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I also need to source the bolts that attatch the down pipe to the engine I bought bolts for $50ish but they attach the down pipe the the cat and the cat to and the etc etc but not the main first connection, so that’s next lol
You mean the studs in the rotor housings? I may have some of those kicking around as well.
Ready to go baby! Picked up like 10-12 hour drive away, from Tennessee all the way back to Indiana Figured I’d drop all these pics because I’ve been a little stuck on doing nothing on the build for a minute and I want at least more frequent updates. P/O clearly had plans Another P/O pic from the listing Look at that handsome fella he’s so happy 😁 Morning after the loooong drive back it’s in the driveway Interior is freakin’ MINT!!!* It has back seats! (I’ve been told they’re not a common option, I believe it, it took almost 2 years waiting for the right sales post to come along.) Way better than those bins I’d never use, plus the kiddos can ride back here on trips to grandmas A photo the following evening
Last edited by MillionMileFC; Apr 21, 2026 at 12:50 AM.
Got to work with brother in law trying to get it to run, we MMO’d the rotors on all seals With decent compression sounds, and poured some oil and gasoline in a 5 gallon jug and shook to mix, then filled the tank, wired up a fuel cutoff/ fuel pump on switch so that it would work, he started! Not for long but he’s coughing and smoking out the neighborhood! We put in new injectors and he went home, I went to work the next morning and the engine fire incident happened. Now it’s time to repair.
Had to add a second post apparently there’s a max limit for photos and/or length so here’s the last one Anyway the engine isn’t blown so at least we knew that the thing wasn’t a waste of money
I bought it sight unseen with no title, but we made sure it wasn’t stolen before buying it
Last edited by MillionMileFC; Apr 21, 2026 at 12:55 AM.
Rear seats are semi rare. I’ve had 3 different sets. My current FC is a base and didn’t even have bins. It has backseats now. No seatbelts though. The hardware is harder to find than the seats themselves.
You’ve got a good start. You planning to keep the auto?
Rear seats are semi rare. I’ve had 3 different sets. My current FC is a base and didn’t even have bins. It has backseats now. No seatbelts though. The hardware is harder to find than the seats themselves.
You’ve got a good start. You planning to keep the auto?
idk how to drive manual, but P/O actually had most of a manual swap kit ready to go when he sold it to me, I have a T2 manual trans and the pedals, I just need a mounting bracket, clutch flywheel, shifter and **** and it should be good to go manual!
I don’t mind keeping auto for a while I just truly want to drive this car no matter the state of it, and my original goal was to learn Motorsport and driving skills so it’ll happen eventually, but for right now, getting it GOING and driving it to work everyday are my main goals with it. And the rest can come later 🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️
FYI, you may want to consider selling the T2 trans unless you're planning on going turbo someday. Almost nothing is transferable between the NA and T2 drivetrains. That includes the flywheel, clutch, starter, trans mount, driveshaft, slave cylinder, etc... and T2 trans are pulling a pretty good price at the moment. Certainly enough to cover all the NA manual parts you'd need. If you do want to use the T2 trans, you're going to need a custom driveshaft or swap out the rear diff and axles as well. Here's a handy chart I put together a while back that you may want to squirrel away until you're ready for your swap:
Also, while I'm thinking of it, the auto chassis has different mounting point than the manual so when you go to do your manual swap, you'll need something like this bracket to adapt to the manual trans.
FYI, you may want to consider selling the T2 trans unless you're planning on going turbo someday. Almost nothing is transferable between the NA and T2 drivetrains. That includes the flywheel, clutch, starter, trans mount, driveshaft, slave cylinder, etc... and T2 trans are pulling a pretty good price at the moment. Certainly enough to cover all the NA manual parts you'd need. If you do want to use the T2 trans, you're going to need a custom driveshaft or swap out the rear diff and axles as well. Here's a handy chart I put together a while back that you may want to squirrel away until you're ready for your swap:
Also, while I'm thinking of it, the auto chassis has different mounting point than the manual so when you go to do your manual swap, you'll need something like this bracket to adapt to the manual trans.
squirreling away asap. Thank you! I may T2 swap someday that’s not out of the realm of possibility. But for right now it stays auto and I’ll get all that stuff when it’s ready 😌
squirreling away asap. Thank you! I may T2 swap someday that’s not out of the realm of possibility. But for right now it stays auto and I’ll get all that stuff when it’s ready 😌
I’d be interested if you decide to part with the TII trans.
It’s not impossible. Considering you are auto and have to purchase all the missing parts regardless.
The biggest issue is the very pricey driveshaft or swapping to a turbo differential. The driveshaft is readily available at Mazdatrix the last I checked. The rears however are getting harder to find and not so cheap when you do find one.
