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hotrodlarry
hotrodlarry HalfDork
7/15/12 8:16 p.m.

Yeah, weird I know

A local used car place has a 2001 PT and supposedly it has a Whipple Supercharger in it. I haven't looked under the hood yet, but it's written on the window. comes with a boost gauge and aftermarket fuel pressure gauge on the a-pillar.Also noticed a not-so-stock 5-spd shift lever sticking up out of the console.dealer is asking 6k for it.

Any one else ever hear of this set-up?

Knurled
Knurled SuperDork
7/15/12 8:23 p.m.

How is it different from the stock shifter?

jrw1621
jrw1621 PowerDork
7/15/12 8:34 p.m.

Different like this?
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/mopp_0708_2001_chrysler_pt_cruiser/index.html

BoostedBrandon
BoostedBrandon Dork
7/15/12 8:39 p.m.

Ten bucks says it's one of those electric leaf blower motor things.

Keith
Keith MegaDork
7/15/12 8:43 p.m.

Yeah, there were superchargers for them. Kenne Bell made one, which would be a twin-screw. I think Whipple made one as well.

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic Reader
7/15/12 9:07 p.m.

Have fun trying to install new control arm bushings in that under built front end, the vertical bolt always spins its cage nut, you have to cut a hole in the floor to fix it. Also have fun trying to change the timing belt without pulling the engine.

ProDarwin
ProDarwin SuperDork
7/15/12 9:40 p.m.

A 2003 factory turbo PT cruiser blue books for less than $6K...

Knurled
Knurled SuperDork
7/15/12 9:43 p.m.

Timing belts aren't so bad on those. They suck, yeah, but there are plenty worse.

Everything in the front of that vehicle, however, will cut you. I was dripping all over the place just from bumping the plastic battery tray a couple times while accessing the fan bolts.

Removing the hood latch carrier and grille makes life a lot easier if you have to do pretty much anything at all.

gLockman37
gLockman37 New Reader
7/15/12 9:49 p.m.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Have fun trying to install new control arm bushings in that under built front end, the vertical bolt always spins its cage nut, you have to cut a hole in the floor to fix it. Also have fun trying to change the timing belt without pulling the engine.

you ain't kidding, had to cut an re-weld when I helped my father change out the control arms on his 270k+ 01, not a fun job, at least I know I wasn't the only one... timing belt is a joy as well, but we didn't have to pull the engine on either of them (put two into it) I vaguely recall the origami job you have to pull to get the timing cover and motor mounts out, also why Chrysler couldn't use a key way on the crank pulley and decided you press it on is beyond me...

Also the propeller on the rear watts link is another high frequency replacement item, its a relatively easy job though...

Fit_Is_Slo (ceasarromero)
Fit_Is_Slo (ceasarromero) HalfDork
7/15/12 9:55 p.m.
ProDarwin wrote: A 2003 factory turbo PT cruiser blue books for less than $6K...

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/3141710982.html

2003 $1900

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic Reader
7/15/12 9:58 p.m.

In reply to gLockman37:

It was nice of Chrysler to stamp dimples in the floor to indicate where to cut, instead of fixing the problem. We just used a CP714 to cut almost all the way around, bent it up like a soup can, did our work and then bent it back down and sealed with RTV. When this was a TSB on the neon, the official procedure used a big sticker to cover the hole.

Knurled
Knurled SuperDork
7/15/12 10:05 p.m.

Oh yeah, there's something like a 33% likelihood of breaking a bolt when trying to replace the clunking front swaybar bushings. You almost always break one, sometimes two.

I'm waiting for the goofy method for attaching the rear shocks to become a problem. The bottom is mounted in single shear, with a self-holding nut on the unsupported side.

Lesley
Lesley PowerDork
7/15/12 10:21 p.m.

Even changing the tire on those little pigs is a big pita. The spare is contained in a farking basket affair that takes forever to figure out how to drop. And the jack is about the size of my thumb and forefinger.

Vigo
Vigo SuperDork
7/15/12 10:21 p.m.

There is no way in hell i would touch that for 6k or anything close.

Honestly, it's worth maybe $2500 and that's if you assume the SC kit is still worth ~$1k.

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic Reader
7/15/12 10:44 p.m.

Also keep in mind the PT Cruiser is a vehicle solely built for CAFE trickery, it just had to sort of limp along through the warranty period to bring up their light truck fuel economy..

Chris_V
Chris_V UltraDork
7/16/12 6:48 a.m.
Fit_Is_Slo (ceasarromero) wrote:
ProDarwin wrote: A 2003 factory turbo PT cruiser blue books for less than $6K...
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/3141710982.html 2003 $1900

Automatic, high miles and beat up. I love PTs and I wouldn't touch that. It's not a full retail blue book example to start with.

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury UltimaDork
7/16/12 6:53 a.m.

There are 2 problems as I see it:

  1. Its a PT Cruiser
  2. Please see number 1
tuna55
tuna55 UltraDork
7/16/12 7:30 a.m.

Dude, you guys are nuts!!

