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I'm in the midst of a factory restoration on an Australian delivered series 3.
Currently, my windscreen (or windshield for my North American audience) moulding is polished. I did this myself over 10 years ago, but am going back to the factory satin black. I recall there being weatherstripping across the top front moulding, the edge of the side front mouldings and possibly the long bottom moulding too, although my recollection is hazy. All of these stuff fell apart when I took the moulding off - it was cracked and brittle from the sun. Now that I am restoring the car, I want to put on something equivalent.
The parts catalogue illustrates what I think are some of these parts:
The relevant parts are described as 50811D, 50821D (top trim protectors left and right) and 50608C (bottom trim protector). There are also the "DUM" rubber pieces in the corners, but I understand these have been NLA forever and in any event fit underneath the mouldings to help prevent the body.
Curiously, the "trim protectors" were introduced on series 3/1984 vehicles and weren't shown for 79-83 models. No doubt these were introduced to help prevent the common A-pillar rust issues that face 1st gens from gunk getting in behind the mouldings. The trim protectors were horrible hard rubber that seem to die pretty quickly under UV and they fall apart when removed.
I managed to buy one of the top "trim protectors" new from Mazda - the last one left in Australia - but I couldn't only get the left side, not the right. There have been none in the US for a while and they are NLA from Mazda Japan. In other words, I possibly got the last NOS one in the world. I was hoping to match the profile of the rubber with common aftermarket weatherstripping, but it doesn't seem to match so I would probably need to get something custom.
But interestingly, I have since discovered the top moulding parts were reissued with new part numbers at some point and appear to come with new style weatherstripping pre-installed. It has weatherstrips on both sides of the moulding - where the moulding meets the body and where it meets the glass. This may have been done to address the shortcomings of the crappy hard rubber weatherstrips originally fitted, or maybe just what the OEM part manufacturer did. Either way, it might explain why the trim protector parts have been NLA for so many years. I found this photo on this forum illustrating what I mean:
I have ordered all of the top moulding pieces and drip mouldings above the doors new from Mazda Japan - they are still available (but expensive!). hopefully, mine have the weatherstripping pre-installed too.
That just leaves the weatherstripping on the bottom and side mouldings.
Do those of you with 84-85 models have these installed still? I'd be keen to see close-up photos to see how it was meant to look from the factory. Even better would be some dimensions of the weatherstripping in case it can be matched with common off-the-shelf rubber extrusion profiles.
Any information or further help much appreciated.
Hopefully the information I've learnt from my research helps others also.
Actually I think I've posted this in the wrong section. If one of the mods thinks this should be in the parent 1st Generation Specific technical section and can move it there, that would be great. Thanks!
Interesting! had no idea as an SA (S1) owner that the later 1st gens had these trim bits. I have (regretably) had my windshield replaced numerous times (@#$!% Alaska gravel!) and have seen no issues of rust or other damage under the trim on mine. I powder coated all my pieces and managed to be able to either reuse or replace the Dums at the corners. The only place the S1 has any under-trim is at the side pillars pieces on the A-pillars. I am still using the originals, but I would be interested in an aftermarket solution if you come up with one, so do keep updating this post
Cheers from Alaska
AND
I think you are fine posting in this section....
Thanks Stu. I think most FB owners don't have any idea they had these trim bits either! Pretty sure 81-83 never got them though, only 84-85. As you're probably aware SA was different again as they had the greyish colour not satin black.
I'll keep everyone updated with what I find. At worst, getting rubber extrusions custom made is not expensive, apart from the initial tooling outlay. If enough people were interested, getting stuff remade is not impossible. A guy here in Australia has custom made the rear taillight weatherstrips for instance.
Ok for those that are interested, i managed to find a picture of one of the lower 'dums' shown in the parts diagram (brand new one). As you can see they sit under the mouldings. These are NOT obligatory and you could probably use silicon of other plain rubber cushioning instead.
Still looking for photos of original weatherstrip on the bottom moulding. Anyone?
Last edited by KYPREO; 07-01-16 at 06:08 PM.
