Protege5 for me?

After building my son Carter's p5 and teaching him to drive it .... I decided I wanted one, but the one I found (white 02 with 275k) sold before I could get to it. I really liked the white too, but then I found a Dark blue 02 with 174k and a no start from a timing belt issue. Even better than that it came with another known good fsde and manual trans. Its just a question of weather I fix the timing ,swap to the other fsde or order a fsze to swap in like Carter's p5. So now I just have to wait on a title and order parts.
 
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I tell ya, these cars are addictive :D

Looks like a good project!

Personally I'd slap a turbo kit on it and have a pair of slightly different pro5s with yours being the faster one of course :P
 
Yeah they seem to be . I finally dug into mine and found the intake cam 180 degrees out and the exhaust cam 15 degrees off. Not to mention that the reluctor on the crank was mangled and mangling the alternator belt. I timed it correctly, swapped on the old pulley from the other car, put in a power wheelchair battery from work (500cranking amps for free) and it started.
There is a ticking that I think is a collapsed lifter on number 1 cylinder that actully pumps up some and quiets down after warm up. After an oil flush and change I will see what it does determine if im going to replace with a ze like the other out of convenience or replace parts and drive it as is.
I have 2 other stock high mileage de engines that i would love to put time into and build one for boost with the plan of putting it in my car. but as with all ....money matters.but family matters more and there is never enough time for all the projects.
 
My old Protegé had that fuel issue. All the screws broke trying to get it out, too. I ended up drilling them all out and tapping for some bigger screws. Then used all stainless for any future servicing. (never needed to go back in there, but had peace of mind)

I would love to get another as a project car, since the handling was great. However, the chassis rust is a big issue, and aftermarket parts availability is drying up. A newer Mazda3 would make for a good project too. Older son (Thing-1) is almost driving age, so a Mazda3 might still be in the works...
 
So the tank is completely fixable after much time and pondering. The engine..... for me to drive is not in the condition that fills me with confidence. I already have several taps and drills with replacement stainless hardware for the fuel tank. Then I of course started buying other parts now.
 
With all the replacement parts I have for the suspension and brake system , I thinking about sending one of the blocks I have to the machine shop along with one ported cylinder head. Kinda decided to turbo the Death trap. There will be a manifold to fabricate as well as intercooler piping and a full exhaust. Just going to use ZE cams and intake as well as megasquirt 3. Just need to find some stock rims that don't break the bank to make the car look right.
 
For wheel options, Mazda6 (Red car) and MPV (blue car) 17" wheels fit well, look factory fresh and clear bigger brakes :)

Just gotta be careful of the offset, especially on the rear wheels

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For wheel options, Mazda6 (Red car) and MPV (blue car) 17" wheels fit well, look factory fresh and clear bigger brakes :)

Just gotta be careful of the offset, especially on the rear wheels

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Those choices will be HEAVY, which the Protege5 won't like. You'll want to keep the weight low. Look for a set of 17" NC Miata wheels.

OEM Protege wheels are 16x6 +50 and the Miata wheels will be 17x7 +55. Go with a 205/45-17 tire
 

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