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1980 Leather Sport..then and now
just thought i would share some pics of how the LS looked when i bought it. and some more recent pics. i will be adding to this thread as i bring the car out of storage in May and being going through it as it has been sitting for a couple of years without being driven, only being started and moved back and forth. so at any rate, here are some pics of the car when i first got it in Dec on 03 (pics from ebay auction) with just over 56,000 original miles. car now has 61K.
http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...x713b/34_3.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...x713b/60_3.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...x713b/64_3.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...x713b/9b_3.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...x713b/f7_3.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...x713b/ff_3.jpg more to come! |
a few more from a day at the park in the spring of 04:
http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC01116.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC01118.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC01119.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC01120.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC01122.jpg |
nice LS,
that was some alarming overspray on the MAZDA badge when you got it . Is it a good repaint match to the origonal code ? Were the rims that colour stock ? |
and the last set for now. first one was taken in summer of 04 and the last few were taken in the spring of 05:
http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC00122.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC02485.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC02512.jpg http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/r...b/DSC03050.jpg |
Originally Posted by ourxseven
(Post 9136539)
nice LS,
that was some alarming overspray on the MAZDA badge when you got it . Is it a good repaint match to the origonal code ? Were the rims that colour stock ? |
Been a huge fan of your ls for a while now. Replaced the muffler since 05?
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thank you. no i havent. i've been lazy about it since the car is garaged year round. i havent driven it since aug 06. this year will be a different story. i may switch to a RB muffler or for teh sake of originality, which i want, i may repair the muffler. i have all necessary oem parts to do so. i have the outlet pipes and i have the chrome tips.
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thank you Ray. thats an awesome compliment coming from someone like youself that is so much of an RX-7 enthusiest.
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Sweet lil beast. Golden waffles, makin me hungry...
It that a stock 80 shift knob? I've never been able to lock down whether mine is original or not ,but it's quite different from yours. |
Never seen the before pictures Dave. Thanks for the look back. At 17 I had my sights set on an RX-7. I fell big time for the LS model and loved each of the three colors. It was the gold waffle wheels and rich brown leather interior that really made this limited model stand out to me. I wish I would could have stocked up on the original Bridgestone RWL Steel Belted 70s. That spare of yours is fantastic to see.
Your interior is in very good / excellent condition. Are the Clarion radio and cassette deck components still operational? Any other significant breakage / wear? My chromed plastic couplings on the door handles have significant cracks and are very fragile. My windshield defrost vent covers are also heavily oxidized and cracked. That is indeed an original leather wrapped shift knob for the 80 LS. |
Mike, definatly an original LS shift knob :) well, some things are worn. the defroster vents are extremely brittle and barely fit in the dash due to heat shrinkage... the chrome plating on the shifter trim is wearing off on the radio side. the cassete deck and radio work well. the left rear channel has a terrible buzzing due to a possible bad amp or channel in the radio. i removed the speaker and all is well but as soon as the original or an aftermarket speaker is plugged in, the buzzing persists...its annoying. the muffler has seen better days... one small area of stitching came lose on the drivers seat but is not noticible. you have to feel it to notice it. the sunroof wind deflector was burned at one time and i have been trying for nearly six years to locate another black/brown one...other than that...i should take a pic of the floor mats..not sure if they're original but they're definatly vintage :) if i think of any other malfunctions i'll let oyu know. i just cant think of many off the top of my head but i'm sure there are more...
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Yes, you've got a nice ride, Always admired the LS's and this one has survived way above average condition. I remember them back in the day but don't recall the stripes. I'm assuming those were part of the package?
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the stripes were a silly dealer add on. when i repaint the car they are not coming back. i would like to find literature on the LS. i have never been able to find any..
