88 front bumper swap(s)(mazda noob!!!)

[323b6t]

i bought the car back in march and ive been researching day in and day out...
and i have come to realize that i dont have the "gt" from bumper on my gt
i have the dx bumper...(mine)

i know she's dirty.... i took that pic 5 minutes after i signed the title in my name

i know that the imark bumper will fit but it HARD to find so im moving on

is the VW MK2 Golf Front Bumper i direct fit?
V V V V V

 

[sethro_GT]

Looks pretty good, what was done underneath?

 

[88323GT]

Theres also the same year Honda accord bumper that will fit. I had finally found the Imark bumper sitting in the JY here and just now did the swap.

If I where you, Ide run the vin or check the vehicle history to make sure its a GT and not an LX shell with a motor Swap and wheels. From the pic, your bumper and Mirrors kind of tell me its not a GT, but then again, the previous owner may have done a few things to make it look like a base model. Does it have rear Disc brakes?

 

[sethro_GT]

or it has a replacement bumper cover thats not the GT. The GT bumper has air vents in the bar.

(not mine)

 

[Mike_GT]

I can almost guarantee that it's a GT because the side moldings and rear bumper are the stock GT ones, someone probably just changed out the front from damage. I do have a spare front GT bumper with minor damage to the bottom. Let me know if you are interested and I can get you some pictures.

 

[sethro_GT]

Agreed, I was just saying the front bumper cover is not a GT. Basically regurgitated what was said on the first post, oops. Its definitely a GT with the black window trim. For what its worth the molding around my GT has a gray painted stripe not a chrome strip.

 

[323b6t]

My car is a gt, I checked the VIN just in case and it is
its got the gtx digi gauges and the rear disc brakes
and the car was wrecked back in 92' and you can see where the hood hangs over the driver headlight a little but its no big deal
i have found a i-mark rs bumper here in atlanta as well
but the body and turbo mods have been put on stand by due to a blown headgasket
and i can get the head off does anyone know of a hidden bracket that could be hold the head on?

 

[88323GT]

As so far as the head and intake manifold, there is one bracket that will get you. Under the intake mani there is a brace that bolts to the bottom of the intake and the side of the block. You will want to unbolt this from the back (Close to the firewall) and then lift the intake/head out.
Other then that, there shouldnt be anything else out of the ordinary to trip you up.

Since its been in an accident, that clears it up there. The mirrors kind of threw me off as they are not the body color. Glad to see another GT around.

 

[323b6t]

Since its been in an accident, that clears it up there. The mirrors kind of threw me off as they are not the body color. Glad to see another GT around.

yea theres 3 down here in atlanta and a few fakes that have all the right stuff tho and one thats working dropping an a klze v6(shocked)
but i was taking to my "shade tree" mechanic and he said if the head has never been changed that there should be some kind of adhesive(shrug)

 

[88323GT]

As far as Ive always known and in my experience, there is no adhesive except the fiber metal headgasket itself which is just kind of a pain to clean off as it basically crumbs apart and sticks to the head and block surfaces.

 

[sethro_GT]

if you've gone around the head and there is nothing attached its either a hiding head bolt (under oil) or the gasket. There is a tab on one end of the head where a slight pry with a screwdriver between the head and block will break the gasket seal. As 88323GT said the gasket material will stick to the head and block. Make sure you don't gouge the had when cleaning it off, use a plastic scrapper or light abrasive disc on an angle grinder.

good luck.

 

[88323GT]

When it comes to getting the gasket off the block, a die grinder with a cookie will do just fine, but for the head, doing it by hand with a very light abrasive like scotch bright, or something similar, or as Sethro said, a plastic scraper would do fine as the head is aluminum and very easy to scuff, and dig in with anything harder. Its easily ruined if not done right.

 

[323b6t]

As so far as the head and intake manifold, there is one bracket that will get you. Under the intake mani there is a brace that bolts to the bottom of the intake and the side of the block. You will want to unbolt this from the back (Close to the firewall) and then lift the intake/head out.
Other then that, there shouldnt be anything else out of the ordinary to trip you up.

The bracket your talking about, is i roughly 3 inches away from the alternator bracket? If so I've over looked it several times.

The I-mark rs bumper has been removed from the JY car :/
and the search continues

 

[sethro_GT]

indeed, the bracket uses two bolts to attach to the block by the starter and runs up to the plenum on the intake manifold and has two nuts there. Look into getting the front/rear bumper setup from Australia, would be well worth it....

 

[88323GT]

For the top of the bracket, if the welds havnt been broken off the nuts in the past, should be 2 bolts on the plenum.

 

[323b6t]

since i cant find either the 323 gt or the I-mark front bumper im resorting to replacement parts.
i know what a gt front bumper looks like http://www.autobodypartsonline.com/...catid=1339&sid=77CBJv2EW30W9kB-39109211365.93
does this look like on?

 

[CorkSport]

The price they list at the link is really good for the GT/GTX bumper. I would just be careful of the shipping costs.

-Derrick

 

[sethro_GT]

Derrick, May be an unanswerable question but is there anyway Corksport could import aussie spec bumpers for the 88-89 323's? Cost/demand may not justify it but I'm curious none the less. I'm interested and I know others are too.

thanks,
seth

 

[323b6t]

Derrick, May be an unanswerable question but is there anyway Corksport could import aussie spec bumpers for the 88-89 323's? Cost/demand may not justify it but I'm curious none the less. I'm interested and I know others are too.

thanks,
seth

i cant seem to find even a picture of the aussie front or rear bumpers.
cause im tired of hearing the usual "coffee table rear bumper"(unamused)

 

[323b6t]

The price they list at the link is really good for the GT/GTX bumper. I would just be careful of the shipping costs.

-Derrick

i know that its hella cheap for one but is it the "gt/gtx" style?
cause plenty of sites sell the "se" bumpers just not the gt/gtx