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Canada's newest GTR owner

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    Canada's newest GTR owner

    Current status
    1.8L turbo @ 10PSI = ~210BHP delivered to a 4WD system
    3" straight-back exhaust with a vibrant muffler and single resonator (which is absolutely useless with this muffler, waste of $300)
    cone air filter
    SSQV black blow-off valve

    Stock car specs
    1.8L turbo @ 7PSI = 185BHP delivered to a 4WD system


    Hi everybody. This will be my build thread. There is lots of fun in store for this car


    The important stuff
    • x HDi electronic boost controller type D Special Edition
      - Boost gauge
      - Narrowband A/F gauge
      - Electronic oil pressure gauge
      - Amps gauge
      - Volts gauge


    Cosmetic stuff
    • x Mazdaspeed badge
      x Nissan skyline GTR badge
      x 4WD badge
      x Wind deflectors for the front windows
      - aquire two more wheel flairs. Only one side has them.
      - respray the car white
      x JDM front grille badge
      - get a GTR bumper, mould a custom front lip, install Hella 500 fog lights


    Sound system:

    General todo list
    • - convert the ash tray in the front dash into a retractable **** dock
      x relocate yellowtop battery to the back
      - I seem to be having hickups with fuel delivery. I'm hoping its just because of the damaged AFM or a blocked fuel filter.
      - Fix turbo timer. Car doesn't completely shut off, alarm no longers activates.
      - Fix remote starter and door locking feature.
      - A bit of bodywork to be done on the rear panels
      - Fix rear windshield washer dispenser
      x New windshield wipers
      x The windows are sticking, need to get some silicone spray and fix that up
      x The locks are all difficult to operate. Thinking about getting a new set altogether.
      sprayed liquid silicone in all locks/on all latches, fixed the problem

    1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

    #2






    The only real problem area with a couple of spots of rust, a knick in the paint above the wheel, and a dent in the panel.




    JDM grill needs paint and a new badge


    The stock FMIC is tiny




    The intake has since been replaced with a better breathing cone type


    VJ23, new rad core and slim fan


    J-Spec has a limiter at 180km/h. Apparently disabling that is as easy as removing the instrument cluster and removing a single screw.





    1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

    Comment


      #3
      Boost gauge tie-in

      Installing a boost gauge is a very easy mod to do and will be critical later on when you decide to strive for more power out of your turbo'd 323.

      I tapped into a vacuum line from the air intake manifold for my boost gauge. On the GTR manifold there is only one real suitable line to use. This picture is a top-down view of the intake manifold facing the battery. This is the line you want to trace and tap into.


      I cut the line, inserted a tee fitting, and ran a small I.D. vacuum line through a freshly drilled hole to the inside of the car.

      1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

      Comment


        #4
        Trunk chrome badges

        Right now the GTR is in the shop to get a 3" resonator put in the reduce the volume of the exhaust. I've been keeping busy though, prepping some parts for paint, working on the gauge cluster, and sorting out some cosmetic stuff.

        I ordered a pair of FULL TIME 4WD chrome emblems from ebay for the old GTX. I trimmed the FULL TIME off with a dremel to use on the GTR.



        On the left, above the tail lights, will read MAZDASPEED GT, with the red R below the rest of the lettering. The 4Wheel Drive will be above the right tailight.

        1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

        Comment


          #5
          Custom gauge cluster

          I bought 5 Sunpro gauges and plan to order them as follows:
          Voltmeter
          Ammeter
          Air/Fuel ratio metre
          Oil pressure metre
          Boost pressure metre

          My plan is to make a custom 5 gauge enclosure to mount onto the left dash, with each gauge angled towards the driver. The front and base of the cluster is made out of 1/8" wood, the top and rear I plan to enclose using fiberglass to round off the open edge, and then cover in matching vinyl.

