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It turns out I'll be heading to Portland this coming Tuesday, and staying the night at a friend's. That'll hopefully give me the time to find one of each engine... Then go back Wednesday and pull them both.

Fingers crossed that I get lucky, It'd be nice to get them both in one trip.

I'll be posting pictures again as soon as my Powdercoating is done(Should have been Friday, UGH!!), or my UDP arrives.

My next project will be fitting a USB adapter into my HVAC surround, similar to the location of the OBDII reader port, for immediate access when I want to tune my MegaSquirt. I'm still unsure where exactly I want to put the connection though, any suggestions? I want it to be nearly invisible, and not interfere with my driving when I have a laptop connected.

I'm debating installing my MazdaSpeed bumper this winter, or waiting until later on... I hate the idea of "wasting" the bumper by letting it sit unused, but I hate the idea of wrecking it in a parking lot even more. I think I should wait until next spring to start messing with it, so I can get the bugs worked out of my KLG4 swap first, and figure out my "go" needs before my "show" needs.

I guess I'm at a crossroads, where I determine exactly what I want my goals for this winter to be. I'm perfectly happy with getting the KLG4 swap going w/ UDP, Fidanza, Coilpacks, and VAF delete, as well as getting the engine bay where I want it cosmetically. Partial wiretuck, black/polished theme for VCs and IM/TB, and figuring out my complicated intake design, so I can keep the cold air isolated from the warm engine bay.

I also want to try and find a comfortable alternative to OEM seats, or at least reupholster my front seats and matching panel trim.

So I woke up pretty early today, and did about 6 hours of yardwork with my roommate... Needless to say, I've had an abundance of energy that is usually lacking in my day to day life.

After dark, I was cleaning up my tools and decided to kill a little time. I disassembled one of my sets of KL fuel rails, and will be sandblasting them tomorrow after work. I'm waiting for a KLG4 front valvecover to arrive in the mail, and then I'll be ready to take a few more items in for powdercoating.

I'll have black powdercoated valvecovers and fuel rails before I even pick up my KLG4, so it'll be partially rebuilt(waterpump, timing kit, fresh pulley bearings, new style friction gear spring, and fresh gaskets from the block up).
I'll also take the time to gravel guard the oilpan, and degrease/clean the entire engine before install. Still debating whether or not I want to keep my A/C as well, since I may be moving afterall... Much as I dislike my previous experiences in California, the weather keeps me coming back...

My Unorthodox UDP, for an even lighter rotating assembly... I'm trying to find out if anybody made 36-1 trigger wheels for these, as 6-1 would offer less accurate spark timing(based on numerous PT posts, unconfirmed) for coilpack ignition.


KL fuel rails, which are disassembled and will be soaking in de-greaser while I travel to Portland tomorrow. They'll be sandblasted Thursday when I return, and powdercoated with my G4 valvecovers. I need to get a quote, but I'm planning to clean up the bore run-out in the fuel rails as well.


I didn't make it to the powdercoating shop today, but was informed that my SRD crossmember and lower tie-bar are finally finished, and I'll be picking them up Thursday as well.

Things are finally starting to come together!

Alright people!!

I'm borrowing a cherry picker tomorrow at 7 AM
My planned arrival for Portland is about 2:30 PM, giving me a few hours to dig through the pick n pulls and hopefully find a good swap candidate, as well as the 4 banger my sister needs for her Camry.

I'll also be digging through the MX-3s I find, as well as other imports(for aftermarket shift knobs, steering wheels, etc.)

If all goes to plan, I'll have a KLG4 to play with. Compression test first, and depending on the results a possible rebuild.
To top it off, I found out today that I'm starting not 1, but 2 new jobs starting shortly after the Vancouver meet.

It's going to be a good winter I think...

The KLG4 seems like a pretty legit engine. What numbers are most people getting from these N/A? How much was powder coating? Did u take it to a normal paint shop or........ I ask becuase i want to powder coat my front valve cover the same gold as MS strut bars. I think that color REALLY pops in a black engine bay. Also when u do the wire tuck please document alot as i am interested in this as well and would like to do it. Not many or even anybody have done a tuck on a K series.

It is, by almost all accounts!!

Newest KL - Awesome!
Lightest Crank - Awesome!
SLAs - Awesome!
Re-designed FGS - Awesome!
Coilpacks - Awesome!

What's not to love?

The most common numbers I see for the 98-02 626(stock KLG4) are in the 170 BHP range. Lighter crank = Less drivetrain losses(marginally), Coilpacks + SLAs = more efficient spark and stable valvelift at high RPMs, FGS = Quieter, and later design date = the cause for all of the above!

