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I was introduced to the MX-6 in September of 2002, when a co-worker informed me that he had sold his 1997 Integra GS-R, and received an MX-6 as part of the sale. When I saw the car out in the parking lot, I was not immediately impressed... in fact, I was wondering why my friend had received this little boxy car as a trade for his beautiful, totally trick Integra. He insisted that the car was quick, and finally got me to drive it... I sat down, unimpressed by the plain interior, and started her up. I was greeted with a low, throaty rumble, a sound I was immediately in love with. As I rolled out of the parking lot to a side street, I nailed the throttle in 1st gear, and was surprised to hear the tires breaking loose... 1st to 2nd shift, tires break again, the torquey F2T pulling the car through the gears effortlessly. I was hooked, I had to have the car.
So in October of 2002, my co-worker and I worked out a deal... I traded my 1991 Celica GT straight across for the MX-6. But since the 6 had an amazing 214,000 miles on it, I was suspicious of it's reliability compared to my 60,000 mile Celica... so part of the trade included a full engine, transmission, and turbocharger rebuild. At 214,000 miles, the MX-6 was given a new lease on life...
The engine was totally rebuilt at Andy's Auto Repair in San Diego for $2,400. This included all the usual goodies, fixes, and fresh parts. The engine block received a .050 overbore, taking my total displacement up to 2.3 liters (woo, an extra tenth!). After the rebuild, the car felt absolutely rejuvenated... the engine sounded wonderful, boost came on fast, and torque pulled the car easily through the gears... my plans for the car didn't stop with the engine rebuild...
Modifcations:
Current modifications are...
MSD blaster 2 coil
Custom EPROM chip
Manual boost controller
Magnaflow muffler
Walbro 190 fuel pump
Boost set at 15 psi
Parts currently awaiting installation:
ACT clutch plate with exedy disk
QTEC electric exhaust cutout
3' Downpipe
The electric cutout is an extremely trick piece of equipment, taking the car from absolute quiet cruiser to a foul, angry sounding machine. For more information: QTEC.COM
Future plans:
Although I love the performance of the F2T, I'm left wanting something more... so by the end of 2003, I plan on having a JDM FE3 imported, and will begin the rebuild of that engine, my MX-6 being retired to the garage for weekend driving only. I plan on purchasing a 2000+ Mazda (what else would I buy?) 626 for daily driving.
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