Kev's JDM 1997 Protege

[irishkev90]

I think so too. Can't wait to get this thing done now.

Speaking of getting it done, I decided to continue prepping the car. I removed the trunk lid garnish and badges to address any possible rust and scuff it all up ahead of time. Absolutely zero rust behind the garnish, which I was thankful for. There was a spot of rust where the old MAZDA badge was on the lower right of the trunk lid. The previous owner removed it and stuck the MAZDASPEED badge in its place. Unfortunately, it looked like he was a bit too aggressive and gouged into the lid. Some other small rust spots around bolt and drain holes, but nothing too bad. I'll be de-badging the rear of the car, so I'll need fill in the badge holes whenever I can get back to the shop to use a welder.

I also just realized that the previous owner replaced the license plate bulbs with red ones. I never paid attention to it before, but now I have to change those back since I cleaned and polished the lenses as best as I could. And since I'm removing all the badges I decided to polish up the Protégé one and stick it on the dash because I was bored. I want to redo the interior at some point, as well, so I might incorporate that into the redesign.

[FE3-323]

progress is good!!

[irishkev90]

Another quick snap from tonight. Originally I was only going to address the rust on the bottom right where the badge was taken off, but I noticed the panel behind the license plate was a bit warped. So I straightened that out and applied some filler, all flat and smooth now. The four outermost bolt holes in the edge of the trunk lid had rust, so I sanded it away as well. This was just one coat of self etching primer for the bare metal spots, I applied three coats for good coverage then applied a few coats of primer sealer to protect everything underneath. I hate trying to get into all the little nooks and crannies, but I hope I got enough texture for the paint to bite into and not become an issue down the road.

I've heard removing the roof moldings is difficult without damaging them and replacements aren't available (that I could find). Anyone have any tips for removing these without destroying them?



Going to leave myself a list here of what else needs to be done before I forget. Starting from the back and working towards the front:
Prep bottom of trunk lid
Weld badge holes shut
Weld spoiler light wiring hole shut/drill new hole
Remove rust from spoiler mounting holes
Sand/remove scratch from top of trunk lid
Finish body working/sanding rear bumper
Address rust on rear wheel wells
Address dent/rust on roof
Prep door jambs (body and doors)
Remove window trim/door handles
Sand/prep doors/window frames (address ridge left by door trim)
Cut new turn signal holes
Sand/prep fenders
Sand/prep hood/scoop
Finish body working/sanding front bumper/grille

Extras:
Buff/polish lights/garnish and replace DEPO tail lights with OEM JDM tail lights
Sand/prep wiper arms
Attempt to restore mirrors/trim, if not, then prep for paint
Repair/prep spoiler/lip/side skirts
Repair cracks in top of trunk garnish
Modify/prep JDM rear bumper skirts to fit USDM rear bumper
Wire/mount spoiler brake light flasher unit

Now that it's written down, it seems like a helluva lot more work than I was thinking.

[FE3-323]

i chuckled a bit. its always more work than anticipated. but thats the fun of it!

[irishkev90]

I got the holes for the badges welded up and covered with filler. The contours of the trunk lid in those areas is fighting me a bit trying to get it smooth, but no cutting corners here, I'll take my time. I took apart the rear driver side door and got that prepped and scuffed with some fresh primer. I also attempted to remove the roof trim and was successful with one side so far. I've read that they're kind of a paint to remove without damaging them or breaking tabs, so I went super slow and gentle. Nothing broken.

Other than that, not much to say. I've been spending most of my time helping my dad build a new shed so we can move all the lawn care and construction type tools there and free up space in this shed which will officially become a workshop.

[FE3-323]

tis the busy season!

[irishkev90]

Tis the sweaty season! I was outside for 20 minutes checking my carpenter bee trap and plugging the holes the chewed in the roof and started sweating my ass off. Gave up and came inside. Need to add some air conditioning to the shop now

[FE3-323]

we dont' really have carpenter bee's up in my area. i had to google them. doesn't look fun.

