Good day, CorkSport family! This is Luke here at CorkSport HQ in Vancouver, Washington.
I’ve got some very exciting news that I know my Mazdaspeed 6 guys will be very happy about. As most of you know, CorkSport listens to our customers and, after listening, we deliver. Ever since we removed the aluminum skid plate from our product list, we’ve received many requests for it. Due to the number of requests, and because we love our Mazdaspeed 6 peeps, we decided to bring the aluminum skid plate back! That’s right, we’re bringing it back to the site! Here’s a quick reminder of the benefits that the Mazdaspeed 6 aluminum skid plate gives your ride:
Replace OEM plastic skid plate with sturdier aluminum
Better protection during the winter months
Keeps the engine bay cleaner
More robust protection for people in lowered rides
Easy access to changing oil
Direct bolt on
Starting July 18, CorkSport will have the components back on the shelf and we’ll be ready to start shipping these out. These new Mazdaspeed 6 aluminum skid plates will be limited quantity — only 20 skid plates — so be sure to get one before we have to have more made.
If you would like to pre-order, please call us at 360-260-2675. Let’s get this party started folks!
Cheers,
Luke McCarvel
Long Lost Love for MS6 Owners July 7th, 2017CorkSport
You’ve probably heard the phrase “built block” lately on social media or at your local car meet, but you might be wondering what that actually means. In fact, you’ve probably heard it enough times that you don’t even notice it. For you newbies, it’s when the engine internals are replaced with performance parts. Whether you do or don’t understand what a built block is, I thought I would share my knowledge and experience through the engine building process for my 2009 Mazdaspeed 3.
The incident
The moment we all dread (or maybe even look forward to?) finally happened … zoom zoom BOOM (ZZB). I was merging onto the highway, within the speed limit, when the engine went silent and my dashboard became a Christmas tree of lights. I tried to start it … nothing. Well, shit.
I called the tow truck and brought my Mazdaspeed back to CorkSport HQ. A compression test gave me the quick, sad story. It was 0 0 0 0 across the board. Obviously, something gave out. That something turned out to be the friction washers on the crankshaft.
I now pronounce you piston and valve. You may kiss the valve.
The diagnosis
The engine slipped timing and bent all of the valves. Luckily, I didn’t vent the engine block in the process, so that could be reused. After all this, I didn’t trust the engine. So it was time to get built!
The bare block from my Mazdaspeed.
I pulled the engine and transmission from the vehicle and stripped them down to the bare components so the machine shop could do their magic. But, before we could let them start, I had to get some parts ordered for the machine shop to consider in the build tolerance. Just look at that stack of money … I mean parts.
The engine build parts
Forged internals for the Mazdaspeed.
The bare engine block, a new used cylinder head, ACT 6-Puck clutch, and forged internals were sent to M & B Cylinder Heads for some much-needed love. The block was bored and cross-hatched to match up with the pistons, the main bearing journals were line honed where needed, and the deck surface was cut down just a hair to provide a new surface that’s true and flat. Since I wasn’t going for just a bare bones build, I opted to have some added processes done to help with reliability and performance.
I planned to run without the balance shaft, commonly called a BSD (balance shaft delete), to increase the oil capacity of the oil pan. This would remove some rotating mass to help the engine rev more freely. However, this does come with some compromises, mainly in severe NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) the driver experiences. For this reason, I had the rotating assembly (crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, clutch assembly, and crank pulley) balanced to further reduce vibrations.
My build goal was at least 450 whp to further benefit the effect of the CorkSport Mazdaspeed camshafts, so I had the cylinder head ported to improve flow. The intake runners were opened up and cut to a single runner setup along with the exhaust ports. Both intake and exhaust had most of the work performed on the “bowl” area of the runners — the area just above the valve seat. To top it off, the combustion chamber was touched up to remove any sharp points to help reduce hot spots that may cause detonation.
Check out the cylinder head porting:
Here’s the single runner.
And here’s the exhaust runner.
The engine build operation
After what felt like an eternity, we got all the completed parts back from M & B and were ready to begin the assembly process. This is when I really stepped back and let Vincent take the lead. He’s the master when it comes to engine blueprinting and assembly.
The blueprinting process is arguably the most critical and time-consuming process of the engine build process. Each cylinder diameter is measured at three different vertical locations to determine cylinder taper, then measured again 90 degrees from the previous locations to determine cylinder roundness. The piston outer diameter is measured as well and verified for the cylinder it was matched to at the machine shop. Once the block and pistons are confirmed, then the finer details are set in motion with the piston ring gaps, the main bearing and connecting rod bearing crush, and setting the main and head studs. I’m just skimming the surface here. Please note that all of this is measured down to the tens-of-thousandths of an inch. That’s 0.0001” for clarity. This really is a precise art.
