MrMazda92's '92 GS - New daily

[bogaut]

a quick glance at that picture and i thought they were the later style mx3 seats. those look pretty plush, but doesnt seem like they would hold you in as well as the recaro mx3 seats

[MrMazda92]

They do have less hold than the 92-93 stock seats, but far more than the 94+ ones after 20 years of use.

I am broad shouldered enough that the back is amazing for me, but the lower cushion is a bit wide for my hips/legs. In my case, it helps that I have manual seatbelts... They fit way more snug than the autobelts that they replaced.

[MrMazda92]

Not an awful lot to update here, lately.

I did finish the manual steering conversion, and the rack is prepped and ready to go back into the car, with no looped lines or pump mess to add dead weight or a sluggish feel in the steering.

The sunroof leak has been resolved, my sound system is back in the car and waiting on a new battery. The 5 lug swap for the front end is complete, and the list of parts I am seeking is shrinking slowly, bit-by-bit.

The K8 is leak free, and the headers will be torqued down after I re-install the steering rack. I still need to drive it over to an exhaust shop at some point, but first I need to pick up some 5 lug wheels...

[MrMazda92]

5 lug and MS6 calipers, anyone?

Still waiting on wheel bearings, rotors, and pads for the fronts...

[MrMazda92]

A little bit of progress this past week, between classes, working, and new parental responsibilities.

I managed to get the header primaries bolted on, bolt both front Probe spindles onto the car, re-install the radiator, and finally adjusted the tension of the shifter bolt to smooth out the throw a little. I am planning to adjust the STS up a little, to help reduce the notchy transition between 1st and 2nd gear.

I managed to misplace one of the MazdaSpeed6 caliper brackets, and have been trying to dig it up for some time now... I fear it may be gone forever, however.

[MrMazda92]

Wooooh, it looks like I will be making some actual progress coming up these next few weeks!

I FINALLY found a set of FD wheels in excellent condition that fit within my budget... I'm set to pick them up this Sunday.
As for my ever troublesome budget problems... My disqualification fiasco with the Coast Guard is finally settled, I am clean and clear for enlistment, and have my physical testing next Monday.

It is finally time to make some forward progress on this car, and get it back on the road once and for all.

[MrMazda92]

So I have made a ton of progress this past month in all areas of my life:
1. My first child was born, a healthy baby boy of 8 pounds and 3 ounces.
2. I hit the 3 month mark at one of my jobs(now receiving medical benefits).
3. As of last week my medical disqualification fiasco with the Coast Guard has been cleared up, and I have my final testing at Portland MEPS this coming Monday.
4. I picked up a SECOND job today, which I will be starting late next week.
5. Between parts sales, tax refunds, odd-jobs, and saved paychecks I have accomplished the following:
- Paid off EVERY LAST CENT of debt that I had piled up over the past 18 months.
- Set aside over $700 to get this car back on the road.

Tonight, to top it all off, I found the other MazdaSpeed 6 caliper bracket. Apparently, my dad had taken it upon himself to sandblast it and clean it up for me... Did a phenomenal job and everything, but never told me that he cleaned it up...

I checked the shop multiple times, double and triple checked the blast cabinet, and couldn't find the damned thing.
As it turns out, he had set it on his desk with a note, reminding me to pick up my stuff when I was done working!

Currently shipping to my door:
- Stoptech MazdaSpeed 6 rotors and Hawk HPS pads
Pending pickup this weekend:
- 4 x RX-7 FD wheels(earlier, lightweight version)
- Probe GT handbrake cables
This leaves the following undone as of yet:
- Testing various spacers to identify ideal spacer thickness for FD wheels.
- Buying new rubber: So far 225/50-16 is looking to be my target size, but I have absolutely no clue as to which tire I will go with.

[Surgeonasst222]

Sweet can't wait to see the progress... Pic of your family might not hurt either...

[MrMazda92]

He's a happy little guy, and I couldn't be prouder!

My D/S rotors should arrive any day now, and I have the front spindles/calipers mounted up and ready. The passenger side could use a new wheel-bearing, and I have to bolt on the passenger tie-rod as well.

So to finish up the front end I still need to reinstall my steering rack, intake manifold, and battery tray + battery. After that, it's all aesthetics up front! I still need to pick up a left rear caliper, otherwise the car is good to go!

[MrMazda92]

The new sexiness: Rx-7 FD wheels, light as hell for a 16x8.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/507/imagewvz.jpg/

Epic wheels, this explains the figment over MazdaSpeed6 calipers, despite being a 16... With spacers, the calipers require zero modification.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/imagewddu.jpg/

Today I ordered new battery terminals, and the bits/pieces to redo my ground wires. I still need a new battery, a muffler, rear brakes, and rubber for the wheels.

[MrMazda92]

The calipers could use some cleanup and powdercoat, but here it is, at long last...
MazdaSpeed6 brakes on an MX-3!!
Drilled/Slotted rotors + Ceramic pads, RX-7 FD Wheels


Finances are still rolling in for the rest of the rebuild, and I am seriously close to having her back on the road, at long last. Thanks to my lovely girlfriend and her excellent taste, I have had the pleasure of driving a '93 SE around town for the past couple days, enjoying leather seats and a cleaaaaan car. She will be making her own introduction soon, as well as a worklog for the projects she undertakes!

I want to point out one thing that I did NOT like about the brake setup... Despite the drilled/slotted rotors being slightly lighter than standard blanks, they outweigh the wheels by a few pounds...

At this point, it looks like I will be needing a little more grunt under the hood to make this car go. I guess that it is finally time to enter KL territory.

[kulluminati777]

kl???? No! The last supporter of the K8. How could you lol. Great progress BTW

[weede_klze]

what a brake! great news

[MrMazda92]

kulluminati,
The K8 is a beast I tell you! It really is an under-appreciated engine, unfortunately... Durability and longevity are off the charts compared to the KL, and the ratio of horsepower : displacement is another area the K8 excels.

Unfortunately, since the KL swap is so straight forward, most simply ignore the K8's potential. Still, it will be a lot easier for me to find a low mile KL than a low mile K8, mainly because the K8s run for 200K+ miles almost every time...

Thank you both, I appreciate it!

The car still isn't on the road until I find my next tire choice, double and triple check the spacer requirements for the front, and finally find a muffler worth using.

[Sleeper6]

I know where you could pick up a K8 w/only 60k on it from wrecked ATX car here in ny and its out on the shelf ready to go

Otherwise I think you should post up a part list of what you did for the front brakes, nice work!