XelderX's '88 323 Wagon

[XelderX]

A couple of pictures of the engine bay after I cleaned it. I really should have taken some before shots. It was basically completely black/brown. A full can of Engine Bright and a lot of scrubbing got most of it white again. I finally got the transverse brace painted and installed. That thing had way more crud on it than I thought and it took forever to clean.

[XelderX]

Well, 1 step forward...2 steps back. I got the SOHC and Miata blocks torn down last night to see what was in good shape. The Miata block looks great and just needs to be honed. The Miata crank is trashed. The #2 rod bearing had spun and the journal came out .019" worn. The SOHC crank measured out OK and will hopefully just need to be polished out. It's the lighter of the two cranks anyway. I'll have to check the #2 rod from the Miata blank to see if it is salvageable. If not I've got another Miata block I can tear down.

[wgneyz]

nice man sounds like it coming alone nicely

[tehstocker99]

subbbin!

[XelderX]

Finally things are moving forward. I got my block and crank back from the machine shop today. They said that the crank journals and the cylinder bore were borderline but were still in spec. i told them not to worry about boring it or grinding the crank for the next size bearings. I need to get this thing on the road without spending too much more money. I'll run a little heavier oil in it to help with the bearing clearances.

I painted the block gold (a little darker than usual) like I do all my motors and I'll have a neat little color combo on the valve cover as well. I'll start putting the block back together tomorrow night.

I need one more piece to complete the passenger side motor mount and Mazda doesn't sell it anymore. I'm going to check with Ford and see if they have any sitting around. If I have to I can make it.

I also replace the bearings in the front spindles. I need to snag a new set of lower ball joints before I bolt all that together.

[mazkam]

What is the width between the front bolts for the lower front control arm? The width of the bolts for my bf is wide & I need the measurement of a bf that have good alignment so i can know how far off mine is. After which i can get them drawn in & tie up the front end to prevent it from spreading in the future.

[XelderX]

What is the width between the front bolts for the lower front control arm?

I will get that for you later on this evening.


In other news, I learned that you cannot put the Miata pistons on the SOHC rods. In the SOHC the wrist pin is press fit to the rod and allowed to float in the piston. The Miata, like all the newer motors, has the wrist pin pressed into the piston and the rod floats. The wrist pins are identical between the two motors. Putting the Miata pistons on the SOHC rods would have meant the rod would have been locked onto the wrist pin and the wrist pin would have been locked to the piston. This would mean the rod would be locked in position relative to the piston and not allowed to swing and follow the crank rotation. One of my Miata rods is just too far out of spec to trust in a rebuilt motor so it looks like I'm going to have to tear down my other Miata block to get another rod. Just another small setback...I'm really needing to finish this thing since I have 2 other projects that need to be completed by the end of this month.

[XelderX]

What is the width between the front bolts for the lower front control arm? The width of the bolts for my bf is wide & I need the measurement of a bf that have good alignment so i can know how far off mine is. After which i can get them drawn in & tie up the front end to prevent it from spreading in the future.

I measured 27 3/8" from center to center of the front control arm bolts.

[mazkam]

I measured 27 3/8" from center to center of the front control arm bolts.

Thanks XelderX, greatly appreciated.

[XelderX]

Old, worn out SOHC...




And now the new hotness...




B6 block, Miata pistons, SOHC crank...Capri stuff to make it work.

I'm hoping to have the motor back in the car tomorrow, but it will probably be later in the week before I have all the odds and ends together to see if she'll run.

[FE3-323]

if/when you get bored with the B6dohc.... the FE3 drops right in

[Mazda_Powered]

well if it runs as nice as it looks, then you're set lol.

[Chad]

i want!

[Escortfan]

Ooooohhhhh mmmmoooommmmaaaa, those rx7 wheels really set it off. I <3 323 wagons, very hard to come by though :S Nice looking motor and car buddy!

[structureboy]

Great color choice for the block! Lookin good...