Precision means paperwork. Here are the blueprint papers for the Mazdaspeed engine build.
With the short block assembled, it’s time to focus on the cylinder head. The cylinder head almost seems easy after the short block assembly. The cylinder head comes assembled with the seals, valves, and springs from the machine shop. What’s left to Vincent is the tappet and camshaft installation. The tappets are non-adjustable solid tappets and each has a specific and precise thickness. Once the camshafts are installed, the gap between the camshaft base circle and the tappet is measured and adjusted until the correct gap is achieved. Then the complete the cylinder head can be installed on the short block and the head tightening sequence performed.
I hope you enjoyed this tale as much as I enjoyed writing it. This not the end of my build, so hang tight for the rest of the engine and vehicle in a later post. We’d love to hear about your build, whether it’s a few bolt-on parts or a crazy built engine and car. Comment below and tell us about it!
Hello, CorkSport family! If you haven’t visited our New Products page lately, then you’ve been missing out on some cool product releases. Look at this picture. Can you guess which part I’m referring to?
I’ll give you a hint. It starts with the letter L, and ends with an I and a P. That’s right — the lip!
Why we created a new Mazdaspeed front lip
At CorkSport, we’re committed to supporting the Mazda community and always strive to bring new, cool mods to the table. Mazda decided they’re no longer going to support the Mazdaspeed platform, but as a leader in the Mazda Performance market, we’re doing our part to keep the platform alive. Due to that commitment, we believe it’s up to us to push the platform and make sure we’re the leading competitor in this market. To achieve this, we did some research and found what the market was missing.
Our research and commitment manifested in the creation of a part that increases your Mazdaspeed’s style: our new front lip. In our research, we learned that people have been trying to mold STI lips onto the front of their Mazdaspeed3s, and we knew the direct fitment style CorkSport is known for would not only give us a HUGE edge over eBay components but would allow us to create an incredible part.
Take a look at that sick CorkSport Mazdaspeed Front Lip.
In developing this front lip, our engineer Barrett spent countless hours making sure this part would be a direct fitment for ease of installation and would deliver a clean, sleek look. Molded from 3mm ABS plastic with a black coating, our new front lip is a no-brainer when it comes to adding extra style to your Mazdaspeed. As always, we tested this lip to make sure that it would withstand high winds (around 140mph, to be exact) for all of our “Mexico” racers. Passing this test gave us the confidence we needed to be sure that we could offer a product that not only looked good but could withstand daily driving abuse.
Thinking about purchasing this front lip? Here’s what you need to know:
Two-year warranty from manufacturer defect.
One-hour install time.
With the purchase of the front lip, you get a free CorkSport trucker hat — only available through the purchase of this front lip!
Please note: This lip will not work with the CorkSport aluminum skid tray. The mounting locations do not line up.
Lastly, don’t forget, when you make a purchase with CorkSport you become part of our family. When you invest in us, we invest in you.
My name’s Ryan. I’m a Mazda guy through and through. Currently, I’ve got a 2016 MX-5 Club as my daily driver with a ‘95 Miata converted to an Exocet as my most recent project. As the Exocet becomes more stable and less of a project, I started thinking about what I should work on next.
The ND is my 14th Mazda vehicle in as many years, so this new project was definitely in my wheelhouse — I wasn’t planning on straying far from my roots. However, I didn’t realize at the time just how close to those roots my next project’s journey would take me.
The story I have to tell doesn’t involve the ND, or any of the dozen cars before it. Like any great story worth telling, you have to start at the beginning. …
Sixteen years ago, I got my first car. It was a 1988 Mazda RX-7 10th Anniversary Turbo II. Not before, or since, have I loved a car so much. Not for lack of trying, of course — those of you that know me well can attest to my sample size. But you never love a car as much as your first. Some of my most vivid memories of young adulthood were made possible by this car. I can still hear the engine winding out, carving through the forest roads outside of town back when I was so sure I was invincible, and that the tires would always hold.
I can still smell the summer air and remember fondly the adventures that car took me on. A friend and I went on an adventure in that car that took us to the heart of Texas and back in a handful of days. It was a car full of memories. Then, when I was a younger man in a moment of weakness, I sold my RX-7 because I was in school and needed the money. And that, as they say, was the end of that.
Twelve years later, I was talking after dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in years. We started chatting and got on about cars and the good ol’ days, and I started wondering about my old car. That night when I got home, I remembered I still had a folder full of old paperwork for my old RX-7 stashed in a closet. Looking through documents that my younger self couldn’t care less about, I found a treasure trove of receipts, service records, original brochures, and flyers — even before I got it, someone had clearly loved this car. I made a decision right there: I needed this car back.
