V6 in Protege5 Engine swap?

I blew a head gasket in my 2003 mazda protege5. I figure if it's gonna cost a lot to get it fixed I might as well put a decent v6 in it. So I was really just curious what manual v6 engines could I swap out to? Cheap and expensive. I'm not a huge car guy so I figure I'll ask yall. Thank you.
 
Others can chime in with their thoughts and comments, but I'll just throw this out as a starting point for your research: KL Swappin' Protege5
Not my project, @31N007 did the swap in his car, and this is his well documented build thread on it.

I'm just going to tell you right now though that doing a v6 swap is most certainly harder by a long shot than replacing a head gasket in your current engine. Not to say it isn't an awesome swap...but just keep it in mind.
 
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Others can chime in with their thoughts and comments, but I'll just throw this out as a starting point for your research: KL Swappin' Protege5
Not my project, @31N007 did the swap in his car, and this is his well documented build thread on it.

I'm just going to tell you right now though that doing a v6 swap is most certainly harder by a long shot than replacing a head gasket in your current engine. Not to say it isn't an awesome swap...but just keep it in mind.
I figure it would be harder but honestly I love to car the style and way it sits not to mention its my first "real" car. Previously I was driving a 1988 bronco with every problem in the dictionary. Well at this point it was buy a new car or fix this one. My only thought is if im gonna fix this one im gonna make it faster and sound prettier. I don't mind paying the price of a newish car to make this happen. My question for you would be should i sell my mazda and just get a new car or make this one really nice? And if you think i should buy a new car what would you recommend.
 
I figure it would be harder but honestly I love to car the style and way it sits not to mention its my first "real" car. Previously I was driving a 1988 bronco with every problem in the dictionary. Well at this point it was buy a new car or fix this one. My only thought is if im gonna fix this one im gonna make it faster and sound prettier. I don't mind paying the price of a newish car to make this happen. My question for you would be should i sell my mazda and just get a new car or make this one really nice? And if you think i should buy a new car what would you recommend.
Those are definitely a lot of good thoughts and questions, and I totally get where you're coming from now. I do want to be clear too that i'm no expert. My Protege5 is also my first "real" car too.
Here's my long answer.....

The decision of buying a new car vs v6 swapping your car is for you to decide, but they are two VASTLY different ways to presumably achieve one goal. If I were you, I would figure out exactly what that goal is, as well as what you'd be willing to sacrifice for it, before making a decision. That way, you hopefully don't end up doing something you regret later (i.e. an unreliable project car, or a boring new car, etc.)

I personally love the driving dynamics and design of my Protege5, and in general they're amazingly fun all-around cars for how cheap they are now (relative to other comparable options, and thus why I bought and love mine!). Despite this, I personally have realized that there are better platforms out there to build on, and that if I put money into my Protege5, I likely won't get it back. Thus, investing into it should only be worth it if you truly love the car and are committed to it (and ideally, have already looked at and driven other options). If you're just on the hunt for pure fun, or a fun all-around daily, there are plenty of other options that'll likely do a better job than a v6 Protege5.

And again, definitely take a look at 31N007's build thread for more specific details on exactly what the swap entails. I've provided my own advice (take at your own risk!) based on a stock P5 experience, but can't speak to the specific hassles and joys of swapping and owning a v6 Protege.

Best of luck and I hope you achieve the goal you set for yourself!
 
Back in the day I wanted to turbocharge my P5...maybe even put an Mazda Speed Protege engine in it.

After researching all the little things, it was just not worth the money. I ended up selling the P5 and buying an MSP. They're worth about the same, but one is much faster.

What I mean is, that's a lot of time and money to throw into a car that won't really gain much value for your effort. I suggest trying to find a clean, used MS3. You can get em for about 5-6k these days.

(y)
 
I'll say, if you enjoy the dynamics of the car and don't mind the power it's got stock, keep it N/A for the simplicity. The head isn't terrible to pull, and this is coming from someone who left the block in the car when I did my first engine rebuild years ago.

If you want bolt-on torque, the turbo kit that the MSP has on it can be had relatively easily/inexpensively.

If you want the challenge and project, the KL swap is nice, but if you don't care to get stuck in with wiring, I would advise against it. It's likely easier than some swaps, but it was somewhat daunting to me, and this is coming from my past experience rebuilding the Protege5 4 cyl, and pulling the engine in my Subaru I had at the time.

Tallying up my expenses, I was at around $3500 into the swap; added expenses were the differential and flywheel, which were $950 alone. So around $2500 was what I paid for the swap.
 
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