20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Well, instead of making a bunch of small threads on each of the numerous questions I am sure I will have with my 1st gen project I thought I would just make a thread grouping them all together. This next part is kind of a long read but if I thought if your interested in the history I would include it, If your just like man ask the questions you can skip it.

Just a little background, I bought the car for $200. Its a 82 I believe, base model nothing fancy. Its kind of a confusing history behind it but I will try to be as clear as I can:
-I bought it from this guy who wanted to use the car as parts
-the guy I bought it from didnt need the parts because his car got written off
-he bought it from somebody who was just going to take it to the junkyard
-and I think it was the person before junkyard guy who started to strip it down
to be a race car

The guy who was stripping it down only got as far as:
-removing the radiator
-removing the carburetor (he covered up where the carburetor was with
cardboard and was starting to rebuild the carb, so this makes me think that if
he took enough care to do this the engine might be fine, as well as putting on
a new hood and doors)
-removing the fuel tank
-removing the drive shaft
-and completely gutting the interior

So right now as the car sits, all the parts were just thrown back in. I so far have removed all the parts (I have probably 3 huge *** boxes full of parts that I am not going to need, as well as a holley 4 berrel carb which I couldnt figure out where it came from). So as it sits today the interior is bare down to the metal, except for all the wiring harness. The mechanical stuff listed above is still the same. And today I first started with trying to get the fuel tank in, as its currently minus 19 out and thats all I could really stand doing.

Anyways on to my first question, its about the gas tank, and If you can find it fast by searching then I am sorry for my ignorance, but for some reason I could not find it going through the first 4 pages.

Ok so I think my car came with the smaller gas tank, and I picked up the larger one used, although my car is an 82 and the tank I bought is from an 82. Now when I went to connect it there was only 3 hose connections on the tank but I have 4 hoses going to it. 2 of them go towards the front of the car, and 2 of them come off the fuel pump (possibly filter they look the same). 3 of those hoses Our strait cut one is on an angle so it leads me to believe the one on the angle is meant to not connect to anything and just stay open, what do you think?.

Also, the tank is missing the fuel gauge unit (thats what this haynes manual calls it) and it doesnt look like it ever came with one, which is where this electrical connector I have hanging down I believe is supposed to go to so can I just leave it unconnected?

And with the tank size difference, like when I went to put it in it was really pushing up against the exhaust heat shield and the straps I have seem to not really want to rap around. Is there a way to make the bigger one fit?

Im sure I will have more question in the future as I get deeper in the project, but I appreciate all the help with this. Thanks alot guys, and sorry for the long read, I like to hear myself type, hahaha.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Yes, the angle cut hose isn't connected. It goes into a 'cup' under the floor pan by the tank. Download the 82 FSM from my sig line. Section 4 shows the fuek line routing. Fuel tanks from that year were the same size. There was a change from the full size spare tire to the space saver tire which resulted in a smaller tire well and larger fuel tank. I'm not sure what year that happened, but if a full size tire fits in the well, it takes the slightly smaller tank. If you can find a decent fuel level sender, install it. If not, sender wire does not need to be connected, but you will need to make a cover plate for the sender hole.
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20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Alright thanks man. I actually found the sender in my parts pile, so I will just put it on this tank. And come to think of it I have a green painted oem 4 spoke rim with black sides, is that what the full size spare came like on these cars?. If the tank is a bit larger, or the spare tire is larger, how would I go about fitting it under there? just longer bolts instead of replacing the whole strap?

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

If one of the stock tires fit in the wheel well, you need the smaller tank, larger one won't fit beacuse the tire well and tank are mated in size. Can't help on the spare, never seen an early full size one.

20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Is it a big deal though if I just use longer bolts to compensate for the smaller strap and have the tank sitting a bit lower?

comet909

Before installing the sendin unit. You should check that its working. Put an ohm meter on it you should register a resistance. Gently move the float arm and see that the registered resistance (ohms) changes. The FSM has more details. Good luck.

Kentetsu

If it is true that you have the incorrect tank, I don't think I'd advise trying to rig it up. Maybe if there were no junkyards within a couple hundred miles, but otherwise start making some phone calls. Probably won't cost a whole lot, considering you've got one to use as a trade.

It might also be a good idea to take the tank you plan to use to a radiator shop. Have them boil it out (or whatever they do to them) and then maybe coat it before installation. Trochoid should be able to give more details on this procedure since he's been through it already. But cleaning the tank can save you lots of headaches and troubleshooting down the road.

You'll probably also want to rebuild the carb before installing it. A good source of info on the stock carbs is www.sterlingmetalworks.com Lots of articles explaining how they work, rebuilding, modifying, and tuning them to run right. He also does rebuilds if you're not up to it yourself. Either way, its a site worth checking out.

Best of luck to you...



