MrMazda92's '92 GS - New daily

[kulluminati777]

Oh cool a mazdaspeed front nose.where did you get it from? Astinagt or another site? I was thinking of getting another one but i havent been able to find one yet only corksport copies

P.S. post pics

[MrMazda92]

I snagged CorkSport's very last one, for a whopping $150.
I've already posted pics, but only of the bumper sitting on the floor in my living room!

Here's a small update, with some pictures:

The blue circle is where I had hoped to dremel out an opening for my cold air inlet... The green is closer to where the left fog hole is located on the MazdaSpeed bumper... As you can see, this limits me to a few options. I can either cut away where the green circle is, including the bottom side of that little "corner" if you will, to try and make the opening as large as I had intended, or I can cut where the blue circle is and use a flexible ducting of sorts to angle the air from the fog hole into the opening. The plan is to have an enclosed filter pod, with insulated piping from bumper to throttle body. You don't even need to remind me that keeping this area clean will be a pain, It's already on my maintenance list.(Yeah, I have an actual spreadsheet dictating exactly what I should do, and when I should do it!)



I believe this is the first engine bay pic I've posted for this car... I know it's ugly, but it won't be for much longer. I am thinking pretty hard about keeping it red though... Many people paint their bay black, even if the body is a different color... As almost anything can be purchased in red/black, I am thinking about doing a reverse theme for it, if that makes any sense? At least until the "final" paintjob happens, sometime down the road...

[MrMazda92]

Ooookay now, I'm trying to get better about this whole photo documentation thing... Forgive me for only snapping shots after I finish, I don't like to interrupt a project and rarely have an extra set of hands to snap pictures.

Last night I cleaned the bumper support very thoroughly, enough so that I dried it with a white towel and it stayed white. I removed all of the metal "frame" if you will from the support and the bumper, and sandblasted the hell out of them. I put it all back together just to take an "oooh shiny" picture, before I take the time to repaint them satin black. I didn't like the idea of bolting on a brand new MS bumper(replica, but still people, it's the principle of it!) with rusted OEM hardware. When it comes to things like this, I'd rather take the extra time now than mess with it later.


I've been meaning to clean up the rear mount for my '94 center console for a while now, this little guy was completely covered in surface rust. This will be painted satin black as well, only to protect it, as it'll never see the light of day. The floormat holder had a bit of surface rust on it as well, and I figured I'd just take care of it when I did the rest.


At the end of the day, I've come to the same conclusion that I always do after leaning over a blast cabinet for hours... I hate the damn thing, but the time invested does yield good results... I've yet to regret blasting/painting anything this far.

Paint will likely come tomorrow, as the combination of sand flying through the air and a loud air compressor gave me a monster of a headache tonight... It feels good to get a few things done, keep checking back for more updates people... They're coming, even if it seems slow.

The next thing on my to-do list is to bake and disassemble my H4 headlights and clear corners, and paint the insides as MoonEggs did. Imitation is the finest form of flattery, or so they say.

After that, fixing the forward mounts on my wraparound spoiler, and touching up the ChalkBoard paint... All while the car sits in the driveway, waiting for a heart transplant.

[wagZE]

Those two turds are always soaked in rust huh?? I say de rust the whole dash metal assembly while your at it, really turn back the clock on that interior. And i like the flexible ducting idea. Nice work there blake. Is that a k8?!

[MrMazda92]

Haha yeah, I've been pretty blessed with the floormat holders actually. I've found/sold probably 5 of them this year alone... Only 2 had surface rust. The console mount is always rusted to hell though, people don't clean out their sunroof drains and the cars pool water in that area easily.

I've been thinking about tearing the dash down when I do the G4 swap, but it's a little daunting since there's so much involved in that process. I have been meaning to re-align my Euro vents, since there's a slight gap on the driver's side and center one, and my low fuel light stopped working, so I have another reason to remove the cluster at least. I've never had the full dash apart, nothing beyond the stereo surround and vents have been removed.

Thank you, I'm trying to get it on track to where I want it finally. I spent so much time planning "future projects" that I let my current ones slide for a long time... I'm finally getting it all moving again, thanks to a surge of motivation in the form of a coming baby. I know damn well that I'll have a lot less time to work on this car come April.

It is indeed a K8, and it's a pretty strong runner despite 180,000 hard miles. It's going to live on in my best friend's MX-3, after I find a damn KLG4 to put in this one. I've got a GS w/ KLZE sitting in the driveway as well, and I'm definitely looking forward to the swap in this car... I can't wait to start messing with MegaSquirt more, after I get the G4 swapped in.

[MrMazda92]

Wooooh! I have a possible set of MS6 front Calipers coming in, along with brackets to mate them to Probe spindles.

Now I'm torn... Do I pay out the nose to ship 323F spindles to the states? Or do I modify Probe spindles to work with my setup? I also need to look into wheel options now, since I know for a fact these will not clear stock 15s.
This will line up nicely for when I do poly bushings, powdercoated control arms/spindles, and general preventative maintenance on the front end... This is starting to turn into a real build people.

Should I stick with 4 lug hubs, or make the move to 5 lug? I'm hoping that I can find a 16" wheel that will clear the MS6 brakes, as they're pretty large... I know that a 5 lug swap will give me more options for wheels down the road, but it will also cost me more(extra work, obviously, and having to buy new wheels hah)

[MrMazda92]

Bad luck!
This afternoon I had planned to re-assemble the bumper support with the freshly painted hardware, and to my surprise noticed that I had missed a few spots during painting. They are almost unnoticeable, but it's never been about looks, I want this to stay rust free as long as I own this car. I touched those spots up and put a final coat on top of everything else... Now it'll be another 36 hours or so until I can put the whole thing back together.