          The cluster will go here, facing the driver to the right (RHD) where the bowl-shapped divet is on the dash. I will be cuting five holes for wires and gauge cables/wires/hoses


          +12V dash light for the gauges background illumination


          Ground wires


          The gauge faces need support while the glue dries, not very clear right now, more pics to come soon!


          The gauges

          1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

          Comment


            #6
            **** dock in ashtray!

            Since I dont smoke and I'm not a fan of wasted space, I decided to convert the ashtray into an **** dock. Today I just had a chance to remove the ashtray and tomorrow I'll dremel the back end out to pass through the cable and think of what kind of support system I can create for the **** video.

            The cable linked to my Sony head unit


            I need to mould the shape of an **** here


            I will cut a hole in the back here to pass the cable

            1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

            Comment


              #7
              180km/h limiter delete

              Disconnect the negative terminal of your battery, we're working on electrical components here!

              Start by removing the panel on the side of the dash. Wedge in a flat object and pry it off. There should be four retaining clips keeping it in place.



              To make the next step easier, I advise that you remove the four bolts securing the steering column in place. Here's a picture of half of the bolts on the right side:


              Next, underneath the horizontal part of the dash that has all of the heating vents you'll find (iirc) four screws. There should also be a couple of screws at the top of the instrument cluster. You should now be able to remove this plastic piece with a bit of persuation.

              There are four screws securing the instrument cluster in place. Two on the top, two on the bottom. Remove all of them.



              To make the next step easier, in the engine bay, disconnect the tachometer cable from the extension cable. It's spring loaded, you have to push it outwards to disconnect, don't bother twisting it for minutes like I did at first. This will give you some slack to play with, and make reconnecting the speedo cable to the cluster [m]much[/u] much easier.

              You can now pull back on the instrument cluster. There are three wire connectors and the speedo cable holding it back. You should be able to pull one side out enough to disconnect a connector, then the other side to disconnect the other connectors and speedo cable.

              There's a screw above and to the right of the socket for the speedometer cable labeled 180km/h. Mine was labeled in bright yellow and was pretty difficult to see.


              Remove the screw and toss it into the random screw container lying around in your garage.


              Presto, enjoy your new speed limit! Now, if you have the JDM instrument cluster, you just need to swap speedometers

              1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

              Comment


                #8
                Custom gauge cluster progress

                Unfortunately two of the gauge faces didn't glue properly and are a bit slanted. I have to cut the glue and reposition them. I think this time I'll use hot glue to hold their position so they dont slouch to the side overnight.

                Last night I did a dry fit on the dash, the part closest to the window is too high and will need slits cut for where the rear corners of the base of the gauge cluster will sit. That way the cluster will be flat on the dash on the front clsoest to the passengers and level.

                yadda yadda yadda pics!




                You can see that #1 and #4 have some minor flaws.





                1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                Comment


                  #9
                  Changing the fuel filter

                  I am officially embarrassed. I forgot to remove the petrol fill cap before disconnecting the pump (realize I should have done it first) and before disconnecting the top fuel line to the fuel filter. The fuel that came out was hella dirty, and the fuel filter for a regular 323 1.8DOHC is the same as the GTR (and I'm assuming GTX) fyi, the North American 90-96 Ford Escort one is different. Anyways, as soon as I disconnected the fuel line wham nonstop flow upwards and fuel everywhere... I tried plugging it with my finger until I realized it was a siphon, so I ditched my efforts on plugging the line and ran to take off the petrol fill cap. Well now that I washed my hands, I'll go change out the filter and then rinse/dilute everything with water. I should have realized something was up when the engine took all of 2 seconds to stall after disconnecting the fuel pump. Good news is gas coming upward from the filter is clear, after the initial residue emptied out. I think the clog was on the end closer to the fuel rail but I’ll post my results when I'm done.

