The Mustard Nugget

Apu

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:
323 SP20
Hi all, I*m Bryan from Sydney and recently acquired a 2001 Mazda 323 SP20 (as we call it down-under) to work on with my son, and give him some experience on the track.

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Unfortunately, that pic is from the for sale ad...it was no where near as shiny as the pic suggests. Paint was badly oxidised, pads were pretty much down to the metal, leaking cam seal, etc but it was a single, mature owner car that spent most of it*s life outside of big cities.

What surprised me was that for its age and 290,000kms, it still pulled all the way to redline with no smoke...yet. I paid A$2200 (~US$1600) for it - cars are more expensive here, and got to work. The front quarter panel polished, and the faded door waiting it*s turn.

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We then got onto the brakes - Mazda6 calipers with new pads and 273mm rotors
 

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Welcome Apu. Not many of us Aussies on M24/7, good to see another Oz SP20 owner on board.


For linking the photos, I use https://postimages.org/, then copy/paste the direct link URL with
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Which Mazda6 brakes did you fit? That is on my to do list. Any hints? Is the Mazda6 flex hose being used on your set up?
 
Welcome! Looks like the car is scrubbing up pretty well

What disks did you use for the swap, they look a whole lot more grippier than the standard ones
 
Thanks! Still a bit more cleaning to do. I did the oil change on the weekend and man...it*s dirty under there.

Rotors are RDA, and Protex blanks for the rear.

There*s a bit of play in the shifter and I*m looking for bushes for it...or a short shifter. I*m hoping the shifter from my DC2 Type R fits!
 
i just ordered corksport bronzeoil shifter bushings along with the 3rd link bolt kit the other night to try and reduce the play in my shifter; hopefully itll stop making 3rd gear look like its in 5th gear.. should check those out!
 
A bit of progress over the last few weeks. So the brakes off the GG wagon work really well - theyre only 274mm, so an improvement over the stock ones. I had hoped to get the larger kit but wasnt able to. Have yet to be tested at the track!

A friend of mine who has been learning to weld is building a new exhaust...I suspect it will be quite loud given the size of the resonator and muffler, compared to the original unit!

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I had these wheels on my Integra previously and since they were lying around...

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17x7.5 Prodrive GC05F made by Rays Engineering. Nice and light! But not lighter than stock I dont think...
 
grffn - the car is actually intended for my son, but I just can*t help myself. I*d love to lower the car but he*s got to pay for something...unless I can*t help myself again! It does annoy me though, that gap.

LankyKiwi - I*m hoping to gain a few ponies! This is my mates first attempt at building an exhaust and we*ve figured out one of the flanges are in the wrong place already, haha! I*m a bit concerned it will be too loud though, but the stock resonator looks like a 2.5* that*s been reduced, so hopefully that will fit if we need to quieten it a bit.
 
yeah that wheel gap would annoy me! but lovely looking car nonetheless. i see, if anything you could go for the cheaper option and get some lowering springs! improve the handling a bit, eliminate that wheel gap, and save some money that you'd be spending for a full coilover set up.
 
I did think about that but its coming up on 300,000kms...I haven*t had a solid look underneath but would assume the shocks are getting to end of life.

Perfect excuse for *replacement*.
 
A little more progress on the exhaust system - rear section now complete. We ran out of 45deg bends so cut a section of a 90deg and angled the cuts a bit. Now to get the hangers on.

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Test fitted

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I think the cat must have started to blow itself to bits. There*s a whole bunch of little bits of stuff rolling around in the old rear muffler. Just as well this is getting done!
 
Thanks! Still a bit more cleaning to do. I did the oil change on the weekend and man...it*s dirty under there.

Rotors are RDA, and Protex blanks for the rear.

There*s a bit of play in the shifter and I*m looking for bushes for it...or a short shifter. I*m hoping the shifter from my DC2 Type R fits!

i had a friend fit a ek civic's short shifter into a 90-94 protege before. perhaps it'll be similar?
 
The Mustard Nugget developed an unwillingness to start recently. Typically on hot start.

I changed the battery as it was dying, and changed the plugs as well. The gaps on the old plugs were much wider than the new ones and they were really white, so I was hopeful the problem would be sorted. Unfortunately not.

The starter is working, and turns strongly but the car just won*t fire up unless i crank it for 3-5 seconds.

A mate of mine recently bought another SP20 to strip for parts so will change a few things over - like leads and so on. I*ve already swapped the cam sensor from that car.

Anyone else encounter this?
 
Ah man, hope you get it running soon! You have a very clean SP20 and I like following the progress of it.
Did you try checking the fuses? Including engine bay AND inside via driver left under the steering wheel? Might be something as simple as that.
 
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