I welded my door seams, have the nb2 under bracing, and have a roll bar. Adding the door bushings made an immediate and very noticeable difference in overall rigidity in a way I never expected. It's harder to close the doors now, but so worth it. I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

 

wrong thread...

 

Went on a short little run after I installed the door bushings and WOW! I noticed a difference even backing out of my driveway. It's hard to explain... The car honestly just feels more solid. Less interior rattling, less creakines going over the driveway at an angle, just feels more put together. I guess I could say it is a step in the process of getting my NA chassis to feel more like an NB chassis.

I've decided that I'm going to be installing FM's butterfly brace over Spring Break come March- Can't wait!

I'll also probably get my Direzzas mounted around that time as well. Picked up a set of them from TireRack for $249 shipped!

 

So, YES, these Garage Star door bushings are well worth the $70. Even if you already have substantial bracing done to you car, I genuinely recommend these as an additional quick, easy, and cheap upgrade. \m/

 

update- engine blown

 

Seems like you got a good run out of it! What happened?

 

very concise update, 5/7

 

Is it a GReddy manifold or a BEGI AO? Too many years.

 

Spun bearing, I think.

Need to verify with engine disassembly and inspection. I was drifting (sliding around, unremarkably) and abruptly lost power, accompanied by an unforgettable knocking sound. From the limited research I've done it seems likely it could be a spun bearing. If it is a spun bearing, I am torn between identifying the root cause as a) lack of baffle in oil pan, or b) lack of oil.. in engine. This build was living on borrowed time but I would hate to learn I broke it due to poor maintenance. Conjecture aside I am curious to tear down the engine and measure the damage myself.

This happened in the fall of 2018. Build lasted a solid 3+ years of road trips and spirited driving. Learned a lot during the build process and got to meet some incredible people.

Since then the car has been in storage and I have been working. Now I am taking some time off work and got to thinking about this car again.

Thankfully my friend offered me his garage during my visit home which means I might actually have a shot at getting this thing running.

With this draft of my options matrix I am leaning toward "1.6 swap+" in consideration of budget and time constraints.

Figure if I limit scope I can reduce uncertainty, increase my chance of success.

 

Vote for used 1.6 so you can drop it in and get it back on the road. Im confused by your timeline of when it chucked a rod/bearing, but sounds like its been sitting for 3 years. Assuming logs and tune were ok, spend the scope creep $ on injectors & dyno tuning.

 

Old engine is out. New engine on stand. Time to clean and swap parts before re-install.
New engine is a stock 1.6 LNC with 97k miles. Tested compression (cold) 155-156-155-153 in order 1-2-3-4.

Scope creep got the best of me and got the following from Fab9:
- DW 700cc injectors
- DW 200 fuel pump
- Fuel pump wiring kit
- Water Pump/Timing Components/Seals

Other "while I'm in there" considerations include...
- Head gasket
- Coolant re-route
- New hardware on all hot parts

Still need to figure out what happened to my brakes and clutch during in the last 7 years of the car sitting. Car will need a new battery, too.

--
*edit to include additional context / stream of consciousness re: scope creep --

More scope creep:

Could probably do without --

• Head gasket. I am resolved to running the stock head gasket up to 11 psi. Is this inadvisable?
• Coolant re-route. Do I need to do this, or otherwise improve my cooling system? I don't plan on tracking the car any time soon.
• Turbo hardware. Manifold to head, turbo to manifold, downpipe to turbo. Need to see what fits with my hardware.

Reducing uncertainty for tuning --

• New wideband o2 sensor. Trying to get ahead of any troubleshooting during tuning. Should I have a new sensor on hand? Innovate MTX-L.
• Fuel filter. I have had a new one sitting in a box for ~7 years. This should be OK, right? Or would you advise getting a new one? Duralast spec.

Extras --

• Battery options - AGM or what? The Duralast Gold spec I got ~10 years ago is expensive now. Need to research some options.
• GTX valve cover - Any performance gain? Won't exposed cam gears cause an issue for water ingress (?) I have 2x of these in storage. Any other considerations?
• 1.8 LSD swap. I have everything except for the CV axles. Should I try to procure a set of axles?