I do have enough black primer to start coating the MazdaSpeed bumper, after I get it properly fitted of course. I'll be doing 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of ChalkBoard, after I pick up a few more cans of ChalkBoard. I may take the time to touch up the rest of the car as well, there were a few areas that I am completely displeased with, where I painted far too close and created lines all over the place.

It was my first rattle can paintjob, and I definitely learned a lot from the experience... Unfortunately the best painting I did on the entire car was the front bumper, which is now being replaced by the MazdaSpeed. Go figure, right?

[MrMazda92]

This was posted by MonoxideChild on ProbeTalk:

the 03-05's clear 15's. im rocking that set up on my MTX KL 97 626.
then the 06-12 needs at least a 16 to clear.
then the speed6 set up needs at least a 17in wheel to clear.

Bummer that the MS6s may not work with 16" wheels... I'm hoping I could get by with a certain offset or possibly spacers... If I can't do it at all, I'll need to pass on the MS6s and look for the later model Mazda6 brakes instead.

The MS6 brakes I found are quite affordable, and have less than 7,000 miles on them... Definitely worth it to me, unless I can't use them of course.

[MrMazda92]

If I'm unable to find a KLG4 during the month of December, I've decided that the following will be my winter projects:
1) Find new seats to modernize the interior, I'm seriously considering the Tiburon seats(credit to pile_of_Rd1 for the idea).
2) Make the MS6 brakes work on this car, one way or another; I hate 17" wheels, but if I have no choice I'll use them.
3) Change Front wheel-bearings
4) Raise the car to stock height for the winter, and get it aligned again.
5) Install headers, swap K8 TB for KL, delete the VAF, install the UDP, and tune the sucker with MegaSquirt. Don't laugh, it'll be fun and give me a little more to play with during the winter months. Honestly, that'll put it close to a KLDE for power output anyways...

[MrMazda92]

The unthinkable happened!!!

I cracked my MazdaSpeed bumper while test fitting... It's not a large split, only about 1.75", but it's going to set me back... I'm VERY gently adjusting the bumper support for a perfect fit, considering widening the holes on the frame rails slightly and using fender washers for extra support on the back side, so that I may move the support 1/4" to the right(The bumper fitment was atrocious, and my frame is PERFECT, so I know it's the bumper)

Before the bumper is installed "permanently", I'll be removing it and repairing it, while also taking the time to add material in a few key areas, on the back side of course to keep it clean... I'm also going to attempt to repair my wraparound spoiler, so I can finish the external mods this Fall.

I did take pictures of the finished product of my blasting/painting of the bumper support and frame before installing and subsequently damaging the bumper. I'll post these tomorrow, maybe when I'm in a less sour mood... This bumper has me frustrated right now.

On a happier note, I'm supposed to start my new full time job next Saturday... If all goes to plan, I'll start training at 7 AM.

Back to MX-3s, and more bad news... The K8 in my '92 is leaking oil faster than ever, and the odd coolant leak is back as well. I'm planning to pull the engine and transmission next week, for the first time since I purchased the car. I'll be completely removing(but not trashing) my A/C, beginning the first stages of my wiretuck, and dremeling the opening for my true CAI, and am considering duplicating this process with my steering rack: http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php?x=1

That, coupled with my continued efforts to source a damned KLG4, should occupy my time fairly well in the coming months...

What do you all think?

[Nd4SpdSe]

I'm pretty sure Wytbishop tried to use the Mazda6 brakes for his big brake kit. May want to talk to him, he's done much research on this topic.

[crazycanadian]

Have fun with all the projects Blake.. Hopefully you can get them done... Once that little one comes along you wont have as much time anymore..

[mx3matt]

ya my son has definetly slowed my project down a bunch, but now that hes getting older he's starting to sit with me and ask questions and learning and its becoming tons of fun.

that flyin miata write up is great definetly the one i'll be using once i get around to it.

[MrMazda92]

Nd4SpdeSe,
I believe he's posted on it before, but I'm not positive... There is an abundance of information on the topic that is available on ProbeTalk and elsewhere as well. I've been thinking about the "easiest" way to make it work, and this is what I've come up with:
Mazda6(2nd gen) Calipers w/ 4x100 rotors, as 16" wheels aren't hard to find in 4x100...
MazdaSpeed6 Calipers w/ 5x100 rotors and a 5 lug swap(Little added effort, since I'll be using the Probe Spindles already)
My solution to modifying the top of the spindle? Don't. Instead I'll be buying the full KSport MX-3 kit, with "replacement" Probe lower mounts, and will be looking into a bump steer kit as pile_of_Rd1 recommended in his build thread.

It'll cost a fair bit to get it ALL the way where I want it, but since I can get the Calipers/Pads(under 10,000 miles) for next to nothing... The rest of the costs sting far less than they could have. It'll likely be a "piece it together and bolt it on later" project, since patience always saves money.

crazycanadian,
I am thinking exactly the same thing... He'll be living with his mom most of the time, but I will be spending every possible moment with my little monster! The reason I'm going full steam ahead on the MX-3 projects all at once is that if I don't do it now... I may never be able to, at least in the next decade.

mx3matt,
That's the best case scenario then! You've lost some time, but gained a little helper who doesn't need to be paid! I'll bet it's nice, being able to teach someone you love about something you enjoy deeply. I look forward to that, It's pretty exciting! I am using that writeup myself as well, although I may try to find a parts car before attempting it... I need a bunch of other items as well, so I can start cleaning up the undercarriage and have all of the new goodies swapped on next spring.

[MrMazda92]

Alright, I took the time to clean up my double stack console lid tonight, and remembered that I have one of the original plastic cupholders for the car!!


I'm curious, how many of these are still around, and intact??