ForceFed's Project P5 Build Thread

[ForceFed]

(wrc)

Originally posted 6-7-08

Well..I finally am starting to make minimal progress after many..Many setbacks.

I am going to go through and post some pictures of whats been done so far..parts I have aquired...and where I am heading.

I hope to have this car done by The end of July...Period. (screwy)

It all started here...With this....Piss poor shape for an 03....Has a ding or dent in every panel....and a Blown motor due to oil starvation.

After buying...I started my plans and Began Collecting parts.....a LOT Of parts.
Then I borrowed a Hoist From Merlin3 (local Member on another Forum) and Out the motor came.

Such a tiny little thing it is...This is Tranny and all. Fully asembled motor.

The motor Was stripped down and prepped for a Rebuild.
The motor was Sent to Ohio Georges where it was to get Forged Oliver Long Rods, .020'' over CP Pistons 8.5:1 (low comp.),ARP main Studs, ARP Rod Bolts, New oil squirters , Bearings, Thrust washers and Balanced.
The Crank Was scored a bit..so it needed polished....But nothing That George couldn't handle.
The head was Sent to Dave Layer @ Heads up Performance in Beavercreek for a 3 angle Valve job, New seals and some portwork.

While those were out...I decided to go ahead and start getting some of the powdercoating done on Engine parts.
Sent my Valve Cover off for polishing...for the Custom Red Candy powdercoat it was to receive.

Heres the polish

Heres the Candy Powdercoat...Which almost looks like a red Chrome.

SO while the engine was out...The car is pushed outside...where it sits...and get pummeled with snow....Friggin' Ohio.

Then the motor came back from Ohio Georges....After a lot of Tedious little machine work..He got the Custom Rod and Piston Setup together , clearanced and Balanced.
Unfortunatley....George doesn't like painting anything..sO I had to give it a once over when I got it home.

Here is where we ran into clearance problems with the the pistons and Rods....ANd then there was the Oil squirters..but we wont go there.

While the Engine was away ..I continued to gather parts...From my forums mainly..But Chris at Precision has Gotten me anything I couldn't find there pretty much.
These guys rock..and I can't say it enough.

I had aquired a Mazdaspped LSD to install into my factory Open DIff P5 tranny....and then...lady luck fell into my lap.
I scored an Original OEM NEW Mazdaspeed tranny...For less than what I could sell my original parts for...Cha-ching!
But I still have to take it apart and Weld the LSD inside of it for strength..THey are know to Break the RIng gears off at even Stock Power levels.....Let alone what I plan on throwing at this thing.But when welded up..they are Extremely reliable and a good LSD as well.

Over the next couple of cold months..not much happened...Picked up parts as I found them....Did tiny little things and Wheeled and dealed as much as possible to get what I needed.
I still dont have everything...But man I am getting very close.

 

[ForceFed]

Got the head back from Dave @ heads up not long ago.

It looks pretty good to me.

He gasket matched the intake side....and Did the Exhaust as well...with the exception of NOT raising the Exhause port floors.

It may not look like much...but Just Gasket matching was a HUGE Chunk of material on this Economy cars head.

It looks pretty good with my TUbular Turbo Exhaust MAni bolted on it as well I think

My GT28RS will look nice bolted to this.
Especially after I get the snail back from powdercoating as well.

I also Picked up a single runner 626 Intake Manifold(Vs. the stock restrictive Dual Runner) for Temporary use until the Sheetmetal Mani (hurry Up Rich) is done from Prototyping.

I removed some Bracket areas (circled in red) off of it that are not needed on my car to clean it up....Its currently out for powdercoating as well.

Here is a Pic of my Intake TUbe for the GT28....It is a 3 '' Inlet transitioned to a 4'' Tube and Filter....Not gonna be any problem getting enough air into this motor...and it should sound friggin killer!

I also Have a 7.5lb. Fidanza Lightweight FLywheel to go on the rotating Assembly.
The stocker is 18lbs. for reference..that a direct 11lb. Savings...
Its gonna rev fast for sure.

Here is my 2.5'' Downpipe for my Turbo...I may make a 3'' in the near future....Depending an where this gets me to with the power level.
Had the New Studs welded in because one hole on the pipe was stripped out....These arent gonna come loose anytime soon.

Gotta make sure we get enough Fuel to the Injectors don't we....Went with a Perrin High flow rail.

And you know...No Stock ECU is gonna run this thing....SO I went with a Full Stand alone System.
Microtech LT10S will take care of all FUel and timing needs....It can also be used for Two step and multiple other setups including NLS.

I am going to Run 18x8 Factory RX8 Wheels that I have had feshly powdercoated.
These will require me to roll the rear fenders...but they look killer when on the car.
Now if I can get that damn Charlie to loan me the fender roller!