                  On a side note, my base model 323 suffered a critical breakdown. One of the driver side brake pads broke in two and the spring clip snapped in half. The actual fibers on the base of the break pad separated from the base of the brake pad, so only one side of the rotor had pad material stopping it. I'll fix my GTR tonight & drive it tomorrow until I can get the parts to fix the GHOSTBUSTERS

                  1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Fuel filter results

                    So I got the filter off and oh my the contents were BLACK! And the old filter weighed considerably more than the new one. Hopefully this will help things. After rinsing out the engine bay a few times I started up the car and took it for a test drive and for the most part it was good. Actually tonight was a great test because I had about 40 minutes to make a 60 minute trip down a nice 110km/h highway and I'll admit, I was a teeny weeny bit over the limit

                    The car was great the whole way there, except it backfires like crazy which I believe is due to a sticky lifter (ticks like mad, not so bad with a blend of 5W30 and 15w50 mobil1). So I still have to pull the engine apart. The car also did the lean/rich thing where it just didn't want to go and the engine was dying on acceleration. So I'll wait for my fuel pump and for a bit more cash to come in so I can afford to start replacing engine internals.

                    Oh yeah, I made it to the store with 10 minutes to spare and got new brake pads + installation kit for the broken brake pad spring

                    1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                    Comment


                      #11
                      New goodies arrived!

                      Two seperate orders arrived yesterday and today
                      eBay
                      HLA - Hydraulic Lash Adjusters



                      CorkSport
                      Wheel arches
                      RHD passenger side wheel arches, but I need the ones for the driver side! A small mixup in the term "driver's side" due to RHD hehe, no biggie, CorkSport has the other halves sitting on a desk to exchange


                      Hood vents


                      JDM front grill badge



                      Parkfeifer
                      I also took the time to test-fit the pakfeifer sideskirts that came with the car





                      In this last pic, I just got the idea of extending the wheel arch all the way down to the sideskirt. I also plan to smooth over the wheel arches so they appear as a real arch, not just an addon.


                      Most people at some point have seen this picture

                      Here's the big version:

                      I'm going to make it a reality. Here is my plan.

                      I will make my own bonnet, using fiberglass resin and a regular bedsheet to start. I'll be able to incorporate the badboy headlight look a lot easier, and install the hoodvents easier without dealing with the regular 323 metal bonnet. I'll add a few more layers of 100% cotton towels soaked in resin for strength.
                      The wheel arches will be smoothed over with body filler to appear like actual arches, not just like a bolt-on.
                      I will be ordering a replica bumper from corksport when it comes time to do body work. I'll fiberglass a lip to the bottom of it and cut out those two holes.
                      I'll paint the mudflaps white, with red MAZDASPEED lettering.
                      I have Hella 500s to install for fog lights
                      White windshield wipers, possibly white wiper arms
                      White paint job, basically like this picture. I've always loved white 323s, my beater 323 is white

                      1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Fuel pump upgrade, 255LPH Walbro pump

                        Well, as of today I'm one step closer to upgrading my fuel system and troubleshooting my engine woes. I installed a new fuel pump I bought off of eBay, a Walbro 255LPH single output pump.

                        Here is a pic of the new pump assembled and ready to go.


                        First step, remove the gas cap to break the siphon effect when you disconnect fuel lines.


                        Second, disconnect both the relay pump (on the left in this pic), and the main fuel pump/level sender (right of this pic).


                        Next, remove the four screws keeping this top cover attached.


                        Afterwards, you will have another connector to detach, and a 7mm bolt to remove for the top plate ground wire. Remove both hoses, then unscrew the 6-8 screws and the whole assembly should be free.







                        Next, disconnect the two wires connected to the pump (8mm locknuts), and to make life a bit easier I undid the two bolts holding the fuel level sender unit from the top plate. Also, remove the one screw that secures the bottom of the fuel pump with a metal plate. And lastly, remove the rubber band that keeps the pump from moving around.


                        The original fuel pump had this little plastic seal on the tip that joins the pump output line and the line on the top plate of the whole assembly. Because of the size/shape of the new pump, we can't use it anymore.


                        So the new plan is to use a short piece of fuel line that was supplied with the pipe to join the new pump and the metal pipe from the main assembly. The tip of the pipe from the main assembly is a female end, designed to receive the special seal from the last image, so we will grind it off.


