Alright, so i was installing my s5 tail lights tonight, and i read on aaron cake's how to that in the 86-88 models you have to make a modification: "If you try to fit the new tail lights in right now, you will find that they don't sit right. The reason is that the '89 style reverse light protrudes slightly too far, which interferes with the body. The simple solution to this is to clear a small space in the tail light mounting area for the reverse light. Looking at the image below, you can either grind out or bend the highlighted area."




so anyways, i took the s4 lights out and was putting the s5 ones in when i noticed that i already had that groove where the tail lights go in...but it wasnt cut out by the previous owner, it looks completely normal and not tampered with. I then put the new lights in and the slid in perfectly and I never had to do any modifications to the body...




does this mean i have an s5 or what? or is my car special for some reason? this really confused me because i thought i had an s4 and the title from the dealership i got the car from says 1988. Just wondering about that

 

Maybe Mazda initiated some S5 changes onto the S4 late in 88?

 

Judging from the picture of your car, you have and s4.

Perhaps late production runs in 1988 already had this done to the body in preparation for the model revision.

I also have an 88 GXL so i'll check mine. See if you can find out exactly what the date of manufature was on your car.

-Mike

 

ah yah, i forgot about the bumpers and stuff being s4 as well...im dumb lol, but thanks mike if you can check that, im gonna check the vin# and build date tomorrow when i wake up

 

I have a 88 GXL (now converted to a s5 TII) with s5 Tails...I had to hack the rear In order to accomadate them, fwiw.

 

Its common for manufactures to institute running changes. Whats the build date on the car?

 

Same here on my '87, S5 lights went in without a hitch, yet my production date is 7/87 I also agree with everyone else, it's logical that new modifications are slowly intergreted into current production, in preparation for the next production year.

 

yah build date was 9/88

 

man, why you freak out like that? dang. i have an 88 as well, and didn't have any problems installing the S5's. when you have an S4 front bumper, S4 tails, and S4 body mouldings, odds are, it's an S4.

 

freak out? i was just curious...and yah i was dumb and didnt think about the bumpers and moldings right away, notice i posted that even saying how i was stupid...

 

haha, I put s5 lights on my car... expecting them to slide right in... then i noticed they didn't work... so i broke out the hacksaw

 

That was near the end of the 88 model year build.

It is not uncommon to see S5 body/sheet metal changes in mid to late 88 build dates.

 

well if you think about it, the FC's in japan probably had the roundtail lights in 88 because everything tends to happen a year early over there. therefore there body configurations might of changed the whole 88 lineup
? thats what i thknk happened

 

Nope, that would be wrong.

History of the Japanese RX-7 from Mazda Japan:

http://www.mazda.co.jp/history/rx7/J...ar/chrono.html

Mazda started phasing in the S5 sheet metal early. That is why you find things like the light cut outs, or another real common one is the Drivers door having the 89+ sheet metal while the passengers door having the 86-88 sheet metal.

 

How do you tell the difference in sheet metal?

 

On the doors? The speaker holes are in different places