My Mazdaspeed Conversion Build
- Thread starter gone_fishin
- Start date
gone_fishin
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- One of a Kind '99
i'm not sure of the part number but if you call the dealership and ask them for the parts extension they can give you the part numbers of what you're looking for. Just be sure to explain what you're looking for clearly and to specify that it's the radiator/smic mounting brackets for the mazdaspeed protege (03 or 03.5). Tell him to make sure they're flush and not bi-level-- they have parts diagrams on their computer.
gone_fishin
Member
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- One of a Kind '99
Anyway, if you want me to fab you up some brackets tomorrow I'll see what I can do.
gone_fishin
Member
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- One of a Kind '99
NegatiZE said:
negatize,
your swap was the n/a 2.0. my swap is the mazdaspeed turbo 2.0. The turbo system obviously needs an intercooler. I wrote in my original blurb that I was holding off on the front mounted intercooler for now, but will be getting the hiboost FMIC fairly soon. However, until I can, the turbo system needs an IC nonetheless and the only one I have is the stock SMIC piece of crap. While it's not ideal, it's what I have to use for the time being.
All 3rd gen proteges that are n/a (99-03 and p5) have radiators that span the entire distance between the headlights. The radiator fans that sit behind the radiator span the same distance (obviously). Mazda designed the mazdaspeed radiator much less wide to make room for the SMIC that sits directly next to the radiator. To compensate for the decreased surface area, mazdaspeed designed their radiator thicker (by about a half inch) and about an inch taller. This increase in height by one inch is the reason that the 1999 (n/a) radiator brackets could not be used. The 99 (n/a) brackets are bi-level in that the part that braces the radiator is down below the frame. Due to the mazdaspeed radiator being an inch higher, it sits flush with the frame. So, because of this, you cannot use a bi-level bracket on two mounting locations that are flush with one another.
You didn't run into a lot of the turbo, ECU, cooling system, exhaust? and possibly a lot of other problems because you weren't swapping in a mazdaspeed front end clip. You might have even been fortunate enough to have disk rear brakes and not drum rears like me. Becuase I have drum rears, I have 4 lug hubs/spindles. The mazdaspeed has 5 lug hubs/spindles, so the conversion had to be done, or else I'd have 5 lug hubs up front and 4 in the rear haha.
We did this by pulling off the 1999 spindles (with the hub assemblies) on their lower suspension arm and putting them on the mazdaspeed sub-frame (it's much easier than getting the hub out because they are machine pressed into place, or trying to remove the spindles from the ball joints that hold them to the lower suspension arms). If you've ever tried to remove a ball joint you'll definately know why I side-stepped that at all costs.
The axles had to be fabricated because the mazdapseed axle splines obviously fitted the msp tranny on the tranny side, but the splines didn't match up to the splining within the 1999 ES hubs. My 1999 axles would spline fit (obviously) into the 1999 ES hubs, but the splines would not fit in the msp tranny. So, we fabricated axles-- it's much easier than trying to fabricate new hubs.
Yes, my clip came out of a wrecked MSP, but it was wrecked in the passenger side-rear so the front end was untouched. However, All I had was what I listed in my original writeup. Unfortunately I don't have a donor car which would have made this project quite a bit easier.
By the way negatize, your swap looks great. Did you get all the electrical issues figured out?
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gone_fishin
Member
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- One of a Kind '99
I'll post pics tomorrow for you all. Everything's basically done under the hood.
I went in late today, and I started by fabricating a bracket for the coolant overflow resevior and it looks pretty nice. I also had to deal with the fact that my secondary O2 sensor is missing from the GHL exhaust beyond the flexbellow. None came with the front-end clip, so I had to snag one off of my 1999 exhaust pipe. Unfortunately it took a while to get it out because it was rusted on and at such an odd angle behind the heat shield. The exhaust mani was still bolted to the motor so it made it difficult, but we got it. We couldn't use the upper 02 sensor on the 99 motor because the wires weren't long enough and the 02 sensor wiring cannot be soldered. Unfortunately I took the msp sway bar off when I took the front suspension off the clip long before we put in the msp subframe, so the sway bar had to be put back in. Getting the bolts out from the control arm that connects the sway bar to the strut was agonizing-- they were completed rusted in and were not moving. When I could get the nuts to move with the high impact they would just take the threads with them (even with liquid wrench and heating them). I finally got one side off but the other side's bolt had to be cut off with the wizard wheel.