                        Now the two pieces line up pretty decently.



                        Join the two pipes with a piece of fuel hose and a couple of clamps



                        The bottom is a tight fit. We don't need the piece of metal to keep it in place, not that is fits anyways.


                        STOP -- This next part was a failed experiment. The rubber band is too short for the new fuel pump, so I got the bright idea of making it smaller and fusing the old rubber back together with a propane torch :D
                        snip snip


                        Apply a little heat...


                        And roast some marshmallows on your new camp fire ^.^


                        Pictures of the carnage... if only they could capture the putrid smell as well


                        1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Whew! It's safe again :D
                          Plan B, zip ties! I'm not too worried if they eventually break off. The pump is in there REALLY tight from the tension of the piece of fuel hose I used. The zip ties are just another layer of security.


                          To verify the polarities, the old fuel pump had each terminal marked. The blue wire is positive, the black wire is negative.


                          Strip the ends of the old and new wires, solder them together, and tape them up so they don't stand a chance of moving.



                          A few pics of the final product








                          Stuff this baby back in the fuel tank, reconnect the ground wire and connectors, and screw everything back down.
                          Important
                          So that your engine isn't cranking needlessly for dreary seconds, we will use the diagnosis connectors to bring the fuel pump to life and flood the lines with fuel before we start cranking. In the engine bay there is a small black box with the words diagnosis written on top. Open the box, and bridge two pins with a small piece of wire (I used the excess wire that I cut off of the new fuel pump).





                          You have now installed your new fuel pump; it's probably a good idea to bypass the resistor on the engine bay bulkhead so that the pump always sees 12V. That's my next planned mod

                          1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Fuel pump throttle delete

                            My last adventure involved upgrading the GTR fuel pump to a Walbro 255LPH pump. To ensure that I'm getting the fuel benefit of the pump, I decided to bypass the GTR's pump output throttle control (yes, I just made that up but doesn't it sound cool? 8)). The two main components involved are a heat-sink covered resistor, and a relay switch, both are located on the bulkhead inside the engine bay. This is another mod to do once you figure out the electrical stuff, luckily I just did all that for you so this should take you more than 20 minutes total

                            First, let's locate the resistor.


                            And now the relay


                            You can see that there's one grey connector that connects both the resistor and the relay.



                            I made my own diagram to match the image I posted of the female end of the connector, based from my observations and information from the FSM.

                            FSM diagram below


                            The first test I did was to determine which wire always had 12V power when the pump is inactive but the ignition switch is in the ACC position.

                            It was pin #5, the white/red stripe wire. This is the power source for the fuel pump, and all of the other wires are for the relay and resistor.

                            Next, I turned on the fuel pump with the ignition switch still in the ACC position by using a jumper wire in the diagnosis box.





                            Then by tracing the wires from the heat sink covered resistor, I determined that pins 3 and 6 were connected to that. Using my test light, I found that pin 6 had power, so power had to be leaving for the fuel pump via pin 3. To prove this, I used a small piece of wire to jumper pins 5 and 3, and voila! 12V power to the fuel pump, easily audible was the fuel surging through the fuel rail.


                            Next, I removed the black electrical tape from the back of the female part of the resistor to the point where it joins the rest of the wiring loom. I then cut the wires leading to pins 3 and 5, in the middle of each wire to give me enough room to work comfortably, or in case I messed up. I joined both wires together, soldered them, taped the joint, and taped the rest of the wires leading to the connector.


                            At this point I went for a test drive. One thing that is noticeable, since I just upgraded the fuel pump the day before I didn't yet put back on the back bench. The fuel pump is pretty noisy when just the ignition switch is in ACC without the engine running. But as soon as the car starts the pump gets drowned out easily (3" exhaust FTW). Took it for a drive, ran beautifully

                            When I got back, taped the connector and wires so the pins don't get soaked and/or short out.


