And so it begins....323BG hatch ----> V6 powa with a few extra surprises

[smoke187]

wow going all out on this one

[Dan [Sac]]

As usual, when I say something like "it looks like it's gonna be easier than I thought" I end up jinxing myself

The hard unexpected part is now the heater core and blower motor - the half cut is a GTX so it's got everything electric, whereas the mx3 stuff (as well as the 323) here is all mechanical. I think the heater core I can get away with and just swap the plastic shells between the LHD and RHD units, but the blower motor will have to be either a universal unit or source out another one.

And I still forgot to order the manual RHD steering rack, as the GTX one is power and I can't stand the leakage and space taking and weight. Can't do a wire tuck with a bunch of PS lines taking up the room in there.

[monoxidechild]

looking really good. love the new rear bumper. makes a big difference.

[me109]

I have some mechanical HVAC parts for RHD. I know the blower is intact, but I think the heater core got cut up. I can take some pics if you want.

[Dan [Sac]]

Yeah, the blower would be a good candidate

Heck, take pics of both

[Dan [Sac]]

looking good dan. what are you going to be doing with the motor?? i can use the exhaust manifold if you can part with it

Sorry, the parts were discarded almost right away as I really had to make some room there. The 4-car shop is full, the driveway in front of it is full, even the MX3 dissection had to spill onto the lawn

[jturbo323]

very nice work i always thought of doing a klxe swap into my 323 yours i know will be done and come very clean and nice also i like the rhd idea as well very original with that engine setup

[Dan [Sac]]

Finally getting into the meat & potatoes of the job - sheetmetal work. Today I got most of the inside firewall brackets off, there are a few minor ones left. Got the 323 firewall & engine bay a little cleaner as well.

Test fitted RHD dash in the 323, as expected all brackets match up & it bolts right in.

Will have to do only move one bracket to get the RHD wipers to work. Thanks to the cowl being stamped symetrically, I can just drill the holes for the right side (driver side now) wiper. So I'll have the wipers sweep the correct way for a RHD - little things like that make me happy in the pants.

Essential tools for today were the Wurth 8mm spot weld drill bit and the Snap-On Crud Thug for cleanup.

On to the carnage:

RHD clip, inside - the brackets are visible against the firewall






Closeup of one of the brackets






Bracket(s) removed








The sound deadening goop on the left awaits






Goop gone





323 bay a little cleaner now






I <3 tools that do the job right






Another bracket off (skinny horizontal one):






And another one






The loot






What to cut - now that the essentials have been pulled, I will be cutting roughly around the blue outlines to move these pieces to the 323. Measurements here will be essential to make sure they end up in the same place, within +/- 2 mm error.






Another shot of 323 bay ready for surgery

[progt91]

very nice, loads of work to do man but its going to look great.

[323 GT-R]

Good luck on your project! Looks good so far

[analytical]

Sexy girl you got on your elbow there Dan.

[Dan [Sac]]

w00t, I got my Corksport 3-hole front bumper today. Gotta love Mazda OEM stuff - brand new, polyurethane, with all mounting hardware, and the black mesh. I don't know why people are complaining about the CS prices, @ $278 + shipping this thing was a bargain as far as all things JDM go. Better than the $350 I paid for a used UK GT-R bumper that was badly damaged and has thus far required 5 hours of repair work and still needs a bit more.

Now to secure a front lip and sideskirts and I'm in rice heaven.

[Mazda_Powered]

its all new?? not bad for the price then!

[nerd racing]

dang man awesome work!

[Dan [Sac]]

Since there aren't many right-side a-pillar gauge pods, I have some ideas about encasing the Prosport gauges (boost, oil press. & water temp) and I'll be working on those in the next couple of days.

Did any GTX/GT-Rs come with manual windows? I'd love to have some GT-R door panels and the rear speaker panels