'79 SA... My first Old School Ride!!!
 

Everyone,

My first old school rotary arrived yesterday. Found this gem on Craigslist in Wisconsin, original owner, 41K miles with plaid interior. Car starts, drives and feels new. Build date is 9/78. I'm pumped!!! Interior-wise, everything works but the clock. Has AC, rare cassette deck, AM/FM radio. Car came with all of the maintenance records and paperwork since new.

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N-I-C-E! Paint looks like it has responded well to some Love. And those crazy plaid seat covers - still intact? Likewise the radio-speaker 'd early dash seems complete and untracked? Impressive.
Mind telling us what you paid?
More pix!! lets have a look under the hood.
Let us know and we can frighten you with the list of parts you should think about changing…while you can still get (most of) them…
;)

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska (& Sedona)

Thats is one sweet looking SA!

+1 on more pics of the engine bay and underneath.

Thanks Stu. Yea, the overall condition of the interior is impeccable. Paintwise, not as well. As you can see from the picture on the car hauler, whiteness around the rear hatch, roof, and on either side of the front vent, indicate that the clearcoat is gone, however the color is still there. She looks pretty good from 20 feet, but will need a reshoot to be truly spectacular. As you mentioned, she has many interior pieces still intact that are difficult, if not impossible to find. For crying out loud, the car still has the original radiator cap with Japanese writing on it!! Would love to find a NOS one if anyone has one.

Based on the seller's paperwork, the tires were purchased in 1990, so replacing those will be a priority. Pricewise, I paid $4500 plus a grand to ship. Not bad, but again, she is not perfect (yet) :)

I'll try to shoot a few close ups of items under the hood tonight. Here's one for now. Let me know if there's anything in particular that you'd like to see.

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Thanks t_g... I'll see if I can't get her up on a lift in the next week or two to take some pics of the undercarriage.

I 2nd what Stu and Tim say. Sonic Bronze w/ red plaid seats is a neat find. Looks like it's still a drivers side mirror only car with the early, non push button AC switch. Be very careful with the seats, yours look to be exceptionally nice. These covers tend to get very brittle with age. sometimes just sitting in them can streach them enough to cause tears to develop. Looks like it was stored indoors for most of its life, I hope you can do the same with it. Don't need to tell you what damage south west sun can do. Looks bone stock under the hood, still has original hose clamps and battery ends. Has an early style rubber plug in the header pannel too. Later 79s had a larger dome top plug. I've re-zinked a lot of under hood hardware and metal parts making them look like new again. Yes, even the radiator and gas caps can be done this way and make a world of difference. Congrauts on your score. :icon_tup:

A truly beautiful example - congrats!

Banzai, thanks for the background on my ride. Yea, seats are still supple. Freakishly nice. Appreciate yours and others guidance on what to look for since this is my first venture into old school ownership. The car will be covered in our garage, so summertime garage heat will be my main concern. Did you re-zink your own bolts? If so, how did you do it? Eastwood kit?

My only rotary experience up to this point has been my FD, but I'm looking forward to obsessing over this one as well ;)

Thanks DD. Maybe someday we can park side-by-side at JCCS :)

How does one do a nationwide search for a specific car on Craigslist?

Use this tool....

Ad Hunt'r - Search ALL of Craigslist? and more!

Thanks! Great way to keep track of what these cars are going for now days...

I've tried the Eastwood products and was very disapointed. This region has a long history of manufacturing with a few different plating shops in the area. I just gather up a box of parts and take them in. Normally takes a week or two turnaround and the cost isn't too bad. About $30-$40 per trip. Here's an example of some parts I've taken and what the results can look like.

Wow.... absolutely blown away by your detail. So many questions, not sure where to start. Hope you don't mind if I PM you occasionally for advice. Your engine bay is my new benchmark. Do you just do a few pieces at a time, or did you pull the engine, repaint the engine bay and detail the parts with the engine out? Impressive! Always been impressed by "DivinDrivers" engine bay as well. Did you repowdercoat or repaint the engine cleaner? If so, are any of the air cleaner stickers still available from ANY source?

