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TiGray does a virgin

18K views 127 replies 24 participants last post by  TiGraySpeed6 
#1 ·
The longest forged drop in build ever, and it starts like this-

After assisting my #1 piston to part ways with the rod, and destroying the block with no small amount of authority in the process, the time has come to drop a new mill in there.

I don't want to spend a ton of time & $$ on machine shop labor to bring back a used block that might have issues of it's own, so I'm sourcing a virgin long block from MSM. Along with all the tidbits & what-nots listed below, the total price tag should work out to just over $5K by the time she's back on the road again.

The time line is, give or take, get the engine in over the next month, run it on the stock bottom end as the last few loan payments are made and then the credit cards are paid off from this initial spend, then bank the car payment funds till ~2K is put away. That 2K is to forge the bottom end and all the stuff needed to make that happen

So, that should give me an engine with ~15K miles on it, nicely broken in and stable, a perfect home for a drop in forged build. Broken in but not all clapped out & screwed up.


Where am I at now? So far I've orders are placed for:
SCCA membership purchased
when SCCA card shows up I can join MSM & purchase the long block

JBR 80a Trilogy purchased so the shiny newness has a snug & comfy home

CPe Rear diff mount (yes, it's the wrong end of the car, but mounts :) )
CPe Safe Seals

Luk 10-064 clutch from ebay
Fidenza fw from MAPerformance


I need to pull the injectors and send them off to InjectorRX to be cleaned & tested.
- I'm hoping the #1 injector didn't get trashed, but if it did I'll get a new one and send it with the others so I can be sure they are all flowing evenly.
- I probably will get all new o-rings & such for the injectors since the current set has 75K miles on em.

I need to pick up an engine hoist & stand

I need to PNP my intake mani, then clean it up & probably paint it. Will most likely paint the VC too, but not till the new engine comes in so I can compare the two.

I'm debating if I'm going to do the BSD right away or not. Need to recover the BSD from the old block first.



Fun stuff- At some point I'm going to tear down the old engine. Since #1 went, that means I've got a tired old worn out #3 to look at... I wonder what kind of shape that piston is in, if there are cracked ring lands or how the ring ends look....



New engine break in will most likely mimic phate's process over on MSF- that seems to have generated great results. I'm also going to blackstone the oil & see how the virgin mill evolves.



Lots of pics as stuff arrives and things progress.....
 
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#31 ·
OP did not deliver, but i guess we can talk about cars.
 
#32 ·
I'd be pleased if it was complete anywhere in July.....
 
#34 ·
damnit.... I would have too Dustin!
Sadly mine are already shipping, be here next week

Aside from various fluids & such, and some new seals for the fuel injectors, my money spending is done at this point.
 
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#38 ·
For those wondering why send off the injectors for cleanaing & before & after flow testing, this is why-



A set of safeseals for the shiny clean injectors, order placed for new o-rings for same injectors


Fidenza FW & LuK clutch kit


JBR Trilogy mounts, & a spiffy plate frame


Also picked up teh engine hoist & engine stand from harbor freight :)

Need some new o-rings for the injectors, gonna pick them up from MSM, and a WL RSB from MAPerformance to complete the rear diff trip- only want to go up there once.
 
#39 ·
I wonder if we can achieve similar cleaning results by running some sort of injector cleaner in our gas.... no good way to measure it though. Do you know how this company actually cleaned your injectors?

Also, what made you decide on that clutch/fly wheel combination?
 
#41 ·
They use ultrasonics to clean the injectors I believe, and get results you won't duplicate with something poured in the tank. That said, BG offers some serious cleaning stuff, but without a means to compare before & after. DI is still such an odd beast in this regard...

You can read up on the process at injectorrx.com

I went with the LuK+Fidenza set up for a few reasons- The stock clutch is actually pretty darn good, and matches my needs well since I don't drag or anything exciting like that. Long life is one of my base criteria, along with the bonus of cost- this kit is roughly half the cost of other clutch/fw combo kits out there.

The one part of the stock clutch that always bothered me was the heavy ass fw. For my style it simply carries too much momentum. The Fidenza should address that very nicely indeed!

