Mazdaspeed Protege Build - Feels Good To Be Back

Little update,

Got some pads for the bench grinder. Cleaning these brackets up. Still a work in progress.

20241222_170613.webp

20241222_170535.webp

20241222_170541.webp

20241222_170606.webp

20241222_170632.webp
 
Last edited:
Well today I was able to replace the wheel studs and lugs on the rear driver side.

Before I got rained out.

Looked pretty good underneath, no bad rust.

Also just finished installing the last stud and dropped my stud installer. Crap shattered, less than 8inch drop.

20241228_143139.webp

20241228_140816.webp

20241228_140819.webp

20241228_133733.webp

20241228_135307.webp
 
I thought I would just go ahead and post the rough measurements of the AXR Brackets. I think I covered it all and not missing any angles.

Still would love to get a 3d scan file. I might have a connection for a scan.

17357888199242447875207763382385.webp

1735788736946260827019380144956.webp

20250101_194328.webp

20250101_194306.webp

20250101_194233.webp

20250101_194200.webp

20250101_194114.webp

17357885032552784344490315799656.webp

20250101_193853.webp

20250101_193753.webp

20250101_193730.webp

20250101_192853.webp

20250101_192718.webp

20250101_192615.webp

20250101_192454.webp
 
  • Like
Reactions: 323
Fun tidbit, which I cannot find the reference anymore... Those AXR brackets were designed off the original Racing Beat sway bar brackets for the prototype MP3. During development, Racing Beat came to the conclusion that the sway bar mounting on the subframe wasn't suitable for the upgrade they proposed, so they designed that bracket to hold the bar in place. Mazda decided the brackets wouldn't make production, for whatever reason, so the design was scrapped.
 
Fun tidbit, which I cannot find the reference anymore... Those AXR brackets were designed off the original Racing Beat sway bar brackets for the prototype MP3. During development, Racing Beat came to the conclusion that the sway bar mounting on the subframe wasn't suitable for the upgrade they proposed, so they designed that bracket to hold the bar in place. Mazda decided the brackets wouldn't make production, for whatever reason, so the design was scrapped.
I wasn't aware of that, very nice! Love them even more now.

Makes it even better that I'm saving the measurements on these.
 
I've been reading about the doc b oil pump, I remeber seeing the beginng stages of it when I had my MP3. But this new manufacturer I'm seeing ( Boundary Oil Pump )

Is it better than the Doc B Pump?
 
Last edited:
Welp, these are the only spots I found rust. I guess it could be worse. I'm going to need to take care of this nasty rust.

The car began it's life in California unfortunately.

View attachment 331323
View attachment 331322
View attachment 331321

the rot is going to be all the way on the inside of the window frame... welding will just be a bandaid fix unless you go really deep/cut pieces out... not worth the effort... you want it done right, go get yourself a set of junk yard doors off a 2001, before they went to the cheap water based paint, then strip them down bare and repaint... the 2001/2002 doors also don't have the stupid black tape around the window frames but are properly painted black inside and out instead... repaint it with semi-gloss "trim black" paint to restore it

I will warn you that carefully stripping a door down bare so that you can paint the inside and outside of it will take about a day's work for ONE DOOR... some parts such as the vapor barriers are no longer available, so if you find nice clean ones, get them and be careful with them... only goo gone seems to work good cleaning off the nasty butyl rubber before you put new ones in to restore it... the back door belt mouldings you must be careful because there's a clip you must push from the inside of the door, close to the outside door handle, otherwise you'll break the belt moulding if you try to take it off.... all 4 belt mouldings are screwed in at the B pillar, which is pretty unique to mazdas from back then
 
the rot is going to be all the way on the inside of the window frame... welding will just be a bandaid fix unless you go really deep/cut pieces out... not worth the effort... you want it done right, go get yourself a set of junk yard doors off a 2001, before they went to the cheap water based paint, then strip them down bare and repaint... the 2001/2002 doors also don't have the stupid black tape around the window frames but are properly painted black inside and out instead... repaint it with semi-gloss "trim black" paint to restore it

