MLGGK (My Little Glorified Go-Kart)

Budroski

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2002 Mazda Protege5
So I bought a 2002 Mazda Protege5 for $700 with a few issues. Had a starting problem, burned some oil, and had a pretty bad clunk on the rear driver side. Front brakes were quite squeaking.
It had been in a low speed collision in a parking lot so it has a bit of front end damage and the front driver fender and door has some damage.
After driving it for about a month i started getting codes p0301-p0300-p0421 and O2 sensor code.
Gave it a full tune up, replaced the battery, coilpacks, plugs, wires, found the O2 sensor wires severed by the fan blade due to the upper core support being pushed inwards. Pulled off the heat shield and cut the wires for now. Seafoamed the gas and vacuum. Changed the front brake pads and rotors.
So next is pulling out the front end, Ill update it as I go. This is the first car Ive ever worked on, never been a gearhead or grease monkey, more forced out of necessity to keep the car running to support my family but it is definitely very rewarding.
So whats some things I can do to get the most out of this baby? I will be making a trip to the junkyard soon, theyve got 4-5 sitting there. What are some parts I should look for to upgrade?
 
There's not much for engine support but there are suspension goodies out there that arnt too hard to find. If you check out some of the build threads those should give you a good idea of you can do
 
Yeah, Ive thought about beefing up the sway bar and putting a rear strut support in. Ill definitely dive deeper into the threads.
 
The strut support bar is really easy and cheap I got mine of ebay for 20 bucks, the mx6 (?) Bar fits right in
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So I got a new Upstream O2 sensor on order due Friday. Put a new oil filter on and changed the oil. 3.7Q of Valvoline full synthetic, hope that it doesnt burn it up too fast. Oil was looking pretty dark. Started the process of pulling out my front end, tried to tackle the upper rad support and latch bar, played with the latch a bit to try and get it to lock but after 20 mins I said screw it and secured the bungee. My goal was to pull it forward just enough so that the O2 sensor wires would clear the fan. Using some zip ties I was able to pull up the radiator just enough I think. Well find out soon. MLGGK is driving well considering, no new issues.
 
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