was a once in a lifetime chance," he says. "We didn't want to blow our shot with the higher-ups by not having our act together when it mattered most. So, we all chipped in and did whatever it took to get the job done."

Often, that meant putting in long hours after they officially punched out from their "day jobs." Between the three of them, the group logged more than 1,000 test track miles after hours in less than two weeks. But it paid off. By November 1999, Gale had his car, and it had a spot on that year's SEMA show floor. Based on the positive response there, Gale decided to put the black vehicle, (then badged the Neon SRT), center stage on the concept car turntable at the Los Angeles Auto Show the following January.

Progress: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"When we heard Gale say, 'We need to make a production version in a brighter color,' we thought we were home-free," recounts McCammon.

But taking a concept car to the level of a production vehicle proved a test of the young team's mettle. Finding an approved engine to make the car as fast as they had dreamed, pulling together a business case to keep the car priced low enough to appeal to tuners like themselves and financing tooling for what was expected to be a low-volume vehicle presented new challenges to the neophyte group. At the same time, they also were busy secretly piecing together a second car using production-oriented parts and a design more adaptable to the existing Neon platform, all in the hopes of winning production approval for their dream car.

"Once we had the second car built, we snuck it into Tom Gale's parking spot in the executive garage one night, just to get it noticed," says McCammon. "We figured he couldn't possibly ignore his own ride home."

Despite the effort, the Executive Committee rejected the production car proposal when the team appeared before it in the fall of 2000. So, for the second time, McCammon got another list - - this one full of reasons why the car wouldn't fly. But even that didn't deter the team.

"We literally went to every lead engineer, item by item, and asked them to explain why the item couldn't be done or offer a solution to fix it," says McCammon. "We just kept going until there was nothing left on the list."

Three revisions of the car later, responsibility for the still unapproved project was transferred to the company's Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) team, or as it would come to be known, Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO). In the end, persistence brought the result everyone had hoped for. In the spring of 2001, the plan once again was placed before the Executive Committee, and this time, it got the green light.

Performance Vehicle Operations: Continuing the Dream

Gaining the official stamp of approval as a production vehicle brought not only notoriety, but also additional support to the Neon SRT program. As an approved project, responsibility for the newly christened Dodge SRT-4 production car fell in the race-steady hands of John Fernandez, Director of Performance Vehicle Operations. With many years spent in Neon ACR grassroots racing himself, Fernandez turned to the next generation of motorheads to create his SRT-4 crew.

"Assembling a team to work on the production version SRT-4 was like a casting call for the popular street racing movie, 'The Fast and the Furious,'" says Fernandez. "We pulled together everyone we knew who had first-hand experience with vehicles like the SRT-4, either through grassroots racing or hitting the streets every weekend in their own performance-tuned cars."

The result was a second group of young tuners ready to continue the initial team's work in bringing the production SRT-4 to sport compact car enthusiasts across America. Under the PVO umbrella, the second SRT-4 team combined their knowledge with that of the legendary Dodge Viper development team to create a unique blend of experienced track racers and young street racers.

Some of them, like 30-year old Stephan Zweidler and 39-year old Brad Dotson, had worked indirectly on the Neon SRT concept car and were more than happy to ante up to the project full-time on the PVO team.

"I've always been into anything with an engine," says Stephan Zweidler, Lead Engineer-SRT-4 Vehicle Development. "So when I was asked to join the team, I jumped at the chance to work with a bunch of people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty."

Time spent racing with Team Shelby and the Neon ACR in SCCA , including a stint as crew chief, more than earned Dotson his spot on the SRT-4 team as Program Manager. But even he felt the pressure of turning a dream into sheet metal reality.

"Although I had crewed with the Neon ACR and was involved with the Neon SRT concept car, I was still a little anxious when I realized now we actually had to make the SRT-4 a production car," admits Dotson. "Fortunately, we had the experience of the Viper guys to draw from."

Together, the Viper veterans and the young tuners melded to create an SRT-4 team with an enthusiastic passion for cars, an openness to new ways of thinking and a willingness to step into a new risk-taking venture. Zweidler, who raced Solo II SCCA autocross throughout college and remains active in the Neon Enthusiast Club, shares testing and development responsibility with another young SRT-4 crew member 32-year old Vehicle Synthesis Engineer Jeff Reece who worked on the championship-winning Dodge Viper GTS-R. Twenty-eight-year old Engine Engineer Tom Wierzchon (also on the Viper GTS-R team) and 32-year-old Electrical Systems Engineer Judy Willoughby round out the core of the current PVO SRT-4 team.

Challenges: A Team Effort

Just like the car they're working on, the young PVO group moves quickly. Since officially taking on the SRT-4 project, the team has worked through the details of bringing the initial dream to fruition in just 21 months. Like every team dedicated to a common goal, the group covers for each other all the time.

"In the short amount of time we have to pull everything together, we've spent a lot of time driving on the track, working with mechanics and testing parts," says Zweidler. "It would be an easy excuse to just say we're too busy to get it all done, but I've never heard anyone complain."

"As a small group working under a compressed timeline, we've had to focus on the bare essentials, timing-wise," adds Dotson. "That wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation of other departments throughout the company. It's amazing to see other racing enthusiasts come out of the woodwork to lend their support for this program," he says.