[irishkev90]

Yeah, we weren't even done building the new shed yet and they were already chewing it up. The good thing about the trap is that it only attracts carpenter bees (and apparently at least one wasp) and not honey/bumble bees, so the harmless ones are safe. And the trap is just a section of 4x4 with some holes drilled in it and a glass jar attached to the bottom. The bees explore the holes and get trapped in the jar. No baits, no poisons, just 'curiosity killed the bee'.

[irishkev90]

Need some advice/assistance with my suspension. Check this thread: http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/sho...295#post827295

[irishkev90]

Sooooo... I need new suspension. The fronts are okay, though there isn't a lot of strut travel which has me worried and the lock collar for the lower mounts are seized and ride height can't be adjusted. The rears are completely dead. The struts will move if forced, but will not extend on their own (had to use a press to compress them then clamp the end in a vice to extend them). However there is much more travel in the rear struts than in the front, but they're also much taller so maybe the strut travel in the front is correct?

Whatever the case may be, a whole new setup is pretty much required. The only kits I can find are Ksports and Yellowspeeds. Is there anything else out there that would work? How different (if at all) are the lower mounts for other chassis compared to the BH? If I can use everything and just swap the top mounts, that could open my options quite a bit (assuming the strut rods are the same diameter). I don't have the money for a new set right now, so I'll have to deal with a broken suspension for a while. I guess that gives me time for research, though.

[irishkev90]

And now the transmission is shot. Was on my way to the store and everything was fine, then suddenly it was difficult to get into and out of second and impossible to get into third, fourth, fifth, and reverse. Turned around to limp it home in second when I started to smell something so found a place to pull over and in the time it took for me to stop the car and get out and look under it, there was already a rather large puddle of fluid. Pop the hood and sure enough, fluid is leaking out of the clutch fork boot. My dad was able to tow me home with his truck and a strap and we got it in the garage with cardboard under it, but I haven't gotten to taking it apart yet. There were no signs of any issues leading up to this. Went back and forth to work yesterday with no problems and got halfway to the store today before it decided it wasn't going any further.

Engine seems fine (was able to run the engine for the tow home so I could use the brakes), but maybe this is a sign that it's time for a KL swap? I don't know. Just trying to stay positive, I guess.

[irishkev90]

I was hoping it was the input shaft seal, but I was not expecting this. I haven't cracked it open yet to see what actually broke and if it's salvageable. Hopefully it's something I can replace and not much, or any, other damage was caused, and my dad knows a guy that can weld the hole in the case. Kind of depressed now.

[mx-3_4evr]

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I was hoping it was the input shaft seal, but I was not expecting this. I haven't cracked it open yet to see what actually broke and if it's salvageable. Hopefully it's something I can replace and not much, or any, other damage was caused, and my dad knows a guy that can weld the hole in the case. Kind of depressed now.

Yeah, that’s toast. Get another trans. This happened to me back in 2007 with my stock MX-3 1.6 F series trans. That area on the case is thin, but the main cause is probably worn out bearings in the trans or not enough oil.

[irishkev90]

Actually it was the bolts for the Mfactory diff. The bolts backed out and two of them snapped off causing the hole and also damaging the shift gate plate.



Those two bolts backed out enough for one to hit the shift gate and broke the rivet for the reverse lockout and bent the plate slightly which is why I couldn't shift into higher gears. The other one hit the case and caused the hole. The next three (one left, two right) were also backed out, but not enough to hit anything.



The spring was stuck to the magnet in the bottom of the case and the rivet head was under the shift gate.



Taking a look around, I found where the spring and rivet came from. The plate was bent slightly towards the fifth/reverse slots. I was able to bend this back up and can now move the shifter through all positions with no problems. I'll have to find another rivet or a small bolt so I can put that spring back in place.



And of course we can't forget the obligatory inside shot of the hole.



One other thing I noticed is this rough area inside the case. Would this be any cause for concern? The outside of the case is fine, but I want to make sure this isn't a sign for worse things to come.