                            Then I removed the bracket that holds the resistor & relay & knock control unit from the firewall (2 nuts).Then I stuffed the connector behind the knock control bracket on the firewall.


                            I decided to cut the part of the bracket that secured the resistor, as well as the screw that held the resistor in place. If you want to leave the bracket intact but remove the resistor, there are two screws on the back securing it.



                            Return the bracket to the firewall and plug back in the two connectors. Job well done


                            1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Custom removeable spare wheel well sub enclosure

                              The goal
                              To create a sub enclosure, big enough to fit two 12" subs, that doesn't compromise too much space and can be removed for the occasional track day.
                              How?
                              Use the spare wheel!

                              I understand that this is a performance car, but I am an audiophile and I want a decent sound system (not looking to be an SPL champ here). I want a removable system, including the sub enclosure, that doesn't take up more space than is needed. The pictures that were taken at the start of this project are either deleted or too dark to make out, and then deleted. This update will start a few steps after the beginning.

                              Woah, did I miss something?
                              First, we stripped the interior up to the front seats. Then we grinded off two brackets at the rear of the car that hold the wooden spare wheel well cover in place. Then we covered the entire exposed car in Dynamat Extreme. This absorbs sound, contains it within the car, and prevents the metal frame and other attached components from rattling when the speakers are turned up or hit a resonating frequency.

                              Next, we inspected the wheel well. First we noticed that it isn't perfectly round, and there's a ridge on the top-right which would prevent us from pulling out the enclosure. We crumpled up some old newspaper, stuffed it in the cavern and made a wall of duct tape to complete the circular shape of the wheel well. Goodbye ridge!

                              To give the wheel well strength and rigidity and a chance of making a smooth fiberglass enclosure, we filled all of the cracks and ridges with Bondo body filler, as well as a healthy layer on the new newspaper wall we created earlier.


                              Once it hardened, I sanded it down using a cordless drill and a dremel with sanding bits attached. It was still difficult to reach the smaller ridges, but the big bulges and holes were smoothed out with relative ease. Don't forget to vacuum the dust afterwards!


                              Yay! I FINALLY found a use for all of those plastic grocery bags I've been collecting! Remember earlier I said that I wanted a removable enclosure? Well I don't have a release agent, so I decided to cover the wheel well in plastic bags. As an added bonus, this will help ensure that the enclosure is air-tight. I used Tuck Tape to tape up the seams. It's the same tape you use to seal vapor barrier in your homes.




                              I decided to save a lot of money by not using glass cloth and using $1/each 100% cotton towels from the dollar store. Two towels is enough to cover the entire area. Since the strength comes from the resin itself, all that's really required is a super absorbent material to soak up as much resin as possible. Here are a couple of pictures of the dry fit.



                              You will need:
                              Resin
                              Hardener (including in fiberglass "kits", like the one in this picture)
                              respirator (all I had was a dust mask but it's better than nothing)
                              gloves (not in this picture, you really DON'T want to get this on you)
                              a non-waxed mixing container
                              a brush to spread the resin around


                              I mixed the entire batch of resin + hardener. It was barely enough for both towels, and I wish I had a bit more. I found the best way to spread the resin around the towels was to pour some evenly on the towel, then scrounge it up into a ball and keep kneading it like you would knead pizza dough. You will want to lay down a big sheet of plastic to do this on or a piece of wood that you don’t mind sacrificing. In my case, I had a 4x4 sheet of 3/4" MDF, later to be used for the sub's mounting rings and brackets, at my disposal. I also use it as a backboard to paint on. One side is perfectly clean, the other side... well isn't.


                              I soaked both sheets in resin and placed them in the wheel well, trying to get them as close to the walls as possible to reduce air gaps and potential rattling later on.




                              The enclosure should be hard tomorrow, I let it sit in a 20 degree Celcius garage for a good two hours before I had to move it out. I'll post progress pictures when I can

                              1993 Mazda Familia GTR - work log

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