Jeez, that's barely even half the life of a traditional clutch! Breaking the shifter too...You sure you weren't just a rally driver whose times were reflected by how hot the pizza was on arrival?
Last night, replacing the transmission seemed like too tall of an order. It's still a big job, don't get me wrong. The parts aren't cheap. There was no way in hell I was going to pay over a grand or so for such a job, so I decided to try the "friend of a friend" option I had.
And holy s***, this going to work!
I called up the guy, and learned that If I get the parts myself and I do the work while he instructs me how to do everything, I only have to pay a drastically reduced price. If I had everything I needed on me right now, I would only pay him 225 bucks for his guidance and full use of all his professional tools.
Naturally, while I'm under there, I'll also have to take a look at the flywheel and the clutch assembly, so I'll have to get this fixed up too. You know, I may or not get some gauges in the car now, but I think I might actually get an upgraded clutch + a lightened flywheel! I believe I'm still a verified member of Mazda Motorsports, so I've access to some price cuts on otherwise expensive parts.
So, looks like I'll research the following:
Mazdaspeed Transmission....................$? (going to quote JP Parts)
Mazdaspeed Chromoly Flywheel............$254.61 (Mazda Motorsports Store)
Performance Clutch Kit........................$? (Not one of those 4-puck ones!!)
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Total = .............................................$225 (guidance/tools) + $254.61 = $479.61 + $X
If I'm lucky, I can do a transmission overhaul/upgrade for less than a grand. Man, what a turn of events.
But hey, I'm still going to have to crack open that transmission to check for those welds. Good call, 323. I didn't think they'd be weak!