Also being automatic, you have the counterweight to go to a lightweight flywheel already, so that saves you some coin if you wanted to go that route.
I just did research because I thought this was fact but didn’t want to give false info. The automatic driveshaft will mate to the turbo trans and NA diff. But it either needs a spacer or about 1 inch added to the overall length. If you have a local driveshaft shop, it wouldn’t be a difficult process to have done.
Last edited by jerd_hambone; Apr 21, 2026 at 09:30 PM.
It’s not impossible. Considering you are auto and have to purchase all the missing parts regardless.
The biggest issue is the very pricey driveshaft or swapping to a turbo differential. The driveshaft is readily available at Mazdatrix the last I checked. The rears however are getting harder to find and not so cheap when you do find one.
Also being automatic, you have the counterweight to go to a lightweight flywheel already, so that saves you some coin if you wanted to go that route.
I just did research because I thought this was fact but didn’t want to give false info. The automatic driveshaft will mate to the turbo trans and NA diff. But it either needs a spacer or about 1 inch added to the overall length. If you have a local driveshaft shop, it wouldn’t be a difficult process to have done.
not too shabby mate! Thanks for looking into it, I do have a shop like that around here so if they’re still kicking in a year or two I’ll probably go that route because it sounds cool
Guess what came in the mail!!??! A new downpipe and hopefully something to take the flames farther from my engine bay this time hah Working on getting the heat shield off, someone slap the Mazda engineer who put this bolt here and the one behind the front actuator, because without an extension my adjustable wrench took me over an hour to get that thing off
just a little update as I got to work on it and used a longboard as one of those slide under the car dolly’s all the fancy shop guys have, need-aT2 is once again showing his colors in the community by helping me out sending some broken bits I need and he had laying around, to help speed this build along, I think I can get it running before summer is over! That’s my goal now. Drive in the fall colors.
sounds wonderful
This thing is freaking HEAVY man, cast iron I think, might fry an egg on it later idk. Getting whatever sensor back in the new one was a pain idk why but I just couldn’t get it to thread with the wire holding rotation and backing it out while I tightened. And a weird half socket with what looks like a bite out of the side of it from our Honda odyssey was exactly the niche tool I had on hand that I needed in the only size I had to get it out, So, that’s amazingly convenient. But with a little anti seize I got it secured
Last edited by MillionMileFC; Apr 27, 2026 at 10:48 PM.
Next on the list is figuring out EXACTLY how I’m supposed to make all the silicone hoses I bought work in there. There’s so many tubes man, and the ones that aren’t burnt crispy are all disconnected and idek where they came from so that’s the next thing Hoping these pages start making sonse once I’m out there working with the hoses.
Might want to consider adding re-sealing the oil pan to your to-do list
possibly. However, she looks alright mate 😂 I had my suspicions under there, but last time I was here my brother in law had an accident with fire and I figured it all just dripped down and collected down there, and I was hoping that was it, and if I closed my eyes hard enough the problem would disappear 😂
but for continuity and all that perhaps I should.
im gonna wait till I can move it out of the garage and power wash it on a lift or something, its like, too messy for small spaces.
if It’s dry enough maybe a paint scraper will do it lol
idk how to reseal anything 😂 baby me, give me a step by step I’m a newbie
Last edited by MillionMileFC; Apr 28, 2026 at 10:55 AM.
yeah, scrape off the big bits, then WD40 and a LOT of shop towels will get you clean again.
I too like to procrastinate, but you might as well do it while the car is down and save your nice new header from getting all crusty and maybe catching fire too....haha
yeah, scrape off the big bits, then WD40 and a LOT of shop towels will get you clean again.
I too like to procrastinate, but you might as well do it while the car is down and save your nice new header from getting all crusty and maybe catching fire too....haha
lol corrosion resistance, adding that to the dad joke book.
ive got bath towels and degreaser, it’ll do. Lol
bad news.
got fired over the weekend so no more expenditures in income for a little while lol.
I did get another job today, that pays less but it’s an hour closer on a daily commute, and with gas prices at $4.89 it might make more sense to work closer at this point anyway XD
the GOOD NEWS
I’ve got a bunch of parts in now, and I THINK I have everything I need (maybe need a couple sensors still) to get it running, wish me luck.
all that’s left is to put in the fuel pulsation dampener block off kit, put in silicone hoses,
Ill try to route the hoses properly, and turn the key (with a fire extinguisher present)
if it works then I’ll need to register this bad boy and he’ll be my daily driver.
fingers crossed 🤞🏻 love you guys, stay classy, I will update again soon, till next time
