Wreck rebuild

[ZimGG3S]

This is from a previous post i did on another forum, Gives basic history.

So last year June I bought a 2002 Atenza GG3S. Beautiful car to look at but she hid a very dark secret! She never ran well from day one and I put it down to an issue that i could probably sort out relatively easy! Well, low and behold, The cylinder head had cracked between valve stems and been repaired/welded (could only be seen through intake ports after intake removal), valve stems had been ground away to do clearances, valve shims did not match at all, cam shaft bearing journals completely destroyed, sensors damaged, the list was/is endless, in short, I bought a weapon of imminent destruction! Of which i paid the equivalent of US$1600. The interior, after closer inspection was not in the condition i thought it was.

Anyway, decision was made after the above discovery to just replace the complete cylinder head, easier said than done from where I am, Zimbabwe! I couldn't find a complete head and was left with the only option of getting a replacement motor. Said replacement motor is US$1200 with no guarantee. Now, you have to understand, its not easy to get your hands on that kind of $$$ here.

Two weeks ago, a tow truck passed by with a wrecked Atenza LA-GG3S. I went down to the auction floor and to my surprise, besides the front damage, she was in beautiful condition! I assume the engine and gearbox are in decent condition, I mean the guy wrapped it around a pole, and lets face it, they are feisty and need respect. Not a mark on any of the interior plastics, carpets as clean and black as the day they were made, seats to be envied, BOSE sound and GPS/TV functional. Auction Price, US$1200! My boss has been so kind as to lend me the US$ cash which is almost the equivalent of 8 months salary in local currency. Remember, while these prices might sound astronomical, by Zimbabwean standards they very decent.

Onto the wreck (the Pearl White one). The owner hit a tree on the front left (looking from front to back) and its pushed the motor back towards the firewall. Plan is to recover engine and transmission intact as well as all the good stuff, wheels, interior carpet, trim, console, seats etc from the wreck and transplant to my bomb (The Silver Grey one).

Like i said its been a long start but my journey is only beginning, I am undertaking the work on my own and i would appreciate the advice. I will upload photos soon.

So, after many early morning hours, finally married the new engine (pics to follow), she started first time and purrs with no CEL. After about a half hour idle, the CEL light came on, Mmmmmm! She sounded good, idled nice and drove ok, so put it down to something that could be looked at later.

Today, when I got hom| from work, I ecided to do a fluid check, starting with ATF. Well, Lo and behold, the ATF was mixed with water and the coolant in the radiator was mixed with oil!!! Dumbfounded is not the word. Now the mystery, how? After removing the WHOLE front end and stripping the radiator, with a sudden gush of oil/water sludge, I could only put it down to one thing, the ATF coolant pipe in the bottom tank!!

So, here I am thinking I am totally stuffed! No $ to buy a replacement. Then again, what have I got to lose?
I removed the bottom tank and there it was! The brass coolant pipe had hairline cracks! Now, really stuffed!

My thoughts then turned to the completely ashes radiator with the intention of rescuing it's ATF coolant pipe which turned out to be aluminium. Big gamble taken and hey it was undamaged. Fitted it in and closed her up! It took me the better part of 6 hours to do.

Will upload all pics etc in reply to this post, soon.

[ZimGG3S]

Here are pics, mostly in order. I have since swapped out and done the following:

*Removed the complete interior and power washed.
*Complete interior from door liners with all auxiliaries to carpet, hood liner, seats, seat belts and all trim.
*Complete center console and auto climate control.
*Complete Navigation/TV system.
*Complete center console with gear shift etc.
*Complete factory audio unit for BOSE system with 6 CD changer.
*Engine ECU and main harness/fuse box, ABS control unit and pump.
*Removed and refurbished complete front suspension including drive shafts and front and rear brake calipers
*Swapped out the gutted stock exhaust and installed the new sports one from the donor vehicle and a whole lot more.

You may ask why? Simple, pride! My car was a total disaster and now she shines from the inside. She is not pretty on the outside but like a beautiful woman, its whats under exterior that counts.

I did all the work on my own over a two week period, and still at it doing small bits, with the only help being the physical move of the engines. A lot of spanner rash, +/-25 Hour weekend shifts, coffee and about 180 hours work so far.

[b.hog]

I’ll be following along. Hello from the Midwest USA


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[Fstrnyou]

I missed the part where you're doing an MZR-DISI conversion.

[ZimGG3S]

Originally Posted by Fstrnyou I missed the part where you're doing an MZR-DISI conversion.

Of which I have to full shop manual. Here in Zimbabwe, the 2.3 L3 is hard to come by, my 6 sat for a year because I couldn't find a complete cylinder head (cams, injectors etc) and as you can see, I bought a whole wreck. The LF and L8 motors are common here, in saying that, the Disi T is not at all common.

[Db09ms3]

[MSMS3]

Congrats on the build so far and the hard work, but I, too, am wondering what this build thread has to do with our forum for MS3/6 cars with MZR DISI engines.

[ZimGG3S]

Originally Posted by MSMS3 Congrats on the build so far and the hard work, but I, too, am wondering what this build thread has to do with our forum for MS3/6 cars with MZR DISI engines.

To showcase my skills.
The 2.3l L3 is basically the same, less the turbo. I have extensive, self taught, knowledge on all aspects of my 6, a pile of manuals and feel I could contribute to helping out with this fabulous machine.

[Jeff23spl]

Originally Posted by ZimGG3S To showcase my skills. The 2.3l L3 is basically the same, less the turbo. I have extensive, self taught, knowledge on all aspects of my 6, a pile of manuals and feel I could contribute to helping out with this fabulous machine.

you made a great work but despite you may know the 2.3 na, the turbo one is a totally different engine with same displacement...one is made in mexico and the other is from Hiroshima. If you believe it is the same with a turbo like it was with the protegespeed 2003-4, it isn,t
There is not much parts compatible from one to the other except maybe, the thermostat and some bolts....much of everything else is different.