Project Jay-Spec MX-326GS

[IMACHU2]

I am loving this! I have wanted to do a build like this for so long. Great work!

Thanks! It is kinda a silly build. The car is 90% MX-3 at this point, the obvious question would be why not just put a KLZE in a MX-3? I had a few reasons for building a V6 323. The number one reason was performance and the power to weight ratio. I am interested in getting the car weighted to see how much lighter a V6 323 actually is compared to a MX-3. I have a 13 year old son, so rear seat headroom played into it. (Four adults can fit comfortably in a 323). Building a sleeper was also a factor, 323's (even flat black ones with rims) are largely not targeted by the boys in blue. It has been a fun build and I learned a lot, previously I built more then a few RWD Ford V8's so it was a nice to get out of that rut.

[Josh]

That's exactly why I want to do one. 300lbs + in weight reduction over the MX-3. It makes a difference.

I would really like to get my hands on a Mazda 121 (or Ford Festiva) drop in a Built KLZE with a M62 and stock everything else. Well mostly, I would add some JDM and rally flair accents, OEM of course. I have it all in my head. It will probably be my next build. Its a shame I don't commute any longer, because then I could sell the idea to the Ball and Chain. lol

I cant wait to see you Finnish it.

[IMACHU2]

Josh check these out!
http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45102
http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44574
http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45784

Got a few bits today.

Neato little bracket that holds the intake up by the T-bolt clamp.


A new slave, the old one was lazy and didn't listen


A fitting for the valve cover breathers and the missing clamp

[bbunkerc397]

A freak in 323 with a ZE, it's going to be ridiculously fast. Nice work!

[IMACHU2]

Thanks bbunkerc397, not sure about "ridiculously fast", but it will be a 115HP increase over stock

Got some 7/8 Inch "certified marine exhaust" tube today. Why a MX-3 has larger power steering hoses then a F350 Superduty, I will never know.

I am not even sure what "certified marine exhaust" is but, it appears boats?! and Mazda's share many of the same weird size rubber lines.

At "Rubber Line" I always ask for "A tube that will fit on here and carry said Automotive fluid", they always come back with "Certified Marine Exhaust" LOL.

[IMACHU2]

Happy to report the Russell........."Honda" banjo fitting is going to work. The Mazda bolt is a little strange. It has 11 x 1.25mm thread and it has a 12mm shoulder.



Got the rest of the fittings to finish the fuel system too.

[IMACHU2]

Worked on the car for a while today.

Put the new clutch slave on it. The clutch is now clutchin' like it should.


Got the power steering hooked up. The "marine certified exhaust" actually matches the cooling fittings. The"marine certified exhaust" script is facing down LOL


I was a little worried about the power steering cooler. It looked really rust, but it cleaned up good.




Battled with the lines for the cooler, finnaly chopped a 90 degree section of hose from the MX-3 left overs, which solved it.

Finalized the fuel system. The "Honda" fuel banjo worked well on the MaZda




Worked on the intake for a bit. Used my new set of unibits to drill the required huge hole in the intake pipe.









Hooked up the fan with a new weather pack connector.


The headers and exhaust need some modification, it is like they are ment for a different car. LOL (MX-6 headers, MX-3 exhaust)

[Evo_Spec]

lookin great!
just a little while more and she's hopefully gonna be the way you hoped!

[IMACHU2]

Thanks! Ya it is getting there, it seems so close, but yet so far. The "To do list" still has ten thousand things on it

Built a bracket to hold up the air intake tonight.

[Evo_Spec]

so that's how that bracket works! it all makes sense now.

very nice

[IMACHU2]

so that's how that bracket works! it all makes sense now.

very nice

Ya I took lots of pics, cause looking at it no one would never get it. On most cars you could use it as-is. In the Mazda there is nothing close enough to bolt it to, so I modified it. That part of the engine compartment is pretty bare, even in a V6 323. Good place for a turbo!

[IMACHU2]

Sorted out the exhaust today. The Pacesetter MX-6 headers almost fit. The rear header flange hit the MX-3 Cross member.



Hard to tell from the pic, but the flange is resting on the crossmember.


I cut all the flanges off the Y-pipe.



The hanger did not line up to anthing, so I cut it off too. It did not want to leave LOL




The finished product. Basically the pipe coming from the front header is un-modified except it has been shortened 2". The flange has been cut off the rear header and a 2" I.D exhaust pipe has been welded to the Y-pipe. Now the Y-pipe slips over the rear header and is clamped in place. The front header has the ball and socket collector still. This took care of the clearance problem.



A Magnaflow high flow 2 1/2" cat slides over the end of the Y-pipe and it clamps in place. I welded a flange to the back of the cat. Shortening the Y-pipe and cutting the flange off the end of the Y-pipe allowed the Pacesetter 2 1/4" mandrel bent system to bolt up
un-modified

Note: the flange is crooked on purpose to line up to the exhaust.


The 2" ID pipe I welded to the Y-pipe slips over the header now.


The system all bolted up. There are lots of clamps, but this way everything comes apart easy if in needs to.


The cat in place.


New exhaust hanger slips onto the clamp on the cat.


The mid pipe.


The rice cannon! I had planned on cutting it off or painting it black. I have not had the heart. It is actually a nice T-304 Stainless tip. Thinking it will be hard to see because MX-3's have a shorter rear bumper then 323's. (It will end up a few inches under the 323 rear bumper).



The exhaust is pretty quiet. The car appears to be working very well. The power steering pump is leaking very badly, short of that everything else is really comming togeather. The MX-326GS was blocked in the garage, or I would have taken it for a rip down the street!

[Daninski]

Love the work, that car is going to surprise a lot of people. Attention to detail always pays off for sure. Hope you can video when you finally take it out I think that would be a nice finish.

[IMACHU2]

Thanks, I made a video of the engine running, but decided not to post it. Sounds like it has bad valve lash, but it actually sounds fine in real life, must be the echo in the garage and my Fisher Price digital camera?!? I plan on buying a GoPro camera to capture all my automotive shenanigans though.

Fixed the power steering leak today, just a O-ring The one in the pump was hard as a rock.

Put a new MX-3 GS anti-roll bar on the MX-326GS on Monday. Wow that is a big job on this car. I had lower the front sub frame, remove the steering rack, front pipe and the front hubs! Guess I am used to the 3 minute sway bar removal on the Mustang.



Put front universal polyurethane sway bar bushings in it too. They almost bolted right on. I had to widen the holes in the brackets a touch. Also there are little limiters on the bar, they have to be moved in a couple MM on each side.


Energy suspension part number, if anyone is brave enough to instal a set LOL.

[Ryan]

Do you have any flex pieces in your exhaust? I don't see any...

Without them, you'll break stuff in a hurry

Put a new MX-3 GS anti-roll bar on the MX-326GS on Monday. Wow that is a big job on this car. I had lower the front sub frame, remove the steering rack, front pipe and the front hubs!

[img]http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s309 ... %20326%20G

I love this, you know you're intimate with the car when you do something like this. Any sane person would look at the project and just go:



F it.