I will warn you that carefully stripping a door down bare so that you can paint the inside and outside of it will take about a day's work for ONE DOOR... some parts such as the vapor barriers are no longer available, so if you find nice clean ones, get them and be careful with them... only goo gone seems to work good cleaning off the nasty butyl rubber before you put new ones in to restore it... the back door belt mouldings you must be careful because there's a clip you must push from the inside of the door, close to the outside door handle, otherwise you'll break the belt moulding if you try to take it off.... all 4 belt mouldings are screwed in at the B pillar, which is pretty unique to mazdas from back then

Thank you for your insight, greatly appreciate it. You definitely know your stuff. I didn't know that about the paint.

I was planning on cutting it all out but I have thought I'm being a little too positive. I'm considered buying 2 rear doors. Passenger looks easy to clean up, driver door has no rust thankfully.

Edit: Nah, I just went and looked at the passenger door. I should buy 3 doors...Dang
 
Last edited:
Thank you for your insight, greatly appreciate it. You definitely know your stuff. I didn't know that about the paint.

I was planning on cutting it all out but I have thought I'm being a little too positive. I'm considered buying 2 rear doors. Passenger looks easy to clean up, driver door has no rust thankfully.

Edit: Nah, I just went and looked at the passenger door. I should buy 3 doors...Dang
dude, just buy all 4 doors... that 4th "OK" door is also going to be ******... it's not a matter of if, but when you'll see the rot... and when you do want to fix it then, you'll have to go through the mess of blending paint... you might as well just paint it all at once so it matches
 
ARP Head and Main studs showed up 🙌
View attachment 333839
for the head studs, unless you plan on running a very low temp thermostat, overtorque the nuts past what the instructions say or you'll run into problems... JDM Sam told me to over torque them years ago, after I've built Yashooa's engine but he was running the JDM Mazdaspeed B-Spec thermostat, so there weren't any problems... but anyway, I bet that info is floating around here too
 
dude, just buy all 4 doors... that 4th "OK" door is also going to be ******... it's not a matter of if, but when you'll see the rot... and when you do want to fix it then, you'll have to go through the mess of blending paint... you might as well just paint it all at once so it matches
Might as well huh, I'm already getting 3 lol. If I can find a decent protege at the junkyard price looks like $78+tax. Not bad

for the head studs, unless you plan on running a very low temp thermostat, overtorque the nuts past what the instructions say or you'll run into problems... JDM Sam told me to over torque them years ago, after I've built Yashooa's engine but he was running the JDM Mazdaspeed B-Spec thermostat, so there weren't any problems... but anyway, I bet that info is floating around here too
JDM Sam is the owner of Crossover auto, right?
That's where I ordered a lot of my parts.

When you say over torque pass the instructions. How much passed?

Yes I've been reading about the B-Spec thermostat. Opens earlier. I'm thinking of going that route as well. I saw your post about it back in 2006.
 
Last edited:
Might as well huh, I'm already getting 3 lol. If I can find a decent protege at the junkyard price looks like $78+tax. Not bad


JDM Sam is the owner of Crossover auto, right?
That's where I ordered a lot of my parts.

When you say over torque pass the instructions. How much passed?

Yes I've been reading about the B-Spec thermostat. Opens earlier. I'm thinking of going that route as well. I saw your post about it back in 2006.
Yes, but I don't remember how much. I haven't built another motor since then.

The Mazdaspeed thermostat is discountinued, good luck finding one. I haven't seen one in years. Your next best one is the EDM 1st gen MPV one, which is 170 degrees... rockauto sells the stant aftermarket one under the protege, but OEM one still exists but hard to get
 
Yes, but I don't remember how much. I haven't built another motor since then.