 

Stock head gasket is fine
Reroute is really nice to do with engine out..
KA Injection sells inconel studs a little cheaper. Are you ok with worrying about if there tight or having to retighten?
Replace rubber fuel hose with Gates e85 hose. I think theres less than 6ft if I remember correctly.
Replace fuel tank sock & fuel filter. 7 Years probably ok since its a dry paper. Worth the risk? spiders/bugs...
Any U1/U1R works. lots of options in lithium or lawn mower. If not agm make sure evap hoses are hooked up.
Nice plus of exposed cam gears is access to t/b and w/p without taking vc off. Car garaged?

 

pending considerations:
-Inconel hardware. Current plan is to re-use hardware. Will see how fast KA can ship...
-Coolant re-route. If I can find or otherwise easily fabricate a coolant re-route today then OK. If not then that job remains "below the line" in consideration of schedule.
-Good point on GTX valve cover. Right now that's also below the line. Notionally I shouldn't have to touch the timing belt or water pump again for another 50k (?) miles.

Can't count on it being garaged -- Not even sure what the plan is for car after it's running again. Need to find a couple buddies to pass it between after I head back to California. Or, or-- try to deal with getting the car smogged out there ... I suppose if I do take it back with me then 1) yes, it will be garaged and 2) water ingress would be less of a concern.

HKS Camshafts
During disassembly I discovered my new engine has HKS 256 camshafts. Confirmed 256 spec on both camshafts, intake and exhaust.

While not explicitly stated when I bought the engine, it was implied to be stock. I don't have any concerns with the HKS camshafts as parts. If anything I am glad they are from a reputable company and they are "stage 1" of the three available specs they used to offer, from what I could find online -- 256, 264, and 272. Finding these parts does/did introduce some uncertainty regarding the history of the engine. I considered uninstalling them and re-installing them to ensure proper install procedure and torque specs. "While I'm in there" could further inspect the journals and rebuild the lifters. source: by Napp Motorsports. Yesterday I decided to trust the camshafts are legit and live with running Rotella T6 to mitigate HLA lifter chatter. Proceeding with the remaining jobs I have to get the car on the road again. I will leave further camshaft inspection and lifter rebuild for the next time the engine pops.

Fuel
-New fuel filter (Duralast stock spec) is in. Used the one I had in storage. Marked with white paint marker vehicle odometer mileage and month/year for traceability.
-New fuel pump (DW 200) is in. Fuel pump came with new sock. and 3x new o-rings. I used 1x new o-ring lubed up with a touch of presumably varnished gasoline to install.
-Inside of the fuel tank looked OK.
-Passing on the fuel pump hardwire kit now as I am behind schedule with my build and I don't know that it is necessary at this time.
-New fuel injectors (DW 700cc) will go in after I am finished with water pump and timing belt job.
-I bought 6ft of SAE J30R9 fuel hose from Autozone for ~$50. First time replacing fuel lines but I can trust the SAE spec, right?*
*future-proofing for e85 flex fuel would be nice. Need to verify SAE J30R9 is rated for that and the higher pressure I would see with supporting mods. If not then research Gates spec mentioned above.

VTPS
-Found a Variable TPS kit I bought from FM back in 2017 for $99 (only specifying cost here because it looks like they sell for $199 now.
-Installed new BMW sensor on donor engine throttle body and made electrical modifications to give myself a break from mechanical work.
-Modified DIYPNP board. 1) TPS SIG from GND to 4L. 2) VREF from "n/a" (unpopulated) to 1N.
-Modified car wiring harness to ensure proper communication between new sensor and ECU. tldr I flipped pins 1 and 3 on vehicle TPS harness.
-Need to verify functionality in Tuner Studio to confirm modifications were done correctly.

Spooly
-Stared at the GT"X"2554R I bought from Greg in 2016 too long and decided it's going on the car.
-Ref. -Journal bearing to (dual?) ball bearing.
-JDS billet compressor wheel.
-New fittings on the way. Finish current > new turbo CHRA fittings chart for reference. and compressor housing ports.
-Verify boost ref. lines are routed correctly to/from EWG
-Re-install Hallman Pro manual boost controller.
-Standby on EBC for now, but think about it. AMP EFI Electronic Boost Control (EBC) Solenoid Kit by DIY AUTOTUNE.

