Lewis7789 2002 Protege5 build thread (tons of pics)

[justanothermp5]

palm sander def helps, 400 grit is what i used..except i hand sanded with a block and water lol
you'll have to sand for a while to get good results, pretty much just sand until the surface is smooth,
then what i did was spread water on the hood to see what it would look like when i sprayed the clear, if its a bit hazy then i sanded some more
once the hood dries it should be like a even dullness, you dont want any deep scratch marks cuz they will show through the clear sometimes
be sure to wash with reg dish soap, and then dry, once dry wipe down with acetone or laquer thinner to remove any grease

spray gun, clean dust free garage, and GOOD LIGHTING are musts,
then pretty much just spray even medium coats, overlap should be around 50% MIN, make sure the gun is parallel with the hood too, or else you'll have run/dry spots
in between coats your going to want to let it flash for at least 20 mins...this is the hard part, go walk around, smoke, drink, w/e lol but wait at least 20
3-4 coats will be good coverage, if your planning on sanding buffing maybe throw another one in here for good measure
i would reccomend the sanding/buffing...very important in the finish

edit: also i have a HVLP Gun, which means i should be spraying at lower air pressure, but i like to spray at 45-50psi with a nice fan pattern,
around 8" away from the panel depending on speed, i would get something to practice on first, consistent speed and a steady hand are crucial
you prob wont have to worry about runs either, runs on a flat surface are almost impossible...i always lay the last coat on super wet and then wait around 2-3 days before moving it

another edit: you'll need a pretty huge compressor, PSI isnt as important as CFM, a 1/4 air hose is ok, but 3/8 or 5/8...(cant remember right now lol) is preferrable, also make sure its a dry day
humid air in your spray gun is terrible for a paint job

 

[hat1018]

^ we must have been typing at the same time. haha! I would use 1000-1500 grit paper, just to give the surface some teeth. I would absolutely use a spray gun. Be sure that the hood and the clear, activator(if used), and reducer are all at room temprature ~70, give them all a good 24 hours to warm up. Make sure that each pass with the gun extends past both sides and to make sure it is even you can alternate between front to back and side to side on each coat. Be sure to follow directions for flash times (time between coats).

 

[FORZWIN]

Lewis,

Not sure if you are still searching but I can tell you first hand from all of my junkyard hopping that all of of the 626/millys I've been in have a dedicated computer for the trans. I'm planning to get my swap going on a auto ecu/harness. There is no reason why you couldn't run the auto harness with a manual transmission, but the opposite would be true (manual -> Autotragic) as you would be missing components.

 

[Perro del Sol]

Thanks, Bullshark. And please feel free to post it. If it's too much of a hassle then I'll sign up. But just like your KL thread and Justin KL thread, there are a lot of people lurking for info. So posting it in here wouldn't hurt.



Thanks for the info, Justin. I think I'll be able to handle it and am in no rush so I'll probably just follow that How-To and if I have any questions, I'll hit you guys up.

Evan, why don''t you talk to Will Nonnamaker of Team Sahlen regarding the ECU, he could possibly have a lead, as they use to run 626's in the old Motorola Cup series. Hell, they still have a fleet of em. I will talk to Jay, while I am at Daytona for ya!

 

[bullshark524]

i just finished saving all of the full size pictures from the transmission thread so when you do put the lsd in let me know if you need the full sizes

 

[Lewis7789]

Simon and Larry, thanks for all the great tips and advice, guys! I greatly appreciate it. I'll be sanding and painting the hood at work and we've got a great Crafstman compressor that is surely up for the job. I've been researching paint spray guns and might get a Porter Cable gun for about $60. Still researching though. But I'll get to work sanding and prepping the hood. Then practice a bit with some scrap metal with the spray gun. I used to work at a powder coating shop for a few years so I have a pretty good painting technique. I'm looking forward to painting more and more though. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to repaint my entire car this spring since I have the means to do so at work and it's in need of a new paint job.

Here's the bigboy we have at work. I wish I could afford one like this to have in my garage. AND the 240volts to run it. Then would come a mig welder and more toys... (sigh)

Forzwin, thanks for that info, mate! That's very good news! Now I can stick to OBD2 again. I didn't think the ECU's made a difference but doubted myself when I read a misinformed post on PT. I've got a complete 96' Milly engine bay harness for an auto-trans, a complete engine/tranny harness from a 94' PGT with a manual trans and a partial engine harness from the motor when I got it. Plus my 5-speed tranny has all the cables and about 1' of wire still attached to the connectors so hopefully I can just solder them into the auto plugs from the Milly harness. But I've got to get into the wiring soon. It's all in the basement waiting for me.

