Keep doing this exercise with every engine you can think of until the right answer presents itself.
Now, for the transmission, the VW/Porsche route seems smartest, since so many bellhousing adaptors are already available in the sandrail world. Just remember to consider the gear ratios carefully after you have some idea of what your powerband will look like.
Gimme An R!I have grown tired of my current car and want something that will be an amazing ride without attracting all the attention of a popular performance car. I am thinking I should buy something practical to drive everyday and keep my 1991 Mercury Tracer LTS as a sleeper. As I recall, Mazda built the 323 GTX with a boosted 1.6-liter engine and all-wheel drive. Should I create an automotive Frankenstein and build a boosted, four-wheel drive LTS, or should I just save my money and get something worth driving, like an EVO MR?Colin FrakeWilmington, Vermont
I'll give you your answer in the form of a question. What do you get if you take a Mercury Tracer and peel the T off the badge?
Damn straight, brotha! The Mercury Racer is the way to go. If you reapply the T to the end of the badge (re-using old parts is the cornerstone of beater engineering) you'll have a Racer LTST. With that many T's it has to be a turbo.
OK, seriously, the supply of 323 GTX drivetrains from Japan has dried up and the car sold in such low numbers here that the odds of finding a crashed runner are virtually zero.
You don't really want to deal with the all-wheel drive part anyway. All-wheel drive wasn't that good in the GTX era. Skip the major structural changes that AWD requires and just focus on finding a 1.6 turbo to bolt into the car.
Your (T)Racer is basically a Mazda 323. So was the Mercury Capri Turbo, which used the same engine as the GTX, but in front-drive form. Capris find their way into junkyards all the time simply because they are too shitty to bother keeping on the road. Odds are good the engine will need a valve job, a turbo rebuild, and possibly more. Odds are equally good, though, that a Turbo Capri could end up in the boneyard simply because the top is shredded and a replacement costs too much. You can also keep your eye out for the extremely rare Mazda 323 GT, which was the front-drive sedan version of the GTX, but you'll never find one.
When you find your donor, take the entire drivetrain, including shifter cables and axles. You'll also need the engine wiring harness and everything it plugs into. The ECU on those cars only controlled fuel. Ignition was still controlled by a distributor, but a knock control box that retarded timing when the knock sensor started singing augmented it. If you don't get that black box, you're not going anywhere.
Once you have all the parts, everything should bolt in (famous last words).
When it doesn't work, don't call me, contact Road/Race Engineering (www.roadraceengineering.com). After laughing at you, they'll solve all your problems.
Perfect?Is there a perfect weight distribution for a front-wheel drive vehicle? Every car magazine printed talks about the holy 50/50 weight distribution of some front engine, rear wheel drive vehicles, making them the most predictable handling machines out there. But would a 50/50 distribution be ideal for front-driver, even if it were possible? Most seem to be between 62/38 and 60/40. Ted SommerFederal Way, WA