Got my Kartboy stuff yesterday! Looks like some good stuff! I think I'm going to have time to install it all on Sunday, just as long as its not really hot or wet out! It rained all day here! Also, just as I pulled in my driveway, my car hit 77,777, so I snapped a pick of that too! Now on with the pics...

Scott

 

i havent seen pics of the hangers installed. let us know how it goes!
-meGrimlock

 

Will do Grim!

And anybody know of a good how-to for the install of the shifter(or even the hangers for that matter)? I'm pretty sure I know how to do everything for the most part, but if I get stuck, the how-to certainly cant hurt! Also, does it require any special tools or just the basic ratchets and screw drivers?

Thanks
Scott.

 

The shifters don't have instructions? Does KB have instructions on their website? It's been like 3 years since mine were installed so I really don't remember...

 

the install instructions on kartboy's website link to a msprotege.com thread that doesnt have pics anymore. here are installation instructions from TWM that should be pretty similar. i also downloaded B&M instructions as a PDF but i dont have a link...sorry.

scroll all the way to the bottom and look for the download link;
http://www.twmperformance.com/shorts...rtshifters.htm

another install (not B&M), hope this helps:
http://www.projectmazda.com/howto/shifter/

 

^^Damn, I knew KB had installation instructions on the site but I didn't know it was linked to a how-to on msprotege...
Thanks for the links...

 

hangers, pretty straight forward, just need a 'lil muscle

 

uhh, thats weird i got 6 hangers instead of 4. i wonder why?

 

....Maybe they sent you hangers for the 6?

And thanks for the how-to's Grim...I already knew of the TWM, but it looks like its the best around, so I guess I'll be using that!

Thanks again,
Scott

 

well, installed it this weekend, the write ups and directions are right on. but i am a weakling and got pwnd by the strength required to get the OEM rubber bushing out. this is def a project to use a hydraulic lift and bring the car 6ft in the air since it was nearly impossible for me to reach all the nuts and bolts by lying on my back. where they say it takes 1 hour to complete, thats 1 hour if you are a strongman competition participant. it took my friend and i almost 3 hours. most of it was strugling with our lack of burly strength. bending the heatshield to compensate for the short shifter's lower fulcrum point was a pain too. i think i'll just look for spacers like TWM provides in their kit and try it out.

also found where to use 2 of the 4 hangars (they are in between where you install the shifter and bushings.) all in all it will take some getting used to. it takes considerable amount more force to move the lever. i even purchased the mazdaspeed oem **** to fit on the msp style short shifter. the added weight of the **** helped a little, but its a possible upgrade in the future. i think i could've just done with the yellow bushing upgrade but we'll see how it goes. will get pics on as soon as i can.
-meGrimlock

 

more force? I installed the bushings and mine seemed easier to shift... but i didnt install the shifter and all though... just the bushings... as for the hangers, i'm no body builder either.. i just put a screwdriver through one end and pried it off

 

If the bolt and nut that connects the shift lever to the change control rod is too tight, the shift lever can be difficult to move. Use a torque wrench: according to the FSM, the torque setting should be 12-16 ft/lbs (16-22 N/m).

 

Spray the old exhaust hangers with WD-40 and they will slide off with a little force. I used a slight rocking motion to get them over the lip of the metal bracket. You can use it on the new hangers too, but make sure you are putting them in the right place as they are a cast-iron bitch to remove (I found out the hard way). The larger ones go on the back, otherwise your tailpipe will hit the bumper cover.

 

what i meant was with the shorter shifter, your leverage is compromised (and that kartboy is unbelievably short! ^_^). that requires slightly more force to move the lever into gear. the weighted **** helps a little, though the msp **** is considerably heavier than stock, it's still gonna take me a while to get used to. a torque wrench is the 1 tool i forgot, i hand tightened the bolts till they were pretty secure.
-meGrimlock

 

Hah, what a coincidence! I installed my stuff yesterday! It was kind of spontaneous, I jacked up the car to see how hard it was going to be, but next thing I knew a friend was over and I was wrenching away! Probably took me about an hour and a half to two hours. 30 minutes of that time was trying to get the snap ring out and then going to my local hardware store for the right tool for the job! The bolt for the bushings was pretty darn hard to get off! Luckily a friend left a bottle of liquid wrench here from when we were working on his dirtbike and I think that helped!

I love the outcome! I agree with "-youGrimlock," it does take a little force to shift, but the throw is considerably shorter, so I wont mind getting used to it. I didnt have any problems with it hitting the heat shield though, I thought I did while putting it in, but it was my friend who was holding the wrench for the nut who tapped the heatshield.

Didn't have time for the hangers though, hopefully next weekend!

I'll also post pics when I can!

Scott.