I took them to a place that specializes in powdercoating and ceramic coatings. They charge a minimum rate of $45 for powdercoating, but are willing to haggle a little when you bring in multiple items. Unfortunately I didn't have my fuel rails ready when I took my SRD stuff in, or they would have been included in the first $45 fee, I'll have to throw a group of items together next time(brake calipers, VCs, fuel rails, control arms, and a few other goodies).

A few people have done wiretucks, pile of rd 1 among them(My personal favorite MX-3 build so far!), but documentation is seriously lacking for the process

I'll try to document mine as best I can, when the time comes... I had no luck finding a KLG4 this week, completely SOL on that front. 6 junkyards, not ONE KLG4 to be found... Even partially disassembled... My budget for the engine depends on condition, but I'm hoping to spend under $600.

If any members have a potential candidate for me, please let me know... KLG4 is a must, especially complete engine. I don't need an alternator, but I do need the coilpacks and crank pulley to be included.

My junkyard runs were not a complete waste however...

I did find(in the very last yard, go figure!) a 90% PERFECT '94 GS with sunroof.

Snagged the following:
- Lower Seatbelt Mounts!!! Finally I have these suckers in my hands, and can save my poor carpet!
- 9/10 Condition Gray Headliner w/ sunroof and a suicide handle(My passengers can breathe a deep sigh of relief, and stop leaving shoe prints on my dash)
- MINT rearview miror, with no damage on the plastic bolt cover, and less rust than I've ever seen in a rearview mirror.
- Domelight w/ Black Buttons! Now I need to find a 323 with the black surround to match, and upgrade to LEDs to finish off the look!
- 8/10 Condition Double-Stack Console, also black!
- OEM Sunroof Deflector, with a crack on one side(will be repaired!)
- White labeled Hatch/Fuel release, perfect 10/10 condition!
- Nearly mint Weatherstripping for the hatch!
- Extra power window motor, always handy!

My best friend also scored a nearly brand new alternator, MINT hood latch, and a few other goodies for StarScream.


So I didn't get my KLG4 yet... Nor the Camry engine I had planned to source(That surprised me, honestly... I found maybe 12 gutted Camry swap candidates, all gutless), but the trip wasn't a total bust. We also picked up a bumper and core support for StarScream, thanks to FowlJesse again! You're a blessing to the community Jesse, and I owe you once again!

It's looking like 3 drivable MX-3s will be sitting in my yard this December.

I know where there is a possible complete KLG4 up here... All though I haven't been to that yard in a couple months now.. To bad you weren't closer engines are only $200 at that yard...

Another yard up here has a complete KLG4 with only 74K killometers on it, but they wanted $1000 for it...

I think the place I got my KLG4 might have had a second one.. My motor was only $600..

Damn, you're lucky...

Honestly, for a G4 that low, $1000 would be tempting. The place I was looking sells complete engines for around $200 as well, but I couldn't find a KLG4. Only 5 Millenia ZEs, and 2 DEs.

which pick and pull did you go to ? i know there was a red gs with a double stack console at the sherwood yard

I found a blue 94 GS at Sherwood, with a few cool items in it. I left the B pillars, seats, and rear trim cards in it... I didn't see any other MX-3s, but it's possible I missed one. All of the Pick N Pulls misrepresented their cars... 3 of them actually "confirmed" over the phone that they had V6 equipped 626s(98-02), and all 3 had only 4 cylinders. I drove to Portland for something that didn't even exist... If it weren't for this one lucky MX-3 that happened to have a bunch of crap that I needed, the trip would have been a colossal waste, as I'm going back up to Vancouver on Sunday. I got damned lucky...

Honestly, I'm debating finding new front seats from a newer car, but I just can't decide where to go with it. I don't mind making custom brackets, but I do mind trying to make them fit properly, and having to mess with the rails so I can slide them the full range of motion that stock allows.

I may just re-upholster the stock ones, at this rate... They're not a bad design, but I had really hoped for a more modern look to my interior. The RX8 seats look amazing, but the rotor symbol kind of ruins the look for me... Don't get me wrong, Rotary engines are cool and all, it would just feel "fake" to me, and look out of place. The seats are comfortable, and I've spent a fair bit of time in an RX8, I definitely did like the feel a lot.

This worklog needs more pic.Or maybe you hiding something for a surprise..

^^^+1^^^

Just checked out this thread, your under drive pulley is missing the backing plate?