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I would vote for not repainting it. The value will be higher in the future if you can preserve the existing paint and the stripes may seem silly but they're oh so 80s. I vote keep them as well. Thats a fantastis LS you have and of course I love dem waffles in gold. BTW I want your chrome shift boot rim as well :)
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I had to make the paint or not to paint decision year before last. Overall it looked good and there has never been any rust. It was just a couple problem areas, checking and a big nasty scratch down to the bone. (someting fell on it on the garage) I opted for the redo. Lost some oginality but she sure looks sexy in new materials.
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i would really like to keep the paint original. i hate to get rid of such beautiful paint..but we'll see. there are some nasty scratched on the front end and a couple aft of the driver's door..
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I agree, stay with that original paint as long as you can. It's a fantastic color and will be hard to match, even getting the factory original color will lose something because the finish you have has aged like fine wine, very rare.
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Dave -
I'm with Ray, always nice to stick with original paint if its save-able. Maybe try a "paint-as-you-go" technique? I've been spraying worn panel areas in sections with good results (mind you, a solid-colored Sunrise Red in very good original condition) - good paint shops can do some amazing things with color-matches. I started with the nose/bumper/under panels/ rear bumper - doing the rear/rear quarter panels/roof next. First thing is get a body or detail shop to do a pro-machine polish of existing paint to bring it up to absolute best, then start making judgements on condition of paint on each panel. You may be amazed at what a huge diff a proper polish can make if the paint is basically sound. $125-ish well spent in evaluating what can ultimately be a $4K+ re spray (at least, in Alaska). As for your dying interior trim bits, man, start hunting now if your looking for new parts! New LS-specific stuff is, of course, unobtainium, but the stock trim bits are still floating around in small numbers. Download the 79-80 parts manuals, transcribe the part numbers and start harassing Dealers... Happy Hunting- Stu Aull 80GS Alaska |
Nice...
A little elbow grease in the engine bay and your car is something special. RXDad |
I argee, best to keep as orginal as possibile, but if you have scratches through the color coat or rust / corrosion comming up from underneath what alternatives do you have? Live with the the bad spots or redo. And once you start to refinish things-at what point or percent do you say it's still orginal or not? No right or wrong answers here. If orginial paint is going to add $$$ value, the rest of the vehicle better be up to snuff as well, otherwise it's kind of moot. A vehicles paint / finish will almost always be the single biggest first impression and can alter every other judgement of a vehicle after that. In the end, I think a person needs to do what's going to please them the most. Is it that orginial "Patina" with a few imperfections, or shinny new perfect?
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well, i really want to keep the original paint. i will try and go to where the car is stored and take some pics of the bad scratches. i was thinking of touching up the areas with a nice re-spray but i fear that the re-spray will never match. i'm all for originality and when i restore an RX-7, they are always 100% stock before any modification is made..and thats a rare time when i modify a car because i value originality so much. i plan on keeping this car 100% stock and as original as possible. i'll get the pics when i'm out and about today..timing belt on my 95Ranger gave up the ghost and i have to rent a special tool to get the harmonic balancer off. it held me up last night.. its all apart save for that thing.. so, i have to knock that out today and get the truck back on the road before 7pm tonight when i have to go into work. i'll post the pics this afternoon.
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Originally Posted by 7aull
(Post 9138716)
As for your dying interior trim bits, man, start hunting now if your looking for new parts! New LS-specific stuff is, of course, unobtainium, but the stock trim bits are still floating around in small numbers. Download the 79-80 parts manuals, transcribe the part numbers and start harassing Dealers...
Happy Hunting- Stu Aull 80GS Alaska http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC02987.jpg http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC02988.jpg |
got the pics of the scratches this afternoon but since i'm at work until 7am tomorrow morning, i will not be able to post them until tomorrow.
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Yeah, I still have some 30yr old hardwear (bolts and such) that I keep around. Kind of like saving your baby teeth. Just about any color can be matched but when it comes to aged or faded paint-it becomes very difficult. Especially if your not doing the whole car.