 

[ForceFed]

Origianlly posted on 6-7-08

GOt the Emblems Removed and the Hatch Welded up over the weekend .
I like mine Clean Shaven.

I just need to get this in primer this weekend and block it out once...and it should be smooth as a babies bottom.

Also Got my Modified Oil pump in as well as my External Oil pressure regulator.
Not too many people short of race cars use a setup like this.
The pump has had the Internal Planetary Gears and housing sent to SwainTech for A Dry film Lubricant which serves a dual purpose..to tighten clearances and to help aid in wear reduction.
The reduced clearances allow the pump to Be more efficient.
The Internal Bypass has been removed and now this pump will pump as much pressure as I want it to...Hence the External PRV(Pressure Reducing valve).

These motor are notorious for washing out bearings under heavy load due to cavitation in the oil pump...SO with the Help of Doc B Racing...I am one of a couple of guys who is adapting theire race proven Technology onto my street build.
This in turn...should allow me to setup my pressure to a safe level and Maintain it under nearly all conditions..Including hard track days.

 

[ForceFed]

Originally posted on 6-7-08

GOt a few other parts I figured I'd post up since i remembered I have them.
I haven't even scratched the surface of the stuff I have here already for this car.

Here are some Fairly hard to Find "Fog Delete" panels that will go in place of the OEM fogs....I got these From Jason @ Montogomery MAzda..Killer price too!.

Had to order up a set( Or two) of the K-Sports for my Ride....Full Coilovers for the Win!
GB's FTW as well!

I also Aquired a Full Mazdaspeed Interior for my Car.....
I picked up a whole interior from a car getting converted to a Full race ride.
Nothing super special..just different.
I also Sprung for a new Set of OEM Mazdaspeed Stitched FLoor mats....They are soo nice.
This set of seats has Bright Yellow stitching.
Now if I can find a Good upolstery shop to mod the rear seat covers to fit the OEM seats....Hmmmm...anyone know a good place?

Gotta have some exhaust....Just a Megan 2.5''...But it's mandrel bent SS and should be more than Enough flow for this setup.

 

[ForceFed]

(screwy)

Originally posted on 6-8-08

Lets see....What do we have today.

AWR motor mounts....Front Rear and both Side Inserts...Used but will suit Me fine.
I have both the 70 and 95 Durometer for the full mounts

Brand New OEM MSP front Bumper and Roof Rail Delete strips....a must...both Items.
No cheap looking Side markers or Roof racks for my ride.

Got to smooth out the Front end a bit....DG Carbon Fiber Front Grille will do the job nicely.
Too bad I am painting over the CF goodness.

Picked up a used MSP Front Sway Bar....Gotta get rid of the puny OEM one....Also Have new OEM bushing to put in with it.

Gotta have someplace nice to rest your feet.
New 03 Stitched MSP Floor mats will keep my feet cozy on a long drive.

Gotta have somethig to transfer the power from the engine to the tranny....This Spec Stage 3+ should do the job nicely.

And last for today...Picked this bad boy up to take care of some business.
Cant Have my freshly coated RX8 Wheels rubbin' on nothin' now can we?

 

[ForceFed]

(idhitit)

Originally posted on 6-15-08

Pulled my pump apart to check it out and thought I would snap some pics of the internals and coating.

Pic 1 is the pump disassembled, Pic 2 & 3 shows the Removed Bypass valve allowing for the External Pressure reducing valve to be used.

 

[ForceFed]

(ghey)

Originally posted on 6-17-08

Yanked the Factory tiny Sway Bar off (AWR going in later)and The remainder of the Stock Exhaust tonight.

And this is What happens WHen bolts dont Cooperate...You get out the Cut off wheel and the Hammer and show 'em whos boss.

 

[ForceFed]

(inout)

Originally posted on 6-22-08

Here is a Few more parts I have collected up from around the house and other places.

Gotta Have the ARP Love.

Head Bolts and Manifold Studs.
Mains and rods are already installed.

Canton Sandwich plate for my new Oil pump setup.

1/2 NPT inlet/Outlet...Should Match Up nicely with AN-10 lines.

A bunch of OEM Misc. Installation parts....Some for my New tranny...Countershaft bolts, O rings for the Water lines, new water pump,timing belt, tensioner spring, T-stat.
... and you gotta have some good lube....err....Assembly lube that is.
ARP Assembly lube here.

Picked up a New set of Injectors From Wagner..a Local SUbaru Dealer
'06+ WRX factories....565cc+ of flow.
Should be plenty for me and they drop right in(supposedly)
This is a hard way to spend $450 right here...TIny little bastards....you wouldn't think they do much.

