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The Ultimate BF Suspension Upgrade Pictorial...Mucho Pics!!!

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    The Ultimate BF Suspension Upgrade Pictorial...Mucho Pics!!!

    I had this thread saved on my old pc from when mazda323performance.com was up and running. It was created by slownrusty. It is currently missing some pictures but slownrusty have informed me that he still have the pictures & will give me the ones that are missing.

    Fuljoy this well documented write up by slownrusty.
    Last edited by mazkam; 12-16-2012, 08:54 AM.

    #2
    As originally posted by slownrusty on mp323.com.


    Well gang....it’s done....two weeks...my back kills me....my finger nails do not exist and scrapes, bruises and blood loss too.

    The Patient: My 1988 GT - mileage 171,600 - suspension NEVER touched

    The Symptoms: Wanders like a drunk after 2am on Saturday, handles like a barge with 50 tons of steel in the bow...

    The Procedure: Time for new suspension front to back....back to front...time to call Dr.SlowNrusty!

    Here is the car before surgery...stock height...stock everything:


    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.

    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.

    The Bad
    1) 1 split CV boot - right side
    2) Terribly worn bushings
    3) Worn tie rods
    4) Worn lower ball joints and spilt boots
    5) Rusty control arms and misc suspension parts


    Witnessed here:







    New Suspension Techniques Generic Sway Bar to Frame bushing and bracket found (bottom) at Pep Boys(!!!) - worked perfectly!!! as they come in several sway bar diameters and they had the 28.5mm in stock for our cars:



    New Pedders Polyurethane Sway Bar End Links on bottom. I went to Ace Hardware and sized the right sized Grade 8 Stainless Bolt and washers instead of re-using the cruddy stock bolts and washers:



    Strut top (rusty one right, wire brushed on the left, getting ready to prime and paint)


    Old front strut:
    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.


    Old stock front spring vs. new Pedders springs (nice looking drop!!):
    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.


    Brand New Genuine MazdaSpeed Hardened Rubber Bushings:



    I also replaced the CV axle oil seals in the tranny:



    All the old suspension junk removed from the car:



    Work Zone:



    Dis-assembly of the front:

    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.


    Pressing out the old nasty rubber bushing in the rear arms using my trusty impact gun and believe it or not Ball Joint Separator:



    Doing the same on the front lower control arm, worked slick too:



    Old bushing from the front control arm after being pressed out:



    Lower control arms wire brushed and ready to be primed and painted (bushings all removed):


    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.


    After painting and installing the new Lower Ball Joint and Mazdaspeed bushings:



    We like new parts:





    Wrong damn CV shipped to me - UG....delay for three days:

    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.


    My right side CV had to be rebuilt by an axle shop here in town, as no one and I mean no one could find this CV for me (checked Pep Boys, Auto Zone, Advance Auto Parts, Checker \ Kragen...everyone!!) ....not even the Mazda dealer!!!!



    Re-assembly:


    Front struts assembled with the Tokicos and Pedders springs, note my re-painted strut tops and the black rubber sleeve that I installed on the lower coil instead of the deteriorated rubber insulator:



    Rear Struts assembled with the Tokicos and Pedders springs:


    Pic to be supplied by slownrusty.
    Last edited by mazkam; 12-17-2012, 06:40 AM.

    Comment


      #3
      More re-assembly this time the rear arms that sit under the rear struts and the new Pedders Polyurethane bushings:





      Done:



      The front lower control arm, new CV, new bushings all installed:





      Suspension Techniques frame to sway bar mounts installed:



      The rear all done:





      The car after it was done, not too low or stiff or (very important) bouncy, handles incredibly, in fact I scared the crap out two of my friends that own an EVO and STi respectively...trust me this car sticks like freaking glue.....WOW...I invite you guys to drive it, remember this is my daily driver:




      Edited for better comparison.

      Before with stock springs & struts


      After with Tokico HP struts & Pedders lowering springs




      Total cost for all the upgrades approx: $1150 (this includes a Corksport Strut Brace which I forgot to photograph), remember I paid $850 for this car....so I have more in Suspension parts in the car than I paid.....I love my cars to handle predictably and corner like its on rails so in my books this is a VERY justified expense.

      Total Time: approx. 40+hours (does not include running around town to source and pick-up parts).

      Special Thanks to Corksport and Derrick Ambrose. The Pedders springs, the MazadaSpeed Bushings and Pedders Polyurethane bushings were bought from them plus a front strut brace and a Momo Steering Wheel Adapter.

      Hope that helps all you guys out there thinking about suspension upgrades and please DO NOT DO this type of project half-assed, spend the extra time, money and labor and do it properly - you will not have any regrets whatsoever!!!

      This was a tough job granted (and I am certainly not new to this type of work and have decent mechanical skills \ aptitude and tools) but was definitely worth it in the end. I am impressed with the thought and the complexity Mazda put into these cars - quite an awesome suspension set-up really both front and rear. If I had more time I would painted and detailed more of the suspension pieces like the sway bars, spindles etc etc but the 323 is my daily ride, so needed to get it back on the road ASAP

      I could not imagine paying someone to do this type of work, plus would they really be as thorough as me - I bet a mechanic would have charged me over $1000 in labor? DO NOT be afraid to learn on your cars gang!!! Man put it together, so man can take it apart and make it better!!!

      Regards - Yasin a.k.a slownrusty
      Last edited by mazkam; 12-23-2012, 12:42 PM.

      Comment


        #4
        Thats awesome, I remember following that thread! Thanks Mazkam

        A questions about the springs. The H&R units are made for the Capri and therefore the rake isn't quite right (at least to me, anyone else agree?). Are the Pedders made specifically for the 323 Sedan?
        88 323 GT - 03 Protege5 - 07 Mazda 5

        Comment


          #5
          Does anyone know if the urethane rear control arm bushings are available for the GTX, and where to get them? I think I've seen the front bushings, but I'll need those too.

          Comment


            #6
            Look on the Yahoo group. Rob Weeks did those in poly and the numbers are there. I did it to one of my GTX's.

            Comment


              #7
              neat to see that there actually is parts floating about for these ole BF's
              ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

              1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




              I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
              he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks for reviving this old thread Mazkam. I hope it helps future owners. Reading through this old thread I had to laugh, as my writing style has definitely changed, I can believe that was 7+ years ago...time has flown by.

                I will certainly try and insert the missing pictures, but most of the necessary detail is there.

                As an aside I just noticed one of my rear Pedders springs (right side) has a broken lower coil, which I only discovered when I had new tires fitted on the car, so I will be pulling out the struts and springs in the upcoming week to install new H&Rs which I just bought.

                Yasin

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by sethro_GT View Post
                  Thats awesome, I remember following that thread! Thanks Mazkam

                  A questions about the springs. The H&R units are made for the Capri and therefore the rake isn't quite right (at least to me, anyone else agree?). Are the Pedders made specifically for the 323 Sedan?
                  Springs have nothing to do with rake. The H&R springs for the Capri is the exact same spring for the BF, the suspension on both these cars are identical (same chassis). The Pedders springs are also 100% compatible with the Capri.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Great read!


                    Current project: FE3 323

                    Comment

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