Wow.... absolutely blown away by your detail. So many questions, not sure where to start. Hope you don't mind if I PM you occasionally for advice. Your engine bay is my new benchmark. Do you just do a few pieces at a time, or did you pull the engine, repaint the engine bay and detail the parts with the engine out? Impressive! Always been impressed by "DivinDrivers" engine bay as well. Did you repowdercoat or repaint the engine cleaner? If so, are any of the air cleaner stickers still available from ANY source?

Doesn't the cadnium plating process affect the rubber seals on the radiator caps?

Sorry for the double post guys...

RCAAZ if you're looking for a mint FB air cleaner I have one available :)

Pulling the engine depends on the condition of everything to begin with as well as how extreme you want to go. Obviously there are no shortcuts. The only way to completely go through anything is to completely tear it down. I've yet to pull any of my engines (3 different cars in those pics) and going by your engine bay, I'd say you could achieve very simillar results with out pulling yours either. Basically, I strip the fenders allowing access to the existing paint. Clean and polish every nook and cranny. (ask Stu about his toothbrush skills)

I disassemble things like the headlight mechanism assemblies, radiator shrouds, alternator and air pump. Anything that needs attention. The problem is, where do you draw the line? Once you redo one thing, it makes the thing next to it look bad and it just goes on....

Nothing makes an engine bay pop like shinny new hardware. I remove as much hardware as possibile and it comes back like new. I even break the OEM hose clamps down and pop off the relay covers. Since the plating shop charges by the load rather than the actual quantity, I try and do as much as possibile per time. Physical part size is the only variable. As long as it all fits in their basket they can run it as a single batch for a single charge.

There was guy overseas who sold air cleaner decals on this fourm. DD printed or silk screened his new chrome dome air cleaner. Mine are still stock. I did re-zink the attachment clips (that where do you draw the line thing) I remove the rubber bits from the caps. A stock bay all cleaned up is visually, very impressive and an important part of the cars overall presentation.

Keep in mind that my cars are not daily drivers. They are more of a hobby for me, things to maintain and obsess over.

Truer words were never spoken. :nod:

that is one beautiful SA! nice find.

Thanks Craaaazzy.... been following your widebody build as well. Incredible project. Love the progress so far.

So, here's my first (of many) old school 'newb' questions. Is there a way to refurbish the rubber gaskets in the original coolant caps? I know that Banzai said he sends his off to the cadnium plater to be redone, but how about the rubber seals and gaskets in the cap. They get compressed and worn over time, correct? Can those be replaced or freshened up somehow?

Also, wasn't there a source for Old School Mazda parts located somewhere in the NW US? I believe it was a guy in Oregon or Washington state? Can't recall his name or web page. I see the links to Philsrotary in AUS, but I thought this guy was in the US. Again, any guidance on good sources for old school NOS parts would be appreciated!

Thx everyone. Appreciate the support as the journey (or obsession) begins :)

I've seen your car, so I KNOW you have totally lost control ;)

Radiator and fuel caps may still be available through Mazda or Mazda Trix. Atkins is in the Pacific NW and still sell a number of old parts. There was another Rotary guy who had 30-50 cars in a yard up there. I contacted him about a year and a half ago. I'm sure I still have his contact info on my work computer.

Both Apex Auto and Rotary Restorations used to have a regular supply of used parts but both have dried up. Jim from Rotary Restorations sold his remaining inventory I believe, but I don't know who to. Your lucky because the old interior parts are extremely hard to find. Australia seems to more than a few NOS parts available.

Jeff Clark has a place called Mazda Manor in WA. : Jeffs Automotive, Puyallup WA. USA.

Thanks again Banzai for all of the info!

So, question, are the dark burgundy pieces in my car considered "Red" by Mazda? They could almost be brown, but I think red is the correct color.

Thx

i just looked in the parts fische, and there is sometimes a section with the colors, but no joy for the SA...

Mazda lists a black, which isn't right, a wine (red wine, probably a burgundy, and not, a Champagne), and three browns, by vin. i suspect the early brown is more tan, and the late brown is more brown.

for parts sourcing, 90% of the parts for these came from Mazda, so thats the best place to start, just about everyone else is a middleman, and in that case you're looking for the middle man who ordered a ton of parts and then didn't sell them.

nice car btw!

