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I would have replaced it with a $2 stud if it was easier. You have to pull the axle to get the rotor off and I think the FSM says to pull the axle to replace studs anyways. You can pound them out on the car and cleverly fish them back in but driving them home is tricky, especially without a hoist.

The die was the easier option

Well it's finally happening after amost a year and a half. The engine is going in tomorrow.

I finished the last piece of the puzzle testing the starting circuit. The radio plays, the lights and horn work, the starter spins, the ignition circuit works, the dash wiring has been repaired. The power booster, master cylinder, power steering box, coupler and steering lines and underhood wiring replaced just to name a few things .

Can't wait

RC10th wrote:Well it's finally happening after amost a year and a half. The engine is going in tomorrow.

I finished the last piece of the puzzle testing the starting circuit. The radio plays, the lights and horn work, the starter spins, the ignition circuit works, the dash wiring has been repaired. The power booster, master cylinder, power steering box, coupler and steering lines and underhood wiring replaced just to name a few things .

Can't wait

Awesome! We need a video of the magic moment.

My hooptie will be on the road soon.

The engine is in finally, and it didn't go in easily or smoothly. I also had to pull and move the transmission cross member and remove 30 years of grease, dirt and oil as it was set up for an FMX which has a different mounting location.

It lightly rained on and off so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, plus I got a late start. Tomorrow I'll try to bolt up the drive shaft, torque converter nuts, splash sheild, exhaust, speedo cable, carb, throttle bracket, kickdown linkage, heater and fuel hoses, transmission lines and some of the accessories if I can.

Not far to go now... I've ordered a new power steering pump and just need to get a VPW trans cooler, overflow tank, make up some battery leads and lengthen the throttle cable.

RC10th wrote:Tomorrow I'll try to bolt up the drive shaft, torque converter nuts, splash sheild, exhaust, speedo cable, carb, throttle bracket, kickdown linkage, heater and fuel hoses, transmission lines and some of the accessories if I can.

Not far to go now... I've ordered a new power steering pump and just need to get a VPW trans cooler, overflow tank, make up some battery leads and lengthen the throttle cable.

I'm glad there's not much to go then.....

I haven't been working on car engine rebuilds and replacements for about 15 years now..... but there's just something of a watershed moment when the new/replacement engine is sitting right there in the engine bay..... great work matey, loving this thread!

Alex

I got most of what was on my list done despite my wife kidnapping me for a few hours to look at cabinets. I also forgot a few bolts for the harmonic balancer pulley and sandwich plate splash sheild, and of course the local parts store was closed the hose clamps I had were too big too so I need to get some smaller ones tomorrow.

Everything under the car is pretty much buttoned up. I'll post a better update tomorrow but here is a useless pic under the car.



Alex used to play with big cars do tell.....

Great looking engine bay,

Planning on historic rego or normal rego (not sure what state your in...)

green510 wrote:Planning on historic rego or normal rego (not sure what state your in...)

By the end of this project, I think "tired" will be the state he's in....

RC10th wrote:Alex used to play with big cars do tell.....

Well, hardly BIG cars... but for about 15 years the family used to rally small Mazdas, as well as have them as our road cars. We regularly performed engine swaps and conversions, and all those other jobs... not to mention repairs to cars that got (somehow) written off

Mostly 808s and 1300s, but we had a rally RX2 for a while. It doesn't sound like much, to convert an 808 wagon from a factory-fitted 1300 engine to a factory-fitted 1600.... but it was a generational change, and they swapped everything over left-to-right in the engine bay! Ahh, the good old days, of rolling a big 808 wagon on to it's roof in the back yard to get at the suspension components easier.....

Of course, that was a LOOOONG time ago...

Alex

Incredible_Serious wrote:

green510 wrote:Planning on historic rego or normal rego (not sure what state your in...)

By the end of this project, I think "tired" will be the state he's in....

Thanks, it will get normal registration as it will be my daily driver. It was my daily for 4 years untill the old engine finally gave up.

Tired is pretty close, three days straight and it's nearly done, I pulled up better then I thought I would though.

South Australia is where I reside but feel like a fish out of water. I'm originally fron California and my wife Melbourne, SA is a bit backwards I think.