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20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Yeah I was thinking of just making it work because the only 2 I could find were the larger ones, but I might try this local junkyard that apparently has a 1st gen there. Also, I never thought of checking the sending unit, I guess I got caught up in just getting it running, but I will be sure to do so.

I'll post up some pics and progress update once it gets a bit warmer here.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

The 82 FSM shows a fuel tank capacity of 16.4 gal., as does the 85. The 79 lists capacity as 14.5. By those numbers, you should have the larger tank and space saver spare. With that in mind, you may wish to revisit installing the tank and look for any interference/binding and give the install another try.

Kentetsu has an excellent suggestion about getting the tank cleaned and possibly sealed. Anymore I've gotten to the point if a tank comes out for any reason, it gets completely refurbished inside and out, then I never have to worry about it again. I don't particularly like changing them the 1st time, 2nd time is just plain irritating

20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Alright, well tommorow I will take off that weird colored oem tire I have on the car and see if that fits and go from there. I actually had a second to look at the gas tank and it says on the side it was rebuilt by some radiator company here in the city, and the tank seems to be pretty empty of fuel so I am thinking it was just rebuilt. Also, I found the fuel lever sender, and it looks like when they rebuilt the tank they broke off the electrical connector on the sender.

AverageJoe

iTrader: (1)

Hey Stefan. Don't waste your time going to Buck's to look at that FB. They aren't parting it out (that didn't stop me from taking the black shift **** tho, lol).

If you can wait til this weekend i can swing by (maybe with AJ) and we'll give you a hand. Assuming the weather is nice.

20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Alright sounds good. I actually called bucks auto about that FB, apparently whoever I talked to had no idea, and was really insistant, that they never got a white FB there. The only thing she knew was that they were selling a black one for $1500.

Tonight I revisted the gas tank, and I seem to have got it fitting better, I realized that I do have the small spare well. The strap still didnt quite want to fit around the tank, but I think with a little more effort it will work. I also snapped of a few pics before it got too dark and the last one just shows how much the gas tank was sticking out.





Dont mind the terrible scissor jack, I had two jack stands helping to support the car (and it was a good thing too as just as I was lowering the car at the end of the night it collapsed even though it was mean for a car much heavier then this stripped out FB):





Two interior pics, I have so many parts (my trunk and most of my basement is full) I had to put some back in the car:

Kentetsu

Well, it certainly looks like you've got your work cut out for you...

comet909

Working in the snow. Now THAT'S dedication!!

20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

It actually looks like alot more work then it actually is. I just have to bolt up the gas tank, radiator, and carb, and I should have it ready to start. If its running good then I will move on to finish up the interior wiring, put on the driveshaft, brakes, and fix/paint the body. If the engine is blown I will decide where I want to go, but looking at the odometer it only has like 111,000 kilometers, that doesnt always mean the engine is good, but its a good sign it might not be too bad

Yeah I really wanted to get her back on the road, but today its gotten down to the -30's so I still will be able to get some stuff done, but most of it will have to wait.

AverageJoe

iTrader: (1)

Holy ****, Stefan. I didn't think that thing needed THAT much work. Lol. If you decide to scrap the car, I call dibs on that header if its any good and the tail lights. Lmao.

20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

hahaha, there all yours, if I decide to scrap it, but I should have it ready to start by this weekend.

20B 3 Rotor

iTrader: (7)

Well, just an update, I got alot of work done yesterday.

I got the gas tank back on friday night, just before work, and it turns out that you guys were right, the fuel left inside was just turned to complete varnish so I had it acid bathed. I got home at 10 that night from work, and I was feeling amped, not too cold out, so I just thought what the hell, I will put it in. So I grabbed my work light and got the filler neck bolted in and the tank on jack stands. Thats as far as I got before my light broke and it was just impossible to see anything so I packed it in.

I got out on saturday around 9 am, and decided I would finish off the back of the car. I managed to get the fuel lines on the tank, and the straps bolted in. Then I also went and changed the fuel filter. I then moved to the engine bay, and through the course of the day managed to:

1. put on new plug wires on
2. changed the oil
3. put on the intake manifold
4. put on the carburetor
5. figured out and connected all the vaccuum lines
6. got the radiator in
7. ran some new hoses for the radiator as I am not putting in the heater

All I have left to do is put on the ignition cylinder and figure out a couple other wires and I should have it ready to start, as right now I just want to do enough work to get it started, before I go out and buy more parts and put more work on a car that may have the engine blown. As a plus though, I turned the main pulley bolt and it turned so smooth, it wasn't carbon locked at all. For a car that sat for 5 or so years I was forsure expecting that.

Heres a couple quick pictures of the engine bay now:

A shot of the complete engine, before I had the intake just sitting on the intake manifold as there was no carb:





The reason that box is there is because I dont have an oil filler cap, and I just wanted to cover it with something:







Angry carb face, is it me or does mazda make everything look like a face?