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Just as I had expected and hoped, the 2 melted pistons were the result of a poorly timed engine. When the timing belt was done, the left(front) side intake cam was positioned improperly.

The other bank turned out to be flawless, with perfectly smooth cylinder walls and no piston damage. The build will carry on, without the need to source another bottom end.

Good to hear, it's going to work out for you.

Thank you very much

65mm Throttle body arrived today:


It will be cleaned before install, and lightly polished to match the intake manifold as well.

MrMazda92 wrote:Thank you very much

65mm Throttle body arrived today:


It will be cleaned before install, and lightly polished to match the intake manifold as well.

I like!!

Where does one go to have a throttle body bored ? Is it a cone bore ?

You can have it done at some machine shops, but many will not be willing to make the replacement butterfly, only bore out the inside diameter.

In my case, I bought it second-hand, and for less than half what they typically go for. Budget build, FTW.

Nice progress man

Thank you!

It's been extremely slow going, when it comes to this engine... I've been piecing parts together for more than 2 years now, if you can believe that. Money is tight, and only became tighter when I became a father earlier this year.

Now that I have machining work in progress, I will actually get to start bringing all that I have collected together, and finally bring this monster to life.

Mini update:
The heads checked out beautifully, and are worthy of porting and use for this build.
Now that they are cleaned up, and have been tested for cracks and warpage, I can begin port modification and valve deshrouding. Topping it off by equalizing combustion chamber volume between each cylinder, and a final polish for good measure(not in that order).

After I am finished, back cut valves and a touch up of the middle cut(sealing) are in order.

This should dominate my automotive budget for the next few weeks... After which I will begin the short-block rebuild process, with a few improvements to the G4 bottom end.

An odd fact that I noticed today, BTW; The KLG4 has different o-rings sealing the injector to intake mating surfaces. Every other version I have seen(K8, KL01, KL31, KL47) used a different ring thickness, and the composition was different as well. The updated version is thicker, and lacks the metal ring in the center. It also appears to be more resistant to the ravages of time, as all 6 are reusable.

I won't be updating this much until after my move in September, my internet service is inactive to help ease the transition into higher monthly rent.

I am doing busy work, mostly, polishing and cleaning, prepping and sandblasting parts for powder coat and paint. When this engine goes in, it will do so in style. Stainless hardware, including a dressing kit that I plan to reproduce for others, color coordinated theme, and lots of elbow grease.

Internet service restored, at last!

It turns out that I will have access to a garage at my new place, for only $75 a month.

Also, I am now a salesman at the local Mazda dealership.

Mini update:

I have finally begun to practice my porting and cleanup work on both intakes and cylinder heads. It took me long enough to get my hands on the hardware required, and I found a local Mazda gearhead who thinks outside the box, and is lending his experience and time to help me out.

My head work is nearing completion(I am still waiting to get my hands on a set of Colt 210 cams), after which point I will have the SLAs shimmed and the heads complete.

The block is being dropped off tomorrow, and I am debating exactly which set of pistons I would like to go with currently... I would prefer to avoid both dished and domed pistons, but so far as I know the flat "ZE" pistons are not available in oversize.

While I wait on the machine work, I'll be focusing on the suspension again. My brakes are 99% ready to go on, and will soon be modified to clear the FD wheels. The offset has been verified as suitable with 225 series tires, and all that remains is the selection of tire.

Next up:
Wideband controller/sensor
External IAT sensor(for VAF delete)
A very noisy drive to an exhaust shop, followed immediately by an alignment shop

It looks like she will live again afterall, people.

MrMazda92 wrote:The block is being dropped off tomorrow, and I am debating exactly which set of pistons I would like to go with currently... I would prefer to avoid both dished and domed pistons, but so far as I know the flat "ZE" pistons are not available in oversize.

Wiseco has a bunch of options, 8.5, 9.5, 10.2 and 11.5 compression ratios, all available in standard, 20 and 40 over...

I want to say MazdaSpeed even made a set of the sort, CorkSport used to cell them, ZE compression and 20 over. Apparently it's an old design that's no longer available

I've read an unfortunately large amount of negative feedback about the Wiseco pistons, although every single instance was a boost related failure.

I remember CorkSport carrying those, and I found a few dead links all over Probetalk recently... If I have to pay $600+ for a set of pistons, I may consider the forged 10.2:1 Ross option, as preparation for possible upgrades in the future.

I would love to get my hands on the "ZE" style that CorkSport used to carry, that would both save me money, and leave me wiggle room for ignition advance on 92 octane.

Mmmm, new 225/50-16 rubber on the FD wheels? Yes please.

Once the tires are mounted and the wheels balanced, I will be an engine swap and a new muffler away from completion.

Still needing a set of 210 cams, so the SLAs can be properly shimmed and the heads complete. The block is due for teardown any day now, at which point I will have to bite the bullet and buy a set of pistons. Millenia S rods are on the WTB list, now, since I'll be having to shell out for forged pistons anyways... May as well overbuild the bottom end in preparation for phase 2.

Kumho Ecsta 4X now wrapped around the FDs, finally. ;D

I still have to press a new bearing into one of the hub carriers, as well as my extended lugs. The Speed6 calipers are marked and prepped for modification to clear the FDs by 3mm, as soon as I take the time to remove a little material from the outer edge.

Now I am searching more earnestly for a set of Colt 210 cams, and contacting other companies to check pricing for both 210 and custom regrinds.

Once the heads are finished, I'll be tackling the piston decision... I may still end up going with oversized factory replacements, but I'm eyeballing the preowned market for bargains on 10.2:1 and 11.5:1 options by Ross and Wiseco.

I have a line on a set of S rods for $80 shipped, which will put me one step closer to my goals.

It's a good feeling, making steady progress on this project after so much delay. I almost gave up and swapped platforms...