I got side tracked for a while helping one of the guys take a transmission out of a customer's honda civic (funny story about that car actually which I'll tell you guys later). We were going to move my car to one of the other bays to begin the electrical work when I realized that I had no brake pedal pressure. There was a big column of air in the hydraulic system so it had to be bled and flushed and recirculated-- that took quite some time. That was the end of the day right there.
Tomorrow we'll begin the electrical work-- I will have to start by pinning the computer (voltage reading on all the outputs of the ECU) and then we'll be looking at the wiring diagrams and soldering quite a bit. If we can finish the electrical work tomorrow I want to finish the suspension work and put on my slotted rotors and new calipers. Hopefully then it will be street testable. Cross your fingers, we're shooting for tomorrow.
I went in late today, and I started by fabricating a bracket for the coolant overflow resevior and it looks pretty nice. I also had to deal with the fact that my secondary O2 sensor is missing from the GHL exhaust beyond the flexbellow. None came with the front-end clip, so I had to snag one off of my 1999 exhaust pipe. Unfortunately it took a while to get it out because it was rusted on and at such an odd angle behind the heat shield. The exhaust mani was still bolted to the motor so it made it difficult, but we got it. We couldn't use the upper 02 sensor on the 99 motor because the wires weren't long enough and the 02 sensor wiring cannot be soldered. Unfortunately I took the msp sway bar off when I took the front suspension off the clip long before we put in the msp subframe, so the sway bar had to be put back in. Getting the bolts out from the control arm that connects the sway bar to the strut was agonizing-- they were completed rusted in and were not moving. When I could get the nuts to move with the high impact they would just take the threads with them (even with liquid wrench and heating them). I finally got one side off but the other side's bolt had to be cut off with the wizard wheel.
I got side tracked for a while helping one of the guys take a transmission out of a customer's honda civic (funny story about that car actually which I'll tell you guys later). We were going to move my car to one of the other bays to begin the electrical work when I realized that I had no brake pedal pressure. There was a big column of air in the hydraulic system so it had to be bled and flushed and recirculated-- that took quite some time. That was the end of the day right there.
Tomorrow we'll begin the electrical work-- I will have to start by pinning the computer (voltage reading on all the outputs of the ECU) and then we'll be looking at the wiring diagrams and soldering quite a bit. If we can finish the electrical work tomorrow I want to finish the suspension work and put on my slotted rotors and new calipers. Hopefully then it will be street testable. Cross your fingers, we're shooting for tomorrow.
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gone_fishin
Member
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- One of a Kind '99
like terbow said, the msp AC condensor is exactly the same width as the msp radiator. I will let you know if there's any way to modify the mounts to push it further into the frame but I can bet you that I'll end up ordering the msp AC condensor because even with fabricating new brackets and drilling new mounting holes in the frame at the bottom, I highly doubt you'd get the needed 2+ inches of clearance that's needed. 2 inches is a lot when it comes to builds.
gone_fishin said:
his "n/a 2.0" swap is no different than your "mazdaspeed turbo 2.0" swap... the engine is the same, the tranny is also the same... the only differences between the engine and tranny are things that don't matter as bolting in that s*** to the car goes... his car doesn't have rear disc brakes also, and he NEVER had a problem with the axles as I've said already... the splines between the MSP axles and the normal axles are the same.... the hubs are the same on both sides of the car, in fact they never changed them in the whole 3rd generation production cycle... the 5 lug hubs also use the same splines as the 4 lug hubs, the only difference is the extra lug so big deal.... as for the turbo, pipes, etc, all of that s*** is illrelevant to the major parts; the engine, tranny, and axles themselves which I've said already that the non-turbo s*** and the MSP s*** are basically the same (again, let's spare the details, there actual differences but thats beyond the scope of this post)
in otherwords, some s*** has gone wrong in your swap (something which I feel you're not understanding)... everything bolted in just fine for negatize... I work on proteges of all sorts all the time, I'd know a difference if I saw one, and I'm telling you that there's no frame/engine mounting boss differences/changes between the 99 and the 03
gone_fishin
Member
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- One of a Kind '99
well, you seem to know everything there is to know under the sun about proteges so you want to head up my build instead? To be honest I've got a lot of other non protege car related s*** I could be doing right now.
