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You may not know me, but i have problems. (SCCA Solo SMF Escort content)

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Thanks man!

I made a bit more progress this past saturday, but forgot the camera. All suspension, hubs, brakes, everything, are all off the front end. The rear end is 4 bolts from being out. Unfortunately, those four bolts are being whores. Two are completely fused (the ones that go through both control arms and the hub), and the other two are running into the gas tank when i try to take them out.

I'm going to call mazda today and see if i can get new bolts. If so, i'm going to cut it all out, then probably buy a 20ton shop press to press the bolts out of the hubs, since i can't find new rear hub knuckle/spindle assemblies.

Dropping off all the new arms at Prokote tomorrow for powdercoating, so if all goes well, re-assembly will officially start this coming weekend. At that point... i'm two weekends away from firing her. :)
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
:D

Ehhh... i made my other deadlines without really knowing what i had ahead of me. There's seriously only 4 bolts left to complete the deconstruction. There's pretty much a bare chassis sitting in my garage, much to the huge amusement of my buddy who shares said garage. He hadn't seen the car in two weeks, showed up on Saturday and was all o_O.
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
In case anyone follows in my footsteps.

Rear control arm hardware
(2x) 28-112 $34.18
(2x) 39-037 $12.02
(2x) 34-662 $7.82
(2x) 28-113 $31.18
(2x) 34-662 $7.82
(2x) 39-037 $12.02


Rear Trailing Link Hardware
(2x) 28-116 $13.16
(2x) 34-662 $7.82
(2x) 28-114A $18.16

Rear Strut knuckle nut/bolts
(4x) 28-115A $???
(4x) 28-091 $25.24


Front Control Arm Hardware
(2x) 34-113 $17.98
(2x) 34-409 $7.74
(2x) 99971-1200 $3.00
(2x) 99971-1400 $2.40
(2x) 99921-1400 $6.90
(6x) 34-128 $39.48
(2x) 34-403 $???

Front Strut Knuckle nut/bolts
(4x) 34-112A $26.32
(4x) 34-091 $13.60


MX3 north/south Crossmember hardware and bushings
(2x) 39-811 $10.16
(2x) 34-403A $8.18
(2x) 39-813 $9.86
(2x) 39-830 $10.16
(2x) 39-820A $10.16
(2x) 99940-1211 $5.56
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Bringing some posts/info over here for consistency's sake.

concealer404 said:
Learn me Ferrea valves.

I asked this over on the "other" board and didn't get much help. I don't blame the one person that replied, i may not have made it clear exactly what this build is. ;)


So here's my question:

How much gain is there to be had N/A with oversized valves? Assume stock bottom end for now, but ported heads and some cams. Yes, this car will be running a standalone.

If i get to this point, is it even worth trying to use the ZE heads anymore? Or should i be looking at the G4 SLA heads and porting them out to ZE specs?


Anyone have part numbers that they've used with success? Any Honda stuff interchange?
sleeper6 said:
Not sure if you've looked into this but while your master cylinder is off is it possible for you to use an mx3 one? If so you may want to think about using their 1" mod.

http://mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php...+brake#p501583

concealer404 said:
My Mx3 master cylinder got crushed with the car.... already bought another correct Escort unit.

I'm afraid i don't understand what the info in that thread would do for me?

Would it just shorten my brake pedal travel/increase response by 6%?
 
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concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Race car suspension kit brought to you by PURPZ!







And this came in the mail yesterday. It will likely be joined by a matching AFPR today. Will also need to get pics of the inline -6AN fuel filter i'm using. It's all red/silver Fuelab stuff.

 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Here's some carnage from removing the old suspension off the Escort. Old carnage, finally got pictures.

The 20ton shop press had fun with this one, but still lost.


Yeah, the washer is NOT supposed to go over the thru-bolt sleeve instead of the bolt just coming out. Also: Bolt broke.


My old control arms. Or what's left of them.


Had fun getting the trailing arms off the car on the body end. Involved sawzall. YAY!
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Don't worry, they came right back off.

