323 AWD driveline in mx3

[boostedmx]

I am still toying with the idea of making my mx3 awd. Does anyone know of anything that would stop the 323 driveline from fitting in the mx3? I know that they share the same parts as far as suspension goes. I can get the awd tranny but i dont know if it will bolt up to the engine. driveshafts can easily be made. what about the mounting of the rear differential? i am sick of these awd talons they get out of the whole so quick!!!

[David Coleman]

You'd basically have to cut the floor pan out and fabricate new suspension, as the MX-3 has ~1" wider track, so you couldnt use the 323 AWD rear suspension.

[boostedmx]

true, the floor pan is in the way but wont the width depend on axle length?? you could have some made or lenghtened. i would not ask this question but i can get all these parts for basically nothing. besides the rear hatch floor is cut out for the fuel cell and dual exhaust so my car is already hacked up.<BR> thanx for the input

[ProtegeSTS]

Dave's right....me and Mike Morey figured on about 6-8K just in labor...if you have all the correct parts, which you wont.<P>By the way, which chassis are you talking about? If its the BF chassis 323 GTX, then it wont work at all. <P>If its the AWD system off the BG chassis that came with the SOHC motor, its not worth doing, cuz that combo cant take any power.<P>If its the BG chassis GTX system, it'll still cost a lot to get it to work right, expect maybe 6-10K at least.

[boostedmx]

it is the bg gtx chassis. i had the car given to me and would like to make some use of it. the engine is blown, body is rotted. i would do all my work. just wanted to know if the engine bolted to the trans? personally i think the hardest part of doing this job would be mounting the rear diff. give me some feedback.

[ProtegeSTS]

the main thing is the diffs, and the suspension, and then the new floorboard that we've talked about. Im not really sure how much custom work there would be in getting the suspension right, but i know that the rear end of the MX-3 IS DIFFERENT from the BG proteges in terms of the pieces, so you will probably need a few custom peieces made up. There are other things like the cable shifter that are usually a hassle to deal with, but since you have the car on hand, you should be ok other than possibly changing the length. One of the other main problems with doing AWD conversions on the BG cars is the split fuel tank and dual fuel pump setups, but that is also allievated due to you using the fuel cell.<P>Might want to join the GTX groups and BB's for additional info about how strong the AWD boxes are and how much power they can hold.

[monty73741]

i think vuaghn was gonna do the awd conversion at one time......<BR>he said he had all the parts but just never got around to doing it.....<BR>might wann ee-mail him<BR>jason

[Raivynn]

boostedmx -- I have a question! How badly blown is the gtx engine? Is it rebuildable? If so...I WANT IT. E-mail me @ raivynn@hotmail.com and let me know...

[David Coleman]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by monty73741:<BR><STRONG>i think vuaghn was gonna do the awd conversion at one time......<BR>he said he had all the parts but just never got around to doing it.....<BR>might wann ee-mail him<BR>jason</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>He didnt do it cause it was too much of a hassle for him. If Vaughn can't do it, I know I surely cant...

[maldo]

The tranny in the '88-89 GTX is fairly weak. Most guys running serious power, 240hp+, have gone through at least one or two trannies. The center diff likes to grenade at will as well. The solution seems to be shot peening and cryo treating the guts of the transmission. It doesn't make it bullet proof but it does make it last longer.<P>How are you going to work the diff locking switch? Planning on using the GTX ecu? I tried wiring in the GTX ecu when I did my B6T swap, it isn't fun and the effort lasted 3 months before I gave up. The biggest problem is the technology. You are trying to combine the technology from a '86 based car into that of a '90. The GTX uses an elcu whereas the MX-3 has those features built in. The GTX also uses the vaccum advance disty. Something to consider is a stand alone.<P>If you can make it work, all the power to you. I dreamed of it for a long time, but couldn't bring myself to attempt it.

[ProtegeSTS]

ok, ive talked to Mike Morey some more about it and here are some things we've come up with...<P>1) the EC frame was never made to be AWD, and therefore, excessive power is gonna twist that sucker up pretty easily. Getting a full roll cage will help, but ideally you should rip apart the GTX and look for where its reinforced, and then do that on the EC.<P>2) as for suspension, you are gonna need struts and springs designed for the GTX, or the AWD Protege that was here in the USA. They are fairly hard to find, but i know that GAB did make some, as well as a few other companies. Also realize that the AWD cars sit up higher than the normal ones, so the a-- of your car is gonna be a fair bit higher than the front unless you get custom shorter bodied struts.<P>3) as far as the diff...enough is the same that it shouldnt be too hard, other than putting in a few more mounts in the rear.<P>4) the B6T should mate easily with the GTX tranny... i know that going from a BG motor to the BF tranny, you just leave 2 bolts off, so going the other way cant be overly complicated, especially looking at the overall scope of this project.<P><BR>for any project anywhere near this magnitude, i would definately go with a stand alone. They just have about 100000 times more tuning capabilities.