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ItalynStylion's 1995 Silver R2 build...what's old is new again
Been here a while.....longer than I'd like to admit. This isn't my first FD but I'm planning on having it a while. Saw this car for sale for the better part of a year (here on the forum) and was curious if it was still for sale. It needs a LOT of work but she's got it where it counts! It's a 1 of 16 in North America Silver R2 and it's certainly seen better days. The suspension was completely rotted out, engine needs a rebuild, and literally every bushing needs to be replaced. But other than that, the interior is damn good and the body is almost perfect. So begins my build...
Goals for this one boil down to one principle...maintain the original purity and intent of the car as Mazda intended but use new technology that's available today. So where possible, improve what's already there but do so in a way that keeps the essence of the car. Although this wont be a daily driver (I have a Tacoma for that) I want it to be as drivable as possible in a variety of conditions. I want this because I feel like being able to enjoy a good car frequently is better than enjoying a great car sparingly. That being said, I won't be cutting any corners, but I also won't be sacrificing drivability or function for dyno-queen numbers or track times.
So with that said, I give you....the vehicle. (Tacoma also pictured)
Last edited by ItalynStylion; 05-19-19 at 04:55 PM.
Step 1: No drivers car on the planet has shitty suspension. Mine, was totally toast. 136k miles and nearly a quarter century had taken their toll on the beast. Pulled the suspension and found some fantastic ****...
So I quickly remedied that problem with a set of Ohlin's from @SakeBomb Garage . Fast shipping and excellent service. I was super pumped to get these in. They made a WORLD of difference and I haven't even done the bushings and pillow *****....YET. Stay tuned for that one.
I also realized I'd be spending a LOT of time under the hood. After spending weeks of my life working around the janky hood prop in my last FD I decided I could afford to step it up. NRG Hood Prop kit from @Banzai-Racing . It's already making my life a LOT easier.
The OEM windshield was fairly junk after who knows how many years on the car. I've never really seen glass scratched. Chipped? Yes. Broken? Sure. But never really seen a windshield that had large abrasions. This one had pretty much all 3. I was worried about finding a windshield for a 25 year old car but Safelite auto glass did the job for $250. I was BLOWN AWAY. Seriously, glass and labor together was 250.
I also took this opportunity to remedy one of the issues that plagued my last FD....no gate/garage door opener solution. I'm a fan of HomeLink; big time. I HATE having janky remotes in my car because they tend to rattle and it drives me up a wall. Thus, I needed an elegant solution. I'd come from a 2017 Golf R that I had to install an OEM VW Homelink mirror in (yes, a $40k car that doesn't come with Homelink) and remembered how much I liked that solution. Only needs two wires for hookup and it's auto dimming too. Brilliant. So while the glass was out I had the guy glue this one on and I did all the wiring. Easy as pie. It looks OEM, doesn't blind me at night, and no rattling remotes to be found!
Very nice and thxs for the idea on the rear view mirror.
You're welcome. If you're interested in which one, it's the model linked below. Not super cheap but it's a great piece. You'll have to heat up the trim piece a little bit so you can bend it to fit the curvature of the FD windshield. The Golf R windshield has a slightly different profile. Wasn't that bad. https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...nk/000072548c/
Nice! I've thought about adding Homelink in some form to my car.
Is the mirror same height or higher/lower than OEM?
Dale
Each mirror attaches to the windshield via it's own proprietary "puck". that glues onto the glass. As long as you affix that puck to the glass in the same spot as the OEM mirror it should be a nearly identical height. If you were wanting to change the position then you'd just change where you attach the mounting puck.
Got around to doing some more stuff. Last week was a blur of suspension parts. I took out every single suspension component to change each and every bushing/pillow ball on the car (even the diff bushings). It was a LONG bit of work but I got it done. I went with Superpro bushings this go around. Last time I owned an FD I went with PowerFlex which push in by hand (one on each side) very easily. SuperPro bushings require a vise or press of some kind and are a bit more work but I think they are just a wee bit softer than the PowerFlex material which I find desirable. I wish I got more pictures of this process but my hands were covered in bushing grease. Oh well, got a few shots.
The great flying FD...
Everything has to come out. Fun times.
Cracked diff bushings. They are fluid filled so these had to go ASAP.
My tool of choice for pressing in the new bushings. $16 at Lowes.
I also took this time to get the shifter in order. Ended up going with the Banzai short shifter. Won't be able to tell if I like it till I drive the car later this week.
^It's possible you have a slightly bent power plant frame. Friend's car had the exact same shifter placement - it was pushed over towards the passenger side of the car and hitting the body of the car. We jacked around with his PPF, trying to align it and monkey with it, but no dice. Got a replacement and bolted it up, the shifter was dead center.
I compared both PPF's trying to document what was bent or how to identify a bent one with no luck. It's very subtle. There were no cracks or anything either.
