FSP 1st Gen Protege Project

[XelderX]

SO...I'm back after a long absence. I still have the 1st Gen and I'm still building in for Street Prepared rules. My Protege5 got turboed over the summer and then it was totaled in November (not my fault). I've finally finished up the multitude of other cars that kept winding up in my driveway and started on the 1st Gen Protege. Some of my plans for the car have changed though. The major change is that I'm tossing the BP motor. I've still got my FS-DE 2.0L motor sitting in the garage from the Protege5. It was built to Street Prepared specs so it's ready to go with the LTW flywheel and upgraded clutch. I also still have the 3rd Gen tranny with the MSP LSD in it. Some of the boys down in Puerto Rico showed me that you can use '95-'97 Kia Sephia motor mounts to fit the FS-DE into the 1st Gen chassis perfectly. I'll be tackling that job this week. I'm waiting on the motor mounts to cure after I just filled the holes in with 3M window weld. I'm going to adapt the 1st Gen wiring harness to work with the FS motor. Most of the extra things the FS uses is stuff I can eliminate anyway (EGR, VTCS, Emissions stuff). I'll have it plugged into a Megasquirt to control everything.

For anyone still paying attention....I need a few things that some of you may have laying around.

#1. I need a complete, unmolested 1st Gen wiring harness. Mine has been hacked all up from the previous owners turbo install and I would rather start with something that is complete.

#2. I need a complete front bumper and support bar.

There are a few smaller items, but nothing that is critical at this point.

[FE3-323]

welcome back, what all is required to fit the FS directly into the BG?

[Turpro]

Sounds like you're going to be having a great time with that swap. Hope al goes well.

I have a stock usdm front bumper and crash brace sitting on the back porch. Idk what shipping would cost though. Might be cheaper just to pick it up. If you're interested in it pm me.

[XelderX]

welcome back, what all is required to fit the FS directly into the BG?

I'm still working through it, but I can tell you what mounts appear to work. Use the Kia mounts/support for the driver's side trans mount (the Protege/323 stuff may also work...I haven't tried it yet). The rear mount is the stock Protege/323 stuff. It will bolt to the 3rd Gen tranny perfectly. The front mount is the Protege/323, but you use the 3rd Gen brace that mounts to the transmission. The passenger side mount looks like either the Protege/323 mount or the Kia mounts will work. You'll also need 3rd Gen halfshafts from what I've been told. I also swapped in the 3rd Gen throttle cable (direct swap) as it is much shorter to line up with the 3rd Gen intake manifold. I've heard the stock shift linkages will work and looking at them they appear to be correct. I'll probably wait until I can get the wiring harness changed out before I put the motor in and confirm all this.

[XelderX]

I removed the old wiring harness today and it came out a lot easier than I though it would. Hopefully, I'll have another stock harness installed by the end of the week and I can start putting the FS-DE motor in.

[1967cutlass]

If you use the 275/35/15 a6's and an LSD you could win nationals with this

[XelderX]

If you use the 275/35/15 a6's and an LSD you could win nationals with this

I'm not sure about winning, but I hope to put her up there in the top 5. It will be tough considering the short time I have to set up the car. I co-drove the 3rd Gen Protege that finished 4th last year. I had a top 5 time on day 2, but I didn't drive well on day 1. That car had a bone stock 1.8L in it and minimal weight reduction (didn't even have a LTW flywheel). The owner drove the car 10 hours from Texas and back. This BG ought to be several hundred pounds lighter and have around 20-25 more whp. If I can get it sorted and drive with some sense it will be a top 5 FSP car for sure. I will be setting it up to run the 275s.

[vtec-this]

so you are saying the stock fsde axles will fit into the wheel assemblies fine and are the right length for the 1st gen chasis? or will you need custom axles?

[XelderX]

so you are saying the stock fsde axles will fit into the wheel assemblies fine and are the right length for the 1st gen chasis? or will you need custom axles?

From what I've been told the Protege5 or 626 axles work perfectly. It makes sense as there are few things from both cars that are interchangeable. The shift linkages and pivot points are identical. The 1st Gen's rear transmission support bolt directly to the 3rd Gen transmission exactly the same way. That means the transmissions orient in the car the same way. The differentials are interchangeable from what I've heard. The MSP LSD (what I have) fits in the 1st Gen G series transmission. I'll be double checking the spline fitment at the wheel end today, but even that could be a moot point as it appears the 3rd Gen spindles will bolt directly to the 1st Gen LCA and the tierod ends line up perfectly. The spacing from side to side should be identical. I bolted my 3rd Gen front suspension up yesterday and even my strut bar fit perfectly. That means the strut towers are the same distance apart at the top. It would appear that it is going to be the same at the bottom too.

[therieldeal]

626 axles wont work, the outer spline count is different.

the P5 axles should/could work... if they are a bit too long you could use LCA's from a MX3.

[XelderX]

I checked today and the 3rd Gen Protege axles fit the hubs. Them being too long is unknown until I get the motor in the car, but I figure they are designed with a little play in them anyway. We'll see.

[vtec-this]

let us know asap! I want to put my msp drivetrain into one of my escorts.

[XelderX]

I spent a few hours today trying to figure out one of the few "problems" with the motor swap. I really want to retain the power steering on this car, but that is proving to be a real issue. The main problem is that the FS-DE mounts the pump on the head and the BP mounts it on the block. The location of the reservior is different between the two. The line that runs from the steering rack to the pump is a lot longer and the end is angled differently on the 1st Gen. I can mount it to the FS pump, but it sticks up pretty high. I really won't know if that is a big problem until I have the motor in and can mount the pump. I also realized that it will be nearly impossible to use the 1st Gen reservior. The problem is that it sits entirely too close to the FS pump. There is no way to route a line between them and make it work legally. I was really pissed for about 5 minutes when I had an idea. I went over to the Protege5 to see how the reservior mounted in it. I removed the small mounting bracket that bolts to the fender and carried it over to the 1st Gen. In Mazda's infinite wisdom they found it ideal to put two threaded holes in the 1st Gen's fender spaced almost exactly right for the 3rd Gen bracket. I bolted it in and then attached the reservior to it. Success...now I know that I have half the problem solved. The line going from the pump to the reservior will fit now. The next issue is the routing from the reservior to the cooling loop. I ran out of time to tackle this, but I'll try it again tomorrow. The only issue I can see so far with the reservior is that it now sits a little higher than normal and the hood hits the cap when it closes. Luckily Mazda made the mounting bracket rubber mounted so it just flexes right out of the way.

[FE3-323]

pics of your progress???

[cojsl]

XelderX - Regarding adjustable shocks- here's a thread is about a 1G Pro Autox setup, the last post is particularly useful: http://sccaforums.com/forums/thread/49072.aspx
I've not been able to find new adjustable shocks. The MSPs and GABs he mentions appear to be pretty rare items.
I've started autoxing my 90 LX in HS for now, so I look forward to seeing what you do with yours.