Southrnfresh Mazda Protege 5 Track car project : Atlanta Motorsports Park – Version 2

November 17, 2020 Joseph Dale 1072 Views

I had to make a trip down to Daytona to shoot the Jzilla Track Day. And while I was down there I linked up with a friend of a friend who used to have a Protege 5 years ago. And he still had his old VIS carbon fiber hood from years ago..

The hood was in pretty bad shape and been halfway paint matched. But for $100 it was steal because these things are usually about $8-$900 if you can find one. I was really interested in the weight savings, but I had to get it looking somewhat decent. So I had to send it off to my good friend to have him strip it and re-clear it before I installed it.

I had wanted to pull the dash out for awhile and completely remove the rest of the HVAC system. So on a bored friday night I went in the garage and started to look at a plan of action for removing it. And about a hour later I had the dash laying on the floor… I had no intention of taking it out but for some reason at 1am on a Friday I decided to do so.

I removed all the vent ducts and any random mounting or brackets that were no longer needed.

Everything removed

While the dash was out, I took the time to install a set of the OE Sparco Pedals that come in the Mazdaspeed Protege. I didnt really think pedals could be a big deal until now. But the extra grip and size of the pedals helps keep my foot in the proper position.

Removing the Dash was not as tough as I thought. I spent more time connecting the steering wheel to the shaft then anything.

For awhile I had noticed a vibration / noise at around 45-55mph. I suspected maybe my rear wheel bearings are starting to go out. I had a spare low mileage set that I got from Mazmart. Of course replaced the wheel bearings, and still same noise / vibration…

I thought maybe it was time to replace the axles, the car has 300k on it, and they may still be the OEM axles. Replaced them… still same noise. So after wasting money on that, I left that issue alone for now…

I had an extra set of injectors that I sent out to get cleaned. They came out of a MP3 with less then 2000 miles on it. But they had been sitting since 2001. So they were all gunked up pretty bad.

My good friends at EBtec cleaned them up for me, so I swapped them out just because….

I also got my hands on a Protege MP3 ecu! This ECU is out of the 2001 Mazda Protege MP3 which was our version of the Mazdaspeed Familia that was available in Japan. But the Familia had a 190hp higher output version of the FSZE that I have swapped in my P5. The US version came with the standard FSDE version that made 140hp, but was equipped with a modified ECU to squeeze out a extra 10hp, and a much better power band. Since I dont have the proper ECU for the FSZE, this MP3 ECU is the best alternative.

My first time back at Atlanta Morotsports Park with the new setup was amazing! AMP is perfect for the P5s setup being so technical, and the straightaways are perfect for the power band. The MP3 ECU made a noticeable difference in the higher RPMS. The day was flawless, and I noticed my times decreasing all day.

I was in the groove, and I heard a loud thump in the back… and looked back and saw my battery laying sideways in the trunk midway through turn 6, being held by the power cables. For some reason I thought a rubber tie down would suffice for track duty. But it was a silly thought, and something I did not think to be an issue. So that ended my day at AMP..

The only issue that I had was trying to stay in my seat. With the current setup, I had to have a race seat, because it started to become a job to stay in my seat..

Check out the video of one of the better laps..

Affter AMP, I went on a hunt to find a seat. After almost buying a new Sparco, I was able to get a killer deal on a new / used Sabelt GTS seat from Greg over at Koruworks. It was missing the back pad, but the deal was too good to skip.

I rushed into installation and got cheap universal brackets , and pieced together the hardware. It led to a squeaky seat, and the brackets didnt fit the seats properly. Not to mention I had to drill a new hole for the rails.

I ordered new Sabelt rails for the seats.

Side by Side you can see that they are even shaped different..

I also ordered a set of Sparco mounting bolts. Fit better, and looked much cleaner.

Mounted up… Shout out to CR3 Motorsports for the Seat brackets!

You can see in the photos the scratches on the side of the seat from the universal seat mounts. Much better with the proper hardware, no more squeaks and loose feel of the seat. I also added a patch of felt fabric to the bolster side, so they wont wear down when I slide in and out of the seat.

I do not have a harness bar for traditional belts. So I had to go with the Schroth Anti-Submarine harness, perfect for any car that does not have a harness bar. It also keeps you from sliding down under the seat in case of an accident. And it also holds you in place very well!

Late night browsing Ebay led to me finding these mirrirs. They were only $30, and I felt obligated to purchase it just because it was APC brand.

The Mirrors fit pretty good, and looked decent. And actually much lighter then the OEM mirrors since they are manual.

Got the hood back, and it looked a million times better! I had initially wanted to have it paint matched. But I changed my mind right before it was going to be painted.