93 BG Tracer

[ratch]

follow my gallery link for pics. i dont have them on this PC.
93 BG Tracer

now the car is completly stock, its running the CVH SOHC Engine. ugly Steels with Mercury Hubcaps. its a Alluminum/Silver paint, i do like the paint on it. the paint is good condition. the clear coat is not faded or anything, it needs a good washing and buff but the paint is still good on it.

now what i want to do to this thing is costly in money and time. at 83600 i pulled the engine and replaced it with a rebuild i found at a salvage yard in KC. 83k is not the actual miles my odometer doesnt have the 100k value. i guestimate theres another 100k atleast on the car. i put 1500 miles a month on it. so oil changes come quick. the car is in relativly good condition. no rush or body damage anywhere. i bought it for $600 and have put about $300+ into since i bought it. so its a nice investment. since i have pulled the engine once what i want to do should be relativly easy for me.

To Do list
1. Suspension - im starting here cus its needing new struts and im thinking of dropping the $$ for some Good suspension for it. as well since its my DD i can only really do upgrades that are necessity, as well funding is short so necessity first.
2. Rims and Tires - since i put ALOT of highway miles on this i wanna grab some good street tires and rims for driving, i intend on getting the 7 spoke Aluminums off a Protege for Winter Tires, and then nice 17" rims for summer and such.
3. Engine/tranny conversion - this is probly gonna be the first major change and the last major change, i want to Convert it to Standard tranny and BPT engine. this is gonna be the most time consuming and costly mod. From my gathering, ill need Computer, ECU, Gauges(mine are for a SOHC CVH), BPT Engine, Tranny, and everything to convert from auto to Manual.

BMW Headlights
i need a Grille and the little spacers for under the lights. as well, ill need the JDM or USDM corners.

somwhere in there ill probly do a Headlight Assembly to e36(?), a Mazda Grill, probly a Mazda Bumper as well. may do a JDM Bumper i like those. im excited to see this when its finished but i know this will take a long time. i probly wont be starting on it until next year some time. right now funding is short and with my full time student hours and 2 part-time jobs, i live paycheck to paycheck atm.

however, some suggestions on kits/parts would be appreciated. i have no clue what specs for the suspension im gonna need. im not a gear head, im a Computer/network Tech xD im gonna also be moving to Topeka, KS within a years time. so if anyone lives there i would love to meet up and talk once im there.

~ratch
"murder is the only art a swordsman can practice"

[ratch]

thinking of it, my current concern is getting the Heating to work right. the Fan switch doesnt turn the fan on. i replaced the switch and still nothing. however if i bypass the whole thing, go straight to the fan with a wire and toggle i can turn the fan on. however, i burned up the toggle when i had to leave the heater on. since its starting to get cold i need to get this fixed ASAP, i have a 2.5yo that i pick up and i dont want her riding for 5hrs in a cold car. so if anyone knows what could cause this please limme know.

[MATT91GT]

the plug on the blower motor resistor is most likely all melted, replace that and you should be golden. its under the glove box.

[CODY004WD]

Tokico ZX2 S/R struts, and Eibach prokit springs... You won't regret it. Plus it's really no more $ than a stock setup will run you. I have this setup on my Tracer wagon, and it's perfect for a street car that will be driven a lot! (I've had them on many of my escorts, and there is a reason I keep getting this setup)

[ratch]

Matt, the plug is fine. unless it melted internally.
its first thing i checked. i have also replaced the fan switch.
i could try the blower motor plug. ill look at it closer today after class.

[MATT91GT]

check the terminals inside the plug, i know it might look ok on the outside but mine was all effed up inside.

[ratch]

ill do that.

i also think im gonna change up my swap. when i do the engine conversion, i think ill just swap to a NA BP and later turbo it after everything is running and broke in. cus im thinking of rebuilding the engine i wish i had the funding to start it all now xD but i need a new DD first.

[ratch]

well i checked the plug, its just fine it looks new.

something my mechanic family friend suggested, was to find the resistor box for the fan and check it. the fan speed resistors may have went out. i've studied alot of Analog, so thats possible. but they would all have to be connected to each other.

[ratch]

OK! so i might have access to a Miata donar car. the body is not in good shape but under the hood is mostly clean except for dush and some cobweb. i saw this car for sale a couple years ago. it drove around town and then was parked and there its remained. the house it sits at is for sale. so im trying to get hold of the owners to see if they would sale it. however im not sure if it has the 1.6L or the 1.8L it has the rounded style valve cover, so im not wure if the BP in a miata looked the same as the one in a Pro. aside from the valve cover it looks almost the same as a BP.

as well how much of this could be donar for my Tracer? i wont use the Tranny from the Miata due to the difference in FWD and RWD. however, could i use the Master and Slave Cylinders? im positive on the shifter, how about the Shift Switch? on another note, i would have the Computer and ECU for the engine. what about gauges? i may use the seats i cant remember their condition. and if the interior coloring is the same i may use the center console to.

Am i missing anything?

On another note, i have considered the K8 V6 from a MX-3 as well. i want power but i still want to maintain some efficiency as well. When i boost ill set it to a RPM around 3500, that way i can drive without constant boost to maintain fuel economy, i understand that ill still probly loose some fuel Economy, but hey, i can live with that.

[Turpro]

If its a 1.8 that's about all you could use. Couldn't even use the intake or exhaust manifolds. IMO not worth it just for a motor unless you ccan get it dirt cheap and have a bunch of parts that are worth parting

[Turpro]

If you're considering a k8 swap just buy my kl and mx3 trans. You'll have 40 more hp over the k8. I'm selling the motor and trans really cheap(look at my fs thread). I can throw you shift linkage and whatever other parts I have for the swap for a few bucks extra

Edit: also I'm just north of Cincinnati so I'm not too far from you

[ratch]

If its a 1.8 that's about all you could use. Couldn't even use the intake or exhaust manifolds. IMO not worth it just for a motor unless you ccan get it dirt cheap and have a bunch of parts that are worth parting

well i figured if the interior is in good condition then i could use that to. but if i can only get the engine then i wont worry about it. ill do what im planning. go to the JY in KC called U Pick it pull a BP for $99 + $20 core charge and get a rebuild kit. also pull the tranny with it, and what i need for the conversion from Manual to Auto.

If you're considering a k8 swap just buy my kl and mx3 trans. You'll have 40 more hp over the k8. I'm selling the motor and trans really cheap(look at my fs thread). I can throw you shift linkage and whatever other parts I have for the swap for a few bucks extra

i was considering it, but the KL is still a slightly larger engine, it would be a pain in the arse to put into this Tracer, a K8 however is already in a small car so i know it would fit decently xD however im only considering that, im probly gonna stick witht he BP swap.

what tranny options do i have? is the Kia Tranny better then the Mazda tranny? what about any other Trannys? im not wanting to have to do alot of custom fabbing to fit a tranny, like putting a E153 in... no... im not a gearhead enough for that. as well i dont have shop equipment. i have wrenches and a table grinder xD

[Turpro]

K8 and kl are the same size physically. Kl has more displacement that's all

[ratch]

i even used to be infatuated with the MX6 and KL and didnt know the K8 was the same physical size xD

anyways, nah, im gonna do BP xD i considered the K8 but i like the Idea of BP. i dont feel comfortable with something outside of what can be converted easily. im a Computer tech not a Gearhead, yet xD

[ratch]

Question, does the BMW e36 headlights fit my Tracer?

is there a How-to here somewhere?