My AWD platform

[STW]

Some of you already know, I purchased an AWD 626 a while back, as a possible part donor car for my ever-continuing Wagon project.

The car is a 1991 model 2.2 GLX (aspec LX) which recently failed inspection due to body corrosion. I took some pictures of it today, here they are:


To show what we're talking about!


Rear axle, and as you can see, the car really does manage plowing through a snow bank. Guess if it was nasty to crawl under that.... The anti roll bar on this thing is really skinny, BTW. 14mm.


I had hoped the rear subframe would bolt right onto existing holes. No such luck, the hole spacing is about 250mm, fwd is 140. EDIT: Also, FWD has bolts, this thing has studs.


I also had hoped the lateral arm were the same to FWD. And again, wishful thinking rarely leads to positive outcome. FWD lateral arm length is 355mm, AWD is 420mm. Which in hindsight must be so, the hinge point must be close to CV joints.


The lateral arm spacing along the rear axle.


LAteral arm spacing across the rear axle. I don't have reference to FWD here, but Im' inclined to think it's different. The bushings are pretty much done.



trailing arm length. Again, this is not the same to FWD. FWD is 600mm long, these are 630.



shots from the prop shaft tunnel. Nothing unexpected here, the FWD chassis obviously needs to be modified here. The problem is this:


The bulge in the floor interferes with seat installation. Probably not a huge issue, but extra work nonetheless.

EDIT: the front seems to differ only at the aft crossmember:



It's not the toughest modification on earth, but certainly no piece of cake either. Converting FWD to AWD would only make sense if: the donor AWD car was scrapped or otherwise non-licenseable, reversing the mods from the FWD to AWD car is legally difficult or expensive (as in my case), the target for modification never came with AWD (and thus, practically impossible to convert to AWD here ), or you are really really really really attached to your FWD car (which, also, is my case.)

Ironically, while all the modifications done on the suspension improves it in several way (better geometry, more rigid installation), it makes it all that much tougher to convinve the DOT inspector to accept it being truly a part of the same model series. I think the GV and AWD rear struts have the same part number though (at least they're sold thus on spare part dealers!), so that's the smoking gun I need. When it's the time for this mod (after I've built the engine!), it's going to be one long project to install these....

[zlyricist]

damn...looks like you definitely have your work cut out for you. good luck w the project

[NSXR]

Great documentation man

I am looking forward to seeing what you will do with these parts

Peace
NSXR

[ls six]

What about the width of the rear end? Is the distance between the rear frame rails the same?

[STW]

Yeah.... rail width is the thing I forgot to measure And, as per wishful thinking, I expect the front bolts on either subframes to fit. They didn't LOOK too different anyway. I also learned today the struts are not the same. I checked ad Mazda dealer, their vehicle identification system made little difference the hatch being an AWD! It gave stock hatch strut number. There's really nothing that swaps.

What I should do is get someone to confirm the car is similar to factory AWD after it's done... a HUGE gamble. I have one 2nd degree acquaintance at Inchcape, I hope it would work out. The small spin on the snow was a very powerful motivator though. A friend who's not much into japanese mid-size family cars was on fire after trying it out

[Nealio]

I'm subscribing to this epic build.

[ls six]

It sucks that you have to go through so much crap to get a car on the road where you're at.

Here nearly anything goes Sure late model cars have safety and emmisions regulations but other than that anything with wheels and lights can be insured and plated.

[STW]

Originally Posted by Nealio

I'm subscribing to this epic build.

Thanks for the confidence, don't hold your breath though First I'm going to just transplant the front subframe and shifter mechanism with locked AWD transmission. I still quite haven't a proper place to build the whole chassis, that's one build I can't manage to do out on the yard.
(another thing... you might want to look up "furlough" on the dictionary if it's not a familiar word )

Originally Posted by ls six

It sucks that you have to go through so much crap to get a car on the road where you're at.

Here nearly anything goes Sure late model cars have safety and emmisions regulations but other than that anything with wheels and lights can be insured and plated.

Yeah, it's pretty tough... while the process have become more flexible since, say, the eighties, the law has become very strick.

A build like this may take the wagon off the streets permanently if things go wrong, so I can't rush headlong into it.

[ls six]

All that concidered why dont you fix the corrosion on the hatch and use that as a basis for a modded car?

It would proabably be easier to swap the performance bits from the wagon to the hatch while by passing much of your countries red tape.

[STW]

Originally Posted by ls six

All that concidered why dont you fix the corrosion on the hatch and use that as a basis for a modded car?

It would proabably be easier to swap the performance bits from the wagon to the hatch while by passing much of your countries red tape.