Incredible_Serious wrote: Well, hardly BIG cars... but for about 15 years the family used to rally small Mazdas, as well as have them as our road cars. We regularly performed engine swaps and conversions, and all those other jobs... not to mention repairs to cars that got (somehow) written off

Mostly 808s and 1300s, but we had a rally RX2 for a while. It doesn't sound like much, to convert an 808 wagon from a factory-fitted 1300 engine to a factory-fitted 1600.... but it was a generational change, and they swapped everything over left-to-right in the engine bay! Ahh, the good old days, of rolling a big 808 wagon on to it's roof in the back yard to get at the suspension components easier.....

Of course, that was a LOOOONG time ago...

Alex

A Mazda guy huh.... My wife used to rally (navigator) in an RX7 in Melbourne followed by a VC Commodore. Barry was the driver, dunno the surname though.

A guy I work with just had a 12A Turbo Bridgeport built and put in his RX7 and has had nothing but trouble with it. It has been sitting in his garage for almost a year, he starts it up and drives it around the block every so often but hasn't sorted out the issues yet.

Here's my update.........

Nothing ever goes to plan. My custom stainless kickdown rod didn't fit in the car and I was dreading having to deal with it. It ended up costing me $300+ AUD and I was pretty bummed it didn't work (it fit perfect on the pallet though.) I already ruined a $125 spare from the wreckers trying to re-bend it.

I though well, I've got nothing to lose so I went ahead and bent my $300 rod. I ended up using an old water pump pulley to bend the rod without kinking it, this worked surprisingly well. I also had to modify some of the other bends, but in the end it all worked out well and you couldn't tell that I re-bent it...... phew.......

The engine builders had too short of screws in the water pump for the alternator brackets, so I had to find and clean the proper ones.

I left tape on the shifter cable to protect it from grease and damage when I put it in, the old engine was still in at that stage. I left it for months which was a big mistake. Cleaning the tape goo off was a real PITA.

Although the radiator is fairly new (only been on the car 6 months) I'll take it down to get hot tanked, pressure tested and painted before going back in.

The hood is now bolted on and there is only about 1" clearance from the air cleaner to the hood. Just gotta install the power steering pump, install radiator, clean and install transmission hard lines, set up the B&M shift cable and run vaccuum hoses. About one more days work and it should be ready to start.

What a pile of work you have done. Looking good!

Gettin' there....

Thanks guys, aside from physically rebuilding the engine and trans every nut and bolt etc has been turned by myself. No help from anyone. I tried to get my wife to turn the engine over so I could torque the torque converter bolts, that failed. I tried to get my wife to help again to put the hood on, that failed too so put it on myself..... now that was fun....

I got my "refurbushed" radiator back today which I only dropped off at lunch yesterday. Although the radiator has only been on the car 6 months and sat for a year I decided to have it cleaned and painted. The shop only charged me $150 to take the top tank off, clean the tubes out with a brush, solder the tank back on, pressure test and repaint it. They also resoldered the lower hose fitting. You'd swear it was a brand new radiator, a new radiator is over $400.

I should get everything pretty much buttoned up tomorrow

I wonder what it will sound like?

3 weeks and it should finally be on the road......

Just waiting on power steering pump and trans cooler, everything else is done finally.... phew.... I would have had the power steering pump in the car already but nearly had a heart attack when I found out it was $400 for a rebuilt OEM unit

I spent hours and hours trying to adjust and line up the B&M shifter swivel and wiring to my liking. I finally got it where I'm happy with all the gears except reverse which is a bit long. It still positively engages into reverse but the swivel is tighter then I like. I had to remove and bypass the Ford neutral safety switch and reverse lights. I thought I could leave it after skimming over the instructions but that was for the AOD, Doh.... I cut the correct color coded wires out of my fried wire loom to extend the switches. I also painstakingly fed them down the LPG wiring harness tube so everything looks factory and is tidy. The reverse lights work properly now as they never did quite work right.

I spent three hours driving around the other day buying small little bits, and the last three days I've been working on the car till 10:30 at night.

The shifter sucked, click a gear, climb under car to check swivel, adjust cable, click another gear, climb under again.... about 1,000 times

RC10th wrote: The shifter sucked, click a gear, climb under car to check swivel, adjust cable, click another gear, climb under again.... about 1,000 times

Oh the joys of working on something alone can't wait to see the finished product. So close now.