ORX-626 - My Mazda 626 13B Turbo

L10B · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 4:40 am

You can take a breath now Marek! :lol:

The engine bay all ready to receive the donk!

The engine finally back in its rightful resting place!

The Mrs...well not quite back in 1997...giving me a hand with parts cleaning.

Do you reckon that's happened after we were married? :lol:

The lower section of dash in place.

The gearbox all clean and the crossmember given a fresh coat of black enamel.

Oh so glossy!

Brand new Centerforce clutch...can you still get these?

New roller cell type fuel pump which was nice and quiet.

So how does she look in the sun?

Cheers,
Danny

Camshaft · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:24 am

This looks so good! I have a thing for 4-door 626s, and yours is absolutely brilliant. I'm so glad you still have this car!

L10B · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:42 am

Camshaft wrote:

This looks so good! I have a thing for 4-door 626s, and yours is absolutely brilliant. I'm so glad you still have this car!

Hi Camshaft, I'm pretty sure I'll be buried in her! :lol:

Thanks for the positive feedback. :tu:

Cheers,
Danny

Camshaft · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:05 am

L10B wrote:

Camshaft wrote:

This looks so good! I have a thing for 4-door 626s, and yours is absolutely brilliant. I'm so glad you still have this car!

Hi Camshaft, I'm pretty sure I'll be buried in her! :lol:

Thanks for the positive feedback. :tu:

Cheers,
Danny

Once you post some "current" pics I'll have to make a blog post about it. Behind Miatas and RX7s, the 626 is the Mazda I've posted the most about.

L10B · **Posted:** Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:01 am

Camshaft wrote:

Once you post some "current" pics I'll have to make a blog post about it. Behind Miatas and RX7s, the 626 is the Mazda I've posted the most about.

I'd like that Camshaft.

I'm only up to 1997....still got another 10 years before she's in the form she is today!

Next on the agenda was to get the exhaust system completed (early September 1997).

I used cast steam pipe bends off the header plate. IIRC they were 2 1/4" to 2" reducing 90 degree bends. Their ID perfectly matched the exhaust port diameter and suppressed the tinny sound that you normally get with thin wall bends normally used at the header plate. The whole construction was of mild steel/aluminised tube.

The primaries were 2" in size and extended to just behind the drivers door and included a couple of "hotdog" resonators where they combined into a single 2 1/2" tube and before the first custom straight through muffler. A bit of heat wrap was used on the primaries to reduce in cab temps and noise.

It then went out of the first muffler and up over the diff housing to the rear muffler. Mandrel bends in 2 1/2" mild steel were used.

In the following month I finished the exhaust off and started on fitting the freshly retrimmed interior.....and of course put my ORX-626 number plates back on.

Here's a little sample of the new interior.... :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Danny

B1500boy · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:43 am

That's more like the RX626 I know mate!

I spy a Fiat X1-9 in the pic too, something you're not telling us mate!

L10B · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:51 am

B1500boy wrote:

I spy a Fiat X1-9 in the pic too, something you're not telling us mate!

Hi Tim, would you believe that I had it as a company car in the mid-nineties!?

Went alright too! 1.5l with a close ratio Lancia 5-speed! :tu:

Almost handled as good as an NA/NB MX-5!

Cheers,
Danny

JDubble · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:20 am

Great read! Waiting for the rest of the story to unfold. :tu:

Blur · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:08 pm

L10B wrote:

B1500boy wrote:

I spy a Fiat X1-9 in the pic too, something you're not telling us mate!

Hi Tim, would you believe that I had it as a company car in the mid-nineties!?

Went alright too! 1.5l with a close ratio Lancia 5-speed! :tu:

Almost handled as good as an NA/NB MX-5!

Cheers,
Danny

Did your Boss not like you??!

Great to see pics of it all coming together. Its a hard road that's for sure.

L10B · **Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:26 am

Blur wrote:

Did your Boss not like you??!

Obviously he did not...because the X1/9 was followed by a Saab 900 Turbo automatic that wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding! :lol:

It cured me of ever wanting to own a European car!

Blur wrote:

Great to see pics of it all coming together. Its a hard road that's for sure.

That it is Adrian. That it is! :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Danny

Blur · **Posted:** Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:18 am

L10B wrote:

Blur wrote:

Did your Boss not like you??!

Obviously he did not...because the X1/9 was followed by a Saab 900 Turbo automatic that wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding! :lol:

It cured me of ever wanting to own a European car!

Its much better to find out via someone elses money too!

Looking forward to some more happy snaps when you get a chance.

philip · **Posted:** Mon Apr 04, 2011 3:24 am

Gee Danny,
I wish you had posted some of these pics sooner. The pics of your exhaust system would have been a good guide for my exhaust system on my 626 coupe - I'm just getting ready to build some custom resonators
to fit in that recess below the drivers seat. (I love the sound of the current exhaust but I don't want the boys in blue hassling me out!)

