The LA-Based Four Cylinder Racing Engine
(Contributed anonymously)
The engine is a racing engine based on the LA 5.2/5.9 V8. It's available from Mopar Performance - P5007090AB is the part number for the head, and P5007467 is the block. It seems to make more sense to run this engine instead of building up a 2.0 or 2.4L engine in a Neon.
There are three major blocks:
- P5007466 Aluminum midget race block
- P5007467 Aluminum Drag race block (v8 flywheel housing for RWD transmissions) for P5 HEMI head
- P5007636 Aluminum Wedge head race block (fits W8/W9 heads and v8 flywheel housing for RWD transmissions)
These blocks utilize many Chrysler small block components for assembly. All blocks feature corrected valvetrain geometry (an endemic proplem with the LA since it was designed) and a shorter deck heighth.
According to my source, this engine, in fuel injected form for a midget car, is capable of over 350 hp at 7200rpm, naturally aspirated.
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Midget motor dressed and ready to install. Note in the two "dressed" photos: cam driven dry sump oil pump system and aluminum oil pan, crank driven water pump and lack of a distributor. This uses a Distributorless Ignition system (shown with the W8 head, not the HEMI). Headers shown are for a midget race car. |
The block top deck is extra thick to allow for o-ringing and the use of turbochargers or superchargers. The racers that are currently utilizing this engine are walking away with all the marbles over the GM "Iron Duke" based engines and the engine is only in its beginning stages of development.
Coupled with a Hewland EGT series transaxle (see: Hewland EGT specs and pictures ) this engine, when installed into a lightened Neon (prepped similarly to Gary Donovan's 10 second Reliant) should be able to dip into the mid to low 9 second ET range in the quarter mile (this is opinion, not fact) due to lighter potential weight and higher rpm capabability.
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View from the front, back, and top of the block (unmachined). The rear view shows the conventional rear wheel drive flange for using a conventional A727, A833, or other large Chrysler pattern aftermarket transmission. |
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A pair of turbos, sequentially fed through proper charge air cooling, should push the motor in this application, to over 600 hp and have FAR more durability that a 2.2/2.5 or 2.0/2.4 engine and a higher rpm range.
(The Hewland transaxle mentioned earlier is $16,000 - the price of being the best. A race car of this type costs anywhere from 35,000 to 85,000 to be competitive. Real world NASCAR vehicles cost from $70,000 to $150,000 PER vehicle and more.)
The cost for the block (semi machined) is about $1000 and the Hemi head (my personal favorite) is about $800 bare and semi-machined also. These pieces were released in the 2002 Mopar Performance catalog (see page 176 for the blocks and pg 112 for the HEMI (P5) heads). The cool looking valve covers are on page 116 and are magnesium. Absolutely beautiful!
Stephen Cihon wrote: I got a price quote this morning on the aluminum midget race block and it was around $3,600. I inquired on the drag race block and it was near $4,000. At those prices it still may be cheaper to build up a 2.0 with a turbo system and some other work IMHO.
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View from right side; and dressed engine |
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The midget people are having a blast cleaning Chevy's (the Iron Duke 2.5L) clock with this engine. We suspect there's even more potential in the engine.
Needless to say, MPP guys are not really happy campers with Daimler thumbscrews and are continuing to produce stuff like this before they get shut down by AMG (rumor ONLY on that).
As far a this engine ever being a "production car piece"... it was intended strictly for racing (and does not meet EPA standards for street engines).