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Since I'll be interchanging my focus between my 1987 MR2 and my 1991 323, I decided to simply put all my automotive projects into one thread rather than fighting keeping two from the archives. If you don't recognize the players in the two respective projects; 1987 Toyota MR2  Getting: 4AGZE, automatic to manual, fuel cell, custom intake manifold, supercharger inlets/outlets, Megasquirt, Ford EDIS. There'll be plenty more. 1991 Mazda 323  Getting: BP engine and a bunch of suspension bits.
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Apr 2, 2008 23:33
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 21:34 |
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What about the 240SX 
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Apr 2, 2008 23:36
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Mazda 323 Update #1: Getting the Donor I wanted to find a manual 93+ Escort GT to strip for parts, to both get the wheels I wanted as well as hopefully nabbing some side skirts in the process. I ended up with a 1995 Escort GT. Unfortuently, this bitch was equipped with an automatic. That means I'll need to dig up the 5speed wiring (about $100) and the ECU ($50).    Got the parts car up in the air, via help from the forklift. This will be it's new home for the next week or two as I strip the poo poo out of it.  The seats were the first thing to go. I wanted to keep them clean since I was tossing them in my 323. 
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Apr 2, 2008 23:37
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I decided to strip the exterior and part out what I can to recoup some cost. I don't need the poo poo, but someone might. Old seats out!  New seats in!  A rough idea of what the wheels will look like.   Got most of the front suspension off. The spindles are going to be drilled out to accept some different ball joints that will assist in getting some front camber with mostly factory pieces.  Also, check out this sweet expanding-foam job by one of the previous owners.  Next mission? The motor. 
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Apr 2, 2008 23:42
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Sweet, but too bad it's not a manual. Can you put the seat belts in the 323? Because the auto seat belts really suck balls. What other interior bits fit?
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Apr 2, 2008 23:45
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Automatic and manual cars with BPs use different VAFs. MX-3 seats are way more comfortable and sit lower than Escort seats. The air intake hose is always ripped. You can do a little cutting on a short ram intake from a 90-93 Honda Accord and use it to replace the crappy factory hose.
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Apr 2, 2008 23:53
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Michael Bolton posted:Automatic and manual cars with BPs use different VAFs. Any other fun I should be looking for? I'm planning on just strapping the BP to the lighter duty 323 transmission because of the whole automatic dealy. Then, keeping my eye out for a manual tranny and grab it up sometime and swap it when the MR2 is running. So manual harness + VAF + ECU = golden? If you swap the automatic engine harness, VAF, and mate it to the 5speed, is that kosher? I know the S13 240sx people can interchange auto/manual ECUs with no issues (and to remove their top speed limiter).
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Apr 3, 2008 00:02
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How did that Escort get almost a perfectly rectangular hole in the windshield?
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Apr 3, 2008 00:37
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Petekill posted:How did that Escort get almost a perfectly rectangular hole in the windshield? Forklift.
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Apr 3, 2008 00:51
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Sockington posted:The seats were the first thing to go. I wanted to keep them clean since I was tossing them in my 323. Anything good on that 3.5?
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Apr 3, 2008 07:18
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Tactical Bonnet posted:Anything good on that 3.5? That's the air vent to the rear seats. I did some searching. However, it seems more people are going from an automatic 323 to a manual Escort GT/donor car. From what I gather, most people just transfer over the manual engine harness and ECU or just jump the NSS (Neutral Safety Switch) that's wired to the shifter mechanism. So, I'll simply swap over the AUTO engine harness and ECU and wire up the shifter mechanism. I stand the benefit of having a running donor car, so I can simply test out my "jumped theory/test" before removing the engine from the car. Then, I'll carefully remove my B6 5-speed harness and lay the BP automatic harness in it's place. I'm heading out today to put a good 5-6 hours into the car today, so I'll probably come back with more questions or a couple smug answers. EDIT: \/\/\/\/ I was thinking of making a "theft switch" rather... Sockington fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Apr 3, 2008 |
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Apr 3, 2008 16:38
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If you really want to be slick, wire the clutch safety switch into where the NSS would have gone.
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Apr 3, 2008 16:59
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IOwnCalculus posted:If you really want to be slick, wire the clutch safety switch into where the NSS would have gone. Automatic engine+VAF+ECU with manual transmission should be OK. Maybe you will end up with a little more low end torque and less top end. If that happens it will actually match up pretty well with your economy gears transmission. Remember, the F-series trans in your 323 will work, but the F-series trans that is connected to the 1.9L engine in an Escort won't fit. The guy that owned my SC400 before me had converted it to manual and then switched it back to automatic before selling it. When I asked him about any ECU changes needed he said the ECU didn't really care what the transmission was doing at all. Later cars have tighter integration between the ECU and the trans computer. Michael Bolton fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Apr 3, 2008 |
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Apr 3, 2008 17:38
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Man, for a junkyard piece, the interior of the Escort looked to be in phenomenal shape.