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here are some pics of the bad scratches. i've only put one scratch in the paint since i got the car and its the scratch behind the driver's door. i had a knife in my pocket and when i was getting in the car, i was too close and the clip that holds the knife inside of the pants pocket, gouged the paint. i felt sick to my stomache after i did that. the larger scratches on the light bucket and hood look as though it was run under a truck bumper or something. thats why i've kept a bra on it most of the time..but i really dont want the bra on there anymore. her a are a few of the pics:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC07952.jpg http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC07953.jpg http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC07956.jpg here's a pic of one of the flor mats that are in the car. looks as if they were originally brown. no clue if they are oem or not but they're vintage as heck: http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC07960.jpg and one final pic of the interior in all its filthy glory as it sits now (soon to be clean): http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/DSC07961.jpg |
I like your style Dave. I keep all my old parts too, just to be "original". We're sick.
On those scratches, those are just some road warrior scars, something to be proud of. I've had worse on my White One but you can hardly see them now, I just went in with a touch up brush and a little white Rustoleum. You might have a harder time matching the paint but I'm sure you can find something. |
Really love the patina on the leather - - leaher like that just keeps getting better-looking as it ages.
I'd love to do leater seats for my SA, but my sewing machine simply isn't up to it. |
Thats what bras are for, to hide things and make it look better, works that way on cars too :)
I wouldn't repaint it at all if thats the worst. Its called a survivor in collector circles when the paints original and unretouched. |
Maybe you can source another orginial Solar Gold header pannel head light lids and hood sometime? Never know, real life is stranger than fiction.
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Very nice pics Dave. You've been posting so much about your SE swap that I almost forgot you had this car, you never post about it lol.
Looks like its in great shape, good luck with it! |
Not an LS but this 79 SA that belongs to OG@TA member Andy reminds me alot of yours Dave:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...c08ogta021.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/10-3.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...rgreen/5-5.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...reen/cars4.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/14-3.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/15-3.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/10-2.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/22-1.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/21-1.jpg And here's another one: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh308/grgreen/9.jpg Why is it that guys who drive mint SA's are always smiling? |
Ray, that SA is super clean!! one lucky owner there!! are those seats all vinyl or is the center cloth? you dont really see any SA's that nice here in OH.
Sean, i dont post much about this car because i never drive it. the poor thing sits in storage under a car cover just waiting. all those horses and nowhere to gallop. this sumer will be a different story. i'll have it out more and hope to put a thousand or so miles on it. and that means more pics for the forum. i like to share pics, lol. |
Originally Posted by t_g_farrell
(Post 9142148)
Thats what bras are for, to hide things and make it look better, works that way on cars too :)
I wouldn't repaint it at all if thats the worst. Its called a survivor in collector circles when the paints original and unretouched. Banzai!!!, i can try and source another header panel but one would may not match exactly. i will keep my eyes open though. DivinDriver, the leather is very nice and its extremely comfortable. i'm just afraid to sit in the car becaus ei dont want to ruin the seats, lol. i'm always extremely gentle when i sit down to avoid splitting the leather or tearing the stitching. |
Those plaid seats are cloth on vinyl I believe, rarer than hen's teeth. They make the car in my opinion. No leather in that GS model, even has a four speed tranny (Andy asks us not to go over 85 out on the interstate so he can keep up).
I'm "torn" on the preserve vs drive them issue, but when it comes to leather seats the worst thing you can do is store them and forget about them, that's when they get brittle and crack. If you give them a good soaking in Lexol every month or two they will hold up pretty well even for day to day use, at least that's what I'm finding for my 84/85 GSL leather interiors (5 years younger than your LS interior Dave, to be sure). Here's another local SA that I believe is the same color as yours Dave, again not an LS, recently purchased by Romulo, who is fixing it up. Needs some work (check the paint, you should be happy yours is still so nice) but all original, a nice find: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/6-10.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/5-10.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/4-11.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...rgreen/7-7.jpg |
+1 on the "leather likes to be sat in" school of thought; the driver seat in my DD Z is holding up a lot nicer than the psg seat, from a suppleness standpoint. Seems to need to be stretched and flexed to keep from getting stiff. I have to use leather treatment on the psg seat to keep it soft.
