FSP 1st Gen Protege Project

[XelderX]

Did some tire fitment testing yesterday.











New SS braided brake lines and custom length clutch line is also on it's way. I should have the Megasquirt ordered next week.

[jay]

heh... can you fit a sheet o' paper tween the sidewalls and the strut? If they fit, they fit! I wish your info could translate to my car. I need to find a way to get more rubber on the road in the street car. My strut clearance is similar to yours, but the tires are only 195/50. GTR hubs/knuckles/uprights only add to the confusion. I hope to try a set of bbs from a 2nd gen rx7 and see if the offset and centerpoint works better than what's on the car now.

[benswen]

Very cool project!

Quick question:

Does the FS motor weigh less than the BP? If so, by how much?

Thanks, and keep up the awesome work!

[XelderX]

heh... can you fit a sheet o' paper tween the sidewalls and the strut? If they fit, they fit!

It's around a 1/16" gap. It's pretty close, but it should clear even under cornering load. If it doesn't I'll just grind the threaded sleeve down a little.

[XelderX]

Very cool project!

Quick question:

Does the FS motor weigh less than the BP? If so, by how much?

Thanks, and keep up the awesome work!

I actually don't know, but I don't suspect there is too much difference. The designs are extremely similar and they use the same materials.

[FE3-323]

nice fatty tire.... are you using the BJ swaybar & spindle assembly on the stock 323 subframe??? have you compared depths of the BJ & BG spindles?? what offset is that wheel & where can i get some like it

[XelderX]

nice fatty tire.... are you using the BJ swaybar & spindle assembly on the stock 323 subframe??? have you compared depths of the BJ & BG spindles?? what offset is that wheel & where can i get some like it

Just from eyeballing the BG and BJ spindles they are the same. I only had the BJ spindle on the car to test fit the rim/tire. The rim was originally bought to test on my Protege5. I'll be using the BG spindles/swaybar in the final build. The wheels are from Diamond Racing. They are quite heavy (18lbs), but cheap. My race wheels will probably be Spinwerks (15lbs) unless I can come up with a ton of cash for Kodiaks. The wheel in the picture is 6.5" backspacing, but I will have to modify that just a hair. I didn't have the brake rotors on the car at the time. They were buried deep in the garage. I spaced the wheels out about 1/2" from the hub face so the clearance is probably off at least a 1/4" from what it would be with the rotors on. I was mainly concerned with getting the fender cut to clear the tire so exact offset wasn't critical. I'll have some more updates on this next week with proper measurements as I'm going to finish up the front end so I can get to work on the rears.

[FE3-323]

the wheel bearing is larger in the BJ isn't it?

[therieldeal]

nope, the wheelbearings are the same part number as the BG

[FE3-323]

5 lug front swap then... lol

[XelderX]

I could do that, but no sense in adding the extra weight. Reselling 4X100 race wheels is also easier than 5X114.3 wheels. I don't suppose there is a big market for 5 lug conversions on BGs.

[FE3-323]

there is for me.... i need to get the rear 5 lug hub part number still otherwise 5 lug front & 4 lug rears will look mighty off

[XelderX]

Will the 3rd Gen 5-lug rear hubs fit? I have a set for sale if you can use them.

[FE3-323]

unlikely.... but its something to definitely look into.

[benswen]

Not to threadjack, but here's an interesting discussion of European 2nd gen Probe GT and MX-6 Koni Sport inserts:

http://www.mx6.com/forums/1g-faq-suspension/144248-koni-insert-installation.html

If you could find a place to import them, not a bad way to go. Not that you'll need them, since you're going with AWR, but if anyone else is on the hunt for adjustable shocks for a BG, this might be a good way to go.

Koni Sports are also available for European Escort MK V's, including the XR3i. For that matter, there are a ton of suspension parts available in the UK for Escort MK V's - it's just a matter of finding them and importing them.