You listed up front that this is a 9/78 car. That should put the VIN between 516625 and 520637.

I could be wrong, but when I look at my 79 parts fische book, I see the A pillar trim, dash cowl (where the defroster vents are), upper dash and window cranks all available in wine or brown or black in your VIN range. There is a 2nd brown listed but it looks to be on later VINs.

Given those choices if correct, I'd guess the dark burgundy color is actually wine. The early brown (like you see in alot of spark car interiors) is lighter, almost tan. FBs had wine interiors too but that is a different shade. Like the 2 tone brown seems exclusive to spark cars, this 2 tone redish scheme seems exclusive to bronze ones. In addition, the red plaid seats only seemed to come in bronze cars, the white plaid seats in silver and blue cars, but you could get the black interior w/red dot seats in all exterior colors offered the first year.

Yea, VIN is 518618. Need to add my name to the registry.

Looks like this is a Wine/Red interior as the other option is Brown/Beige which it a really light tan i believe.

That is an amazing find sir! She looks beautiful. Good luck and ENJOY.

RC-
While its easy to get seduced by details on all the shiny bits, there are some important basics you might want to consider investing time and $ in first. There are some time-bombs awaiting in these 34 yr old cars!
Some thoughts: (forgive the obvious…)
REPLACE:
-all hoses: coolant, heater. The long heater hose running across the rear of the engine and down under the oil filter gets softened over time from oil and fails, usually taking the 12A with it.
-Fluids: obv I know. Many of us run RedLine in Tranny and Diff. Castrol GTX 10-30 is popular here, tho there is lots of argument about synth oils.
-fuel filter: yearly - under rear in front of driver rear tire
RUBBER stuff:
-SA oil cooler has unique rubber mounts - still available ! - these will be failing on your car. In for the long Haul? by 2 sets.
-Taillight gaskets: these will be dead, awaiting your annoyance when you wash your Beloved and wonder why there is water in the spare wheel-well or rear fender compartments. Still available, your old ones will disintegrate as you attempt to pull the light assemblies. HINT: apply thin smudge of axle grease to BOTH sides of new gasket, and the will seal better AND slide right off any time you need to pull the taillights.
-feeling flush? ALL your weatherstripping will be going South. Annoyingly only Mazda makes most of these. Hatch seal, sunroof, doors (various)
-generically, ANY rubber/gasket you can think of should have a spare. I literally went thru the parts catalogue (available as a PDF here on the forum!) and ordered 2 of ever rubber, gasket, seal, joint, suspension hangers, transmission mount rubbers…. its quite a List! - that I could find. Note the SA uses a LOT of unique bits that are NOT interchangeable with the 81-85 FB cars.
-3 different rubber boots on your tranny shifter will be split…I think 2 are still available
RUST:
-under battery tray (easy to remove)
-inside bottom of outer door skins (might just be surface, worth sanding off and POR15-ing - my go-to rust-stopper)
-sunroof seal LIP (lift off seal) & - check to be sure the 4 DRAINS are free of debris and flowing water correctly! Fronts drain out down A-pillar to fr wheel-well; rears exit the B-pillar rear vent.
-hatch seal: inspect bottom (lift seal) rim. water collects here! Clear debris from 2 (or 3 in VERY early SAs!) drain holes on bottom channel. And be sure the attached rubber hoses are connected (!!) inside the hatch AND correctly route out under the rear bumper
-rear quarter panels: BIG rust area. even my SoCali-for-Life SA had some pretty serious surface, rust, esp on passenger side where antenna resides. (see pic) Taillights must come out to inspect and clean up.
-rubber-ised brake / clutch hoses will be dead-or-dying to. Nice SSteel kits available.
LUBE:
-headlight motor actuation-rod pivot points. 2 rods per light. The un-replaceable nylon pivot on each end of each rod WILL fail if not cleaned and lubed regularly (I do it once a year). Rods are pricey!!!
-wiper transmission joints too. Same deal. HINT: assy removal- you must park wipers in UP position. Easy to remove.

