SRT-4 - Low, Chrome... and Pink?

Low, Chrome… and Pink? When you hear those 3 words describe a car, you’re probably expecting to see an old hot rod. Or more specifically, an OG lowrider. You know what I’m talkin’ about. Chrome hundred spokes with knock-off’s & white walls. Hand engraved shiny bits throughout the whole car. Big steel body panels laden with glittery pink candy paint & airbrushing… laid out… kissing the pavement. But that’s not fully the case here, is it? Take everything you know about “stance builds” & the negative stereotypes that typically plague them… and throw it all out the window. You won’t find any ill-fitting riveted widebody panels here. No chassis-mount wing improperly bolted to the trunk. No peeling, poorly applied vinyl wrap. And no massive social media @OMGPLZGIVEMEATTN banner plastered across the back window. This is proof that cars with tilty-wheels can actually be clean, well thought out, complete builds – with a little bit of time & ingenuity. This is Jason Piazza’s 2005 SRT-4.

Let’s rewind a few years…

Hot off the sale of his high school cruiser, a B-series Civic, Jason sought out a new car to take him into his college years. Originally he was looking into S13/S14s, but ended up stumbling upon something different that peaked his interest – a Dodge Neon SRT-4. Given the car’s notorious ‘black sheep’ reputation, he quickly fell in love with the idea of owning one, & handed over a few stacks of Benjamin’s to purchase the car in 2017. He originally just had the intention of doing a handful of light modifications, as the car was to be nothing more than a fun daily ripper while he finished college. However, things snowballed. But we’ll get to that in a minute. When Jason first purchased the car it already had a few things done to it. Nothing crazy… just an off-the-shelf tune & some lowering springs. For the first few years, he didn’t do much more. Some carbon fiber bits to liven up the look… but not much else. It wasn’t until 2020 when he purchased another vehicle for daily driving, that he decided to take the gloves off and go full send with the SRT-4. This is where it began…

The first thing on Jason’s list was getting the SRT-4 bodywork up to snuff.

The SRT-4 had some rust in the quarter panels (good ol’ northeast rust-belt cars). If left unchecked, that can turn into a nightmare situation later down the road. Jason considered re-shelling the entire car, and even drove 30 hours round to purchase what was advertised as a “clean shell”… only to find out that he’d been lied to by the seller. An annoying set-back no doubt, but he didn’t let it discourage him. Jason pivoted & dropped the car off at the body shop for the works treatment. Both quarter panels were repaired, all dents & dings were eliminated, and the entire car (including the door & trunk jambs) was sprayed in a shade of pink that’s based off of a 2nd-gen JDM-only Honda Fit. Jason later pulled the engine out, and performed a DIY respray of the engine bay – featuring a partial shave/tuck. The battery moved to the trunk, via an SP Tuning battery relocation kit.

But let’s talk about why Jason yanked the SRT-4 engine out in the first place…

In February ’21, the stock SRT-4 engine went kapoof. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was that it dropped a valve & would not be salvageable. Jason ended up purchasing a spare engine off a friend that already featured Eagle pistons, Manley rods, new head studs, and was bored .020 over. He then sent it off to a local machine shop to have them work their magic. The engine received new bearings/rings, all bores honed & jet washed, crank polishing, balance shaft blocking, and a full reassembly of the bottom end. The head also received a full valve job, jet washing, and new seals. Ol’ girl was officially ready for some more boost.

While the SRT-4 engine was being built, Jason amassed a wide array of go-fast goodies. The car now sports a…

AGP turbo-kit featuring a 57mm Borg Warner turbocharger

Big front-mount intercooler

GReddy BOV

MPx exhaust from the turbo manifold back

A new 2003 OEM fuel rail

FIC 1000c injectors

Walbro 255lph fuel pump

ACT clutch

Gates water pump/timing kit

And tuning was handled by SP Tuning, with the SRT-4 reaching 400whp & 365wtq at 14psi. Who said slammed cars can’t be low… and fast?

Ok so let’s talk about the elephant in the room… the stance.

I realize that the whole slammed/camber look isn’t for everyone… I get it. But there’s no denying that this SRT-4 demands attention. More impressive yet, is that this thing is static & fully committed. It’s sitting on a custom set of BC Racing coilovers that have been valved to spec, and rebuilt with Swift springs. The wheels are an insane set of 18”x10” +10 Weds Kranze Cerberus (square setup). Jason has dialed them in with -7 degrees of camber up front and -10 degrees of camber in back. Driving a 400whp car this low… and with such a limited tire contact patch… makes for one wild ride. And Jason says the car never fails to put a huge sh¡t-eating grin on his face when he’s behind the wheel.

Rounding out the SRT-4 mod list are a few odds-&-ends, including a…

Carbonetics rear diffuser

Wingless trunk lid

And clear taillights.

Along with a Vertex steering wheel inside…

Affixed to a Sparco hub

They say less is more, and this SRT-4’s simple yet bold appearance is an expressive, limit-pushing testament to that. Jason has a few more things up his sleeve over the winter, including a rear fuel cell, extended LCA’s and possibly lowering the rear a smidge more.

This SRT-4 has cultivated friendships that will last a lifetime…

And Jason plans to hang onto this car for many years to come. I expect to see him continue to push the envelope on what a clean, well put together “stance build” can be… if one simply takes their time and does things the right way. Cheers to Jason Piazza – keep doing pink & chrome proud.