Just wanted to introduce myself and my project
Here’s the scoop; I found it on craigslist in Highland Michigan. It was listed as a prepared car for competition in SCCA Club Racing in "Improved Touring C" ("C" as in "I can’t possibly C how a racecar could be this slow...more on that later). The previous owner went through all the work to get it classified in ITC but the SCCA dropped the ball so when he went to race it in 2010 he still had to run it in the STU class because the ITC classification had not yet been finalized. The car has seen action at two official races, most recently at the 12 hours of nelson ledges where it lasted 3 hours before smoking what was likely the original clutch. He had not run it at any point during the 2011 season and was looking to get out of it to get a little cash and have a little more time to focus on other projects. I first saw the car on December 17th at the pole barn which he was storing this car as well as several other MX-3’s and several Miata’s. I looked it over, started it, drove it, and fell in love right there. I put $100 down on the car and the next day my buddy and I showed up at the barn with his truck and a flatbed from u-haul and drove it back home to Canton.
Info on the car itself; It’s a 1992 Mazda MX-3. If you’ve never heard of one, it’s for a good reason; they were only on sale in the U.S. from 1992-1995 and they didn’t exactly sell in great numbers. For size comparison, think of something slightly larger and taller than a Miata but with a hatchback instead of a convertible top. It has the 4 cylinder 1.6 liter SOHC B6ME engine (rated at 88HP and 98 Ft lbs of torque) with a 5 speed manual Trans. The suspension is a pretty simple Macpherson strut setup in the front and at the rear is a “twin trapezoidal” link independent setup, which is essentially a trailing arm type suspension. The curb weight of one of these with this engine is around 2400lbs, so with all the normal creature comforts removed is shouldn’t weigh much more than a cheerleader over 2000 lbs. The car has 195xxx miles on it at present time. From what I can surmise from the cars history, I appear to be the 3rd or 4th owner, all of which were from Michigan. The car has a clean Michigan Title which I now have in my name (the guy I bought it from never bothered to get the title in his name since he never used the car on the street). The previous owner bought it in non-running condition for $400 about 2 years ago. After he took ownership he got it running (new head), gutted it, put the cage in, put the fire extinguisher in, put in the racing seat, installed a window net, installed a G-Force racing harness, installed a battery kill switch, replaced the brakes on all 4 corners, installed a new half shaft, installed an ACT clutch (after the OEM one got burnt up @ Nelson Ledges), bolted on some Miata wheels, and did the legwork to get it registered for competition in ITC. I purchased the car for a price of $1300; in addition to the car itself, I also got the SCCA logbook, the original owners manual plus a good chunk a paperwork outlining some of the cars maintenance history, leftovers from the ACT clutch kit (new pilot bearing, alignment tool, etc.), an OEM Mazda car cover and for an extra $50 I got the original set of MX-3 wheels (its currently rolling on a set of Miata “Daises”).
The engine is essentially stock (though the head on it isn’t original) and the suspension is just how it left the factory. I’ve been able to do a little bit of work on it up to this point, but nothing too major; just enough to get a list together for what needs immediate attention, what can wait, etc. I’ve got a list of parts I’m looking for as well as a preliminary list of what I need to give attention. Additionally, because it has a title and still has working lights, turn signals, etc., and still drives like any road car should, as of December 20th I not only have the title in my name but it is insured and plated to drive on the street! It’s a little drafty since there are no windows but hey the heater still works!
That’s where the car stands right now, here’s what I’ve compiled so far concerning what needs attention:
Car does have rust, not much in the way of rot though. It’s not like the car is going to fall apart in front of me, but there are some areas that need attention before they become un-salvageable.
Front bumper is on and holding but it’s cracked in a couple spots so if I can pick one up cheap I’ll pounce on it.
Due to a rules change, the seat needs to either be take off the tracks and welded in place, or stay on the tracks and have a brace fitted, not sure which route I’m going to take yet.
The car has a MASSIVE exhaust leak, easy enough to get taken care of but still needs to be fixed.
Car does presently appear to have a misfire, though that could be for a number of reasons as; its old, the bulk of the gas in it is from August of 2010 (put about 5 gal of new gas in there to try and freshen it up), and the plugs are well worn ACdelco units….Eww
The car has no thermostat, which is why it takes so damn long to heat up. I know it’s not necessary for racing but since I don’t like having a cold engine for extended periods and since I’m driving it on the street I’m putting one in. (I really hope the lack of a thermostat wasn’t there to mask head gasket issues….we shall see)
I’d like to swap all the new fluids out of it so that I know they’re all fresh
Car is going to need an oil pan very soon as the one on there is not in great shape.
Radiator hoses are in need of replacement
Wipers are blasted and I’m going to re-paint the wiper arms
Passenger front sway-bar end-link is toast
Belts are dried out and squeal like a pig going to the slaughterhouse when they’re cold (i.e., engine cold starting)
There’s a big leak on the drivers side of the engine, potentially a rear main seal. I can’t quite pin it down yet because there’s so much grime down there, so I’m going to clean up that side and keep a lookout.
I’d like to source a stock air box and fresh air duct for the car as the current intake system is pretty ghettofabbed in there and the cone filter is dirtier than a gas station bathroom
Want to test the battery to see how much life it’s got left
Some of the brake lines/fuel lines may need replacement soon
Want to get a catch can for it
Needs tires
The clock doesn’t keep time when the ignition is turned off, methinks it might be something to do with how the kill switch functions....its not a huge deal but I have a clack in it so I’d like to work.
Exhaust manifold itself is fine but the heat shield is toast, $60 for a new one from Mazda, thinking I’ll just leave it off.