Reason: Omitted word
the dums are just some kind of foam, probably like the foam under the radiator. i have a bunch of used ones, somewhere, and if i run across any i'll take pics.
the dums are just some kind of foam, probably like the foam under the radiator. i have a bunch of used ones, somewhere, and if i run across any i'll take pics.
Great, thanks! That makes sense. They are essentially just a cushion and I imagine easily and cheaply replicated, since foam can be cut to size. Without them, I've noticed the A-pillar trims aren't as tight in position as they should be.
I cannot be sure the upper trim had a foam dum or not. It did however have a piece of rubber that ran from the upper corner towards the rain gutter channel. I'll have to see if I can find or take a pic.
The upper part had a clip fairly up high, and it also has a piece of rubber that was trapped under the windshield adhesive. It wrapped around the upper corner to the rain gutter. In this pic if you zoom in you can see that I folded it over backwards and taped it in place so it didn't get in the way of painting.
Fantastic. I believe that would be the upper dum shown in the parts diagram. I dont think mine ever had that. I bpught my car 17 years ago but it had at least 1 windscreen replacement at some point before that and the part was probably discarded. again i imagine this could be emulated with a piece of rubber. How thick do you think it is, roughly 6mm (1/4")?
Fantastic. I believe that would be the upper dum shown in the parts diagram. I dont think mine ever had that. I bpught my car 17 years ago but it had at least 1 windscreen replacement at some point before that and the part was probably discarded. again i imagine this could be emulated with a piece of rubber. How thick do you think it is, roughly 6mm (1/4")?
Ps thanks for posting!
I took more pics tonight with my micrometer to give you some rough dimensions if you want to fab a piece. It has some complex curves in it, but hopefully these pics give you enough to go on. Hope it helps!
It's probably about 50 cm long or more. I had a hard time holding my micrometer with my left hand and snapping the picture with my right!
You, sir, are a legend! Metric too! Thank you very much. I'm sure this is enough to figure something equivalent out. The curves no doubt match the reverse side of the top mouldings, which can be probably be used as a template.
I now have samples of the moulding trim protectors for the top mouldings, a-pillars and the lower moulding. That completes the set!
I've somehow stumbled upon my original weatherstrip for the lower windscreen moulding - looks like I kept it and for some reason, it was sitting under the passenger seat of the car! There mustn't be many of these around, as the part is missing from even very original unmodified RX-7s. I asked all around the world and only 1 person had still installed it on their car. The trim itself is in excellent condition having been pulled off the car around 15 years ago. The only issue is that it has shrunk somewhat so that it no longer extends across the full length of the bottom moulding. I'll post up a pic when I get a chance.
Unfortunately, none of the seals appear to match any off-the-shelf rubber profiles.
I'm looking into getting all of these made as reproduction items. While the cost of extruded rubber is quite cheap, the cost for initial setup and tooling is quite substantial and I'm looking at minimum orders of at least 50m rolls.
In order to get this off the ground, I would probably need to set up a group buy. I'm asking here in Australia, but I thought I would extend the invitation overseas to get enough numbers.
If I get this stuff made up, would anyone be interested. As an indicative price, I think you would be looking at around US$50-75 delivered for the complete set (top, sides and bottom), depending on how many people are willing to invest. Keep in mind these pieces are obsolete and I am working off genuine samples. By comparison, Mazda was charging around $10 per piece when they were still available new.
Last edited by KYPREO; 08-14-16 at 11:32 PM.
Reason: typo
I just received a full set of new genuine top windscreen mouldings consisting of the 2 side drip sills, the 2 top front mouldings and the centre joiner.
The front mouldings and joiner have weatherstrips top and bottom. This is definitely different from and an improvement upon how it originally came from the factory. The trim protector that is NLA is only one small section of what is on the new design moulding itself.
The bad news: they are not simple rubber extrusions. They are complex mouldings making them uneconomical to reproduce. Conversely, the edge seal on the a-pillar trims and lower moulding IS just a basic extrusion so reproducing them might still be feasible if anyone else is actually interested.
The good news: there are plenty of these mouldings available new from Mazda (albeit expensive).
Here are some detailed photos for those that are interested.