Finally
-get the OE Parts manual PDF that is posted here somewhere.
-get the OE 79 Service Manual: $25+ all the time on eBay


*whew*
;D
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

You can also see some pics of what this area looked like on my 79 from NY that wasn't so well taken care of. Look on pages 15 and 16 of my build thread. Doubt yours will look so bad, but gives perspective.

oh my god i want your seats! haha!

indeed. sympathies to my NE rotary bros...
:)
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

Stu, thank you so much for that detailed list! Yes, many if not ALL of the items mentioned are on my list to either check or replace. At a minimum, I hope to purchase one of each to have as spares. I've already placed orders with Mazdatrix and Atkins Rotary to replace a few of the internal pieces that are sun damaged and beginning to get crispy. Also need to get a hold of a Mazda shop manual for '79.

every manual we know about is here Foxed.ca - Mazda RX-7 Manuals

i actually have found a couple more that i need to scan, maybe a cold dark day this winter

Yup, mine has 3 holes! :)

One thing I noticed today (took it to DMV for registration) is that my passenger side headlight does one up, down, then up cycle when turning on the headlamps. Drivers side stays up the entire time. Something maybe need lubrication or motors possibly getting tired?

RC-
your SA checks off the Early production wish-list I think:
-right side hood prop
-non-pocket door panels
-no pass. dr mirror
-3 (!!) drains in hatch? never seen that in person.
Did I miss your serial number? plse post if you haven't

Lights:
have to say I have not heard THAT issue before. Sounds more electric to me. I wonder if there is a relay in the motor assembly (?) and it is acting up? Somebody here knows. mechanically, they only cycle one way up, then one way down, so I am trying to imagine how it could be the mechanics of the linkage. If the head-scratching continues, it might be worth finding a replacement motor and swap it in (if so, bear in mind SA motor is diff from FB, tho they should both be interchangeable)

stu aull
80GS
Alaska

He listed his VIN at the top of this page as 518618. A 9/78 build.

I've had simillar headlight issues in the past. The fix always seemed to trace back to the relay clamped alonside the motor. The rectangle shaped unit under the rubber cover. I'd look for coorosion in the electrical connector that plugs into it first. If that is clean and in good condition, I'd pop off the metal cover and look at the contacts inside (like a set of points).

I've run some fine emery paper or a emery (nail) board across them, maybe give em a squirt of WD-40 and try it. You can test it with the cover off just attached by the electrical harness. That normally fixes those kinds of issues. If not, I also have some spare headlight motors / assemblies to swap in replacement relays.

That is -the- car I worked on in my high school shop class. Well, not that exact car, but it was Sonic Bronze with those exact seats. I already owned an FB when I started shop class, and begged my instructor to assign me to the '79 as soon as I saw it. The car had just sat in the yard for several years, nobody wanting anything to do with it, it didnt even start. I learned how to do disc and drum brakes, set points, and many, many other things. I deleted its rats nest courtesy of a write-up by Rx7Carl, and even got the car running and driving. The paint was faded, but it wasnt rusty, and the interior was mint, even had a Pacific 2+2 style rear seat that matched the front seats perfectly in color, even the plaid inserts.

Back then I hated it, it was to me, inferior to the FB. It had an ugly back side, no spoiler, ugly waffles, ugly mirrors, and I hated the interior. But it was better than the sea of Cavaliers and Dakotas we worked on otherwise. Funny how nostalgia works.... I still have the FB, but eventually I started pining for an SA, and everything I hated, is what I now love most about my SA. I really wanted a sonic bronze with plaid interior, I ended up settling for a spark yellow lol Not a bad compromise though!

Love, love, love the car man! Super clean!

EDIT ::

REALLY jealous that you have a stock radio!!! Dont get rid of it.... But... If you do, Ill buy the stock cassette deck, and trade you a radio bezel thats been cut for a CD player for your stock one :) lol

Wow, thanks for the compliments and your story. I ran into a guy today at Scottsdale Cars and Coffee who said he had a spark yellow with plaid back in the day and traded a guy with stock black seats since he hated the plaid. I know it's not for everyone, but it was the feature that drew me to the "SAVANNA" and this car in particular.

