Brainstorming Sesion guys. ALL and ANY input welcome

:
2001 Mazda MP3
So, the fact that people are using a second port injection fuel system to tune a DI car is kinda annoying me.

What i want to do, is scrap the DI motor all together, and use a base model 2.3 with a custom kit.

I want the engine bay as clean as possible, if it doesn't make the car go, stop, or turn, i want it out. When the hood is open all i want to see are fenders and motor.(show quality stuff)

Issues that i can think of with possible solutions:


ABS is controlled by the stock ECU. Can i possibly disconnect the abs and it funstion ok? or should i look for a BBK that is for something without abs and just run manual brakes?

Gauges. I Know this car lives and dies by the ECU and the gauges(stories from people who swapped LED's in their gauge cluster and fried their cluster and had to get a who new one programmed by mazda.) SOOO manual gauges no biggie. Oil pressure, RPM, wide band, water temp etc etc.
what about speedo. its driven by the abs sensors on our car, and i've mentioned going away with ABS all together if need be.

Options
1. buy a 2.3 mazda 3 as CHEAP as i can find for a donor car. Use its ECU and gauge cluster and run a haltech to control everything so it will basically be a built mazda 3 in a speed3 shell.

2. take everything out of the engine bay, all sensor guages etc etc. fill shave the firewall. Get a motor built with custom turbo kit. take it to a race shop(have one in mind) and haveit tuned with with a holley standalone. sacrifice AC but have a totally smooth and clean engine bay(but what would i do about Power steering) i'm not willing to sacrifice PS.

This would be a show car/ hopefully car magazine cover car.

thoughts ideas suggestions.
 
Good luck. People have tried cleaning up their engine bay but never heard from them since.
 
Why would you go to this much effort in a FWD car? To
be honest, the speed/2.3 is not the best platform. If you are really going to drop that much money, sell the speed and get an STI or like a 90's Subaru Imprezza 2.5
RS? It's AWD, and has a freaking boxer.
 
If your not retaining any of the amenities, and your gonna use aftermarket gauges anyway, you really have nothing to worry about if your going full standalone. Essentially the ms3 body is all you will be using anyway.

^also, hes right, all that power to the wheels and your still going to have the wheel hop and spin issues stock ms3 have.
 
well, there IS an AWD speed3 out there.

but this will not be a track car, it will be a car to try to get on the cover of a magazine and to win shows. that will occasionally see a track.
 
Good luck. People have tried cleaning up their engine bay but never heard from them since.
thats one reason i want to go with a MZ3 motor with a standalone. I'm not gonna try to clean up the stock MS3 engine bay with the fuel pump and ecu and everything in there

Why would you go to this much effort in a FWD car? To
be honest, the speed/2.3 is not the best platform. If you are really going to drop that much money, sell the speed and get an STI or like a 90's Subaru Imprezza 2.5
RS? It's AWD, and has a freaking boxer.
because i drive a mazdaspeed 3 and not a subaru. who's to say that there can't be a second stage down the road and i add awd.

If your not retaining any of the amenities, and your gonna use aftermarket gauges anyway, you really have nothing to worry about if your going full standalone. Essentially the ms3 body is all you will be using anyway.

^also, hes right, all that power to the wheels and your still going to have the wheel hop and spin issues stock ms3 have.
yes, the ms3 body and interior will remain.
 
Why..Why..Why would you go through such a pain in the @$$ build like that, use the money towards something else if your not happy with the car, there was a reason you bought the speed in the first place. I would understand this alittle better if you were building a wrecked car, but one that runs/drives and is reliable...it just doesn't make sense to me...unless you just have money to waste of course!!!
 
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because i LOVE the speed3 thats why.

but lets not focus on why or if i should do this. opinions are fine but i'm just trying to get some info.

It's not like i'm gonna do this tomorrow or anything. maybe i'll find a ms3 shell in the future, or one with a blown motor for cheap.
 

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