> Have become the owner of my mothers 1985 Dodge Omni, 2.2. only
> 25000 miles on it I want to build it up for my grandson, I can do
> the body updates but am no mech. is there anything I can do to make
> the engine perform better? I once read there were "bolt on" things
> that would help can anyone help me.
That mileage is great. Hopefully the Columbus rust hasn't damaged it
too much, but you said that you are on top of the body stuff.
I assume this is a normally aspirated 2.2 (if it's not, then was your
mother driving around a GLH with 25K miles on it?! :-). I also
assume that it's an auto tranny. Any reasonable power improvements
that you might see aren't going to be much, but that's OK because the
car is so light that it's reasonably peppy with just 99 horses, and
should be fine for your grandson to drive around. I know my way
around the turbo 2.2's a bit and will give you my thoughts. Someone
on here might have direct experience with getting more horses out of
the NA engines and can chime in.
I did drive an Omni for a bit in high school and they are generally
nicely balanced cars with good drivability. So, I would hesitate to
mess with that for the sake of 10 HP or so. Shelby took the 2.2 and
moved it from 99 HP to, I think, 110 HP.
The following is the list of things that I might try in order.
1. Open up the intake and exhaust (perhaps just a K&N type filter and
larger exhaust pipe)
2. Replace the CAM (shelby did have a different cam, perhaps you can
get that profile)
Gee, that list ended kinda quickly. :-) I don't think anyone makes
performance computers for that engine to mess with the spark
curve...can anyone correct me? You can always bolt on a supercharger
or something, but then you might as well get a turbo engine to drop
in. But, for me, it wouldn't make any sense to pull out a 25K motor.
Another thought. If you want a little work, the car would feel more
peppy by swapping out the auto tranny and putting in an A-525 5-speed.
Your mileage should also improve (if your grandson drives it
responsibly, that is :-).
You can do some stuff to improve the handling, which is where better
gains might be realized.
1. Put some good tires on it.
2. Find a set of 4-bolt wheels that might hold 205/55-16 rubber (the
'84 Daytonas and Lasers had them), and put a set of good tires on those.
3. New and better shocks and struts.
4. Put on a strut tower brace.
5. Does someone know if there's gains to be made on the Omnis by
putting a larger swaybar with endlinks in front and adding one to the
rear?
6. Is there a shift kit for these trannies that is any good?
I would hesitate to reduce the gear ratio at all. You only have 3
gears and you don't want to have to drive at 5K RPM every time you get
on the highway.
Finally, this is a great car for your grandson. It's not a cool
Camaro or fast CSX or anything. But, it's a well balanced car that's
easy to drive, gets reasonable mpg, and it's a simple car that's easy
enough to maintain. I found it to be pretty utilitarian for a
compact. It can haul around 4 people pretty nicely and there's alot
of luggage room under the hatch. It's easy to put too much weight
back there, especially if you're carrying passengers...so better rear
suspension would be nice. One of my favorite features is the fresh
air vents in the dash. None of my current vehicles have them (I'm not
sure any cars do anymore), and I really miss them. It's such a simple
concept with so much payoff for the comfort of the driver.
Like I said, hopefully someone with experience modding the NA 2.2's
will chime in. Congrats on the car and I hope your grandson likes it.
later...
Jarvis
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