This has been posted on a couple of forums now but not everyone visits the others so I thought I'd post it here as well.
I have always liked the 626 Hatch and to date have owned five of them, (pics here) three consecutively at the same time.
Since helping the original MrSpeed (Patrick or Adlorin) put together a supercharger kit for the Probe and testing it first in Australia I kept
building on new ideas and changing my goals.
My end result was my 1995 626 Deluxe Hatch. The deluxe edition came standard with a few extras hat the standard 626 Hatch here in Australia didn't.
Digital Climate Control
Full Leather Interior
My first upgrades consisted on Suspension and braking components as my original goals were always to have a nice looking sleeper so i didn't want the exterior to look much different. I Tried the many different suspension options available for the probe but was never happy with the results. Instead I finally decided I liked the custom feel of the BC Coilover kits with a matching spring combination close to the later released Tein kits. of course knowing i was going boosted i also needed to make sure i could stop safely. This was never going to be a track car but my daily driver, so i didn't need to go fully overboard. The Mazda 6 Breaking system was chosen in the end as it was almost a direct bolt on
but more importantly it looked stock (licensing restrictions can be a biatch sometimes).
If you have a good look you will notice one other big advantage with the coilovers. No nasty perch to rub against the tyres/rims.
hence you can run a wider profile without interference.
The next route was of course some nice rubber that matched the profile of the vehicle and worked well with the suspension. I trialled several 18" setups and for a few years utilised the low profile Pirelli 225/40/ZR18's on a set of 18" Advanti Rims. These looked good and felt good and made sure the car handled like it was on rails. I encountered one minor problem though. every time I went on a cruise and run across poor roads with many potholes or rough surfaces I was continually scratching up the rims (not to mention you felt every bump) and having to spend $$$ fixing the damage.
Eventually I downgraded in size to a 17" Mazda 6 Rim running 235/45/17, this is what I'm still running today and gives a nice stance as well as excellent performance yet doesn't scrub out every time I hit a pothole (no sore butt cheeks now).
(here it is after some more panel work in the shop)
The original motor was of course a KLZE auto with custom exhaust , (ebay headers with a custom catback running 2.5" pipes with redback CAT and muffler). but the auto just had to go. That was the next conversion.
I shopped around for another donor vehicle with an MTX transmission and upon finding it pulled the necessary bits to convert this to manual. The only problem I encountered was the wiring loom. Being the deluxe edition it had far more wiring than the stock vehicles to utilise the digital climate control. So I had to use a 93 loom and dismantle the stock loom to match pin for pin what was needed without the ATX extras. Now that was fun (sarcasm).
This then became my daily driver for a while until my other plans came to fruition. A KLG4 Hybrid supercharged engine.
But until then I simply stuck with a SC KLZE using an Eaton M62 in the AC location.
Fabrication stages of the AC Bracket
The same process but showing the first overdrive Crank Pulley that was CNC'd by MR Speed (Patrick), again a lot of assistance and co-operation from many members
went into the fruition of these projects.
A comparison shot of the OEM 36-1 timing pulley next to the overdrive pulley. This increased
the Eaton's Boost from 4.5psi to 8psi without the IC
Around the same time (2006) a member on Probetalk posted his findings on a new set of custom rods that could increase the longevity of a boosted KL engine. the specs listed below
H-Beam style rods; pretty much the industry standard for cost effective high performance applications
Machined from 4340 chromoly steel forgings
Piston pin bushing left undersized for hand pin fitting
Finish ground on Sunnen cross-grinders
Millenia-S size piston pin bore
Millenia-S/KL size crankshaft end bore
Millenia-S center to center length
Bolts are ARP 8740 series with 12 point heads and have been increased from 8mm diameter to 7/16” diameter (~11mm) to increase the strength of the bolt. The Standard English size also reduced cost of the bolts significantly.
These now are simply known as the "RUROCKN" Rods after the members name on Probetalk and opened up the potential of the KL to many budding enthusiasts
like myself.
and the common comparison shot showing Stock versus Millenia versus the RUROCKN Rod
But once the spare KL03/DE engine was finished with for mockups and fitment, the teardown began.
Then decisions needed to be made, these were a constant flow on affect, obviously with new rods, one needed new pistons.
Many factors need to be considered at this time, such as performance goals and how to achieve what I wanted.