Godfather, I thought about asking Jay or Will at Team Sahlens, but i know how busy those guys are. I would feel bad asking them about their 626's they ran so long ago. But I know they would still help out as much as they could so I guess it doesn't hurt for me to ask. I'll shoot them an email. Pablo has Jay's email.

Bullshark, thanks again for all the LSD info, mate. It's greatly appreciated! I'll certainly hit you guys up once I'm at that step.

 

[jonridinhi]

You can run 240 it is not hard Good to see it is comeing along nicely.

 

[bullshark524]

You can run 240 it is not hard Good to see it is comeing along nicely.

i dont think that that is the problem. a compressor that size can easily go for $700+. not sure how big that one is but here is a 60 gal one that cost $700
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916476000P?prdNo=17&blockNo=17&blockType=G17 they also have an 80 gal one going for $1200. i also would love one that big but it just is not in the budget. oneday

 

[Lewis7789]

I rent my house so I won't see 240 in the garage until I buy a house, which scares the crap outta me. Haha. Though it would be awesome to have my own garage and have it organized and clean and know where everything is. (sigh...)

And the compressor we have at work is a monster. 7hp and probably cost $2k. I work in a small shop and we build acrylic, acoustic drum shields for drummers in churches, studios and live performances. My boss is doing very well and we have a nice clean shop with a few nice tools he doesn't mind me using.

I used to work at a plastic machinery shop where we built the machines from hand to load injection molding machines. That shop was heavenly. Basically a custom automotive shop in disguise. We had everything there from mig/tig welders to metal lathes to metal shears and presses, CNC drills and lathes. Two HUGE compressors for all the air tools and a metric butt-ton of inventory of tons of mechanical parts. I miss that place sometimes. But I don't miss getting paid peanuts to work there...

 

[roy obanion]

I rent my house so I won't see 240 in the garage until I buy a house, which scares the crap outta me

There's a lot good about owning it...trust me

 

[Alamo1]

sub

 

[mynameisdaniel]

Hey,
Car looks great. Just wondering what finish paint you used for the headlight blackout? Matt, Satin or Gloss?
Cheers,
Dan.

 

[Lewis7789]

Thanks, mate! It's been a while but I'm pretty sure I used a satin finish. Flat would look too dull and gloss would be too, well, glossy. A lot of people said to scuff up the chrome finish with a scotch pad but I didn't. I just cleaned them really well with alcohol and sprayed them with Rustoleum spray paint. 3 coats, I believe. I sealed them back up with a little extra silicone and haven't had a problem with condensation in the 2 years I've had them blacked out.

 

[mynameisdaniel]

Awesome, thanks, gonna give it a go in the next few weeks

 

[fishdonotbounce]

Yo Evan just wanted to pop in and say hi. I rarely ever get on the forum anymore but I wanted to see what was up with the KL. How are things going man?

 

[Lewis7789]

Hey Ivan, how's it going in C-bus, mate? Your stock P5 still treating you well? Still thinking about an STi?

Things are going well with the KL, just waiting for warmer weather to start putting it all together and swap it in. I'm going to order some headers, Millenia OEM radiator, slim fan, hoses and a few other odds and ends tomorrow (payday). I'm setting up a wiring workspace in the basement to get all that sorted and ready for the swap.

Is it cool if I still buy your coolant can from ya?

 

[Lewis7789]

I picked up some wheels from a local cat on Craigslist today for $300. They are in pretty good shape with a little surface scuffing on the machined lip. But I'm going to paint them gloss black so it's all good. I'm going to order some Yokohama Parada Spec2's sized 215/40-17 for them tomorrow. I don't like driving on my RPF1's on the nasty roads here in Ohio so they will be for track days wrapped in the Nitto NT-O1's sized 215/45-17 I have in the garage I bought used from a friend.

It's supposed to be in the 50's this weekend and the snow is finally starting to melt a bit so this weekend I'm going to clean up my half of the garage and put all the KL parts in the basement and organize everything. Winter kinda sucks for working on cars...

 

[bullshark524]

those are pretty nice wheels i cant wait to see them on the car

 

[Tungsten6]

This ^

does marlon have those (or atleast similar) on his 6 wagon?

 

[Lewis7789]

That he does. I think they are a little bit different, but they are pretty close. He was still on his RPF1's since Spicy has been in the shop so we switched his ASA's with the Paradas to Spicy for more of a "snow" tire. heh-heh. But that's why I bought them because Spicy looked really good with them on, IMO.