Bizob

I just bought a 91 PRotege GT (only model with DOHC in Canada). I went to my mecanic and he said he could do the swap for me, but that it could take awhile and would cost lots of money. Went to a different mecanic who told me he could do it in a couple of days and for about 350-400$. I would like as much info as possible on the swap so I can give as much info as possible to the second guy to be sure he knows what to expect. (I do trust his knowledge, though, he is an aftermarket specialist, contrary to the first guy). If you guys know, from experience or otherwise, what needs to be done, I'd appreciate it! I'll also be swapping in (from GT to SE) seats, power windows, power door locks, rear disc brakes, etc..... My SE will soon be a GT!! sweet! THanks for the help guys!

P.S. I'm doing it soon, so if you guys could let me know fast, it would be really cool. THanks! I'll keep you up to date!!

Bizob

I've got the ECU, 'cause I've got the whole car, so that's not a problem. My mecanic and I both expected that to be necessary....
We'll have to see about the wiring harness once he gets into the swap. Hopefully it does'nt need to be switched, 'cause that just means extra $$...
I would change the tranny at the same time, but $ is a constraint right now... I need to get a back bumper , too.... How big of a difference will this tranny make? Is it worth the extra like 300- 400$ in labor?
I will be keeping all those parts to use as spares, so it can just as easily be done down the line for the same price.
There's a wierd buzzing sound coming from the engine, sounding a bit like leaky exhaust, but more buzzy, which I thought was the intake, but now it seems to be coming from the engine itself or right beneath it. I'm hoping it's the downpipe or something and not the manifold, or worse, the head itself, 'cause it would suck to have to replace that now... My wallet's gonna take a shot. I'm starting to think I shoulda gone all out for the 3200$ BPT.... Whatever, the GT only cost me 750$... That's about 475$US.... For the whole car... I figure the head, seats, power windows, power door locks, door panels, cruise control and winter mags would have set me back close to 3500$ seperately at the scrapyard, so I saved a pretty penny doing it this way...
Anyways, regardless, I'm considering investing a little extra and getting some headers and rebuilding the head while the swao is being made... I'll definately be saving money down the road this way...
I'll keep you all informed. With all these new extra charges I'm seeing being added on, I think the NOS will have to wait awhile longer....
Thanks for the help, and keep the info coming!!

mazdaspeedwest

Bob,

Very cool man! Hope it all goes as smooth as possible....cause we all know there's going to some hold ups and some serious cursing

I really think you should swap the tranny at the same time, and i know your pretty handy, so why aren't you trying it yourself? I bet it would take a weekend with a few friends and a case of Molson It would also be worth your while to carefully pull out the GT's wire harness. It's all plug and play, so i'm sure you could handle it. (remember to use the GT's axles)

Me, Braden and a friend did a tranny swap in just a few hours, it's really not as hard as it sounds.

I suggest getting the DOHC motor completely ready to go before the swap, even if it takes a bit longer.

Bizob

Just droppped the GT off at my mecanic's. He'll be taking off the head and sending it out to be rebuilt (I did'nt have time becasue of work to take it off myself). I had planned on putting it back on my car with headers and ZEX, but the headers are backordered at Pacesetter and the head rebuild slashed my NOS budget. At the moment, it seems it will be going on in stock form until I can get the headers (3-5 weeks!). If anyone knows of any other headers I can get in the same price range (MAX 350$CAN w/ shipping), I would appreciate it. Otherwise, the turbo might have to go on sooner than expected...

Also, does anyone know of a cold air intake for the BP?

One last thing, does the 95-98 BP's valve cover fit the 90-94 BP? I think it has a nicer shape to it and would get one chromed if it fits.

Thanks for all the help!

protegeDX

that swap sounds like a lotta work.

Bizob

It's not that bad. I'm just tired of doing things half-assed. I've got the money now, so I might as well do it right. Rebuilding the head was a choice I made to take the years off the engine. I would'nt have had it rebuilt if I was leaving it stock, but I know that I'll be using some sort of forced induction on it, so it's a better idea to have everything running right first. Still no luck finding some headers yet. I saw another post about polishing the manifold (or mwas it porting it) was just as good if not better. I might have that done, although a big part of my decision to get headers was based on looks, for show, so we'll see... Anyone know how hard it would be to install the headers myself later?

Thanks!

Bizob

The head is on!

It took a little more time and A LOT more money than expected, but it's working and it's faster than my old engine...

Also, because it was rebuilt, it runs good as new. SORTA...

I'm dissapointed because yesterday, I put about 400 kilometers on it and I started seeying a few things I did'nt like:

I had trouble starting it a few times (It takes about 3-4 seconds to start)

The engine light caem on for about 5 seconds at one point.

I'll have both problems checked out first thing tomorrow and let you know what happens. I don't expect to have to pay for any of it,cause I've already given my mecanic 1500$ (that's about 1000 U$)

I'll let you guys know what happens. All in all, it seems to have been worth it so far. I'll let you guys know what happens with the 2 little peoblems....

Bizob

UPDATE:

Two months later...

The coolant sensor was the problem (of course :P) with the engien light....

I've gotten used to the iffy starts, it has'nt not started yet....

One BIG problem I have now is that I'm burning oil.... My Piston ring were in good shape and I am cheap so they were left as is, but now that I have a more powerful engine and I drive harder (orit could be something else that caused it I gues....) It seems i'm burning oil at higher revs....

So to anyone attempting this project, all it takes is to have the pistons lifted and the rings changed, so do it!! And once it'S done, don't kid yourself into thinking you've got a brand new engine 'cuz its not.....

All in all it was a good decidion and I still plan on turbocharging it in the spring....

I'll be taking it to the drag strip next monday, so I'll let you guys know of imrpovements... Keep in mind the SOHC did the 1/4 mile in 16.82@83mph (ouch!! )

WeaDD

Why didn't you do a complete engine swap. I think it would've made life a lot better. Was there something wrong with the motor to why you didn't do it. You could've rebuilt the DOHC motor and swaped it out with the old one. I know money had to play a part in this, but still in the long run it might have been a better idea. That what I would've did

Bizob

My bottom end has 180 000 kms on it. The GT engine had 260 000 kms on it. It's THAT simple..... hehe

Bizob

My car did the 1/4 mile in 15.9sec @ 87mph.... I was a little dissapointed... How does that compare to others that have raced their Pros in stock form? How does my head conversion compare to a stock DOHC? Now I know I'm getting a turbo! And if I can't get that done in time for spring, it'll be NOS in the very least. I was hoping for low 15s.... And my engine work wont be finished 'till I break into the 13s (with the turbo, of course....)

itzkcatz

ok so u have a stock dx pro (sohc) and it ran a 15.9? what mods ???

UCSBgeek

Very nice, I was thinking of doing something similar... I just need the money (and find a way around smog).... Notice how it's labeled "GTR" though

I like those wheels too. Not very flashy but matches the car well. Finding a spoiler would be nice too.

SCiMMiA24

yo tu reste ou à montreal bizob ?????

where do you live in motreal ?!?!

titocruzsd

yeah smog is a b!tch!! that's the only thing holding me back from doing a nice swap.