Post event, I stopped by the Honda dealership where my son works to show it off to the guys in the shop. Everyone loved it and was impressed by the overall condition. We put the car on their lift to check out the overall condition of the undercarriage. Most of the underside is in decent condition, but a few areas of corrosion have me concerned and will need to be addressed fairly soon. Mainly, a leaky Master Cylinder has caused considerable surface corrosion on the drivers side frame rail (just forward of the firewall), and secondly, the fuel and brake lines were heavily corroded just past the firewall bend. Any recommendations you guys can give me for clean up and repair would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking the fuel and brake lines are bad enough that replacement might be the best option. Let me know what you think...

And finally the front brake rotors are so badly rusted and pitted that it's apparent the brake pad is only making "partial" contact with the rotor. Should I just get these turned or just get new ones? Again, ideas are welcome!

Ok, first off... for Stu... my rare 3 drain hole rear hatch (hopefully I'm understanding him correctly) and this truly is something unique ;)

http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/v...psc94e62c8.jpg

Now, on to the rust issues.... The rear hatch has a "Rusty Jones" sticker in the side window. Needless to say, the company went out of business, 'cause "Rusty" was asleep on the job :)

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Then, my main areas of concern. Master Cylinder and area surrounding it and just underneath...

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...and Finally, my brake and fuel lines...

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Also thinking a complete new set of OEM bushings might be in order!

That's not rust its Patina ;)


Probably find a nice set of lines at Ecology Auto wrecking off the buckeye curve.

+1; relay, contacts, or the 'position encoder' disk needs cleaning up.

Here is a parts list we came up with of stuff the car needs, most are now discontinued from Mazda unfortunately

-NLA- = No longer available from Mazda



D-Code “Key No.”, Part Name, Part Number

“51721” “Rx7” side emblem 8871-51-721 -On order-

“51164” Tail light gasket RR 8871-51-153 -On order-

“51164” Tail light gasket LR 8871-51-163 -On order-

“51141” Tail light screw washers 8871-51-147 12qty -NLA-

“51161” Tail light lens RL 8871-51-151 -NLA-

“62610” Rear hatch shock 8871-62-210A 2qty -NLA- s/n SA22C 500001-559739

”58760” Door weather seal L 8871-58-760 -On order-

”58760” Door weather seal R 8871-59-760 -On order-

“52518” Hood rod holder 8871-52-518 -On order-

“66941” Antenna pole 8869-66-941 -NLA-

“66930” Antenna Assembly 8869-66-940B -NLA-

“15205” Radiator cap 8871-15-205 -On order- s/n SA22C507593-

“58303B” Door pull cup Wine 8531-58-303-11 2qty -NLA- But found

“58321C” Inner door handle Wine 8531-58-330A-11 2qty -NLA-

“58370” Window crank lever Wine 8037-58-580A-11 2qty -NLA-

“58585A” Window crank lever cap Wine 8037-58-585-11 2qty -NLA-

“69890” Trim trunk carpet Wine 8871-68-891B-81 -NLA-

“68695” Trunk Carpet Mat Wine 8871-68-695-81 -NLA-

“68695” Trunk Carpet Mat Wine 8871-68-695A-81 -NLA-


the 3 belts A/C belt is NLA but the other 2 were available

:)
Welcome to The Dark (er) Side of keeping our vintage SAs on the road: parts, esp trim. Oy!
Some thoughts:
-carpets might still be available (aftermarket) thru places like BlackDragon. And at prices f-a-r cheaper than the OE carpets ever were.
-taillight lenses on ebay all the time, $25-and-up
-window crank handles and door-opening-lever cups actually show up NEW on ebay now. They "look" to be the wine color but they might be brown…? worth checking out. Even if off-color, worth buying and re-color to match. Cheap too.
-hatch struts: be glad the OEs are not avai - $$$ - ebay again (or prob your local auto parts store): $35-ish each

Rust: actually, am impressed with how clean the _chassis_ is underneath! So 'Rusty' did you some good. Brake lines, fuel lines can be made, there are companies that will do that. Exhaust might be on the way out? These are pretty heavy-duty systems, but…
Might want to pop the cover under there off the fuel pump too, and see how that is fairing...
Yeah - failing brake master did you no favors. Suspect mostly surface rust tho. Mine needed replacing when I got my SA too. Bit the bullet and pulled the whole Brake Booster too, so I could repaint it and get at the rust damage on the firewall. POR15 is your friend here.
Will recommend this: Brake Master: buy the OE unit! $$ but I went thru TWO aftermarket "rebuilds"(?) and all the time-wasting ag to get this right. Was a b!tch. Think these are still available. This will be an excellent time to replace the rubber-hose fr.brake line with some nice Stainless units.