Additionally this exact combo has good reviews from a variety of folks on MSF as well, phate is the one who suggested it to me originally over a year ago.
 
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#44 · (Edited)
Yeah - the cleaning these shops do on these injectors is farrrr above what any chemical through the fuel system will do - plus the flow testing and pattern checks they do are far and above worth the money. Even on regular port injection motors, there was significant HP to be had by getting injectors matched. You always had to tune on the engine dyno to the leanest cylinder, and it always left a lot of power on the table.
 
#45 ·
Shiny newness has arrived!

Now if only it would stop raining...



 
#46 ·
Well i bet you feel like a kid at christmas.

I know youre in fla, but will you do any cleaning or preventative maintenance with the guts out of the bay - as in engine bay cleaning or replacing anything or is it all pretty rust free and clean already?
 
#47 ·
It's all rust free, but I'll be doing a lot of cleaning since there's oil everywhere
 
#49 ·
Ahhhh, the joy's of working without a garage. It's been raining like crazy here for days, put a serious crimp in the progress.

Yesterday (Sunday) was the first rain free day in weeks- got the engine out. If I'm lucky I'll get the engine & trans separated today, old one on the stand for later exploratory surgery.

Yes indeed, taking shade tree wrenching to new levels...

 
#51 ·
Still on track for record rainfall this month. sucks and I've never wanted a garage so bad.

Finally had another clear day yesterday and finished all the tear down. Nothing left now but putting things back together till it runs, then I can start the forensic tear down on the busted block.

Nice part is most of the reassembly I can do in the shed, so hopefully will get a bunch knocked out during the week even if it's raining, which it's supposed to most of the week.

Stopping on the way home for 3 hardened M10 - 1.5 x 75mm bolts to attach the motor to the engine stand.


The one exciting thing that I learned yesterday was about the old clutch. It's been having issues after a high RPM run (like a 4th gear log run) and getting worse, where the pedal wouldn't want to return.

The clutch assembly looked good, but very very dirty with carbon looking dust. Best guess at this point was that there was enough centrifugal force to muck up the function of the TOB at high RPM. Black dust was everywhere in the bell housing and thick as can be. A good cleaning and new parts should resolve the issue...
 
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#54 ·
The goal with the new engine is to break it in very well, and then to add rods & pistons next year.

So, I'll not be targeting the 400's till then. It'll be WG spring pressure only for the first few hundred miles, then probably settle in around 93 octane levels for a while, so about 325ish but using some e to be sure and maintain knock free and safe.

It'll be a conservative tune and a slow build up.
 
#56 ·
lolz- after months in the 390ish range, it's gonna be tough to not go back there again.

Doubly so when winter cold hits :)
 
#57 ·
gadamn finally. Freaking weather, raining or so damn hot it's like working in a swimming pool.

But, SHE LIVES!!!!!!
First try & started up, coughed a few times then settled right down & runs like a champ! Hell Right!

I've got a whole 5 miles on it now, and it's happy as can be.

Totally happy I left the balance shaft in it, the JBR 80 trilogy is tits, but I can see folks who have done the BSD being a tad freaked out till they settle in.

Love the Fidanza/LUK combo- just enough to get rid of that tank feel the OEM flywheel gave the drivetrain.

The CPE SafeSeals when in dry, no extra chemical sealant. Curious to see how they hold out.

Running a 0 WGDC map now & have the APv3 married to it- easy transition, just unmarry the old & marry the new. Elected to install the mount with the ball just right of and level with the hazard button.

Just gotta get the AC recharged & the initial project is basically complete.

Decided to treat it like a new car, so just running Wal-Tech 5-30 (wal-mart supertech oil) and will continue with that for the first few short interval oil changes since it's not particularly expensive and doesn't suck. I'll be changing back to Rotella T6 eventually.
 
#58 ·
That's great to hear!!!!
 
#59 ·
Congrats! How do you like the APv3? I want to upgrade, but being in Canada makes it quite difficult since COBB doesn't offer the trande-in program through their dealers, and I hate paying import taxes. I'll get it eventually. I'm happy for ya! Post pictures of the engine install and stuff.....
 
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