Over the next few weeks, I tried to figure out how I was going to find the RX-7. And also, if I did find it, how was I going to afford to get it back? Late one night, I logged onto the RX7Club forum for the first time in over a decade and looked in my inbox. Empty. Then, just in case they kept old messages, I looked in my sent folder and found a single message — a message I had sent to the new owner of my RX-7 almost 12 years earlier. He hadn’t logged into his account since 2010, but I shot a message out into the void and waited. A few days went by, and then in the middle of the night I got an email.
Turns out, amazingly, he still had my old car.
The catch? After he bought the car from me, his wife had some medical issues that prevented him from doing anything with it. So my old RX-7 sat. And it sat. There in a field just outside Yakima, Washington. For 12 years, it sat there; with the windows down.
The ravages of time have not been kind, but thankfully the damage isn’t irreversible. As a bonus, he never even changed over the paperwork and I’ve technically owned the car this entire time.
So, of course, I did what any rational adult who catches the nostalgic scent of his youthful misadventures would do: I asked him if he would consider selling the car back to me as is. He told me he felt bad about letting it sit, and that because the car meant something to me, it was mine if I wanted to come get it. I shot a quick text message to my Dad to borrow a truck, another to (frequent blogger, race car driver, and all around good guy) Derrick for a trailer, and a third to my friend Trevyn to enlist a copilot/co-conspirator, and the plan was set.
We headed out early on Saturday and drove through snowy mountain passes, over rivers, down sketchy dirt roads, and eventually arrived at what could charitably be described as a graveyard for sports cars. We found the RX-7, loaded it up, picked through my RX-7’s one-time-owner’s warehouse of spares for a few odds and ends, and headed back home. Now, my first Mazda is sitting safely in my garage, out of the weather.
This car is largely responsible for the person I am today. It ignited my passion for cars and all things mechanical. If you’re a rotorhead in the Pacific Northwest who has a line on some black interior parts you could part with, let me know — this interior is trashed. If you’d like to keep up with the car, you can find me (@mrryanbaker) on Instagram. I made a post on there about the RX-7 that was a little more succinct. I try and post about the cars as much as I can, but forgive me if I end up distracted by projects.
Finally, like I said in my Instagram post, “Welcome home Annie, this time I’ll do it right.”
Ryan
Recovering a Relic of the Past: Ryan’s Mazda Story December 18th, 2017CorkSport
CorkSport has been serving the Mazda community for 19 years. Over nearly two decades, we’ve never stopped listening to what our customer’s need. We apply that feedback and input daily to how we work and what we build for the platform. And because we’ve involved ourselves in the community and supported the platform, we’ve put ourselves in a position to say a big “thank you” to our loyal customers for supporting us and sticking with us!
The next big thing
So we started brainstorming ideas that would allow our top customers to become a part of an elite group that we can connect with directly. Enthusiasts will receive additional CorkSport benefits and supports while being involved in and up to date with what we’re working on at CorkSport.
We still have the rewards points program, but we wanted to offer something that raised the bar. We wanted to create something that shows that we’re building more than just a customer base — we’re building a family. So, what’s all this next level nonsense I am talking about?
CorkSport is proud to introduce 7th Gear
We’ve developed a new program unlike any other in the automotive aftermarket and we’re calling this exclusive membership program 7th Gear! Take a look at some of the benefits offered as part of the 7th Gear program.
Become a member of our 7th Gear program today!
As a 7th Gear Member, you’ll receive …
An exclusive gift package, worth the price of the membership, when you sign up.
You can only get these apparel items by becoming a 7th Gear member!
Access to our exclusive 7th Gear Facebook group.
We’ll provide insider information on our products, lifestyle, and happenings!
You’ll interface with other elite members of the Mazda Community and receive CorkSport answers faster than anywhere else on the web.
You’ll have first access to new product releases via thanks to your 7th Gear membership.
Free Shipping to the lower 48 States. (Hawaii, Alaska, and International orders get reduced rate shipping.)
You heard us right! Free shipping to lower 48 and reduced cost shipping for our members elsewhere!
Automatic Annual Renewal that includes an awesome anniversary gift worth, at least, the cost of membership!
Once again, no one can get this exclusive gift item unless they’re a 7th Gear member!
As a 7th Gear member, rest assured that we’re here to help our car guys and car girls ignite their Mazda dreams, turning car fantasy into reality. CorkSport is more than just a company, we’re a family of enthusiasts that want to grow and share with all of you! Head to CorkSport.com for more information on 7th Gear today.
Introducing Our New Membership Program: 7th Gear December 17th, 2018CorkSport