Luckily the pistons decision was made easier by other members through another bulk buy utilising "Diamond Racing" and after a rough start
The final pistons were correctly received.
most pics available here
Engine Build Pics here
I have always liked the 626 Hatch and to date have owned five of them, (pics here) three consecutively at the same time.
Since helping the original MrSpeed (Patrick or Adlorin) put together a supercharger kit for the Probe and testing it first in Australia I kept
building on new ideas and changing my goals.
My end result was my 1995 626 Deluxe Hatch. The deluxe edition came standard with a few extras hat the standard 626 Hatch here in Australia didn't.
Digital Climate Control
Full Leather Interior
My first upgrades consisted on Suspension and braking components as my original goals were always to have a nice looking sleeper so i didn't want the exterior to look much different. I Tried the many different suspension options available for the probe but was never happy with the results. Instead I finally decided I liked the custom feel of the BC Coilover kits with a matching spring combination close to the later released Tein kits. of course knowing i was going boosted i also needed to make sure i could stop safely. This was never going to be a track car but my daily driver, so i didn't need to go fully overboard. The Mazda 6 Breaking system was chosen in the end as it was almost a direct bolt on
but more importantly it looked stock (licensing restrictions can be a biatch sometimes).
If you have a good look you will notice one other big advantage with the coilovers. No nasty perch to rub against the tyres/rims.
hence you can run a wider profile without interference.
The next route was of course some nice rubber that matched the profile of the vehicle and worked well with the suspension. I trialled several 18" setups and for a few years utilised the low profile Pirelli 225/40/ZR18's on a set of 18" Advanti Rims. These looked good and felt good and made sure the car handled like it was on rails. I encountered one minor problem though. every time I went on a cruise and run across poor roads with many potholes or rough surfaces I was continually scratching up the rims (not to mention you felt every bump) and having to spend $$$ fixing the damage.
Eventually I downgraded in size to a 17" Mazda 6 Rim running 235/45/17, this is what I'm still running today and gives a nice stance as well as excellent performance yet doesn't scrub out every time I hit a pothole (no sore butt cheeks now).
(here it is after some more panel work in the shop)
The original motor was of course a KLZE auto with custom exhaust , (ebay headers with a custom catback running 2.5" pipes with redback CAT and muffler). but the auto just had to go. That was the next conversion.
I shopped around for another donor vehicle with an MTX transmission and upon finding it pulled the necessary bits to convert this to manual. The only problem I encountered was the wiring loom. Being the deluxe edition it had far more wiring than the stock vehicles to utilise the digital climate control. So I had to use a 93 loom and dismantle the stock loom to match pin for pin what was needed without the ATX extras. Now that was fun (sarcasm).
This then became my daily driver for a while until my other plans came to fruition. A KLG4 Hybrid supercharged engine.
But until then I simply stuck with a SC KLZE using an Eaton M62 in the AC location.
Fabrication stages of the AC Bracket
The same process but showing the first overdrive Crank Pulley that was CNC'd by MR Speed (Patrick), again a lot of assistance and co-operation from many members
went into the fruition of these projects.
A comparison shot of the OEM 36-1 timing pulley next to the overdrive pulley. This increased
the Eaton's Boost from 4.5psi to 8psi without the IC
Around the same time (2006) a member on Probetalk posted his findings on a new set of custom rods that could increase the longevity of a boosted KL engine. the specs listed below
H-Beam style rods; pretty much the industry standard for cost effective high performance applications
Machined from 4340 chromoly steel forgings
Piston pin bushing left undersized for hand pin fitting
Finish ground on Sunnen cross-grinders
Millenia-S size piston pin bore
Millenia-S/KL size crankshaft end bore
Millenia-S center to center length
Bolts are ARP 8740 series with 12 point heads and have been increased from 8mm diameter to 7/16” diameter (~11mm) to increase the strength of the bolt. The Standard English size also reduced cost of the bolts significantly.
These now are simply known as the "RUROCKN" Rods after the members name on Probetalk and opened up the potential of the KL to many budding enthusiasts
like myself.
and the common comparison shot showing Stock versus Millenia versus the RUROCKN Rod
But once the spare KL03/DE engine was finished with for mockups and fitment, the teardown began.
Then decisions needed to be made, these were a constant flow on affect, obviously with new rods, one needed new pistons.
Many factors need to be considered at this time, such as performance goals and how to achieve what I wanted.
Luckily the pistons decision was made easier by other members through another bulk buy utilising "Diamond Racing" and after a rough start
The final pistons were correctly received.
most pics available here
Engine Build Pics here
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