It finally happened...

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I lied, the car is an L model, not GL...my bad

[neanderpaul]

the 40+ mpg is really the only thing it has going for it at the moment.

Runs like a scalded dog too lol..

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Working on this little by little....I hit the junk yard today trying to get a steering column and front knuckles. The rotors are warped really bad and it's just getting worse. 98 protege knuckles don't work, I figured as much or everybody would be doing it?! But I did get some good stuff.. Thread ||here|| on the protege knuckles.

The steering column was a bust too, it may or may not work yet, but I had it confused, the Kia Optima I was looking at had cruise control and intermittent wipers but the ignition switch is in the dash instead of on the column. The protege multifunction switch supposedly had intermittent wipers but the knob on the end didn't turn so it was just a dud for looks like the Rio one I had awhile back... the bright side, I grabbed a pristine bucket seat out of a 03 Mitsubishi Spyder looks similar to this but all black (even the bottom plastic.) If it goes in without too much hassle I'll get the passenger side too. Hopefully I can fab a way to keep the stock seatbelt but if not I'll figure something else out. I'm going to gut this cars interior and redo it like I did Peaspire.

http://www.carcoverplanet.com/2003-mitsubishi-eclipse_neosupreme-seat-cover_charcoal-black.html?source=googleproductlisting&id=CSC2A2-MB7022-2003&gclid=CKf77fKj-7YCFcNaMgodTWYAtQ

[Festevil3]

Let us know how that seat works out, the spyder seats are nice, good score

[blackhandbeagles]

I can't wait to see this done.

[Safety Guy]

Nor can I!

Matt, you need to check out '91 to '95 Proteges and 323s for parts like steering columns. Might hit better paydirt.

Karl

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Roger, I think ill be heading your way in the near future Karl. We'll see how this aspire swap goes and ill let you know when I can get up there. I'm gonna need an aspire rear axle too.

[Advancedynamix]

'bout time Matt! Lol. Now you can go to madness in a festiva!

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yea buddy.. I hope I can make it this year, we will see!

Unless the rotors I was comparing were severely worn, which I don't think they were I just wanted slotted rotors, these protege rotors are definately bigger. Taller in diameter and thicker by probably 1/8" both ways. I got it all installed, no pics my phone has been down all day. It got dark on me while I was bleeding the brakes and flushing out old fluid, so I'll finish that up tomorrow.

[kumalaba]

congrats on the find! & have fun building it up

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Well, the front aspire swap is done, Aspire knuckles with protege calipers and rotors, with 175 70 13's up front. I took it for a spirited test drive and absolutely love it. It doesn't "stop on a dime" and I can't get the tires to lock up at all, but it stops good, as good or better than babyspire. I had the front rims hot to the touch trying to burn the JY surface rust off the rotors.

The 1.3 seems like it doesn't want to roll these 13's over quite as speedily as the old 12's. Seems a bit sluggish now. It will work for awhile though, next up on the list is seats and shift linkage, and hopefully oils for the kiazord.

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I was bored today after work so I decided to try to fix the dash lights and add a cigar lighter socket. When I popped the cd player out I found a couple wires and one is unidentified right now. It's red/green in the bundle with the stereo wiring. The power is being pulled straight from the battery and it's fused so I'm not worried about it, but eventually I want to return it back to as stockish as possible minus my add ons. I figured out the stock wires for ACC/illumination lights are both hot at all times. I believe this is due to the ignition switch being drilled out and since it doesn't turn back fully something had to be spliced to kill the power in the ACC position...but I didn't have time to pull the column apart and check that out yet.

I do have a couple questions for you guys though if anybody can answer.
1) There's two wires of the same color (blue/yellow iirc) and one of them is my ACC wire. Am I supposed to use the one in the bundle with the speaker wires and power wire, or the one that branches off with the black wire that I think is supposed to be the stock ground for the radio. (not in use right now) or does it even matter?

2) I had assumed that the ACC wire was in use as a +12v constant and the wire comming off the battery was being used as an ACC wire, and that was the source of my no dash lights issue, but I was wrong, neither of the stock ACC/illumination wires nor the stock +12v was in use at all. I have two empty slots on the right of the steering column, and two plugs laying in the open holes. What was in these positions? I'm thinking one is supposed to be a dimmer switch and since it's not there it is what's breaking the connection to my dash lights, but I don't know...you tell me please! I think I'll have to get a new ignition lock cylinder (or steering column with tilt wheel, int wipers, and a wheel with cruise control buttons ^.^) because those buttons were probably removed for a reason when the cylinder was drilled and re-wired.

I did get a stock looking cigar lighter that I pulled out of that 98 protege hooked up though! I used the old power wire for the radio as a +12v source so it's constantly powered...I'll fix that and hook up a second one from their own fuse in the fuse box the next chance I get. I like having multiple cigar lighters, it helps on trips when you have to plug in your phone and tomtom and your passenger has a phone that needs charged too.

[FestYboy]

i'll get it to you tomorrow... (need to rebundle my stereo harness in Skippy)

as for the the plugs to the right of the column, the inner one is for defrost, the outer is for rear wiper.

[Safety Guy]

Matt, if you want a tilt steering column, there is a really picked over '88LX we both know of that should still have one!

Along with a nearby '92 B6 engine, sitting in a 323 in a lake like "Mazda Island!"

Karl

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Haha yea I think somebody already picked the rear hatch lock from that 88lx too, they took the hatch with it!!

Pm'ING you now about tomorrows plans as of now.

Thanks Arty, the car doesn't have rear defrost, or a rear wiper, so I don't know why those would cause problems if they weren't hooked up. I might try to get some buttons tomorrow just for looks anyway.

Maybe its the second illumination light in the stereo harness that completes a circuit to power the dash lights.