gold waffle rims
 

Hey guys i found some gold waffle style mazda rims on a 79 rx7 in a junk yard around here. im just curious how rare those are. That is the first time i have ever seen them before. i am thinking of buying them to put on my 85. They are $50 a piece. is that a good deal on them? Also is there any difference in the rim vs the regular 13 inch rim on all of the others i see? are they wider or something? or was it just the style and look? the only issue is one of them is missing the center cap.

Picture?

Dependson condition and if they were originally gold - - the gold rims were sold on the first LS editions, of which something like only 5000 were made. So, fairly rare, if original and in good shape.

DD is correct. Mazda painted a standard waffle gold in the center and installed them their 1980 Leather Sport models as part of an aesthetics package. I believe 2,500 was the actual official number produced. (500 Solar Gld / 1000 Brilliant Blk / 1000 Aurora Wht) The following year (81) they went to the 'X" wheel design which make the Gold waffle, a single year only part.

They aren't any different dimensionally than a regular waffle, just painted. Looks like some previous owner of the car slapped a set on his 79. Normally you can find a regular waffle for $25-$40 apiece. $200 for the set IMO is on the high side, but still within what you might expect to pay. I'd hope they would be in very good condition w/o any flaking on the outer rim. I've noticed lately that nice condition used parts seem to be scarcer.

Even if the gold is in poor shape its easy to refinish the waffles. I have a thread on doing just
that. Link is in the sig.

true that, t_g but its repainting the gold that's the catch. otherwise just buy some nice standard silvers and paint them....
You'd want them (well, I would anyway) to be in pretty well ready-to-go shape at $50 a pop. Sure, some polishing up but if the gold paint has a lot of issues you'll just end up with a set of ragged-looking alloys. They _are_ scarce, but if you have a lot of restoration work, esp if they are road-rashed, then it could be a frustrating job. maybe the 10-ft-rule could be applied: if they look good from there then you can prob live with them.
Also - what color is your car? This color doesn't go with the whole rainbow of the RX color palette. of course, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder ;)

Here's a 10ftr look what my $100 set of goldies off a Pic-n-Pull in Nevada looked like with some love (buffed and waxed, no rash to speak of)...

If you get 'em, mount 'em up and post a pic! They are pretty cool rims. Next up: finding decent tires...
;p

Stu Aull
80 GS
Alaska

I knew when I saw Gold Waffels in the title of this thread, it was only a matter of time before our northorn most member would check in. I've never saw that shot of your car before Stu. Looks good. I hope you've painted those wheel centers though.....

those are the exact rims i am looking at. my car is silver so it would look quite good on it.

gads no. someone show me how to do that right?

:D

Silver SA with goldies, eh? That I would like to see. Hope you get them...

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

You could at least photoshop em. :)

silver and gold!

my question is what color is the car they are on and is the car an original Leather Sport?

Dave:
His:
Silver/so "nope"
Donor RX:
??? I guess _originally_?
He said a "79" but that seems unlikely.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

Strip all the old black paint off chemically, then paint the whole center cap with "Trim Black" paint, and using a thin cloth stretched tightly over a (gloved) finger, use acetone or another solvent to clean the black paint off just the flat tops of the raised logo and the surrounding rings. :icon_tup:

it may be an 80. im not sure. the woman told me it was a 79 but i didn't run the vin. it may just have been made in 79 but an 80 model. i didn't look at anything but the exterior because i needed the hood and a couple pieces under the hood. sadly the hood was rusted through. it was white in color though.

it could be an LS. the LS came with brown leather seats, a leather wrapped steering wheel, and shift knob and was built on the GS sunroof model. it was also the first RX-7 to be offered with power mirrors.