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Ok guys.. maybe you can give me some advice on this one.... I am seriously considering Turboing my 1.6L DOHC.. I have a line on most of the parts I would need for a decent price and have access to machine shops where I can get custom stuff done fairly easily. Now I am almost a complete newbie when it comes to Turbo technology.. I know some of the terminology and I know the basic theory of operation.

I have two issues I am trying to resolve in my mind before doing this setup.. 1) On stock internals for my B6ZE 1.6l DOHC, how much boost would be safe for the engine & still maintain decent longevity? And.. how much Horsepower would said boost achieve?
2) I have the ATX trans in my RS.. its working fine at the moment.. but everything I have read here in these forums indicates that its a pretty lightweight and unreliable trans. I am assuming that I would need to either rebuild it with stronger components or replace it with something beefier to stand up to more abuse. I would like to do the MTX swap but unfortunately this isnt feasible to me any longer due to medical reasons ( Problem with my left leg ) Which Auto trans would be a bolt in swap that could put up with the additional HP?

I know a lot of you will say "Just do the BP or BPT swap" And this is still a consideration, but before I spend that kind of cash.. I would like to see what the potential of my current engine is.. (Its in excellent condition - 190+ PSI in all cylinders) I dont want to blow the motor.. and I am not looking for huge amounts of HP or torque.. just a litte... boost if you will TIA

Tunes67

1: it all really depends on the shape and milege of you engine. if its over 150K miles and is smoking then i wouldent recomend it. but if your not smoking and you do regular maint. on the car then it would be able to hold the stock boost at 7 to 8 psi with no problems. their are several people running 13. and at about 13 you make around 200 HP to the wheels, and at 7 to 8 you could expect somewhere around 150 to 160 to the wheels all stock. just the turbo on there, with ov course larger injectors and fuel pump, and a few other thing you would need.

2: from persional experiance the ATX does not hold up to the turbo at all. i blew all the clutches in my perfectly good ATX in 2 blocks. it was a good thing their was a lock up torque converter. their is a place called level ten performance that does make some beefer parts that would help clutch kit and higher stall torque converter. but it would run you just as much if not more than a MTX swap. but if you found a shop that could do some custom work depending on how much money you have to spend, they could probably beef the heck out of it. i think level ten sells complete trannys as well all built for around 3 K.

at the time i had the ATX i had a few things in the motor that contributed to the power and thats the reason it went out as fast as it did, alot of torque. others iv herd of have driven on theirs with stock boost for over a year or so. as long as you take care of it and dont jam it down all the time it should do fine with 7 or 8 psi.

Thanks.. I have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment.. but it might make a fun summer project if things work out the right way for me. My engine is in excellent condition so it would likely hold up just fine.. but the trans will likely be a problem.. Would a Protege ATX stand up better and would it bolt up to my block properly? I know the axles/CV joints would have to be changed.. Just wondering if it the housing would bolt up ok. And I would love to go with a MTX trans.. but I have a medical issue with my left leg that would make driving with a clutch on a daily basis more than a bit painful. :S So I will have to stick to the ATX for at least a year or two. Thanks again.

Tunes67

i would think a pro trans would hold up better. and it should have no problems bolting to the block. the one nice thing about the ATX with axels is the ATX uses a solid axel on the passenger side where the MTX uses the half shaft. so you have to mod the mount. where with the ATX you shouldent have to. you just have to find a ATX from a DHOC 90-94 PRO. im pretty sure their based off of the G series trans but i could be wrong and it could be an F 25 like in the MX. some one else on here would know alot more about it.

Soooo.. Josh.. I see that your planning to do a ATX to MTX trans swap.. lol What are you gonna do with that PRO LX trans after your done with the swap?

Tunes67

no im embarking on an AWD swap, iv already done the ATX to MTX swap. but ill be looking to get rid of my Pro LX trans probably next month.

Well if you still have it in June I should be able to scrape up some cash for it.. hopefully my truck will be finished and I will have gotten rid of my POS subaru by then.

Tunes67

Tunes you in MX-West? Sounds like you know kinda what you would like to do. But The reason the Pro. LX tranny has the Half-shaft is to fix Torque steer. That is what Mazda engineered to counter all that torque! And guess who is finishing their BP swap tomorrow and will be receiving their VF10/VJ20 Hybrid from Austrailia in 8 days? ME! Josh My car will be the fastest MX-3 in the state for about a week unless you have your AWD conversion done by mid-april...

No I havent joined MX-West. With work and my various projects, I dont really think I would be able to do much for the club or attend very many meets. I can say that if you guys need any help or if I can find a part for your sometime.. feel free to PM me and if I have the part or if I can help, I will be glad to give you a hand. I have access to most tools, air compressor & toys to go with it so when I have cash.. most of my projects dont take long to do

Tunes67

Tunes whats your car look like i might have seen it around. and we have a few meets comming up in our area. pluss every now and then a few of us get together just to get together. aany one with an MX is welcome to come to the events if your in the club or not.

Bugs i think not, you can try but youll have to come over the pass and we can go hit the strip . im getting my JUN cam gears on WED next week. will definatly sweet to get thoes came diled in perfect. good thing i had the money they were a bad a-- price.

Josh, I have a 94 Sparkle Green RS.. stock steelies w/caps.. no mods at all car is completely stock. I only got it around the beginning of february. And I work just up the street from where you are in Bothell. I work at Mr T's Trophies on Bothell way.. Pretty sure I saw your silver MX-3 pulling into the Stupid Prices / Kenmore Lanes driveway the otherday.. it went by pretty quick so I didnt get much of a look

Tunes67

I meant while your car was down for the AWD swap But I had a real bad headach about 2 hrs from completeing the swap and was about to throw-up so I gave up on it til this morning. BTW I have my HKS Cam gears already on but I will be hitting the track with my friend who owns a N/A 300zx to see who will be faster so maybe we can go against each other .

Tunes, you can hang out with us. MX-west is an awesome club. I don't make it to but 1-3 meets but it is still cool to be in. And to meet people like Josh and Dan are worth it. Dan= Craziest driver I have seen who is just driving normal, Josh= Hardcore MX-3 builder. I will be over there next month towards the end to dyno tune my beast. You know of any real good dyno's Josh? Or Tunes?

I have a friend into MR-2's that gets his car dyno'd at least twice a year.. I will get in touch with him and find out where he goes.

Tunes67

Bugs.. I asked my buddy where to get the Dyno done.. here is his reply.. apparently his isnt too bright.. but I will get more info from him LOL

Fast510 says:
I don't know of one comming up any time soon. But you can always just go down there and schedule one. I think its about $75 for 3 base runs (no tuning) and Mike charges $125/hr for tuning but that includes as many dyno pulls as he needs to do to set the car up.
Fast510 says:
On a mostly stock (unmodified) car he should be able to tune it in an hour without too many problems.

I will get the "Where" out of him soon.. besides MR-2's he is also into older Datsun 510's.. well.. no one is perfect

Tunes67

there is a place in the kirkland Totem lake area called carborator connection, from what i here they are decent. ill ask my honda buddy, he goes all the time. last time he went he hit 208 hp and 257 foot pounds, out of a SOHC civic at 13psi. not too shabby.