The Mazdaspeed thermostat is discountinued, good luck finding one. I haven't seen one in years. Your next best one is the EDM 1st gen MPV one, which is 170 degrees... rockauto sells the stant aftermarket one under the protege, but OEM one still exists but hard to get
Shoot, I'll just send him an email and ask.

Yeah, I figured when I searched the part# you listed in the write up and nothing came up. I'm late to the game...real late.
 
Following, glad to see active MSP builds and finding all the old info still floating around!

Would love a run of AXR brackets, but I know it's a lot of work. Im slowly converting my P5 to all the MSP goodies.

Let me know if you want me to check the Mazda Motorsports catalog for any parts. I have access and team support since I track my P5.
 
BTW, you'll want to reuse the MSP window glass when you swap the doors (I bet it's cheaper to get bare doors than with it loaded)... the regular glass don't have UV filtering, but the MSP ones do, just like JDM... it helps a bit to keep the car cooler so the A/C won't work as hard

so, when trying to take out the quarter glass, you'll need a nice japanese screwdriver to take out the "phillips" screw... it's NOT a phillips screw but a JIS one, so even a snap on screw driver is going to strip that head out... did just that back in my dealer days before I learned this lol
 
Following, glad to see active MSP builds and finding all the old info still floating around!

Would love a run of AXR brackets, but I know it's a lot of work. Im slowly converting my P5 to all the MSP goodies.

Let me know if you want me to check the Mazda Motorsports catalog for any parts. I have access and team support since I track my P5.
Definitely a solid upgrade.

Appreciate that, I'll keep that in mind.

BTW, you'll want to reuse the MSP window glass when you swap the doors (I bet it's cheaper to get bare doors than with it loaded)... the regular glass don't have UV filtering, but the MSP ones do, just like JDM... it helps a bit to keep the car cooler so the A/C won't work as hard

so, when trying to take out the quarter glass, you'll need a nice japanese screwdriver to take out the "phillips" screw... it's NOT a phillips screw but a JIS one, so even a snap on screw driver is going to strip that head out... did just that back in my dealer days before I learned this lol
Oh man, glad you said something. Had no idea about the glass and special tool.

Also glad I was going to go the right direction. I was just gonna buy the doors bare cause it's cheaper. Plus I got all the bits.

I was able to find a thermostat that opens early. Mishimoto makes them! On sale too. Which tells me just to go ahead an order one before they sell out.
MSP Thermo.webp
 
Last edited:
Definitely a solid upgrade.

Appreciate that, I'll keep that in mind.


Oh man, glad you said something. Had no idea about the glass and special tool.

Also glad I was going to go the right direction. I was just gonna buy the doors bare cause it's cheaper. Plus I got all the bits.

I was able to find a thermostat that opens early. Mishimoto makes them! On sale too. Which tells me just to go ahead an order one before they sell out.
View attachment 334133
rip off from a culturally appropriated brand name, but the latter is a conversation for another day

you can get the same function for a fraction of the price by just getting the stant 14047 thermostat off rock auto (close out sale for about $10 shipped right now, as a matter of fact) or amazon... it's bottom bypass just like the mishimoto, mazdaspeed, billion, and stock one... it does lack the jiggle pin like the mishimoto though, so bleeding the coolant is a little harder but not much... I just drilled a pinhole in it when I installed it in a friend's car to kind of simulate the presence of a jiggle pin

but anyway there's functionally zero difference between the two.... there's nothing special about the mishimoto except they likely sourced it from whoever makes their radiators out of china or some other company over there... from what I saw in the pics of someone else who bought one a couple of months ago, it isn't even made off center like the OEM RX-8 one, which is what mishimoto's part number lists, so I don't even know how well it works on the RX-8 lol... if you have money burning a hole in your wallet, then feel free to cough up the $60 for one... if it was really that special like the discontinued mazdaspeed B-spec one was, then it'd be worth the money to me then lol
 
Back