My control arm bushings were actually pretty good. I needed a helper to push the new energy suspension stuff in there, but no bolts stuck or slipped or anything, everything was just easy. The swaybar stuff front and rear was easy as well. The brakes were easy both front and rear. Heck, everything I have ever done to this little car has been pretty easy except the timing belt, and that's only because I have an early one (2001) without the good locking timing gears, so I had to do it twice. Even taking the intake off to change the plugs was easy. I do oil changes in 15 minutes, and, if I park in the right place, I can do it without ramps or jacks. I packed it full for Lemons and slept in it after the race each night. I honestly don't get the hate for this thing. Middling fuel economy, cracking dashboards, and it's kind of ugly. Anything else is just complaining.

tuna55
tuna55 UltraDork
7/16/12 7:32 a.m.
gLockman37 wrote:
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Have fun trying to install new control arm bushings in that under built front end, the vertical bolt always spins its cage nut, you have to cut a hole in the floor to fix it. Also have fun trying to change the timing belt without pulling the engine.
you ain't kidding, had to cut an re-weld when I helped my father change out the control arms on his 270k+ 01, not a fun job, at least I know I wasn't the only one... timing belt is a joy as well, but we didn't have to pull the engine on either of them (put two into it) I vaguely recall the origami job you have to pull to get the timing cover and motor mounts out, also why Chrysler couldn't use a key way on the crank pulley and decided you press it on is beyond me... Also the propeller on the rear watts link is another high frequency replacement item, its a relatively easy job though...

My response on the control arms is above, but with regard to the keyways, that was done better on 02+, for sure, but it wasn't THAT bad.

Chris_V
Chris_V UltraDork
7/16/12 8:02 a.m.
tuna55 wrote: Dude, you guys are nuts!! My control arm bushings were actually pretty good. I needed a helper to push the new energy suspension stuff in there, but no bolts stuck or slipped or anything, everything was just easy. The swaybar stuff front and rear was easy as well. The brakes were easy both front and rear. Heck, everything I have ever done to this little car has been pretty easy except the timing belt, and that's only because I have an early one (2001) without the good locking timing gears, so I had to do it twice. Even taking the intake off to change the plugs was easy. I do oil changes in 15 minutes, and, if I park in the right place, I can do it without ramps or jacks. I packed it full for Lemons and slept in it after the race each night. I honestly don't get the hate for this thing. Middling fuel economy, cracking dashboards, and it's kind of ugly. Anything else is just complaining.

I agree. I had an '02 Touring edition with the 5 speed manual and it was a GREAT little car. 5 years and 70k miles of dead nuts reliability, extreme versatility and carrying capacity. And long distance driving comfort (like from Baltimore to Orlando and back, and Baltimore to Maine and back).

And I like the funky mini '37 Ford styling, too.

tuna55
tuna55 UltraDork
7/16/12 8:10 a.m.

In reply to Chris_V:

Aww, you even had a stick-shift. I want one to swap.

Sky_Render
Sky_Render Reader
7/16/12 8:11 a.m.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Also keep in mind the PT Cruiser is a vehicle solely built for CAFE trickery, it just had to sort of limp along through the warranty period to bring up their light truck fuel economy..

Riiiiiight. The fact that people kept buying them in droves had nothing to do with it.

That car is not worth $6K, though.

mad_machine
mad_machine MegaDork
7/16/12 9:11 a.m.

didn't realise the PT was so hated.. everyone I know who has one.. loves them

kevlarcorolla
kevlarcorolla Reader
7/16/12 9:28 a.m.
mad_machine wrote: didn't realise the PT was so hated.. everyone I know who has one.. loves them

Haha,anyone I knew that had one now lives in a home,has no memory of family members and is spoon fed soup daily.

Chris_V
Chris_V UltraDork
7/16/12 9:34 a.m.
mad_machine wrote: didn't realise the PT was so hated.. everyone I know who has one.. loves them

Of course they do. Think about this...

The Aztek was supposed to sell 50k units per year, and managed to make about 45k units over a 5 year span, with the last coupel years being lefovers.

The PT, OTOH, was supposed to sell 50k units per year, and instead sold 150k units the first year, and sold at a steady pace with a waiting list for the first two years, with ZERO advertising, for a 10 year span until they finally had to repurpose the production line for the Fiat 500. It sold on style and personal recommendations/word of mouth for over a decade. The percentage of them that were problematic is very low, and most owners love them. There were worldwide PT Cruiser clubs (such as big ones in japan and germany) right from the car's launch. It was an unqualified hit for Chrysler.

And yet it's cool for some people to hate on them. But it was exactly the kind of small, tall wagon that SUV haters were suggesting people buy instead of SUVs, as they were more useful, versatile, and still small.

The automatic versions were slow, true. And the automatic versions had a larger turning circle, too for some reason. Both of those reasons were why ours had the manual trans.

The way the interior could be configured in hundreds of ways and carry large items easily (like all the wood for my deck, a 60 gallon stand up compressor, and all the replacement 64x32 windows for my house) was so useful.

And with just two latches, each rear seat came all the way out, so we could carry bigger stuff, or for autcrossing...

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