Brakes: 79-83-ish rotors are the same and avai on (yes) ebay cheap ($75 pair?). If your calipers are too far gone Mazdatrix sells rebuilt ones @ $75 ea.
Don't forget to have a look at the rr drums! SA rr brakes are NOT self-adjusting so you will need to do that at least.

Thanks for 3-drain pic!

Stu Aull
80 GS
Alaska

Yea, this is how it starts. You're searching for a few replacement parts and before you know it your an SA horder, picking over the best of the scraps you can find. Mechanical bits like brake shoes, clutches and water pumps are available through normal suppliers but OEM trim and body parts are another story. Sometimes you need to be creative. Wine seems prone to sun fading especially the window cranks for some reason. I'd look at just painting them to match. If the carpet is still in decent shape can be re dyed, ect...Parts are out there, but it takes time and patients like a treasure hunt.

Thanks Eric. Yea, Tripple 7s and I work together, so we're slowly working the parts "WISH" list! :)

Thanks again Stu for the detailed direction!

Banzai.... thanks! A treasure hunt indeed!!! Yea, planning to try some spray paint combos to duplicate the "wine" red. My door release levers are wine red, non-chrome, probably another "feature" of early cars. Thanks for the tips on brakes!

A few new goodies arrived from Mazda yesterday via Ray Crowe. Thanks Ray, and thanks to Eric (Tripple 7s) for the assist! Here's just hint of what was in the box :)

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The treasure hunt has officially begun!

Very nice, take care of her. They ain't building anymore.

That's a super clean SA, congrats man.

Steve.

Steve, thanks. Yea, I feel fortunate to have found her. A few new pics of the door panels and interior.

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Would also like to find a replacement piece for the rear hatch latch cover in wine red. If anyone out there has one in VG condition, please PM me with details. Thx

Attachment 635350

nice-nice-nice-!
Those 2-tone interiors are a 78-79 yr-only feature and yours is Exceptional! Door strip on the door panels is pretty delicate and yours look to be almost perfect. You have (like you haven't figured THIS out by now?) a really well-preserved car. Needless to say you will have to be pretty diligent about UV protection in your part of the world.
The rear hatch trim panel is unique to the 78-79 (early) SAs and is pretty near impossible to find in even YOUR SAs condition. I think (and Banzai can step in here with better detail) a light sanding to remove the scratches on the latch cover and a color-respray is going to be your best option. I will leave it to others to suggest how/where you get a rattle-can color match, but I am pretty sure it is doable. Am guessing the interior rear quarter panel covers have faded some too, so an over-all respray should match up nicely, even if it was slightly off the OE color of the drivers compartment...

Trim hunt aside, I will (again?) urge you to seriously get rubber trim and gaskets ordered up, esp the odd stuff like FMOC (oil cooler) rubber mounts,etc. as this stuff is all going to be shot and failing.

Stu Aull
80 GS
Alaska /Sedona

Hey Stu, thanks again. Yes, the doors are in VERY nice condition. Last week I received a box from Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda that included a new radiator cap (yes, Mazda still makes it), my hood rod clip, both drivers and passenger side door seals, an extra side emblem, and a few other goodies. Since my window cranks were faded, I got new ones in wine red from Atkins and changed out the knob with my non-chrome stock one, which was in perfect condition. Also got some paint and resprayed my non-chrome door latches, which were also badly faded. Those came out pretty close on color, so I'll use the same color matching technique on my rear hatch cover. Suprisingly the rear panels show little signs of fade, but the rear hatch carpet is faded badly. May look at pulling that to see if an upholstery shop can dye it back close to the same color. Once that's done, I'll be pretty happy with the interior. Then, we'll start on the exterior, but that's a ways down the road.

Appreciate the support and recommendations!

P.S. What did the OEM floor mats look like in '79?