Lewis7789's 2003 Protege5 build thread

[Installshield 2]

^ friend of mine installed a wall mounted propane 'furnace' in his garage...it uses ceramic plates and an electric fan, and can heat a considerably large stand alone garage very quickly. the way the plates work make it usable indoors entirely...and much less like a portable flame thrower...I'm sure they're not cheap though...but similar kits for these types of things are available at places like Lowes...The whole design though is to be used perfectly safe indoors, with pretty much zero harmful fumes...so i guess it depends on how permanent of a solution you're looking for...

I know what you mean with fumes...In my experience portable gas heaters, no matter what they use, are always pretty 'dirty'...i had a kerosene heater before (california sun heater, is that brand still around?)...and it was pretty much un-usable...it turned the ceiling of my work space black, so it couldn't be good for anyone in there...

I'm a charcoal man myself...but you could always just buy a really nice 6 burner Weber gas grill...Blast it on to heat the garage, wheel it outside after its warmed up, and grill something while doing whatever car work...i'm kidding, sort of...

 

[rally2003]

I'm a charcoal man myself...but you could always just buy a really nice 6 burner Weber gas grill...Blast it on to heat the garage, wheel it outside after its warmed up, and grill something while doing whatever car work...i'm kidding, sort of...

I like your thinking.

 

[Lewis7789]

Thanks for the info, mate! I rent so nothing big is in order. Maybe just a cheap propane heater with lots of extra breaks. Or a grill since I do need to buy one. But I don't know if I can heat up my tv dinners on it... I don't really cook. haha

And going to a very local (5 mins from my house) shop called SoloRacer.com Friday with paycheck in hand to try out some Corbeau seats they have in stock to see what fits well. I'm pretty much settled on the Corbeau FX1 Pro, Corbeau seat brackets/sliders and Schroth 6 point Clubman III harnesses. Then off to Summit for the eye bolts and will wait for everything to show up then install. I think it will look more like a car again with some seats and the interior put back together. I also plan on mounting the Areocatch latches and hood props soon too.

And of course the wiring mess. Haha. I've got my old 93' Probe GT harness from Wes as a template and I'll try to clean up the wiring into one single harness from all the gauges, and P5 wiring.

I've also got some thermal spacers from Jays Racing in Dayton coming.

 

[magnumP5]

Why the Schroth Harnesses? You can get G-Force 6-points for quite a bit less with the same certification.

 

[Lewis7789]

Honestly, because they look cooler.

And when in doubt, always remember "Because Rice Car.".

 

[Circuit]

Honestly, because they look cooler.

And when in doubt, always remember "Because Rice Car.".

That's the spirit!

 

[magnumP5]

Honestly, because they look cooler.

And when in doubt, always remember "Because Rice Car.".

Pssh, black/yellow vs black/white/red and a $60/harness difference. All that and Corbeau seats? Burn...

LOL, you know I'm just messing with ya. I have the opposite: cheap harness with an expensive seat.

 

[Installshield 2]

Thanks for the info, mate! I rent so nothing big is in order. Maybe just a cheap propane heater with lots of extra breaks. Or a grill since I do need to buy one. But I don't know if I can heat up my tv dinners on it... I don't really cook. haha

I used to be the same way...but seriously...you can grill almost anything. This past saturday i made simple lasagna...in a cast iron skillet on a charcoal grill....look out, you'll be weak in the knees haha...it was like melting smoked mozzarella all over it...

pry that frozen stuff out of the tv dinner's plastic plate...throw it on a grill with the heat off to the sides, and a few cherry wood chips on the burners...you'll never microwave again...although the mashed potato side might slip through the grate, so stick it on a little metal sheet or something LAWL.

its safe to say i'm off topic...and obviously skipped lunch again.

 

[WillD]

I thought I wandered onto a cooking forum for a second

 

[Lewis7789]

Jon, you're a doo-doo head. So there. Just kidding, of course.

It's super stupid and I can't really attempt to justify it. It's just a looks thing. Typically I go with whatever parts works the best, regardless of how it looks. But these harnesses are an exception. Kinda like spending more money on a shift knob, it's just one of those weird little things.

But at least I'm not being silly and buying Takata harnesses or anything. $220 a harness is still very reasonable.

 

[JDM_Pro5]

I used to be the same way...but seriously...you can grill almost anything. This past saturday i made simple lasagna...in a cast iron skillet on a charcoal grill....look out, you'll be weak in the knees haha...it was like melting smoked mozzarella all over it...

pry that frozen stuff out of the tv dinner's plastic plate...throw it on a grill with the heat off to the sides, and a few cherry wood chips on the burners...you'll never microwave again...although the mashed potato side might slip through the grate, so stick it on a little metal sheet or something LAWL.

its safe to say i'm off topic...and obviously skipped lunch again.

Do yourself a favor and buy some Halloumi cheese. It's grillable and soaked in brine to make it salty. The rubbery texture it has allows you to throw it on the grill and get grill marks. It's salty flavor pairs it well with fruit such as watermelon

 

[iracemine]

I remember when looking way back when that the schroth 4 point was safer for street driving. It also has a built in anti-sub device. And I remember it was way easier to use daily than dealing with the 6 point I got now.

 

[Lewis7789]

Yeah, I saw those. And while they are currently NASA legal they are $114 more each. I would hate to get something better suited for the street then have them not legal next year when NASA changes it's mind again. I'll just stick with the 6 points. For the price, they are a great deal.

 

[magnumP5]

After installing the 5-pt harness and getting everything adjusted I'm beginning to think I should have spent the extra $10 and got the 6-pt. Probably much more comfortable but I didn't want to drill more holes in the car than absolutely necessary. Remember the 5/6th mounting points on a 6-pt harness are a different from the 5th mounting point on a 5-pt harness!

 

[iracemine]

I used all stock pre threaded seat mounts to install mine.

 

[WillD]

I did the same in my Miata. Had to drill holes for the sub-belts though.

 

[Lewis7789]

iracemine, you just bolted in the lap belts into the OEM 3-point locations? What did you do for your 5th/6th crotch harness?

I was planning on bolting them to the Corbeau seat brackets or using the eye bolts into the floor with the large backing washer.

I've read the Schroth harness manual a couple times but I always have questions. haha

ps- awesome pic. I love race cars and P5's. Double win.

 

[iamthewheelman]

I used all stock pre threaded seat mounts to install mine.

You road race with just a roll bar? Or that shot pre wheel to wheel days.

 

[iracemine]

Anti-sub points are bolted between the front of sparco's side mounts and seat base adapter. The lap mounts are at the rear of the seat base adapter. The rear shoulders are of the "h" style so they drop over the roll bar (to make the correct angle for competition) and then bolt to the front of the rear seat holes.

Belts expired (and for sale) but definitely will buy the same again. However I don't think I want to keep the sparco (yeah, that's for sale too). I think I want a dirt circle race seat. I am kinda on the thin side so I need a bit more side support. Slicks and 800lbs spring rate make a bit of gs (yes I am getting lazy).

 

[iracemine]

You road race with just a roll bar? Or that shot pre wheel to wheel days.

Nope. Midwestern sports car council is great for supporting a great competitive class that does not require you to buy a ton of stuff to race.