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Apr 3, 2008 22:51
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Mazda 323 Update #2: Stripping the Escort First off, getting the shifter assembly removed.  Next, pull the ECU and unplug the necessary wires.   To keep things straight, I taped the wiring diagrams to the car.   Just barely cracking into the mess.  Cruise control removed and power steering lines cut.  Cut the exhaust. It's all going in the trash anyways.  Radiator and fan removed.  Getting a little cleaner in there.  A/C garbage removed.  The junk pile is starting to grow.  Most of the engine harness has been disconnected from the body (the fuse panel included).  Bunch more labels and the hood comes off (the green tape are my notes on where that tube/wire needs to go).   And it's out.  The aftermath.  The parts pile has grown quite a bit. Most of it will be turfed, but I kept the stuff that wasn't blatantly trashed.  What's left of the donor after a good 6hours of work.  I've got the entire engine harness removed from the car (and neatly placed on top of the engine) and should be a straight forward swap when it comes time to install. The biggest pains in my rear end where due to the accessories of the Escort. The A/C lines all had to be cut/unbolted/removed. The power-steering lines also had to be dealt with. I must have spent about an hour alone taking care of both of those drat things. Since my only accessory will by my alternator, all that stuff gets thrown in the trash. The engine/trans removal of the 323 should be super easy by comparison. There's TONS of room everywhere that there isn't in the Escort.
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Apr 4, 2008 06:18
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Mazda 323 Update #3: Final Days for the 'Scort Front bumper pulled off.  Rear subframe coming out.  And it's out.  The parts pile in all it's glory.  Pulled off the P/S and A/C since I won't be using either in the 323.  All done for tonight.  On the rear subframe, it had the brake lines skipping the "distribution" block for the rear brakes. It was just two lines running directly to the brake hoses. The block was there, with 4 broken and very rusted line in it (two in, two out), but wasn't in the current operation. What kind of funk will that cause I wonder?
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Apr 6, 2008 05:10
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Sockington posted:Since I'll be interchanging my focus between my 1987 MR2 and my 1991 323, I read this and actually thought "poo poo now he's got a Focus?!" Hehehe. Looks like fun. Also looks like something finishable without too much pain.
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Apr 6, 2008 07:19
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LloydDobler posted:Also looks like something finishable without too much pain. Hahaha, this couldn't be more untrue. Since starting the strip down of the (rusty as all loving hell) Escort, my hands were in decent condition. Right now, I'm not even sure if my pinky nail will ever grow back after smacking it loving hard enough to completely destroy it while working on the Escort. Also, jabbed myself with a screw driver last night in the other hand. I'm at 7-8 appreciable cuts/bleeding holes in my hands now. 
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Apr 6, 2008 12:39
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What? You fuckers don't like the effort I'm putting into completing something? Where's the pat on the back? It's like talking to myself.  My strut mounts came in today. I just have to procure a set of springs. I'm not sure where I want to go here. I'm thinking a set of Eibach pro-kit will work fine (smallest amount of drop, at about 1-1.5" from what I see) for my all-year daily driver needs. Once the strut/spring/mount combo is assembled, they'll be installed with all new front and rear Escort GT disc brakes (rotors, pads, calipers, hoses, wheel bearings, seals) and some new emergency brake cables. I'm going to do some compression test (should of done that [b]before[/b' removing) once the engine is installed, just to make sure everything is in tip-top shape. It ran REALLY well for sitting for months and maintained a perfect idle without a single miss. I'll still do the basic plugs/wires/cap/rotor tune-up, because $40 in parts certainly isn't worth some stupid problem later on. I'm thinking about running my current clutch (wtf?) simply because I will be changing to a manual Escort GT transmission ('G' series, fyi. The 323 and SOHC 1.8s had a weaker 'F' series trans.) with a bigger clutch system (Actually, using a V6 probe clutch for more holding strength/size).
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Apr 6, 2008 19:10
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Sockington posted:with a bigger clutch system (Actually, using a V6 probe clutch for more holding strength/size). Is there a hint at future plans buried in your musings? A V6 323 would be pretty drat sweet... Also, I'm having fun watching as you make a big pile of parts out of two cars. I'm usually good on that front - it's when it comes time to actually return all of the parts to their respective places, that things go awry for me.
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Apr 6, 2008 19:23
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Are you getting the manual rack or just rigging the existing one?
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Apr 6, 2008 19:41
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Sockington posted:To keep things straight, I taped the wiring diagrams to the car. That is a drat good idea, I usually have my laptop out there but the battery gets low or I worry about getting it covered in grease. Will be taping wiring diagrams to the car next time. Looks like a fun project
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Apr 6, 2008 20:00
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Simkin posted:Is there a hint at future plans buried in your musings? A V6 323 would be pretty drat sweet...
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Apr 6, 2008 20:27
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destructo posted:Heh, I wonder how hard it would be to stick in a KLZE? I know it'll fit in a MX-3 so how hard could it be? Not hard at all. They rip a ~13.5 1/4 with the factory KLZE. You just use all MX-3 parts (crossmembers, mounts, axles, etc). My steering rack is manual already, so no conversion there. If I go anywhere in the performance area with this, it'll be BP-T rather than V6 tom foolery. BP-T is good reliable fun.