Battery
-Bought NOCO NLP20 LIPO battery. Need to sort 1) connections and 2) mounting.

Fluids
-Engine: Shell Rotella T6 5W-40
-Coolant: Valvoline Zerex green 50/50 mix for Asian vehicle
-Brakes: Motul DOT 4 RBF 600
-Clutch: Motul DOT 4 RBF 600
-Transmission*: Red Line MT-90 GL-4
-Differential**: Amsoil 75W-90 GL-4

*switch from MTL from last fill. Found more metal shavings on my transmission drain plug than I would have liked to see.
**will drain/fill/swap diff fluid when I do the 1.8 LSD swap which I am standing by on for now. Need to confirm which CV axles I need (non-ABS?) and which gear oil to use (GL-5 better?)

Misc:
-New brake master cylinder. from O'Reilly's. Brake Best select brand.
-New clutch slave cylinder. from O'Reilly's. Power Torque brand.
-Wix oil filter.
-NGK 4644 BKR7E spark plugs. Verify gap spec (0.028"?).

Inspection
-The b-side of the valve cover and the oil pan look OK. Much better than the inside of my 155k blown engine. From the lack of burnt oil / grime on the inside I am ~assuming~ the engine was well maintained, or at least didn't spend too much time flirting with redline or go too long between oil changes.

-Oil pan appears to have a hairline fracture from an apparent point of contact with the ground. Fracture extends from cooling fins up toward the top along the edge. I can't see through it. I considered filing and/or grinding away at it to see how deep it goes. After comparing it to my old pan and finding a similar, albeit shorter hairline fracture in/on my old pan along the same edge, I am going to ~assume the new pan is not functionally compromised and move on. New pan is drilled and tapped. Permatex thread sealant (white, ref. 59214) on the way for final install of my 3/8" NPT to (?) AN fitting.

^how are (were) these oil pans manufactured? sand casting, other? some imperfections look not-influenced by external forces e.g., scraping on ground but rather like they have been there and are just a byproduct of the mfg method. research mfg method, acceptable tolerances by Mazda, others' experience with cracked or "cracked" pans.

-Stamping marks on head-mating surface of block. Similar markings found on main / rod (?) caps. Some paint marks on crankshaft. ~assuming these are from Mazda and moving on.

right tool(s) for the job
-Ryobi impact wrench. used for removing flywheel bolts (are these actually torque to yield // one-time use? probably??). $200 for 1x impact wrench, 2x 4ah batteries, 1x 2ah battery, 1x charger. it was actually $200 for the batteries + charger and I got to select a tool for free, Father's day special. Tool only retails for $179. Solid deal after comparing prices online and shopping in-person at Harbor Freight, Lowe's, and finally Home Depot. small plus that the rest of my power tool are also Ryobi, so now I can stay green. Importantly the tool got the job done in 2min. Could have saved myself the ~2hrs of sweat and frustration trying to break loose flywheel bolts from engine dangling from a hoist. reminder for next time -- if you're struggling to that extent it's probably user error.

-Icon snap ring pliers set. again, could have saved myself ~1hr of struggling with my turbocharger snap ring if I bought the right tool from the beginning. had to clock the compressor housing to play nice with my existing IC piping. btw what is the difference, if any, between snap ring pliers and retaining ring pliers? I guess I should start with understanding the difference between a snap ring and retaining ring. tabled.

-Gear pulley set. I chipped the lower timing / crank gear trying to remove it. luckily I have one I can transfer from old motor to new motor (!verify crank gear from SNC can be installed onto LNC engine!). If not then I will use the chipped one. I don't suspect it will impact performance, though it may interact with the timing belt and chew it up over time. if I have to use chipped gear

typing this out made me realize I need to source a fresh gear.

circle back
-list of stuff I'm not doing, some included above.
-right right now need to determine if my chipped LNC crank gear is OK to use or not.

 

On July 2 the car produced 246whp, 202wtq at 12.5psi on 93 pump gas. Redline set at 6900. Dyno chart attached for vis.

E85 + EBC w/ boost up to 18psi = 300whp (?)