Oh, and then I found out how hot a 2" dual system is - the sound deadener was starting to melt off the floor pan and melt the RH tie rod end
grease out. My extractiors are now heat wrapped as well!

jdmrx2 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:06 am

I still have the fast fours mag that this weapon featured in. I reckon I have read that article umpteen times. Loved the detail in this car. It is Sooooo clean and looked like a factory fit. Glad to see it is still around and still loved.

Bit off topic, but do you remember the yellow coupe that was done around the same era as yours? Loved that one as well!! There is just something about an RX626 isn't there?

Camshaft · **Posted:** Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:21 am

jdmrx2 wrote:

I still have the fast fours mag that this weapon featured in. I reckon I have read that article umpteen times. Loved the detail in this car. It is Sooooo clean and looked like a factory fit. Glad to see it is still around and still loved.

Somebody should scan that article in! I'd love to read it.

L10B · **Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:21 am

philip wrote:

Gee Danny,
I wish you had posted some of these pics sooner. The pics of your exhaust system would have been a good guide for my exhaust system on my 626 coupe - I'm just getting ready to build some custom resonators
to fit in that recess below the drivers seat. (I love the sound of the current exhaust but I don't want the boys in blue hassling me out!)

Sorry Philip!

Yes you must keep the crabs away! :lol:

I don't want to hear that your 626 is off the road because of the boys in blue.

philip wrote:

Oh, and then I found out how hot a 2" dual system is - the sound deadener was starting to melt off the floor pan and melt the RH tie rod end
grease out. My extractiors are now heat wrapped as well!

oops on the heat damage! The wrapping will get that sorted for you.

There's heaps more changes to go...the car changed direction again in 2000/2001.

Cheers,
Danny

L10B · **Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:59 am

jdmrx2 wrote:

I still have the fast fours mag that this weapon featured in. I reckon I have read that article umpteen times. Loved the detail in this car. It is Sooooo clean and looked like a factory fit. Glad to see it is still around and still loved.

Thanks mate! :mrgreen:

Yes it is still very much loved...and I enjoy driving her whenever I get a chance...although she's lucky if she's done 100km in the last 12 months! :cry:

jdmrx2 wrote:

Bit off topic, but do you remember the yellow coupe that was done around the same era as yours? Loved that one as well!! There is just something about an RX626 isn't there?

Yes I certainly remember that yellow series 1 626 coupe. Yes we have the same number plate (Qld vs NSW). That rx626 was a step up from mine...it was more of a show car with it's detailed underbody and suspension. Not sure if it is still around though.

Cheers,
Danny

L10B · **Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:01 am

Camshaft wrote:

jdmrx2 wrote:

I still have the fast fours mag that this weapon featured in. I reckon I have read that article umpteen times. Loved the detail in this car. It is Sooooo clean and looked like a factory fit. Glad to see it is still around and still loved.

Somebody should scan that article in! I'd love to read it.

If you can wait a little bit longer I'll post the article up. It went to print in 1998.

Cheers,
Danny

L10B · **Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:40 am

Time for some pics of the interior....but first...on the dyno for a tune.

The interior was knocked up by a friend I went to school with....don't know where he got the skills from, but he delivered exactly what I was after. Even after 14 years it's still in pristine condition.

Momo Race Steering Wheel - they'd just been released.

VDO Mechanical Oil Pressure and Water Temp Gauges

Current engine bay shot....

Cheers,
Danny

Camshaft · **Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:11 am

That interior makes me want to cry, it's so beautiful. I need to get cracking on my RX7's interior now.

L10B · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:45 am

Camshaft wrote:

That interior makes me want to cry, it's so beautiful. I need to get cracking on my RX7's interior now.

Glad to be of assistance Cam! :tu:

We're getting to late 2007 now and just a few last touches were added to the exterior in preparation for a photo shoot. :mrgreen:

Yes, I did butcher an RX-3 badge :shock:

....they were readily available from Mazda and not too expensive back then!

In December 1997 I had a photo shoot done by a fantastic young automotive photographer by the name of David Hack. Unfortunately he was very ill with Leukaemia and passed away in 1998 :cry:

. I believe an annual classic car show is still held at Toowoomba Airport in his memory.

Here are some photos from the shoot.....

I designed and fabricated a stainless steel shroud for the thermo-fan.

...and finally I got her out to the track for some fun....Lakeside! :twisted:

It was a very full on 6 months to complete the external transformation, but it was well worth the effort! :mrgreen:

This was by no means the end of the build, not by a long shot! :wink:

Cheers,
Danny

ORX-626 - My Mazda 626 13B Turbo

Who is online