Ah, yeah, well there lies a problem. Since the AWD is a low emissions model, the car needs an emissions check before passing inspection. That's not just a simple wiff from the tailpipe, it's full day run on a dyno and not any dyno either, but an accredited, government-approved dyno that can not be tendered, and will cost around $4k. Which I have to do every time the inspector finds out the engine has been modified since last inspection, too. The only affordable way to turbo the AWD is to get a Probe GT engine and install it. Even the inspector acknowledged retrofittting the wagon with AWD drive train would be a better option if I can get some proof of conformation.

[Dutch]

very very very very very informative post..
Nordine!!!??????!!!!!!!! when are we going to Germany????

[Blackout89GT]

Just seeing how the project is going.

I'm not sure if this car is readily available in the US, but I was curious what is the difference aspects for this car compared to a 1G MX6? Rear end size, etc.

[STW]

Originally Posted by Blackout89GT

Just seeing how the project is going.

I'm not sure if this car is readily available in the US, but I was curious what is the difference aspects for this car compared to a 1G MX6? Rear end size, etc.

I'm hoping to get the tranmission and diff off for reconditioning and reinforcing this fall. The project hasn't gotten all that far, I've been on a temporary unemployment until recently, and I've been rebuilding another Hatch 626, the engine project has become waiting for parts that always take months to arrive (which I'm not at all happy about ).

After a long and hard consideration, I've decided that the wagon does not get the GTR treatment, at this time anyway. I would like to build it a reliable, long distance vehicle with decent performance, and mating a turbocharged 2.2l DOHC to the 626 AWD box despite/because of home made modifications is something quite the opposite to reliability.

Instead, the resurrected hatch (not the original donor car because, again, it has some properly anal emissions regulations to meet) would make an excellent target for such a modification; it's in pieces to begin with, an I have no issues cutting it more to make room for the AWD parts. Also, it has better aerodynamics and it's lighter, so there...

There are few differences between standard FWD and AWD versions. The rear buframe is more substantial in AWD, and is mounted on studs instead of bolts as in FWD. Brake lines and hand brake cable are different too, AWD has calipers in front of the disc. Fuel tank is completely different to make room for prop shaft, and filler neck is also different (it feeds the tank from above the prop shaft tunnel). Fuel tank uses primary pump and transfer pump hat feeds fuel over the tunnel, but the arrangement is very different to 4WS, which has a similar situation. Center tunnel is deeper and wider to fit the propshaft, exhaust pipe and mufflers. Shifter is cable operated, and uses the ATX shifter mounts. Fron subframe looks a bit different but seems to mount on the same points as the FWD subframe.

Suspension is a bit of mystery. Car part stores list same struts for AWD and wagon, but Mazda EPC gives the same numbers for hatch, regardless of the number of driving wheels.

[cam22t]

Originally Posted by ls six

What about the width of the rear end? Is the distance between the rear frame rails the same?

Curious about this also.


Great info so far.

[STW]

Okay, another post in the super-slow moving thread!

I got to remove the transmission in last November. It was damn cold because the warehouse I got to work in wasn't heated, and I had to move fast because the owner needed to get the space again in December. It took five days over two weeks to take out the engine and transmission and put the front suspension back together so it can be pushed around again. I was in a bit of a rush so I couldn't take the measures of rail width that time around, I'm thinking this summer I might be able to do more of that.



Here's the source of GLX 4x4's might. Still, in the slipperies of winter it did provide quite a fun test drive experience. I think I'm going to sell that thing.

First glimpse of the gearbox was like this:



A keen eye will reveal the shifter mechanism is very different to stock gearbox. Instead of a rod, this thing works with cables. A thing that sets it apart from modern cable shifters is the lack of weights at the shifter levers.


A bit closer shot.

The first part of drive train to come out was this:


Not your average 626 part!

After a lot and lot of work, this thing came out:



There were several interesting issues that came up with removing the gearbox. First, the front spindles. Where FWD usually gives up front spindles easily, this did not. In fact, it took a sledge hammer to get the shafts out, and indedd, that removed the shaft from the CV joint, instead of CV joint from the knuckle.So much for the better though, this way it won't break so easily. It was the same on both sides too, so wasn't a one-time occurance.

One thing I would surely want to have on the front shafts is bolt flanges! Taking out the front transmission requires disassembling the front suspension and that's not good at all if you are considering even semi-frequent engine/drive train removal. Removing the half shaft from behind the engine is nearly impossible, the extra braces in the front subframe makes it all but impossible to reach the bolts in the half shaft bearing support.

It could be the transmission itself may never be utilized, but in case I find a shop that can do gear box alterations and modifications at reasonable prices, I might to try and see how far the G5 AWD can go. It'll be an interesting learning experience if nothing else. Steel bearing supports, case reinforcements and heat treatments might be in order. If I win a lottery, I'd have a gearset for twice as wide gears with dog rings made...