The back leathers in my wife's old 88 Maxima (rip) got old and brittle, but the fronts (used often) stayed soft til the day it got "donated." |
Ray, thats an awesome looking Solar Gold SA. i believe Solar Gold was only available in 1980, so its a fairly rare color. i quite like it though. Lexol works well huh? i've been using Mothers but cannot find it anymore. i guess i'll give Lexol a try. and i'll start using the seats more often.
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Hey Dave, how 'bout a photo of your pretty mug and the engine bay after you've got them both cleaned up?
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lol, i can do that. the engine bay of the LS is decently clean. it was horrid when i bought it, lol. the GS with the EGI engine is pretty clean. i'll post that one up first.
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Great thread guys. I certainly would also attest that LEXOL is an excellent long term conditioner for the LS leather as that's all I've ever used. Really by accident, when I was 18, Lexol was all that I knew and I've stayed with it since. My Dad taught me to use on my baseball gloves. +1000 since my both seats and gloves have withstood the tests of time and use.
Dave - your LS seats appear as good as any I've seen in the past 10 years. I can identify with your careful attention to entry and exit. Well done sir! Check out this link with an SA - Plaid seats removed: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/EARLY...ayphotohosting |
Ray, your lucky to have so many nice SA's around to gather. I don't see many up this way much anymore, especially nice as those. I'd like to make it to Zoom fest sometime, maybe find a gathering to be a part of. Dave, I suppose you could source a few spare parts of any color and have them custom matched to your current shade. That way, you'd still have the originals to go always go back to.
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Mike, do you have original floor mats for your LS?? i will pick up a bottle of the Lexol on friday. do you reccomend the cleaner as well?
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Originally Posted by Banzai!!!
(Post 9144924)
Dave, I suppose you could source a few spare parts of any color and have them custom matched to your current shade. That way, you'd still have the originals to go always go back to.
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Not absolutely sure Dave, but your floor mats remind me of something out of an old Pacific T Tops catalog. If you have any old Rotory Rockets issues, I'd look in there. Pacific was a big advertiser. If not them, most all aftermarket suppliers ran ads in there. A candy store for a then 19 yr old. I'd look, but all that stuff is back home, I'm on the other side of the planet right now.
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i don't have any of the old rotary rocket magazines...the mats look aftermarket but are vintage as the beegees so i think they're worth keeping, lol.
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I've never used any kind of cleaner on my seats Dave. They've been sat in, but never dirtied. Yours certainly don't appear to need cleaning from the pics I've seen. Please let me know what you experience if you try a cleaner.
With Lexol I just rub it on with bare hand and let it soak in. Never used a rag. One bottle goes a long way. It leaves the leather with a visible shine, feeling supple and smelling like leather. Also have used it on the leather steering wheel and shift knob. |
Those brown Rx-7 floor mats are interesting. I'll make time this weekend to peruse my Rotary Rockets to look back at after-market floor mat offerings.
My LS was a Dealer's car. When I bought it the dealer threw in a new set of coco mats. Made from coconut husk fibers, they were the mats common to sport cars of earlier decades. My 79 SA has similar black/grey coco mats that are Mazda branded. You can see similar examples and even order custom fit / custom color coco mats to fit the first gen Rx-7 at: http://www.autosportcatalog.com/inde...id=1607&cid=45 The Brown/Tan/Sand, Calico or Natural all might be good color choices to compliment the solar gold / brown combo. |
I probablly have an old Bee Gees casset I could throw in.
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the crazy thing is...the LS's casset player still works!!!!! i dont know about the Bee Gees..maybe some Creedence.....
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