Centre joiner
Top front moulding
Drip sill (no weatherstrips)
I would have gotten the a-pillar and lower mouldings too but they are NLA. I have some ok spare second hand ones which I'll paint up. At least i have new ones to match the correct factory sheen level. Most painted ones i see are too gloss or too flat. The factory ones are satin FWIW.
Yes they will fit. Series 1 originally came with matte slightly greyer mouldings from the factory with no weatherstripping (except maybe on a pillars?), but the actual mouldings are identical. Dums and clips all the same from 79-85 as well.
Interesting! My SA (1980 S 1) has NO such rear support pieces as attached to your new strips that run the length of the moulding (dums, yes). And the top 2 pieces each have a singular "corner" protective piece that attaches behind where the tops meet the side drip rails, but nothing else. Also, the Parts diagrams I have for N.American 79-83 (S1, S2) RX7s list the same PNs for all the window pieces (later 81+ has a "B" suffix after some PNs). So maybe what you have is for the 84-85 RX7s?
Interesting! My SA (1980 S 1) has NO such rear support pieces as attached to your new strips that run the length of the moulding (dums, yes). And the top 2 pieces each have a singular "corner" protective piece that attaches behind where the tops meet the side drip rails, but nothing else. Also, the Parts diagrams I have for N.American 79-83 (S1, S2) RX7s list the same PNs for all the window pieces (later 81+ has a "B" suffix after some PNs). So maybe what you have is for the 84-85 RX7s?
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
Hi Stu
As I've indicated in a post recently, capital letter suffixes tend to indicate replacement part numbers, where a part has been superceded or the design has been revised. It might also indicate a change of OEM supplier - who knows?! It is clear from my experience buying new parts that small details have changed over time where the parts continued to be made by the OEM - tail lights for instance changed from yellow zinc on the back plates to plain zinc, same with the headlight actuator rods. Once a part number is revised like that, the original is generally not available from Mazda anymore - but if you find a NOS part, it can help determine how long ago it was bought.
The top mouldings on original SAs had no letter suffix after the part numbers (8871-99-741 and 8871-99-742). Later SA (chassis no. 56399 onwards) had a "A" suffix, indicating there was some kind of revision in the part. I know that the early SAs had a much more grey or gunmetal colour rather than black - perhaps this was the change?
The 79-80 parts fiche does show the support piece behind the centre joiner only - interestingly the 81-85 parts fiche doesn't. The part number for the original SA ends in a "A", and from chassis no. 56399 onwards it changed to a "B" (8871-50-950B).
81-83 FB have the same part numbers originally for the windscreen mouldings, ending in a B suffix for the front and side mouldings.
Top right is 8871-99-741B (another revision from late SA)
Centre joiner is 8871-50-950B (like late SA)
Top left is 8871-99-742B (another revision from late SA)
For 84-85 FB the part numbers were revised again:
8871-99-741C
8871-50-950C
8871-99-742C
All 81-85 have the same part numbers for the side and lower mouldings. I haven't gone into them though because they are NLA anyway.
These parts fiche were published in 1992. The part numbers for all the moulding pieces changed several times again after this though.
8871-99-741C is now 8871-50-910H (and had different letter combos before that - some online sellers are still listing 8871-50-910F).
8871-50-950C stayed the same
8871-99-742C is now 8871-50-920H.
The main change from "C" to "H" appears to be that there are additional seals at the bottom of the mouldings. Also, the original top mouldings did not have the top weatherstrips fitted either - but for 84-85 they were shown as separate part numbers on the drawings. These separate part numbers were discontinued about 10 years ago. Presumably because the moulding parts were replaced with a version that already had them fitted.
Long story short, 81-83 FB never had these extra seals originally. 84-85 top mouldings did have top seals but I don't think bottom. The parts you get now have both = better. It should be noted that Mazda's system shows these parts as being for all 1st gens from chassis number 563999 onwards - meaning they are intended as replacement parts for late SA and early FB as well. The parts originally shown on the parts diagrams for those cars were discontinued probably by the time the series 3 was released.
You need to take really good care of the seals. They are a hardish rubber and would easily become brittle under UV, hence why you rarely see them on cars.
06-28-16, 10:53 PM