Had to ram a 3/4-16 tap down all of them that weren't reverse thread. One of the rodends is still fused in there, at a machine shop now, and the rodends were on the wrong arms, which was fun to figure out.

On the plus side, i know exactly how the rear goes back together.

On the negative side:

1) Apparently the trailing arm spindle-end bushings are one piece with lips on both sides. Sigh. ANOTHER trip back up to the press to get them in there. So glad i didn't bring the ES bushings with me when i pressed the OEM bushings OUT.

2) Oops. Those pimpy SS spherical front LCA bushings i had made? Yeah, they don't fit in the EGT brackets. Apparently i need 92-94 MX3 brackets. I'm so glad i removed those from the 92 MX3 GS i sent to be crushed.

3) Mazda has completely fucked up my hardware order. The good news: They're fixing everything for free and i'm keeping the extras. The bad news? Half the stock hardware won't work with this setup anyways. SHOCKER. (Note to self: Never buy all new hardware again.)

4) Delrin subframe and crossmember bushings are now available, and use EGT hardware. This makes the $100+ i spent on MX3 OEM hardware for said crossmember completely irrelevant. BRILLIANT.




However, my passenger motor mount fits now. Got an MX3 bracket out of the junkyard on Friday, sandblasted and painted it Saturday, and it DOES bolt right in! (After i drill out one of the bolts i snapped, that is. YAY!)
 

YSOSLO

is the word, beotch
Dude................you just have to laugh to keep from cryin' sometimes, eh? I've had a SNAFU or two in my day, but wow. At least it isn't your DD!
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Dude................you just have to laugh to keep from cryin' sometimes, eh? I've had a SNAFU or two in my day, but wow. At least it isn't your DD!
Oh yeah, all i can do now is just laugh. This car AND the MX3 i tore down have just fought me every step of the way. I likely have going on 300 hours of true WORKING on this thing, and i really don't have much to show for it, do i? :lol:
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
Let's pick this up.

4/17
Out of the rubble....



Something beautiful emerged.


And very dirty, apparently.



Those that know, know. Those that don't who won't ask, won't know.
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
4/20/12

Pimpy delrin crossmember bushings!!!!






Big bag of -6 XRP AN fittings!!!



Oh, and i figured out what do about catch can:






Now to get two -10 bungs fitting welded into each valve cover. LEGIT.
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
4/30/12

Ugh this car sucks so bad.

Tried to depower the MX3 rack. Inner tie rods wouldn't come out.

Just ordered a new rack. UGH.
 

concealer404

Skanky Escorts LLC
5/14

This car will be the death of me.

Steering rack from MX3 turned out to not be salvageable. Had to buy a new one. (That i'm just going to tear apart anyways. ARGH.)

Noticed that my stacks are patterned for a normal KL head, not a KLZE head. (Oval port vs. square port.) GREAT. Looks like i'm finding a set of DE heads to slap my ZE cams into so it all actually works. Nothing ever goes according to plan on this damn car.

Replacement arm FINALLY came back from powdercoating.

Sourced a late 626 distributor block off seal. FINALLY.

Wade did some pimp work on my valve covers after i blasted them with 80 grit glass bead media. (Which really sucks to get in your eyes if you have contacts, btw.)

Still haven't found MX3 LCA rear bushings brackets. Can't put car on ground until i have those.





Anyways, as par for the course, one step forward, two steps back.

The good news, everything fits as it should (mostly), geometry will be pretty good once adjusted, and it seems that i really do have all the nuts, bolts, and washers that i need.

The bad news is that the sleeve/spacer setup that goes through/around the rodend on the body side of the trailing arm is just not going to work. The sleeve is 10-12 thousandths too big, and the spacers are another 20 thousandths bigger ID than the sleeve OD, so they rattle around like crazy. None of it will work as is.

This is NOT Jim's fault. He warned me head of time that i'd have to turn down the sleeves, i just forgot. I should be able to have that done this week. :)



 
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