numba four

[Safety Guy]

Seeing those two '97s together has me wanting a 'spire.

My plan would be to upgrade the front end to '03 Rio spec (10" rotors!) and drop in a 1.5L Z5 engine out of a '95 to '98 Protege DX. I figure a little heavier car with a newer design, 96hp engine should be a nice highway cruiser.

Karl

[zoom zoom]

haha, I tell yah what man I really like having heat from the front facing dash vents too! One of these days I'll get into a Festy, just waiting on the right deal since they're so few and far between.

[nitrofarm]

haha, I tell yah what man I really like having heat from the front facing dash vents too! One of these days I'll get into a Festy, just waiting on the right deal since they're so few and far between.

The only thing that I dont like about the Aspire is the lack of passing power. Cruise power is fine. Trying to pass a pick up truck on the back country roads can suck.

[Safety Guy]

Nitro wrote:

"The only thing that I dont like about the Aspire is the lack of passing power. Cruise power is fine. Trying to pass a pick up truck on the back country roads can suck."

I figure the Z5 would be the perfect balance of power and economy for the Aspire. Maybe for the Festiva too.

Karl

[zoom zoom]

I'm not really sure what the electronics are like for a z5, honestly I doubt I'll ever do another swap unless I can use the electronic gadgets that come stock in the original car. The whole wiring mess trying to splice a BP and aspire wiring harness is just ridiculous. I don't even know if it will work for me, just too much that can go wrong.



Peaspire got a new hood today, it's got racing stripes The color contrast is noticeable but it's not bad at all really, just a slightly darker shade of green. I swapped the taillights from babyspire and put those pristine 97 taillights back on her. Peaspire got the third brake light and two rear side marker lights tinted to match too.

[nitrofarm]

Nitro wrote:

"The only thing that I dont like about the Aspire is the lack of passing power. Cruise power is fine. Trying to pass a pick up truck on the back country roads can suck."

I figure the Z5 would be the perfect balance of power and economy for the Aspire. Maybe for the Festiva too.

Karl

Ok Karl you got my attention....http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-Mazda-Pr...98a918&vxp=mtr

SO DOES THE Z5 BOLT RIGHT UP TO B SERIES TRANNY'S? I CHECKED WIKPEDIA & IT APPEARS TO BE SOLIDLY BASED OF A B SERIES ENGINE,BUT WITH A COMPLETE REDO OF THE CYL HEAD.

[Safety Guy]

That's right. Z5s will bolt up. However, they came out in the Protege DX in 1995 with a transitional electronic setup that was not quite OBD-II compliant. My guess is that to minimize issues with OBD compatibility, you have to go one of two ways:

-Use the '95 Z5 that was not fully OBD-II with an OBD-I swap (Festiva or early Aspire).

-Use the later Z5s ('96 to '98 Protege DXs) for a full OBD-II swap into an OBD-II '96 or '97 Aspire.

I have no idea if I'm right though, and absolutely no idea if it's easier to put a '95 Z5 into OBD-I or keep everything OBD-II with a later engine.

My other guess is that the Z5, which has IIRC 96 hp, would be the most "modernized" B series engine for max fuel economy with more power than either the B3 or B6. It might allow you to get tuned up B3 mileage with almost B8 power.

I could be wrong on many of these things though! Just wishful guessing, which I'm really good at.

Karl

[zoom zoom]

Man that sure is tempting. I need to get on the ball with this BP so I can look into other stuff...like a z5..

[Safety Guy]

Interesting Z5 info:

JDM specs claim 110 hp and 140 lbs.-ft. torque:

http://www.jdmenginezone.com/engine-details/mazda/protege-z5-95_98.html

One guy asking questions after some of his homework (but no one answered):

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123797951-Z5-engine-mods

Karl

[nitrofarm]

I really like the intake manifold on the Z5

[nitrofarm]

You sold this car????????? Why-

[zoom zoom]

Didn't really need it. I still have two aspires and a minivan, and now I can go get that f150. . I'm kind of hoping a Festiva will pop up for sale soon, I'd really like to put a b6 in one to drive daily and keep the miles off the babyspire. Also opens up the opportunity to buy another aspire if one comes up for sale, I would like to find and fix at least two more eventually... I'm guessing around Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec will be the time for buying the right cars.

And I got a 4 wheeler out of it lol..

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/asset.php?fid=11818&uid=23568&d=1365983317

[shadetree]

I really like the intake manifold on the Z5

Why not the b6d aspire ?

[nitrofarm]

Why not the b6d aspire ?

Because I'm an engine hoarder and I wants one lol.But yes its coming......with vics.:thumbs_up: