Mazda Mx3 owner - UK - Major Overhaul

[Junior444]

Hi I live in the UK and own a 1992 mazda Mx3 1.8 V6

Just testing the water to see if there is any activity on this forum iv signed up with three now and the first feels like ghost sites.

Ill be working on the mx3 this year, replacing all the suspension, wishbones, track rod ends bushes basically everything it rolls on. then eventually it will be painted by a friend of mine in the same shiny red paint as it once was and then ill polish it up as shiny as I can get it.

engine wise ill just be using the 1.8 engine until I source a 2.5 KLDE or KLZE I don't mind, then ill be getting a set of turbo manifolds and all high quality turbo components (turbo, intercooler, bov, hoses and silicone pipework) and that should finish it off nicely.

Its nothing special I want it to look and sound nice and that's all I'm after.

Never built a car before but iv rebuilt a hand full of motorbikes and scooters so this is a whole new experience.

Bad Bits:

So far iv found:

Interior is old and worn out so that will need replacing.

Rusty bar behind the front bumper - looks removable.. hopefully!

Rusty sunroof hatch - easily replaced.

Window seals need tlc - especially the door rubbers.

Engine needs a good overhaul - top to bottom.. belts, filters, fluids, hoses.. basically getting it all perfect and giving it a good clean up.

other than that I'm really happy with the chassis the rear arches are smooth no rust anywere! I was surprised.. Under the drivers footwell there is a dent, not too easy to spot but its definitely not supposed to be there.. Looks like its been dropped off the corner of a curb or jacked up.

Luckily I have a family member that works at a mazda dealership so I'm looking into getting some new exterior parts off the shelf if possible as I'm looking to have the paintwork and exterior parts in immaculate condition.

[speedray]

Hello,

There is some activity on here and i know how you feel with regards to other forums.
I have just purchased my second MX-3 1.8 V6
I will be working on mine as much as time and weather will allow and its also nice to see someone else from the UK
Where in the UK are you? im in kent.

Unfortunately my second car is not in as good a shape as yours, i need to weld some panels but its a project car and will be well worth it in the end as i'm stripping the whole car and rebuilding everything on it.

[Junior444]

Finally! you are the 2nd person to reply so I'm grateful for any advice.
It makes things a lot easier having somebody there to ask for a second opinion.. up until now i have had to do all the research myself, these forums are full of knowledge you just need to figure it all out.

I'm from Coventry west midlands

it sounds like youll be as busy as me with your mx's so keep on checking in now and then ill be on here trying to build up as much knowledge as I can.

Currently I'm researching how to fit mx6 knuckles onto the mx3 control arms apparently its possible I just need to figure out what parts ill need. the difference is the rear discs are 10mm bigger the front are 1mm bigger and they are 5 stud wheel fittings.

can you upload some pics I'm just trying to figure out how to do it.

[Junior444]

Not sure if this picture is working, here is the mx3 in a sorry state but it will be looking good again this year.



http://imgur.com/7vvOlW1

[Junior444]

http://imgur.com/7vvOlW1 - Mazda Front engine
http://imgur.com/mKzkIUh - Mazda front side shot
http://imgur.com/ri4CwkH - Rear left arch
http://imgur.com/N86olD9 - Rear right arch
http://imgur.com/PZNFpGy - Front bar
http://imgur.com/E3CIKyh - CCTV as it sits 2017


This gives you an idea of what I'm working with.. I'm happy with the rear arches the pics look dirty understandable it hasn't had a good clean in over 10 years.. they are smooooth though

[speedray]

It looks like your car is in a better shape than mine is at the moment.

I will be creating a worklog when i can and posting pics from start to finish, when it stops raining that is.

There is a wealth of info on this forum and it all helps.

At the moment i'm trying to find suppliers of parts that i want so that i can start building up a good collection for when i get to start on the car.
First thing to do after taking pics will be strip the car to a shell and start the rebuild bit by bit.

Good luck finding the info you need

[Junior444]

nice! ill keep a look out for the worklog then,

And I know yeah good old british weather iv been out this morning trying to find any rust or damage.. found afew dents underneath that I didn't notice before.. nothing too bad.

I'm literally grinding out all the rust I can find and painting it until I can afford some posh rust treatment..

And iv found a neat little tool online to roll the arches out so ill have ago on that when I get chance, needs to be warmer weather as ill be heating up the arch to see how far I can stretch them out

[Daninski]

HI Junior welcome to the site. You are correct a lot of members have left or people are on the Facebook MX-3 group site. There's lots of info here but our Search function kinda sucks. I suggest you use Google. Every thing you could possible want to know is here just be patient and if your search isn't working try rewording your question. Again welcome and maybe I'll see you on Facebook. Cheers.

[Junior444]

Cheers daninski,

what is the facebook site called iv liked and joined afew but I rarely see any activity.

Thanks.

[Daninski]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/10297867052/?fref=nf