Also not sure of a way to fix or shim a bent PPF. Sucks having to replace the whole thing and also hoping the one you get is straight.
^It's possible you have a slightly bent power plant frame. Friend's car had the exact same shifter placement - it was pushed over towards the passenger side of the car and hitting the body of the car. We jacked around with his PPF, trying to align it and monkey with it, but no dice. Got a replacement and bolted it up, the shifter was dead center.
I compared both PPF's trying to document what was bent or how to identify a bent one with no luck. It's very subtle. There were no cracks or anything either.
Also not sure of a way to fix or shim a bent PPF. Sucks having to replace the whole thing and also hoping the one you get is straight.
Dale
Thanks for the response. I kinda thought that might be the case. I was curious why it was such a bitch to get to those bolts. I actually used a pry bar to flex out the movement to get to to the bolts. Kinda sucked to do and I figured it wasn't supposed to be that way. You're right, the PPF had no cracks or anything in it. In fact, it was in VERY good shape. I'm not sure what the motor mounts look like yet as I've not checked.
What would cause a PPF to bend? Any cause for concern if I just run it this way? The diff bushings pictured above weren't great but they aren't terrible for a 136k mile car.
Not really sure. I've seen it in other FD's before the one that I found the root of the problem on - same deal, install a short shifter and notice the trans is pushed over to the side.
Both cars that I have seen it on that I know the history of had some serious power (single turbo) and were drag raced at a previous point in their lives. That might be part of the equation.
Wondering if the PPF on the diff side could be shimmed a bit to pull the drivetrain back into square. There's 1 PPF bolt that goes in to the side of the PPF and into the diff, wondering if a small spacer between the PPF and the diff might make a difference. But, I seem to remember the PPF pretty much just goes on where it goes on, there's very little slop or adjustment.
Bad motor mounts could cause the engine to sag to the side which may be a factor. The last car I saw this on had brand new IRP motor mounts so that wasn't an issue.
If the trans isn't hitting the frame of the car it's not that big of a deal, mainly annoying/aesthetic.
Bad motor mounts could cause the engine to sag to the side which may be a factor. The last car I saw this on had brand new IRP motor mounts so that wasn't an issue..
Dale
This one is still rolling stock twins (that are end of life I believe) so I doubt it made much power in the past.
Originally Posted by cloud9
Gotta ask - was the diff in with ppf and all bolted up when you did the shifter or were any of the components disconnected at the time?
Good question. Everything was bolted up and put back together. Car was sitting on its wheels. One thing I was just thinking about is the PPF went on just fine when I went to put it back in. I had the diff bushing mounts all mounted to the car and had a jack supporting the front of the diff. The PPF slid right into place without a fight. I'd think if it was bent it would be offset a bit and hard to get on right?
The other bent PPF's I've worked with bolted on easy, no fight.
I spent a LOT of time comparing the good one and the bad one trying to figure out some tell tale to spot a bent one off the car or verify that it is a problem. No dice. It's extremely subtle. So subtle that I couldn't tell a difference with the 2 PPF's sitting off the car right next to each other.
The whole drivetrain is supported by 4 mounts - the 2 motor mounts and the 2 diff mounts. It is possible that if one is busted, sagging, torn, etc. it can change the alignment of the drivetrain. In the case that I worked on all mounts were aftermarket - Superpro diff mounts and IRP motor mounts.
Had some time to get the headlights sorted FINALLY! Got my HID kit from @SakeBomb Garage more than a month ago now and haven't had time to get them in the car. Finally got other jobs on the car finished so this was next in line. I'll admit, I had quite a time getting these to fit well. Pro tip, the PDF for the install instructions references a different ballast. Not sure how different they are in terms of dimensions but I think the newer ballasts are bigger. Thus, they don't fit in the suggested place. At least they didn't for me (your mileage may vary). In the end, I ended up laying them on their side with the wires pointed towards the center of the car. I used 3M heavy duty foam tape on 3 sides of the ballast and that seems to have done the trick. Will it stay there permanently? No idea; ask me in a year.
Either way, the housings themselves fit perfectly and the workmanship on them is great. Haven't had a chance to drive the car at night (since I don't drive it right now) but I'll hopefully get to see them soon.
Well here's a quick teaser for what's coming. Nearing the end of a full rebuild with a LOT of new goodies on the car (which I will detail soon). Got a call from Chris at Rotary Performance yesterday. He spent the day getting a preliminary tune on the car. Currently, we're on wastegate spring pressure (8psi) and the water/meth injection system is NOT active. I'm going to put some break in miles on the motor and then he will finalize the tune. Shooting for about 400. Based on my experience on their dyno, that reading should be quite a bit more elsewhere.
Here's the initial graph on only 8psi. The second graph is my previous FD on 13psi (totally different build) on the same dyno.
05-19-19, 04:48 PM
ItalynStylion's 1995 Silver R2 build...what's old is new again