The Payoff: Rolling Up to Stoplights Soon

All the hard work pays off and the teams' dreams becomes reality this December as the first Dodge SRT-4 cars begin racing off the line at the company's Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly Plant. As expected, some of the first customers will likely be the young tuners who helped make it all happen.

"As an 'insider,' I know what this outrageous car is capable of, and I plan to test it every day on my commute to and from work," laughs Zweidler. "I'll just consider it 'research.'"

"There's been such a groundswell among enthusiasts for this car," says Dotson. "It's going to be interesting to see where they go in the aftermarket with the canvas we've given them. Who knows? I may just paint a masterpiece of my own."

"I can't imagine what it will be like the first time I pull up to a stoplight in my new Dodge SRT-4," adds McCammon. "I only know that it'll be every man for himself, and this man will be behind the wheel of his dream."

Performance: Features and Styling to Match Turbo Power

The 2003 Dodge SRT-4 combines performance with features inspired by the street racing scene. With a sticker price of just $19,995, the Dodge SRT-4 will be the quickest production car available in the United States for less than $20,000 when it arrives in dealerships in early 2003.

The car's 2.4-liter, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine produces 215 horsepower and 245 lb.-ft. of torque. Paired with that powerplant are a heavy-duty, five-speed manual NVG T850 transaxle and a dual-outlet exhaust system with big, 2.5-inch polished stainless tips. New equal-length halfshafts, high-capacity clutch and drive plate assemblies and unique engine and transaxle mounts round out the Dodge SRT-4 powertrain.

Superior handling capability is made possible by 17-inch aluminum performance wheels, sticky 50-series tires, specially tuned strut and spring assemblies, sway bars and updated knuckles. Four-wheel disc brakes with larger diameter rotors and bigger calipers also are standard equipment.

A new hood, rear spoiler, front and rear fascias and sill-mounted ground effects convey a customized exterior look for the 2003 Dodge SRT-4. Inside, Viper-style racing seats, a carbon-fiber texture leather steering wheel and shift boot, along with a special turbo boost gauge, complement the performance capability under the hood. Special SRT (Street and Racing Technology) badging completes the performance look.

2003:
Colors: Yellow, Red, Black, Silver
Power: Rated at 215hp/245tq
- SRS was an option in 03 however not very common.
- The instrument cluster gauge surrounds were chrome on some of the '03s (similar to what's also on the exports cars) vice painted silver. (Blackbird R/T)
- The very early '03 cars (~first month) supposedly got a "hotter" calibration similar to S1. (Blackbird R/T)

2004:
Colors: Yellow(Rare left over yellow bodies from 03), Red, Black, Silver, Blue (replaced Yellow)
Power: Rated at 230hp/250tq
Changes:
- Headlights now with a silver band instead of black
- Valve cover change with new PCV
- Axles strengthened sometime between Feb-March. Click here for picture.
- Coolant feed line fittings changed (see post 57 & 59)
- Larger injectors (S1 injectors)
- LSD standard
- New Venture T850 updates on the '04 trans to improve operation and address '03 concerns (internal part changes did not supersede to new numbers so without break-down and direct comparison can't say what exactly they changed/updated). (Blackbird R/T)
- Friction Modifier requirement for '04+ cars with LSD. (Blackbird R/T)
- Service supplement lowering trans fluid change interval to 18k-miles due to Friction Modifier eating ATF. (Blackbird R/T)
- Change in supplement/manuals regarding recommendation/use of M1. (Blackbird R/T)
- Tires changed from Michilen to BFGoodrich
- Sun roof optional (w/ 'oh-shit' handles)
- Kicker package optional
- Starter cables slightly different on where they mount (fried a starter when hooking it up like an 04 :P)
- Angled #4 spark plug wire started to become standard on newer 04's
- Standard neon foot pedals replaced with "bright" or metal pedals with rubber grommets.
- Test port with schrader valve removed from fuel rail. (note: some early 04's still had 03 style rails)
- windsheild washer squirter's spray pattern changed.
- Old style "slider" controls removed from radio sometime between 04 and 05
- VTA activation proceedures changed.
- Sometime in either 04 or 05 the front emblem changed from a single piece to a two piece. RSchyns' 04 (build date Oct 03) is a one piece while this thread shows an 05 with a two piece front emblem.
- NGK plug info added to the emission decal on '04+. (Blackbird R/T)

2005:
Same changes as 04
Colors: Orange replaced Blue for first half of 05. Silver replaced with White in late 05
- ACR package
- Commemorative package
- 05 PCM's tend to be a bit more picky about PTB and overboost CEL's.
- Removed battery temp sensor
- Battery terminal covers. Rubber and hard plastic.
- Plastic shielding added to brake wire to prevent clutch pedal crushing the wire when fully depressed.
- warranty restricted to strictly 3 year 36000 mile power train / bumper to bumper.
- Some of the '05s have a slightly different gray printed background on the gauge face. (Blackbird R/T)
- WGA change to common Mitsu design in '05. (Blackbird R/T)
- Upper motor mount torque bracket changed

Sport Compact Car SRT-4 Project Car Article