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Apr 6, 2008 22:30
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There's no fun with a BPT if you don't have 4wd 
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Apr 6, 2008 22:33
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Good progress Sock. *pats on back* Are you gonna put in some poly bushings while you're at it? Or at least new OEM rubber ones? Might as well "while you're in there" haha. I'll be curious to see how your 323 and MR2 compare handling wise when you're all done with both of them....It's possible the 323 might end up being more fun.
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Apr 6, 2008 23:24
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Lookin good. I like the idea of one project thread instead of two. I didn't even know you got a 323 to toy around with.
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Apr 7, 2008 00:57
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It is now starting to get warm so I will soon be moving my mom's gardening crap out of the garage so I can start working on my wagon project again.
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Apr 7, 2008 01:04
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Sock, I know you said you wanted to do the BP-T, but the KLZE would be all sorts of fun. If you really want to cause yourself some pain, you could always go back to the F2T!
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Apr 7, 2008 01:08
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You know you can always cut the 323 and mr2 in half and weld them together to create a midship-front engined four wheel drive vehicle, that'd be a real compendium right there. I think it's a pretty good idea.
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Apr 7, 2008 01:41
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One of the people that worked at the track I was at last night had a 323, in white as well, that was running in the high 13s. It didnt sound like anything crazy was done to it. I was trying to find the guy to ask him what he did to it but after his only run he was nowhere to be found.
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Apr 7, 2008 02:05
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GET EM SLUGGER posted:Sock, I know you said you wanted to do the BP-T, but the KLZE would be all sorts of fun. If you really want to cause yourself some pain, you could always go back to the F2T! The throttle body will be pointing DIRECTLY at the master cylinder in a 323 when you install the 2.2T out of the MX6, so it's a less than desirable swap (been twice, btw). I'm heading out today to finish picking the remains off the Escort and might move the 323 inside for surgery. 
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Apr 7, 2008 13:34
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edit*nevermind, can't read.
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Apr 7, 2008 17:06
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Starting out this morning. Slammed, yo. Out come the rear seats and manual seatbelts.  Front carpet pulled. I might as well keep it since it was in pretty good knick.  Everything I need out of the engine bay.  Up she goes!  And roll it over to grab the front subframe before it goes back to the yard.  God, I love having that electric impact now.  This is a Ford Escort. Well, at least the useful bits.  Hey there ugly.  Starting off.  Radiator out.  Intake system out.  A/C lines properly removed.  Headlights also out.  Front passenger wheel well.  There's a small hole in the driver's well. Arg, I was hoping to avoid much of this. At least it's a small spot.  Bumper off. It helps get the forklift a little bit closer to the center of the motor.  There's really not a lot to there 323 body harness. There's one small 1/2" bundle worth of wires running down the passenger side.  Fuse panel unplugged. Identical setup to the Escort (went out and cut the body harness section of the Escort in case the fuse panel connections are different).  See ya later Escort! You've been a champ.  Driver's side ball joint out. Axle popped out.  Same story on the passenger side.  Axles out.  The 323 GT? Yes.   My shoplight ran out of bulbs, so I made a quick shoplight out of an Escort headlight. Worked alright.  323 ECU and harness removed.  Motor ready to be removed.  Time to rock.  Just about out...  ...and it's out.  The 323 + Escort parts pile.  All tidied up for tonight.  Overall, the motor came out MUCH easier from the 323. Of course, the motor removal was identical to the Escort, so it mainly an experience.
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Apr 8, 2008 04:13
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This is an excellent build/project thread. Can't wait to see it when its all done.
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Apr 8, 2008 04:28
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Man you don't gently caress around. Also I had to go grab a Dr. Pepper after seeing yours.
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Apr 8, 2008 04:42
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Here is a reason to go get a G-transmission. The G trannies use an intermediate shaft so you end up with equal length half shafts and less torque (LOL 1.8L) steer. Careful not to jostle the trans too much while the CV axles are out or the spider gears will shift and you will have to open up the tranny case or go find another transmission.
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Apr 8, 2008 14:44
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Michael Bolton posted:Careful not to jostle the trans too much while the CV axles are out or the spider gears will shift and you will have to open up the tranny case or go find another transmission. WTF Mazda? Never heard of that on other FWD/MR transmissions. Is this just with the Mazda transmissions?
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Apr 8, 2008 16:08
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Sockington posted:
But how are you going to put Humpty back together without the wiring diagrams?  I can't wait to find out. Awesome thread. This makes me want to learn more.
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Apr 8, 2008 16:08
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 21:34 |
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Good work Sock, seems to be going pretty smoothly so far. At least you took my advice on pulling the cvs this time rather then leaving them in to get hung on the body. quote:Careful not to jostle the trans too much while the CV axles are out or the spider gears will shift and you will have to open up the tranny case or go find another transmission. I've never heard that either, the trans for my stealth was moved, kicked, sat, kicked, sat, hoisted, dropped from a few inches, rolled, etc all over the course of a year or so and it seems happy enough.
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Apr 8, 2008 16:36
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