In addition to the plugs, I’m probably going to replace the cap, rotor, and plug wires as well
That’s about what I’ve got so far, I picked up some oil, thermostat, NGK V power plugs, both V-belts (Gates of course), and a Chilton for the car. I’ll likely be buying even more goodies for it today.
That’s where the cars at in a nutshell….I will continue to update this thread as the build progresses
My rules for this car are simple; anyone that helps me work on it can drive it. Doesn’t matter if ya hold a Trans, hold a wrench, or hold a flashlight, throw me some cash for gas/tires, go on a parts run for me, etc. If you help me with it, you earn yourself some seat time. I’m going to have very little patience for people who simply stand around and point out what is wrong or not working and do nothing but get in the way of making this project a success. If you don’t want to be helpful, I don’t want you around this car; it’s a simple as that.
My intentions for this car are not only to further my own racing career but to use it as a tool to bring friends together and as a catalyst for fun times. Through this car I intend to give not only myself, but others the opportunity to race that might have never had to opportunity to do so. I’ll use this car not only for club racing, but for open track style events and probably some auto X as well. This car will also give people the opportunity to wrench on something other than their daily rides and will serve as a teaching tool not only on the racecourse, but in the garage as well. As I’m only 20, this is the first car I’ve ever bought with my own money (the 6 was gifted to me) and when it finally dawned on me that I had actually bought this thing, my first thought was “it figures the first car I buy in my own name has a roll cage and a gutted interior…. Also, after hearing/seeing the reactions of some of my friends and family when they learned I had purchased this project, I concluded that it was funny how much commotion a $1300 car could cause….
As stated, this car is a tool that is intended to create fun times and bring people together, and given time, some money, and the right attitudes, I honestly feel that this little car will do exactly that for those that
choose to be a part of its revival.
Happy motoring crew and I will keep you guys updated as this project progresses!
-Matt
My twins....
Update time!
Okay, so since the tires that the car is presently sitting on are useful insomuch as they hold air and the tires on the 2nd set of wheels that i have are barley suitable for astroturds, this car is badly in need of a new set of rubber.
After an exhaustive search i decided that the street tires for this beast were going to be the Sumitomo HTR A/S PO1's. they are a high performance all season tire, treadwear 480, traction A, temp A. more info here http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes the stock size for the mx-3 is 185-65-14, i went with a 195-60/14. I got the entire set mounted and balanced from Belle tire for $342 and some pocket lint (dinky tires FTMFW!)
......or at least i would have if while cleaning up the 2nd set of rims which i intended to put the street tires on i had not discovered that two of the wheels had a very nice bend in them (i got the whole set of wheels for $50, so ya get what ya pay for in some cases). After discovering this, i still took the wheels over to have the tires de-mounted because in order to have the rim repaired i would need to have the tire off anyway. My instructions were to de-mount the tires from the rims and call me when they were donw so that i could pick up the wheels and tires and take the wheels to get fixed.
When i got back to pick them up, they rolled my rims out with 4 freshly mounted sumitomos on them.....good to know people listen >< It wasent a big deal though, they rolled the wheels back in, de-mounted my tires and in about 15 min i was on my merry way with my 4 OEM MX-3 wheels, 4 crispy sumitomos, and 3 of my OEM 17" mazda 6 wheels that also needed work (Michigan has a way of jacking wheels up, even if your carful).
---------- Post added at 11:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 AM ----------
Part 2!
After the tire debacle, i made my way over to Weldcraft wheels. Weldcraft was the place where we sent out any wheels that came in bent when i was the delivery dude for the infamous Ralph Thayer Mazda. Weldcraft specializes not only in fixing bent up wheels, but in modifyng them as well, read more heah http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/index.html
2 of the 4 OEM MX-3 wheels came up bad, and they took all 3 of the OEM Mazda 6 wheels i brought to em. That was last Friday so they should be all done by today or tomorrow.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch i did the ole bathroom scale trick (step on scale, get weight, step on scale again holding wheel) to get an idea of what the OEM MX-3 wheels weigh in at and they come in around 13.5 lbs. So they are heavier than the miata wheels that i currently have sitting on the car and therefore i'll still use the MX-3 wheels for my street tires. I still havent decided if i'm going to use the Dunlop Direzzas for race duty or if i'm going to spring to buy R comps. If i do buy R-comps theyre probably going to be the Hancooks becasue i can't quite justify the price for Hoosiers, and the Khumo V710's are pricey as well in my opinion. It would be about a $100-$150 difference between the dunlops and the hancooks and i'm still in the wafflehouse on what route i'm goin.
---------- Post added at 11:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
Some photo travel for you guys and gals:
Here she sat for a bit up on the stands while i dug around to see what the dealio was with the front suspension and the underbody
The inside of one of the MX-3 wheels....these things were filfthy! looked like they had never been cleaned in their lives.
My cleaning army! Don;t get me wrong, it helped, but the wheels sre still kinda nasty, i need either some more aggressive chemicals or need to do some wet sanding
For the record, you can fit 3 17x7 mazda 6 wheels, 4 14x5.5 mx-3 wheels, and 4 195/60/14 sumitomos in the back of a mazd 6 hatchback, and still have room to spare. not bad for a car that sees double duty as a racemobile
This is the wheel that cleaned up the best but it has the worst bend
For the faint of sight...
The tire stack with the 2 good mx-3 wheels, this brings my running total up to 5 sets of rims and tires for 2 cars....yes, i know, i have a problem
yay! new rubbers!!! I checked the build date on these bad boys and they were made the 31st and 29th weeks of 2011, so theyre not even 6 months old, so my new tires actually are new tires
its plug and play.