And this.....WTH Is this?!

I ordered a 3/8NPT Female weld on bung for a GM coolant Temp sensor....and I get this....I dont think its gonna fit...what do you guys think?

 

[ForceFed]

(usa)

Originally posted on 6-22-08

I also Swapped out my Front Sway bar(20mm I believe ) for a bigger Factory Racing Beat 25mm From a MAzdaspeed Pro.

Let me tell you..I would almost rather pull the engine than to do this job right here again.

EVERYTHING must come loose from the front suspension to get it In/Out.

Lower Frame Crossmember, Lateral Engine Crossmember, Rack..you name it..it needs to come off or be loosened.

I cant see how you could possibbly change one of these with the engine in.
EvAR!

On a Scale of 1-10....(1 the easiest) I would rank this as the following.
Engine Removed...7 out of 10
Engine Installed...High Teens out of 10

Comparison of the two bars...Not much to the eye..but they are different.
Threw in New OEM bushings while I was at it and Hit them with a spot of grease on the inside to keep them quiet for a while.

This is what happens when End links don't cooperate.

All of this must come loose and move to allowthe sway to be removed.
How you could do this with the engine still in the car is beyond me.

While I was in there...I got rid of a Problematic Stud For every Protege owner on the planet who has EVER tried to change a rear motor mount.
This thing attaches the Main Harness to the Firewall in two places...ant the lower stud is Nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get off with any combination of tools available on earth.

I just saved myself the trouble and got rid of it while I was in here.

Bye -Bye.

 

[ForceFed]

(beer)

Originally posted on 7-3-08

Lookie what came in Today....Its soo Purdddy!

Not a Bad Way to spend a Few hundred bucks if you ask me.

Corksport 52mm Aluminum Radiator.
Its a real piece of artwork to me.

Also Took a Shot of my Kartboy Urethane Exhaust Hangers and Shifter bushings.
THese Should kep thing in place nicely and tighten up the shifting.

HKS SSQV BOV...Needs a little polishin'..but it should be OK.

 

[ForceFed]

(alright)

Originally posted on 7-3-08

Oh..I almost forgot about these......

Mazdaspeed Aluminum Brushed Door Sills to finally make My MSP Interior Swap COmplete!

Just for you Tre....XD

 

[ForceFed]

(blah)

Originally posted on 7-7-08

I got a few things ready to go up to Toledo for various COatings.

Got the Turbo pulled apart to send out for coating....Got the Fuel Rail Apart for Coating....

Also Sending my 626 Inatake out and the GT28 Intake out.

626 Will be getting a gloss Black Finish.

The Perrin Rail will be getting Candy Red Coated.

The turbo Snail and the Intake piping will both be getting a Semi-Flat Heat Resistant coating for looks and to help keep the temps down.

These should be back in about 10 days or so.

 

[ForceFed]

(rei)

Originally Done ......Never

Well....Another Day in the books.

Spent Pretty much all Day stripping the car down for paint next weekend(hopefully).

I had to get all the Misc. junk off like the handles, all removable trim, mirrors ,tails,etc.

Also Got the rear bumper ready to remove....Started prepping the hood and the major dings on the drivers side.

Pulled Nearly the entire interior just go get the God forsaken Headliner out to get at the roof rack.

That thing is off and in the trash...Thank god.

Pulled all door panels and a few other things as well.

I need to fit the New front bumper and Grill today and THen work on prepping them...then it will be time to find any and all little imperfections and fix those before sanding it down, spot priming and blocking it out.

Gonna be a busy week ahead for sure.

 

[ForceFed]

(glare)

 

[daonly1around]

hope it's safe to post now, this is gonna be sweet, what color are you painting ?

 

[ForceFed]

hope it's safe to post now, this is gonna be sweet, what color are you painting ?

Yeah..Its safe...we are up to date now..LOL.

And paint...Right Back to 22V.....Nothing SPecial on the outside....Just getting it looking like new again.

I might Change it up a bit in the fall or winter...but right now I want to get it back on the road and work out all the bugs if any.(and we all know there will be plenty..That just how it goes.)

 

[daonly1around]

so how long has this been going on

 

[ForceFed]

so how long has this been going on

I have had the Car nearly a year.
Parts accumulation and planning took up nearly 7+ months...Build has been slowly progressing for about 4 months.

 

[Akaveli]

All I can say is...WOW. This is inspiring me to build up my car even more. Your car is coming along very nicely. Can't wait to see the finish product.

 

[tyusha]

Dude, this is awesome. First you inspire me with your motorcycles, and now this. What the HELL. I don't have money for all this, nor do i have a garage ((